One of the big challenges of living in a city the size of Tokyo is making the most of your living space. Japanese homes are relatively small compared with other parts of the world, and this is especially true in big cities, where house prices are very high. A typical Japanese home is less than 1,100 sq. ft., and usually combines the living and dining space in one. I live alone in an apartment with 400 sq. ft., so you could say that personal experience has taught me to become an expert in optimizing limited space.

Many of our customers are passionate about beautiful design, but the size of their homes also means that the furniture they choose has to be functional. There is not enough room for things that only look good. They also have to work.

I always suggest an extendable dining table for small-sized homes – especially when the dining and living areas are combined. It gives you more living space during the week, when the table is only used for the quick meals that are typical of big city life. The table can then easily unfold to provide plenty of seating space for inviting friends over for dinner.

Small living rooms really benefit from nesting tables. Placed next to the sofa this keeps the centre space of the living room clear. The small tables are easily moved around when table space is required, and they can be placed individually around the room.

I like to use glass or shiny materials, as they help to reflect light around the room. The transparency of glass leaves an impression of endlessness and makes the room seem bigger.

Most Japanese homes don’t have spare rooms for overnight guests. Sofa beds are the perfect solution. Many people think that they have to compromise their love of design when buying a sofa bed. But our range of sofa beds combine aesthetics as well as function, so you can still achieve a great look, with ample seating space that easily converts into a comfortable bed.

When it comes to space savers, I have to mention our Xtra ottoman. It is a great extra seat for the day � yet take the cover off and a folding bed is revealed! Xtra fits easily into any living room, functions perfectly as an ottoman or as an extra seat for guests and children, and you can choose exactly the cover you want to fit your style. Now that’s what I call intelligent space management!

Source: BoConcept.us

A sure sign of upscale living is a fine kitchen. Preferably, one with high end cabinets with luxurious wood, stainless steel themes, large open spaces for ventilation, and highly advanced appliances to go together. The kitchen is not only an accessory to be displayed around for aesthetic purposes however. It is also the place to jumpstart healthy eating habits and a stylish relaxation place to enjoy culinary delights.

Kitchen enthusiasts sadly are not always born with silver spoons in their mouth. Rich “kitchen enthusiasts” are most often more interested in the aesthetic purposes a high class kitchen provides rather than the functionality and services it can provide compared with other kitchens.

“I showed Deborah this apartment in September or October [2005], even though my settlement wasn’t until January [2006], and said, ‘Would you take the project as a whole?’ She’s the only one I can trust completely. She took control of every detail,” says Irene Roth, 52, reached by phone in Kiev, Ukraine, where she and her husband, Alfred, 57, were working at press time. Kalkstein dramatically transformed the Roths’ apartment into a clean-lined, minimalist space with neutral colors, intriguing textures, contemporary furnishings, and art.

“This was the job from heaven. Irene said, ‘You pick, and I’ll go and see,’ ” Kalkstein says.

“Deborah selected 99 percent of what I would have picked if I’d been the architect doing the project. It’s absolutely magic, it’s a perfect match,” Irene says.

Kalkstein, 44, who is Peruvian, practiced with Marcos Kalkstein Architect, her uncle’s firm, after earning her degree in architecture from the Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima. “I always adored my uncle, who was and still is one of the top contemporary architects in Lima. I used to love to go to his office, sit at his drawing tables, and go with him to construction sites. I was always drawn to interiors,” says Kalkstein, reached in Lima, Peru, where she was visiting her family. “Here, what an architect does is different from in the States. In addition to designing the house, you design everything else, too – the kitchen, closets, and furniture. You design a sofa and have it made for you.”

Continue reading from: washingtonspaces.com

To keep up with the well-off Joneses, you’ll need to invest in heated bathroom floors, a state-of-the-art sauna, eco-friendly materials and computer-assisted light, heating and security systems.
By Lucy Maher, Forbes.com

You have an elegant gunite swimming pool, mottled granite countertops and a steam shower in your master bath. But in the race for the ultimate home, you’re still behind.

Home trends move fast, especially at the very high end of the market, where new ideas take hold. Whirlpool baths, once a rarity, can be found in many a decent new subdivision. Ditto for double-height living rooms. Stainless-steel appliances are practically standard.

“The move to make the home more spalike is definitely going strong,” says Suzan Globus, a Red Bank, N.J., interior designer and the president-elect of the American Society of Interior Designers. “One of the other trends is creating a seamless integration of technology into the home, making what we call smart homes. We are also seeing an interest in creating sustainable environments.”

Learn more: realestate.msn.com

It’s time for the newest wave of desirables.

Among the current must-haves for very luxurious homes: serene bathrooms with souped-up saunas, towel warmers and heated floors (to bring the spa back home); green elements such as eco-friendly woods and nontoxic building materials; and technology that integrates the controls for lighting, heating, security and other systems.

In Puget Sound, $1 million doesn’t get you a luxury home anymore.

Sure, you can buy a 4,000-square-foot view home in Mukilteo, complete with a pool and indoor home theater. Or a 3,250-square-foot home on 3 acres in Woodinville. Or a new McMansion on a regular-sized lot on the Sammamish Plateau. Maybe a 1,300-square-foot condo in Belltown or Bellevue.

But luxury you won’t get. Nowadays, a luxury home will cost double, even triple, that in some neighborhoods, agents and appraisers say. The luxury price threshold is more like $3 million.

At the end of November, 110 single-family homes and eight condos priced at more than $3 million were listed for sale in King County, and 10 single-family homes but no condos above $3 million were for sale in Snohomish County, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Here’s a look at what you could get if you were home shopping with a budget big enough for luxury:

The most expensive home on the market in King County is a 22,779-square-foot Mercer Island mansion listed for $40 million. The mansion, belonging to Chuck and Karen Lytle, has been on the market more than two years. Some of its more interesting features include a closet with a climate-controlled vault for furs, two wine cellars, four laundry rooms, two saltwater pools � one indoor, one outdoor � and lots of marble.

The priciest place in Snohomish County, a 12,232-square-foot home, lists for $7.95 million and has six bedrooms, seven-and-a-half baths, a 75-foot swimming pool, four-car garage, wine cellar, conservatory and 9 acres with a water view. It has a buyer in a deal subject to inspection.

By: Jane Hodges
Read more from seattletimes.nwsource.com

Organization

But Rafferty insists that, for her, it’s less about luxury and more about organization.

“We never knew where anything was,” she said. “It’s been a huge time saver in day-to-day living. Everybody is so busy — maybe it’s the area we live in — I think this has required people to see where they can save time. It’s a very practical luxury; we always know where everything is supposed to go. There are divided sections so everything is easy to find.”

Rafferty’s husband is certainly happy with the change.

“There are a lot of pullout display drawers for my husband. There are special places for his baseball caps, cufflinks and pretty much anything that comes out of his pockets at the end of the day. They designed pullout drawers on rollers so he can see what he’s got,” she said. “My space was more conventional: Makeup and accessory drawers that are shallow. It makes it easier to see where everything is. I also like my shoes hidden behind the closet door while my husband prefers them to be visible,” she said.

The possibilities are endless.

“There are lots of neat gadgets like drawers that are padded out for jewelry. Some closets are outfitted with safes. There are pegs that pull out of panels on the wall so you can pull out and line up outfits to contemplate,” said Bilotta. “There are big areas for laundry and ironing boards, drawers with crisscross pieces of wood laid out like a crossword puzzle for compartmentalizing socks or ties, all kinds of shoe storage and glass front drawers for identifying which one to go to for a red shirt or blue. ”

So, with all these options, are closets usurping kitchens as the place in the home to renovate? If it were up to Rafferty they would.

“The closet is a luxury I use everyday,” she said. “You can avoid cooking if you want but you do have to get dressed.”

Source: westfairinc.com

Their enjoyment comes from the organizational masterpiece built for them at the beginning of last summer by Bilotta in Mamaroneck; a closet as big and luxurious as a new room in their house.

In fact, it is a room in their house.

An entire spare bedroom, 14 feet by 12 feet with high ceilings, that has been converted into what is now one of their most lived-in spaces.

Sound familiar? That’s because the Rafferty’s story reflects a growing trend in designer luxury rooms.

Closets, until recently, have not kept pace with the evolution of modern living, void of all the amenities that the modern home-owner has come to expect; not meriting the importance of, say, the mother of all spaces — the modern kitchen.

“While the kitchen is still the heart of the home, a master suite with a full walk-in closet becomes a close second on an intimate level,” said Kristin Ohnmacht, spokeswoman for Bilotta, based in Mamaroneck but with branches in Mount Kisco and Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County.

Their line of cabinetry is also carried at ber-chic Clive Christian of Greenwich in Fairfield County.

Designing the more intimate areas of the home is a concept that has really taken off.

“Luxury closets are being combined with more luxurious bathrooms as an offshoot,” said Regina Bilotta, principle at Bilotta.

Until recently, personal spaces have been somewhat neglected, with many homeowners concentrating more on rooms that are used for entertaining, placing the comfort of guests before their own. But now, personal luxury is moving beyond the bedroom, with its high-thread-count sheets, and has expanded into an entire en suite revolution.

“We’ve had a lot of calls for luxury storage,” said Bilotta. “It’s an area that has become just as specialized. We do any room in the house. If you can put a cabinet in it, we can design it.”

The lap of luxury

In choosing the amenities a closet could possibly have, the sky’s the limit.

“We did a very famous celebrity’s closet and it was about the size of my kitchen,” Bilotta said. “It was maybe 20 feet by 18 with a rotating island for shoes and accessories, all kinds of drawers and cubbies and plush with carpeting. It’s closet couture,” she said.

For Rafferty, the opportunity to sit down with a designer was priceless. She and her husband are living in a Mamaroneck home built in 1906. A challenge when it comes to consistent design. “A designer came and talked to us about our needs. It was quite an interview process,” she said. “(Bilotta) has all kinds of styles, but we wanted an Old World look. Little windowpanes in the closet doors and open cabinetry give it a nice, lighter look that goes with the home. And the quality of the wood and cabinetry is incomparable.”

California Closets in Hawthorne is also a designer driven shop. “We don’t sell components, we custom make every closet,” said sales manager Liz Sleeman. “Some people build vanities, request granite tops or beveled glass. We offer real wood, like mahogany, create spaces for better quality items like cashmere — we can custom build for exact needs.”

The concept of designer closets has permeated the market so much that it’s not just the master bedroom getting attention anymore.

“I’m also seeing that designer closets are no longer being limited to primary homes but to country homes and summer homes ” and in kids’ rooms,” said Bilotta.

The days of clearing out closets with the seasons may be nearing an end, too. “I don’t think people do that anymore,” said Bilotta. Winter clothes and summer clothes can now happily coexist together in the same room at the same time.

Source: westfairinc.com
Image Source: spacesolved.com

The first thing to do is to eliminate the things that are not necessary. It is better to have a wide and clean place to live in than a crowded one. Try to start in your clothes. Choose the clothes you are not longer wearing. Put these on a garage sale or a rummage sale (this would be an extra income for you). Your old bags, shoes, and accessories can be of help to other people who cannot afford a new one. Donate the books, handouts, and notes that you’re not using any longer. Aside from saving space, you can also earn money. How good isn’t it?

To most romantic individuals, fireplaces are the ideal centerpieces of living rooms. Sitting in front of the fire on a warm fur rug with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day is heaven to those seeking that perfect setting.

The new rising Splendido Taal Towers, a set of 4 12-storey condominium towers, is the latest joint venture of JAKA and Sta. Lucia Realty and Development, Inc. The luxurious residential resident can be found in the Tagaytay ridge area, a 70km away from Metro Manila, Philippines.

The 250-hectare planned community will feature a centerpiece, its country clubhouse, Golf and Country Club. It will also feature several sports and recreation facilities such as outdoor swimming pool, basketball, volleyball, squash, badminton, and tennis facilities. For those looking to unwind and relax, massage and spa facilities are available at the Splendido Taal Country Club.