Heating for Outdoor Living Spaces

Outdoor fireplace with cypress mantle

There are many ways to heat your outdoor space.  One way that is especially handsome is an outdoor fireplace, particularly when it either reflects or complements the architecture of the home.

Outdoor Fireplaces for Heating

The fireplace in the photograph above nicely complements the space in which it is set.  It features a large stone boulder slab for the hearth.  It is similar to a fireplace that Rick designed for the Mountaineers where he picked out a hearthstone boulder and created a fireplace around it.  One of our favorite sources of stone like this is Marenakos near Preston on I-90.

Rumford Fireplaces Efficiently Heat Outdoor Seating Areas

Rumford Outdoor Fireplace

Rumford fireplaces provide radiant heating which makes them particularly good at heating the seating area thus extending the time in the evening and season in which you can enjoy your outdoor space.  These fireplaces are particularly good at projecting heat outward rather than upwards.  They also make beautiful outdoor ovens.  The local expert on Rumford fireplaces is Jim Buckley of Port Townsend, WA.  Our brick mason friend, John Davies, swears by him.
There are many examples of outdoor Rumfords at Buckley Rumford Fireplaces.   

 Fireplaces Can Provide Nice Definition in Outdoor “Rooms”

Craftsman Outdoor Fireplace, photo by Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times

You can create an outdoor room with a roof attached to the house such as the one in this photograph.  This is an example of a craftsman fireplace that is quite dramatic and full of character.

Freestanding Fireplaces Can Provide Good Definition for Outdoor Spaces

Freestanding Fireplace

A freestanding fireplace can also help to create a definition of the space.  It creates a focal point when the gathering area is open on all sides.

Modern Freestanding Fireplace

This is a great example of a stunning contemporary freestanding fireplace.  Unlike the fireplace above, this one dominates the space and creates a strong focus.  It is very dramatic and is intended to stand out rather than blend in with the landscape around it.

Pharos Outdoor Fireplace

Metal fireplaces can also be very attractive and contemporary.  I like the contrast that the dark metal fireplace creates against the greens and blues in the garden space.

Firepits Are Another Way to Provide an Informal Focal Point to Your Outdoor Space

Stone Firepit

A fire pit is another way to heat your outdoor seating space and reflect the character of your home or garden.  The firepit in the photo above reflects the space around it and helps to define the gathering area.  This is a great example  of a firepit that is subtle and blends in with the surroundings.

Portable Firepit

Firepits can be permanent like the previous stone one or they can be portable like the one above.  For people who have a smaller space or who need to be able to shift the focal point of a gathering, these smaller portable firepits are perfect.  They come in many styles and sizes.

Compact Cooking

Dreaming of a decent kitchen in student quarters is like an irrational fantasy! Addressing this need to be able to whip up a decent meal, even though you lack the space, is this Cookease. It is a compact integrated cooking system, which contains a heater and 2 bowls. The heater works on magnetic induction and is made from silicone, while the bowls are color coated stainless steel. Much like a compact lunchbox, I’d much rather have a small setup than none.



Designer: Liew Ann Lee

Book Wrap

The Scroll Bookshelf is one of the most basic ways of managing your books in a tidy fashion. A metal sheet covered with a plastic sleeve and two sturdy end-rolls is what its all about. Unfurl the sheet and stack em books! And look! The ends have secret chambers to hold pens and other trinkets. Cute!

Rev Up Your Room: Chic High-End Looks for Under $500

Soren Chair for $449 at Room & Board

When it comes to a well furnished room, it's all about the mix. Too much of any one style, no matter how well chosen, can tip the balance toward the space feeling too "safe". Offsetting the basics with even one unexpected piece wakes up the overall design — adding a fantastic, chic chair in a style that is just a touch off of your norm and a click toward luxe is an easy way to accomplish this eclectic objective...and you can do it for under $500:

Here are ten seating choices that, while varied in style and materials, all have an air of high-end chic, while clocking in at the under $500 mark. Maybe it's not in the budget to buy a pair or completely surround your dining room table or with them all in one go, but as a single signature piece in a living room or a special side chair in the bedroom, they are perfect.
Shown above, top row, left to right:
1. Soren Chair for $449 at Room & Board
2. Era Round Armchair for $250 at Design Within Reach
3. Contact Stool for $129 at CB2
4. Madeleine Side Chair for $109 at Restoration Hardware
5. Tobias Chair for $99 at IKEA
Bottom row, left to right:
6. Vintage French Leather Armchair for $379 at Restoration Hardware
7. Xanadu Bench for $349 at Ethan Allen
8. Upholstered Dhurrie Slab for $299 at West Elm
9. Tolix Marais A56 Armchair for $275 at Design Within Reach
10. Eames DCM Molded Plywood Chair for $499 at Design Within Reach
Of course, unusual, well designed vintage chairs are also a great way to go when you need to mix things up a bit, so if buying new isn't your style, head out to your favorite thrift source or start checking our daily scavenger roundups to add a dose of eclectic chic to your own home.

World's Most Expensive Wardrobe

Geoff is a wood craftsman and cabinet maker who experts. He is studying in London and Paris, and has taught traditional box-making and wood carving to hundreds of students from all walks of life in Toowoomba's reply is known as the annual school for the arts. New-job size is, Australiana Cabinet.
Have you ever thought to buy a wardrobe that cost the equivalent of one apartment block? Or maybe you do not believe that there is a cabinet that cost that expensive?
But you will believe that there is a cabinet that expensive when it visited Regional Art Gallery in Northern New South Wales, Australia. Weighing 2 tons of cabinets are made of mahogany wood combined with the other 31 species, 17 types of gemstones are enhanced with rare corals and precious metals. To make this cabinet takes 6.5 years. These cabinets are made of fine wood and veneers 34, 17 types of stone, four types of shellfish, and 23-carat gold.
The cabinet has 18 doors and 140 drawers. The main use is Brazilian mahogany, with solid black columns and 23-carat gold plating. Other materials include tortoise, abalone and mother-pearl shells, jasper, agate, tiger eye, malachite, lapis lazuli and rubies.
This cabinet has 18 doors. Each door showing pictures of birds typical of Australia with beautiful colors. Inside there are 140 fruit drawers and several storage boxes secrets that are made available for storing important items and secrets.
The cabinet maker, Geoff Hannah was about to sell the cabinet at a price that exceeds the price of one apartment block. Because to create a wardrobe that takes patience and tenacity to pay attention to every detail. These cabinets will be sold for 1.35 million UAD, or about 1.8 million USD.
Indeed, price is very fantastic. But according to the visitors, the price is indeed inappropriate for the cabinet, which is the work of all five of Geoff Hannah.

 

 

 

Expensive BED IN THE WORLD IN 2011 27 KG GOLD COATED

Fantastic. The word that can be said when describing the luxury of a bed made ​​British designer Stuart Hughes. In fact, the bed was also called the world's most expensive bed. Because, in addition to hand-made bed is covered with 27 kilograms of gold, Italian silk and cotton curtains. In addition, you can also put a diamond around the frame for additional decoration.

Stuart Hughes claimed the bed is a masterpiece of the world. "The bed can only be owned by the super miliyarder. Only people with high grade and enthusiasts of the unique items," said 37-year-old man.

Stuart Hughes only made two beds like this. Each bed takes three months of the manufacturing process. This luxurious bed is priced at four million pounds, equivalent to Rp 57 billion. One bed had been purchased by a homemade Italian conglomerate.

Wake Up or Start Your Day Sobbing: The Money Shredding Alarm Clock

Having problems when it comes to waking up in the morning? It is our great wicked pleasure to present this creative alarm clock that will surely solve whatever “oversleeping issues” you may have. The design of the money shredding alarm clock is definitely for the strong-hearted, for the rich of for the desperate. Funny and clever, this device will make sure you get to work on time, even if it means compromising the earnings you are about to make that day. If for some money is not a problem, the machine can also shred other important papers, such as holiday airplane tickets, homeworks, “to do” lists and so on. But keep an eye out: according to Mashable, willfully destroying U.S. currency is considered a federal crime and is punishable by law: “Whoever mutilates, cuts, disfigures, perforates, unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association [...] shall be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.” Witty though! So… what would you shred for the sake of waking up in the morning?