Design & Décor
29 May Redesigning the Natural Workplace
Latest designs encourage movement and discourage assigned work stations and offices
There is a counter-height desk on wheels for the worker who is more productive walking through the office while working on his computer.
There are areas for groups of employees to collaborate. And private spaces for when workers need to take important or private calls. Work areas, equipped with traditional seating as well as counters for people who prefer to stand, are arranged for use by all.
The corner offices for high-ranking executives are gone. So are traditional work stations assigned to a specific worker. A work café – for group and individual work – also is a must.
What is this place? It is the workplace that promotes health, wellness and the most efficient use of space at a time when businesses do not want to spend for new buildings, says John Shideler, workplace consultant for Steelcase.
29 Apr Kitchen Design Winners Focus on Glass
Glass in all shapes and sizes offers common bond for design winners
Creative use in glass in everything from mosaic tiles to light fixtures and sinks underscore a trend in 2013. Recycled counter tops, contain glass, quartz and corn-based polymers are also hot.
You can see all the finalists' designs here.
Like the looks, but not sure how to get started?
03 Apr A Question of Cork Comfort
What do ceramic nano beads mean for softness underfoot?
Q. I am puzzled about the ceramic bead layers advertised as being part of the finish on Wicanders Cork Flooring. Does this add considerable hardness to the cork surface? I’m seeing the comfort aspect of cork, and am actually replacing ceramic tile with the cork – so I don’t want to replace hard ceramic with hard ceramic!
A. The ceramic beads are crystals that are embedded in the layers of the UV- cured urethane finish that is topically applied at the plant during the final stages of the manufacturing process. These tiny microscopic particles do not add to the hardness of the cork, but rather to the long-term wear-ability of the finish.
09 Feb Natural Oil Trending
Natural oil hardwood flooring finishes gain popularity as consumers get more familiar with product benefits
Some would say that using plant-based oils to finish a hardwood floor is unique. Not the norm, the road less-traveled and, possibly not suited for standing up to high traffic.
But with the number of customers who are beginning to ask about oil or low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) floor finishes, I would have to say that a trend is emerging.
And floors that are standing up to customers and spilled drinks in a downtown Cincinnati bar where the floor was finished with plant-based oil last fall is debunking doubt about durability.
17 Dec Old and New
Painstaking remake of historic Rauh home in Cincinnati means authentic replication, along with new, environmental features
The squares within the new parquet floor had to be just so. They were the design foundation in restoring the former home of Frederick and Harriet Rauh in Wyoming, Ohio – one of the oldest Modernist residences in the state, built in 1938.
All you have to do to understand this is to look at all the squares and rectangles in the flat-roofed, International Style home designed by architect John Becker. A grand landmark in its day, the home eventually fell victim to deterioration and vandalism.
But with funds donated by Emily Rauh Pulitzer, and the expertise of noted Cincinnati architects and contractors, the Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) oversaw a two-year renovation, completed this year, and returned the building to its original glory. With some new, modern efficiency improvements, the project is setting new standards for historical preservation.
14 Nov When Glass Says Class
Glass backsplash adds just the right color and dimension
In a perfect world, you would remodel your master bathroom all at once, making every selection in advance to ensure all components of the finished product complement each other.
In reality, remodeling in stages is sometimes forced upon us. In this case, the latest addition of a recycled glass countertop, new vanity, mirrored cabinets and sink were supposed to mark the completion of this bathroom overhaul. But there was something noticeably missing.
The counter area needed a backsplash for a finished look that pulled the whole room together.
07 Nov A Space You Don’t Forget
Repurposed wood, certified dimensional tile and natural, zero-VOC finishes position new Cincinnati bar for lasting attention
Architects and designers know that designing the perfect bar means creating a unique atmosphere for respite and escape. It must invite, perhaps with warm, dimly lit nooks perfectly suited for comfortable conversation. It must have an attention-getting focal point, and logical pathways that help customers find their way through the building.
Now add to that a requirement for a natural aesthetic that uses building materials that are better for people and the planet. For the design-build team coordinated by Core One Resources in Cincinnati, OH, this meant reusing floor joists for interior woodwork and wall paneling, restoring salvageable wood floors, laying environmentally certified tile and finishing new and old wood floors with odorless, Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)-free natural oil.
No, the architect explains, this was not done to seek tax abatements through Leadership in Energy and Environmental (LEED) certification. No certification was sought. Is it possible that today’s green building standards have become common practice for the creators of this new, downtown Sixth Street bar, who simply see environmental considerations as the right thing to do?
27 Aug Tell the Whole Story
Why didn’t you mention reclaimed trees in your reclaimed wood article?
Q. Your article, The Truth about Reclaimed Wood, did a good job demonstrating that a number of mainstream companies make reclaimed flooring from deconstructed barns and other buildings.
But you didn’t mention flooring made from trees that are removed to make way for development. Companies that make lumber from trees that have to be cut down also help produce wood products without cutting down trees that can keep growing and helping the planet.
Please let your visitors and people who want to build LEED-certified homes know that this option exists.
A. Making flooring, mantels and other items from trees that have to be removed for a variety of reasons is a very cool idea. This type of salvaging, however, does not qualify for reclaimed wood credit under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. Only wood salvaged from old structures counts toward LEED’s Resource Reuse Credit.
24 Aug The Truth about Reclaimed Wood
Demand is growing, and it’s readily available at a flooring store near you
It’s a fact: Reclaimed hardwood is now mainstream. You don’t have to search it out through a specialty retailer. Just ask Ben Cochran, whose northwest Virginia company has been making floors from deconstructed buildings since 1978.
“Everything we use in our reclaimed products is structurally salvaged from barns, factories and other buildings that are being removed to make way for new developments,” says Cochran, outside sales manager for the company his father started. “It’s been that way for more than 25 years.”
Cochran Lumber’s flooring is one of four reclaimed flooring brands that are readily available through many hardwood flooring companies.