Ranch-Styled Homes

Let us first begin with how the Ranch-style house is defined...

Ranch-style housing is a domestic architectural style originating in the United States.  The structure of the ranch-style house is noted for its long, low profile with minimal use of exterior as well as interior decor.  The houses meld modernist ideas and styles with a feel of the American Western period exuding a style of casual living.  -Wikipedia

THE FULL VIEW

The architecture of this ranch-style house goes against the noteable "low" characteristic of ranch-style houses (with the pointed roof), however the open floor-plan and the natural surrounding backdrop seems to be that of a ranch-style home.

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Leaning towards the modern in design in and out this is a beautiful example of a 21st century ranch-style home.

IN-DOOR OUT-DOOR TRANSITION

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COOK

EAT

LIVE

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ALL IN ONE

SLEEP

CLEAN

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Romantic Curtains with the help of Cost Plus World Market

A white buffet with light sea blue bobble knobs, a small crystal chandelier with gold trimmings, a mahogany table in the corner topped with a crystal elephant case and crystal lamp... I'm feeling a whimsical and romantic vibe in the dining room and I know the right kind of window treatment to make it just so.

To create a romantic and whimsical feel in the dining room I used a wooden rod with simple ball filials at the ends (Wooden Ball Drapery Rods $24.99 - $39.99) and sheer cotton curtains in Natural (Natural Crinkle Voile Curtain Panel $14.99), both which I purchased from Cost Plus World Market.

Because the curtains only give off a minimum of privacy as they are fairly sheer and thin it's best to reserve these curtain panels to windows in the home that need less privacy where perhaps the goal may be to dress up the window while keeping the area shaded from sunlight, for these things the curtain panel works perfectly and is absolutely beautiful as well.

The curtain has ties along the top to be secured around the curtain rod.  I find the rows of bows to be charming.

The dining room window is rather long and so I purchased three rods and 6 curtain panels.

The end result was more beautiful than I imagined.  The curtains float with the breeze that passes through the open windows and its Natural coloring gives off a sense of light and airiness that completely transformed the dining area into a place of romanticism.

Using Orange

The brown faux-trim to create a more defined space for the framed
pictures is a beautifully smart way to draw the eye.

Orange, a color to challenge your abilities as an interior decorator. With the recent move to my new home I decided upon painting the home office orange, a medium-bodied orange true to the color of... orange, not deep orange, bright orange, yellow orange, red orange or any of those other orange-ish colors.  My office, is simply orange.  With the choice of the orange office came a difficult task (which is still on-going) of making the office what I want it to be, I will admit that orange has been a challenging hue to work with, perhaps because there are only a few colors that actually go well with orange, or perhaps it is because the tone of orange which is decidedly Fall/Winter and exuberates the feeling of warmth while still upholding the room with a kind of lightness- orange can do this with a depth that is most shocking. Because of these things orange is neither here or there and one must work harder than usual to get the look of a room just right when using orange.

Using orange against a white backdrop in a modern setting will probably always be the easiest way to go with orange.

Or one can go ALL OUT with orange walls, orange flooring and orange furnishings.
The art deco styled room is perfect for the color orange.

One can get away with using the Halloween pairing of orange and black by incorporating
white and a few bits of earthy wooden and brown tones into the mix. A smart way to
play on and play-up the warmth in orange.

Some may think 'Country Bumpkin' but I quite like this country-feeling decor with
the key theme of orange. I find orange to be right at home and in it's element
within this decor style.

Another way to play-up orange in your living room is to use one key piece... in orange of
course! Using the best colors to pair with orange in order to have your one key piece
stand out is a smart way to go about it; teal, white, black and browns are very good
color pairings for orange.

A modern orange kitchen is a fun kitchen with a twist, a not too often used color with sleek minimal designing will keep the kitchen looking popping fresh and quirky, which is something you tend to lose with modern decor- one of the great qualities of orange!

Or use a deep orange to create a more homely kitchen environment. Remember the warmer the hue the
friendlier and cozy it will seem.

Another art deco example but this time used in the dining-room.  The mixed prints or variety of prints used
gives off the feeling of a fun atmosphere while still maintaining the integrity of the room from the use of
geometric prints, which also gives it a feeling of modernity. Orange is accented by black but is also thrown
off with the luxuriousness of the crystals on the chandelier, the bronzed gold on the lamps and mirror and
is melded with white dispersed throughout the room as a transition from color to color.

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Quirky and eccentric!  This orange walled dining-room uses large wall art in order to tie
in the bright blues and whites while using a long black dining table to ground the room.

Another fun but not so "in-your-face" way of using orange to create a quirky dining-room environment is to use it as an accent.  The key colors of the dining room is a light sea blue and dark browns, the introduction of orange accents dispersed throughout the room creates a quirky lightness to this otherwise drab room.  Sometimes a bit of color is all you need.

Orange paired with gray and white will create a very modern affect, that is
light and airy.

Bright orange with white will also create a modern room that is fun and light-hearted.  The carefully chosen
orange pendant lamp, orange quilt on the bed goes together well with the carefully chosen black & white
picture above the bed and the carefully chosen white shag rug on the floor. Sometimes being
obvious about the look your trying to achieve is the way to go.

And when you just thought you couldn't get away with modern romanticism with orange! < Which by the way is one of my
favorite decor-styles.  The red orange walls paired with simple white gives off a soft modernity also enhanced by the modern
white wire chandelier and the classic romantic tufted bed headboard. Make note not to dismiss the molded tall window shutters
which gives the orange a classy-look not to be gotten in any other way.

And once can alway achieve a completely unique look by simply running with
it.  A yellow orange is paired with yellow, horizontally yellow is used (the bed,
the ceiling) while the yellow is used for vertical standings (the walls).  The orange-
yellow of the orange color used goes well with the yellow pairing since the two
colors are linked with... that's right, yellow!  The over-use of the two colors with
the geometric bee-hive patterns in the room and the light brown of the natural
fiber run and woven wood wicker chair lends a vibe of relaxation,
quirkiness and fun that is completely unique.

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This bathroom in the vintage contemporary style accents the main
bathroom wall with a medium-bodied orange.  The black and white
sink is an accent for the orange wall that also is in the farmhouse
style which has such strong character that it lends a strong vintage
feel to the orange- it is almost as if the vintage-vibe from the sink
is accenting the orange.  Indeed another smart way to use orange.

The Works of Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright

June 8, 1867 - April 9, 1951

From Richland Center, Wisconsin

Frank Lloyd Wright home & studio

Item of Note: Louise van der Veld's Chick-A-Dee Smoke Detector

Available @ A+R, $75.00

My husband has been putting up smoke alarms and CO alarms all around the house, the detectors have become a lot more sleek looking than a few years back where huge round protrusions obviously not a part of the decor mounted exposed on ceilings near doorways. But even with today's sleeker and more modern designs there's just no getting around the same detector faults, let's face it, they may be saving lives but their ugly.

Louis van der Veld obviously felt this way about smoke alarms to some degree, hence a new design for smoke alarms, the Chick-A-Dee. Simply an alarm with the same functions disguised as a perched bird. Not as incognito as we'd like I suppose, but much better for the overall decor of your beautiful home.  Set-up the Chick-A-Dee in the corner or not, if anything, noticers are more likely to coo at the device than look away quickly.

• Made of plastic and metal materials
• 18 month battery life
• 3yr warranty
• Fully UL approved
• 85 decibel alarm

MyHabit.com by Amazon

MYHABIT.COM

Amazon has just released their new site MyHabit, which is not only specific to fashion but also Home decor!  On first glance MyHabit reminds me of Gilt.  The large square icons with featured products makes it very easy to peruse.  I always find myself resisting the ever-growing sites committed to selling products with a multitude of brands but I can't help feeling just a little bit excited.