Garages and sheds on came with lots of surprises this season. While users added lots of photos showcasing organizational theories to their ideabooks, they loved seeing creative transformations of the often-underused space. A backyard workplace, a exceptional play pavilion and an amazing man cave are just a few of those spaces that topped the popularity list for the past year. Which one is your favorite?

TransFORM | The Art of Custom Storage

1. Ultimate organization in Brooklyn. This little New York garage includes a place for all. The compact solutions — hooks onto the walls, file cabinets, open shelving — could prove useful in any storage area.

Sett Studio

2. A 92-square-foot refuge in Austin. A wonderfully modern surprise at a Texas backyard, this prefab shed serves as a backyard office and part of an outdoor harbor. Many ers thought something this small are the perfect way to experiment with prefab layout.

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Cardea Building Co..

3. San Francisco backyard cabin. Even homes with a lawn smaller than this one often have room for specific touches. This lawn has many inspiring small-space notions — readers especially liked the raised garden beds.

Menter Byrne Architects

4. Seattle garage-turned-playspace. These homeowners turned their garage into the greatest play pavilion to their kids. While the first floor still stores the family car, the next floor now acts as a multipurpose space that concentrates on action instead of TV.

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Lands End Development – Designers & Builders

5. Cabin-style Minnesota carriage home. This heavenly winter house is actually a spacious carriage home, constructed at a rustic log-cabin style. ers adored every little detail of the space — including the red trim, exposed rock and shingled dormer.

Woodbourne Builders Inc

6. Customized storage to get a Massachusetts family. A big and active family can always use a little help with organization. These custom-built storage units in a glossy gray each possess a little bench where family members may take shoes off, and a lid that lifts up for additional storage.

Siemasko + Verbridge

7. Conventional stonework in Marblehead. Nestled next to a romantic house in Massachusetts, this garage has the exact same storybook feel as the main property. Most ers spared this photo for its exquisite custom garage doors made from dark wood.

Flow Wall System

8. On-the-wall storage. The best thing you can do to maintain your garage organized would be to get things from the ground. This garage makes use of a useful system that keeps everything to surfboards out of the way.

Norris Architecture

9. Rustic Tennessee shed. ers adored the dreamy, rustic feel of the potting shed. It’s set amid rural forests, and recycled wood pallet walls provide the space the worn-in look and feel of a barn.

TR Building & Remodeling Inc..

10. Car lover’s man cave in Connecticut. Made to be the greatest man cave, this space stores a whole lot more than just a few great cars. A wine cellar, subterranean parking, a vehicle elevator and a vanishing TV in the bathroom mirror are only a few of its amazing capabilities.

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These photos made the 2012 Most Popular list based on how many times they were inserted to user ideabooks. Still looking for your dream garage or shed? Find thousands more here

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A Denver couple with four children hired interior designer Donna Grace McAlear before they began construction on this ski house. “This was a big job — while the architect designed the house and engineering, I chose each of the interior and exterior finishes and fixtures, designed the lighting schemes, laid out the kitchen and baths as well as the decor and furnishings,” says McAlear. She had these priorities:
The mountain views were paramount, so the decoration needed to enhance them, not compete with or distract from them.The house had to be functional for a family with young children who loved to collect with and entertain extended relatives members and friends from far-flung places.The home’s insides necessary to have continuity and associate with the natural environment outside.McAlear, of New Mood Design, began by deciding upon the rock for indoor and outdoor accents, creating a warm, modern sanctuary inspired by its color palette. The rock, known as Mountain Ash, contains the colors of the surrounding landscape, by the glean of silver into sky gray, from heavy bronze into the hot ocher of earth. She utilized the numerous colors to create distinct spaces inside the wide-open third floor strategy and continued their use throughout the rest of the house. The result: Beautiful interiors that complement the mountain views, no matter the season.

at a Glance
Location: Breckenridge, Colorado
Who lives here: This really is another house to get a Denver couple and their children (3 sons, 1 girl )
Size: 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms
That is interesting: The house is arranged upside down, with the common areas at the top (so everybody can enjoy the best perspectives ), the bedrooms on the middle floor, and the guest suites and wine cave onto the first.

New Mood Design LLC

We’ll begin our tour at the front door, run up to the third floor and work our way down.

The entryway foreshadows a lot of what awaits inside. “The colours [of the stone] reminded me of the Colorado landscape — mining cities, earth, rock, mountains and sky,” McAlear says. “Also it was the most clean-cut, rectangular and flat rock they had.” Every one of these attributes made it the ideal selection for the hot, modern mood she had been creating.

McAlear also chose the stainless steel door, which divides on the silvery grays in the rock and lets people know they are not planning to enter a rustic mountain house full of antlers and mooseheads.

New Mood Design LLC

The elevator shaft is shrouded in Mountain Ash stone in the first floor up into the third. On the very first level, the entry foyer and wine cave floors are an Idaho silver quartzite flagstone, which can be utilized as an 18-inch border around the hardwood floors on the third degree.

New Mood Design LLC

McAlear used the exact same rock on the fireplace along with elevator shaft surround. This connects the inside and outside and provided a hot, rich palette to use throughout the house.

New Mood Design LLC

When selecting the furniture, flexibility, flexibility and relaxation were key. “As my clients like to entertain, we made certain things were flexible and easily moved about,” she says. “They love to sponsor friends and family from far and wide, and wanted this distance to work for 20 to 25 people.”

New Mood Design LLC

These dining room chairs are comfortable and light, for instance, and the clients move them over to the living room area whenever they have a party.

The Pascal Mourgue Calin dining seats have slipcovers made of Alcantara cloth, which is similar to microsuede. “This cloth is very easy to clean, and the buttons in back allow them easy to eliminate — a must for a household with children,” McAlear says.

Dining table: Homme into koa timber with bronzed aluminum thighs, Berman Rosetti

New Mood Design LLC

McAlear also gave the dining area a distinct presence by pulling the warmer earth tones in the stone’s color palette. “I chose some of the warmer ocher tones since I needed the dining area to stand out as its own space inside the open plan.”

She tradition designed the onyx light fixture to pick up on these colours without blocking the views.

New Mood Design LLC

The bar stools, coated in hot bronze , can be pulled into the living space and used as additional seating; they can adjust from down bar height to seat height. “These are the most comfy bar stools I have ever sat in,” claims McAlear.

Kitchen cabinets: Pedini Cucine Integra foundation and tall closets in grey stained European walnut; counters: Quartz Reflections, Caesarstone; bar stools: designed by Karim Rashid for Bonaldo

New Mood Design LLC

“In this kind of open program, I needed to ground the kitchen,” says McAlear. “This backsplash anchored the kitchen to the area. It is also reflective and changes color based on the time of day.” The glass upper cabinets also reflect light.

Upper closets: taupe reflective glass, Pedini Cucine

New Mood Design LLC

The living area is comfortable, flexible and versatile, and also gets its color palette from the rock, now in a range of warm grays.

“The Puzzle coffee table is another versatile bit; it’s composed of 2 coffee tables that could be combined as a single, used individually or reconfigured,” McAlear says.

New Mood Design LLC

Because clear views of character through the windows proved to be a priority, there is not any artwork on the walls, also because this is another home, the clients didn’t need a bunch of accessories around. Therefore, McAlear chose artful, sculptural lighting fixtures to function as dramatic features throughout the house.

Light: Oh Mei Ma Kabir suspension lighting, Ingo Maurer; Deadly ireplace: LED gasoline, Heat & Glo LUX60; swivel seats: Portofino, Minotti

New Mood Design LLC

A versatile sectional couch from Ligne Roset could be divided in 2, arranged in an L shape or pushed into a long couch. “Pushing it into a long couch can clean up space to make a dancing floor,” McAlear says. “It is also very hardy; you are able to perch atop the trunk comfortably.”

New Mood Design LLC

A pair of comfy Pierre Paulin Pumpkin seats can swivel around to take in the view at sunset.

New Mood Design LLC

McAlear custom designed this chandelier with C Lighting to work with the exterior and interior architecture. “It needed to fit in a rather horizontal space and extend down the stairs,” McAlear says. “Each of both tiers drops between the stairs and large windows on the second and third levels. It is minimalist but very dramatic at precisely the exact same moment.”

New Mood Design LLC

Moving down to the family’s private areas on the second degree is the children’ lounge, which connects physically and visually into the landscape.

The area also picks up on the warmer colours of the stone’s palette and tweaks them up a few shades. Ligne Roset’s Togo series couch is great for flopping on following a long day of of skiing. The 2 doors on the left lead into a toilet and a ski area for keeping clothing and dressing to the slopes, and another door leads to a deck. As you can see through the window, this house is ski in, ski out.

New Mood Design LLC

This bath attaches to the family space and the ski space, so one could enter the house après ski, strip off snowy outerwear, then enter this toilet and hop to a nice, hot shower.

New Mood Design LLC

The color palette continues to the master bedroom, where McAlear plucked a hot terra-cotta colour in the earthier colors in the rock. The cherry ceiling adds heat.

The fireplace in the master bedroom is an abstraction of the huge rock fireplace on the third floor; the exact same palette is used but rendered in glass tile . Again, McAlear set up a stunning, artistic light fixture — this one, the Aloe Bud Multi from Jeremy Cole, is made from porcelain.

Bed: Bloom by Bonaldo, table lamps: Coral, Swank

New Mood Design LLC

New Mood Design LLC

In the master bath, a curved, high-gloss lacquer cherry vanity from Pedini Cucine echoes the master bedroom ceiling.

New Mood Design LLC

Before you go believing these clients are aprés-ski exhibitionists, look very closely at the windows. There are up/down shades by Hunter Douglas Silhouette that mix right into the window casing.

New Mood Design LLC

The boys’ bunk area has six beds complete, so that the couple’s three sons could bring friends on weekend ski trips. There’s also a girls’ bunk area for the daughter and her friends on this floor.

New Mood Design LLC

Down on the first degree, the wine cave joins an old-world feeling with modern design. The wine and ceiling rack are both white oak.

The primary level also includes a mudroom, garage access and two guest suites.

New Mood Design LLC

The two guest suites provide instantly visitors their own domainname, each with its own private bath suite and closet.

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It is really simple to let a home office slip off the base of the decorating to-do list — after all, many visitors will never even see it. However, the way that space is organized and decorated can considerably affect productivity (and happiness) in your home. From finding the proper furniture and space to organizing thoughts, ergonomics, personal style, dealing with distractions and much more, let’s tackle that home office and for all.

Hillary Thomas Designs

Recall the luxury of a home office is that you’re in your home. Do not be afraid to forgo standard office furniture in favor of a style that blends with the rest of your dwelling. A Chippendale-style chair with armrests and a thick pillow is incredibly chic and nearly as comfortable as a traditional desk chair. And unless you prefer the look of a bent-arm task lamp, then nobody is stopping you from picking a glam table lamp with a silk color instead. Do what makes you happy!

Style notes: In this home office space, floral colors dripping with lush trimming set a warm, intimate tone, echoed from the portrait, the floral painting and the bright orange armchair. Glossy black accents soil the arrangement and take the room in an elegant way.

Alan Design Studio

Check your ergonomics. Pay attention to the way you feel after logging a few hours in your desk in your home. If you have any pain or soreness, then it’s time to inspect the ergonomics of your installation.

• Your chair height ought to be adjusted so that your feet can be flat on the ground.
• Align your display with your sight line to avoid eye strain and shoulder stiffness. In case you’ve got a laptop, consider placing it on a rack to adjust the height.
• Check the lumbar support of your chair. Add a cushion or get a new chair if you have been experiencing lower back pain.
• Invest in several cushy pads to keep your wrists raised because you type and use the mouse, especially if you devote a good deal of time in the computer.

CB2

Knitted Poufs – $79.95

Consider adding a pouf. More than only a fun accessory, a pouf of the proper size could be tucked beneath your desk to use as a footrest. If not needed, you can pull it out and use it as a miniature side table for heaps of magazines and books.

Vosgesparis

Move past the desk using an extra work surface. Prevent clutter pileups by putting another work surface near your main desk. This can make it simpler to maintain your computer area clean and clear, and supply dedicated space where you can spread out a project and not worry about cleaning it up. This extra surface (if you’ve got room for it) is an excellent place for integrating meaningful items and art that inspires you. It’s also great for stepping away from the computer every once in a while to brainstorm, read or just sit with a cup of tea.

Style notes: This workspace feels clean and crisp in all white and black. A rotating display of artwork on floating shelves and a 3-D cable deer sculpture keep it sense personal and refreshing.

AVP ARCHITECT VIEW PRODUCTS BY IMASOTO

Do not require a serious office? Bring out your desk to the open. In case you don’t use your home office a great deal, it might make more sense to preserve that spare room for a more practical purpose. Look around your home for another space within a larger room instead. Take advantage of a very long room (like the one displayed here) by putting two desks with each other. Piano stools, vintage schoolhouse seats and café seats are stylish and airy, perfect for occasional usage.

Style notes: A tiled runner around the ground, easy industrial-style pendant lights and clusters of green plants unite to make a greenhouse texture, as well as the lines made by the row of desks and lights draws the eye outside to the patio beyond, expanding the feeling of space.

Cary Bernstein Architect

Add a distinctive zone to keep youngsters occupied. If you have little ones at home, it’s well worth it to create an extra effort to make the office kid-friendly. Sure, in an perfect world, we’d only close the door and everybody would not bother us — but as every parent knows, that is just not how it works.

Consider adding these kid-friendly Characteristics to your own office:
Chalkboard or chalkboard wallPlayhouse or play cupboard that kids can climb intoChild-height activity table and chairsComfy rugBaskets or bins of toys or art supplies
Play kitchen

Domestic Stories with Ivy

Produce privacy within a larger space. Should you not have an whole room to dedicate to your office but really need you, it is still possible to carve out a personal nook with a few space suggestions. You can use an open-backed bookcase for a room divider, placing your desk on the other side (as shown); make a workplace corner by positioning a decorative display; or even put a large potted tree on your desk.

Modern Craft Construction, LLC

Make a closet office more than an afterthought. In case your only accessible office space is in a spare closet, that doesn’t mean it has to feel like second best.

Specifics to Remember when converting a closet into an office:

• Lighting is key. Add recessed lighting in the ceiling when possible, and a couple of desk lamps.
• In case you can’t find a desk that fits perfectly, have one constructed (or attempt a DIY job) to create the best use of this space.
• Quantify potential desk seats before purchasing to be sure they’ll sip under the desk enough to close the door(s).
• Speaking of doors, consider setting out the standard-issue cupboard doors for French doors, pocket doors as well as crisp curtains.

MAK Design + Build Inc..

Plan office storage with efficiency in mind. The storage areas directly around your desk — drawers, shelves, cabinets and surfaces — ought to be reserved for frequently used essential items. Should you purchase some office supplies in bulk or possess gear that is extremely rarely used, store it on the highest shelves or in a different room completely if you’re short on space.

Desire to Inspire

Surround yourself with things you love. What do you need to include (or remove) to really love your home office? Give favourite colors, artwork, photos, plants and individual things pride of place, and get rid of (or at least hide in a cupboard) anything that is bumming you out, from nasty tech gear to bulky binders of older work cloth.

Soledad Builders, LLC

Commit to maintaining a clean and clear desktop. For supreme productivity and peace of mind, make a habit of completely clearing off your desk before finishing the day.

Inform us What’s your best tip for a stay-at-home house office?

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One of the highlights of my trip to Zurich, Switzerland, was MFO Park at the Neu-Oerlikon District, an industrial area transformed with residential housing, schools and offices. The park sits among the newest buildings, and it’s a building in its own right: A steel construction functions as an armature for climbing plants. I first learned about the project. It was completed five years earlier that, and photos show plants just starting up their voyage the arrangement. Half a decade later, the green has engulfed the gray, making for a fabulous atmosphere for citizens and employees in the region.

This ideabook tours the playground, made by Burckhardt + Partner and Raderschall Landschaftsarchitekten. With vertical gardens gaining popularity in residential layout, could it be offer inspiration for creating your own dwelling wall in your home?

John Hill

MFO Park covers a rectangular plot of land. It’s available on both sides, and the other three sides include stairs and walkways for traversing the structure. The whole is covered by a space framework that will someday be covered by vines like a lot of the remainder of the construction.

John Hill

The majority of the region below the roof is just sand, more a walkway than a place for hanging out. Seating is grouped beneath multistory regions on the side and near the regions where the plants climb, which makes sense, as these are where the color is.

John Hill

The structural framework meets with the floor via columns and diagonal bracing. These points are where the crops begin their climb. Given the roughly five-story height of the construction, the designers helped the plants with a raised trench, visible here in which the plants are hanging down.

John Hill

One of the nicest touches is the incorporation of lookouts, which inspire people to trek up through the green arrangement and sit — habit seats occupy the couple lookouts.

John Hill

A group of splayed columns — made up of many diagonal members to the plants — is also a distinctive feature. The columns anchor end of the park by creating a density of green.

John Hill

The bunch of columns is visible from a elevated walkway near the open end of the strategy.

John Hill

Another view of the bunch of green columns — appearing from the opposite direction in the preceding photo — shows a Pac-Man-shape pool beneath. Note the numerous seats that are observed in this portion of the park.

John Hill

With the success of the climbing plants on the construction (thanks to irrigation as well as layout, it needs to be mentioned), the multipurpose structures on both sides feel burnt; they become spaces characterized by the green “walls” The overhead plane on the right is not another walkway; it’s the raised trench mentioned earlier.

John Hill

Here is a close-up of among those soil-filled elevated trenches, which includes a gangway for maintenance accessibility on the best.

John Hill

The density of the green walls is evident in this view of the closed-off end of the park. I really like the play of shadows out of the roofing on the crops.

John Hill

This last view of the park is in the patio that in fact projects over the roof. This patio includes custom seats shaped for lounging and sunning. From here we can see the very top of the columns as well as the wires that will be someday be covered in green.

More:
11 Inspiring Vertical Gardens
Landscape Suggestions From New York’s High Line

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Glulam is the nickname for timber. Thin sheets of wood are pressure bonded with waterproof adhesives, resulting in a wood material that’s stronger than traditional woodcan cover longer spans, since it’s stress engineered and not sawn wood. Glulam can also be moisture resistant and can be a flame retardant.

Doerr Architecture

Glulam can be produced in curved shapes, in lengths exceeding 100 feet.

bright designlab

Glulam is manufactured after the same formulation as plywood sheets of wood glued together.

Chris Johnson

Glulam timbers are stronger and less expensive than steel beams or sawn wood, which makes them a fantastic selection for open areas with long spans.

Not only for use, glulam has flexibility.

Browse more glulam photographs

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Small space apart, Richard Liang knew his Vancouver condominium was exactly where he wished to live. Even though the 650-square-foot living space was a little intimidating, he was able to match all his furniture by creating a drawing of the room to scale and experimenting with countless furniture structures before going in. “The biggest design challenge for me personally was accommodating the limited quantity of space without sacrificing aesthetics or usefulness,” says Liang, a mechanical engineer. The result is a comfortable and masculine bachelor pad, with accessories that show Liang’s life pursuits along with a gorgeous city view.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Richard Liang
Location: Mount Pleasant area of Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Size: 650 square feet; 1 bedroom
That is intriguing: Liang is a gifted guitarist and has played live acts across the South of France.

Heather Merenda

Music has a significant effect in Liang’s interior design and artwork — you will find tributes to his fire in every area. The piece above the dining table is among the earliest forms of composed music on sheepskin. “I’ve been told it’s a dirty hymn, however I can’t read Latin, so that I may never know,” Liang says.

What seems like a framed polka dot print in the space was produced by Liang’s buddy Natalia Grosner. The smart illustration depicts their buddies are connected.

Heather Merenda

Liang commissioned artist David Ko to make this oil and acrylic canvas for the living room. In addition to paintings, Ko also does T-shirt illustrations, album artwork, package design and skateboard graphics.

Heather Merenda

The dining area light merges a conventional shade and a wire cage into an industrial-inspired but elegant pendant. Paired with a classic table, it gives the room a postmodern feel. “I’ve always been fascinated with depictions of the future that are unmistakably in yesteryear,” Liang says.

Pendant lamp: Bluff City, Jonah Takagi for Roll & Hill

Heather Merenda

The inside color schemes were made by Portico Design Group. Liang opted for a contemporary look with polished Caesarstone slab countertops, sleek stainless steel appliances and walnut cabinets.

Heather Merenda

The ice cream silkscreen by Natalia Grosner is a welcome addition to the kitchen. The design was motivated by rap legends about food.

Heather Merenda

This antique table features a crank system that makes it ideal for entertaining. When flipped, the fold enables the table to be raised to pub height or reduced for dining. Visible rivets adorn the iron trim, adding to the industrial styling of this dining area.

Dining table: Antiques Direct Worldwide

Heather Merenda

The framed Joan Miró lithographs propped atop this rustic bookshelf have been a present from Liang’s mother. The classic bits are Liang’s treasured artwork in the house. “I’m a spontaneous shopper and buy on instinct. When I like something, I usually know right away and take care of it. The decorating comes afterwards,” he says.

Heather Merenda

The south-facing living area boasts expansive views of the city. The living room’s guitar installation is a smart combination of storage and artwork.

Sofa: Niels Bendtsen for Bensen; rug: from Hong Kong

Heather Merenda

Liang was playing music since he was 6 or 7. The acoustic guitar on the wall with the D-shape sound hole is a style of guitar frequently associated with gypsy jazz. The guitar has deep sentimental value.

Heather Merenda

When the canvas color on this floor lamp is illuminated, the patchwork, stitching and texture shine through. Together with the classic leather seat, these particulars include a tailored, masculine edge to the room.

Floor lamp: Diesel’s Successful Living collaboration with Foscarini

Heather Merenda

Low-maintenance succulent varieties from neighborhood shop Balconi Floral Design Studio sit on top of a living room console.

Heather Merenda

Liang’s bedroom is a work in progress — he is currently on the lookout for a new bed frame. A painted portrait by Ben Tour hangs over the headboard, and a ceiling lighting made by Ramón Benedito to get Vibia illuminates the space.

Heather Merenda

Liang’s home office desk has a excellent cord management system: Walnut wood panels front and back make it simple to keep wires and cords from view. A discreet multifunctional front drawer allows the computer keyboard to be stowed away to get a minimum look. The side of this desk is at a satin aluminum finish. Liang hopes to find a fashionable new office chair to increase the space.

Framed artwork: Bahaus Museum; painting: secondhand; desk: Inspiration Furniture; ceiling lighting: Egoluce

Heather Merenda

Liang put outdoor furniture and a barbecue on the balcony to include livable square footage. With fantastic views of the town, this is a choice place to hang out with buddies night or day.

Heather Merenda

It is hard to beat the view from Liang’s balcony. When he hosts larger events at his condominium there is rooftop access, complete with a barbecue and a fireplace. The scenic views are worth a trip up to the very best. Liang says, “I believe the place has changed radically in the past couple of years, and I find it exciting. Although Vancouver is not that large a town, I still feel I can get lost”

telephone: have you got an eclectic, imaginative residence? We’d really like to see it.

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Every gadget these days seems to come with a built-in camera and easy access to photo-sharing sites. However, the convenience of technology can sometimes also be a diversion. According to The Association of Professional Photo Organizers, at least 750 million photographs were uploaded to Facebook on New Year’s Day in 2011. We’re so busy posting our pictures to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram which the majority of us do not make time to maintain the lot organized.

And then there are the hard copies of photographs which are in a box (someplace ). Remember when we actually printed photographs? No matter the format, obtaining photographs organized probably has a permanent spot on your mental to-do list. Let’s go from to-do to to-done.

Burnham Design

Start off organizing the photograph format which will provide you the largest reassurance. For almost all of us that is hard copies. Professional organizer Christie Gelsomino indicates to sort by motif (kids, pets, holidays, vacations) or by date. You might even use a combo of the two.

Natalie Myers

After you have sorted all of your pictures into classes, decide on their destination. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Photo boxes: make sure that the boxes are big enough for the photographs you are storing. The Container Store has some great options to stash your stuff. And whatever you do, do not forget to tag.

Albums: that I love these binders from Russel + Hazel. All you’ll need are inserts for organizing the photographs.

Collection cabinet: Serious photograph collectors may think about a collection cabinet for photo storage requirements.

Quick-start tip: Use what you’ve got available to store photos until you find the perfect container — believe shoe boxes.

Integrated

For some, tossing photographs is simple; for others, it is a cardinal sin. In case you’ve got a set of rules to go by, let go of extraneous pics is a breeze.

Toss outside:
• Blurry photos
• Photos where you need to ask yourself,”Who’s that?”
• Doubles

Whimages

You will inevitably have a pile of photographs that you’d like to scan for safekeeping. Before you scan, research the best alternative for keeping them digitally.

A external hard drive or flash drive: Produce folders which mimic the classes you have already established so that the digital pictures remain organized.

A cloud hosting support: Once your set is from the cloud using a service such as iPhoto, Flickr or Shutterfly, it is easy to share memories with loved ones near and far.

CDs: These are great for maintaining a number of copies and handing over a photograph collection to your friend or family member.

Patrick Sutton Associates

In case you keep the negatives? It depends upon if they are the only copies you have of a particular set of photographs. Cross-check negatives against your pics. If you have all the photographs, you can throw the downsides.

You may also wish to scan a few of the negatives. Here’s a tutorial in Popular Photography which uses your flatbed scanner and a little DIY art to handle this job.

Any downsides that you are keeping should be safely stored in an archival photograph box to prevent moisture or moisture damage.

April Force Pardoe Interiors

Once you’ve organized your photos, you’ll have a clearer idea of what you’d like to exhibit (as everything is going to soon be searchable). A wall of your favorite photos exhibited salon style is a superb way to showcase your own collection. Whatever you decide, you can rest easy knowing that your memories are preserved for posterity.

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By now I am confident you’ve heard the term “going paperless.” When I first heard this term, I used to picture some type of future alternate world where robots dominated (insane but accurate). I’ve come to know that a paperless lifestyle is organized and efficient (anything but bare and crude). But the fact is, the paperless home or paperless office will look different for everyone.

Going paperless might mean you opt to switch to using Google Calendar instead of your paper planner. Or it could mean getting all of your invoices by email instead of snail mail. And even though I’ve wanted to rely less on paper in my home office, I’ve never committed 100%. I use an internet calendar but still get paper invoices. Along with my receipts (while filed) are overpowering, present as write-offs for my enterprise.

So in 2012, I’ve decided to go closer to paperless by substituting my “To Document” folder with a “To Scan” folder. I also invested in a Fujitsu Scan Snap Scanner for most of the paperwork I need to keep for tax purposes. Please join me as I explore ways in which we can rely less on paper and make more space for clutter-free style.

Atypical Type A

For starters, take a look around your home. Have a look at your home office, the entryway and the countertops. How great would it feel if all that paperwork should happen to evaporate? There will be a decreased likelihood of misplacing important bills, and you wouldn’t be scrambling to find stamps to mail late paperwork.

And can you imagine a universe without a file cabinet or file? Across the desk, the file cabinet systems in this image. A gorgeous plant or just open space would be a serene option to have if the paperwork in this home were online.

Janell Beals – House of Fifty

While I like the notion of getting rid of that paper, I really love the concept of living a more mobile life. That means working my business from any room in the house without leaving a trail of paper. And traveling would be a breeze, as I wouldn’t need to worry about asking a friend to catch my mail or panic about the unopened bills piling up.

Shirley Meisels

With rooms that pull double duty, it is even more important to maintain files and paper. This home office can eliminate working as a spare space because there’s no paper to clutter up the room.

Kaylovesvintage

A good deal of people who aren’t even technology savvy are taking the paperless plunge because it’s a greener choice. Less paper means great things for the environment — making the switch a more mindful choice. Not to mention lots of firms are currently offering incentives for customers to get invoices online and serving up penalties to people who don’t.

MuseInteriors

Among the best reasons for disorganized folks to get onboard with the paperless movement: Paper piles are not searchable, but your computer files are. Once your paperwork is cataloged online, finding it’s a breeze with a fast keyword search.

Emily Ruddo

Maybe you have some reservations about going paperless. Below are some common concerns.

• reduction of control. Imagine if you can’t find what you’re looking for?
• Is virtual storage (such as “the cloud”) protected?
• Imagine if there was a tragedy, and the electricity goes out?

These are things to think about when determining to what extent you need paper from you life. I will also be addressing these things in future ideabooks.

For People design

Similar to getting organized, you’ll want to have realistic expectations when considering going paperless. If you don’t plan toss the papers once they’re scanned, your new system won’t work. And even in the event that you request every bill reminder to come by way of email, be aware that there is a level of maintenance involved.

Ultimately, no dwelling will be totally paperless. You’re bound to still get some mail and arbitrary newspapers coming in. And there are some files that a physical copy is absolutely necessary. Fortunately those are few.

SFGIRLBYBAY

It is important to think about such things and pinpoint why you want to go paperless. I encourage you to take the plunge with me and use the Remarks section to ask questions and gain support from people looking to do precisely the identical thing.

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Although this mid-century house is perched on a mountain overlooking the bay in San Francisco’s Noe Valley, its original design did nothing to embrace its clear views and natural light. The client, half a design-savvy couple with a young son (and baby number 2 on the road), desired an open and glowing area in which to boost your family. “Their main priority has been opening up the house,” says interior designer Regan Baker. “The original house was a dark warren of clutter and walls.”

Architect Mason Miller knocked down almost every interior wall at the 1,600-square-foot apartment’s most important floor, clearing the way for a opinion in each main room. A master suite was inserted into the top floor, also Baker gave the house a unique textural blend of rustic, contemporary and retro-inspired décor. The perspective of the blue skies, the endless sea and the city “is exactly like a piece of artwork on the walls,” says Baker. “It is best seen about white walls and less clutter.”

Regan Baker Design Inc..

“The client’s love of this juxtaposition of organic components with shiny and slick contemporary components really inspired the concept,” says Baker. Walls were retained white to allow the finishes shine and keep the house feeling contemporary.

The client and her husband have been over 6 feet tall, so they desired to bring some visual height into the 8-foot ceilings. The crown molding was stripped off, 8-inch baseboards were additional and white paint was used to help visually extend the wall area.

Starburst mirror: Crate and Barrel
Couch: Andre Sofa, Room & Board
Console: Anders Media Cabinet, Room & Board
Armchairs: Gigi Chair, Room & Board
Rug: Jute Chenille Herringbone Rug, West Elm

Regan Baker Design Inc..

The stunning fireplace is tucked into a corner between the joint space. Even though the outcome is amazing, restructuring this fireplace was a small struggle. “Corner fireplaces are never a fantastic idea –,” says Baker. “We needed to minimize the awkward angle of the fireplace yet also bring in color without highlighting it too much” The heavy, textural gray of this tile was shown to be the ideal match for your surround, and it contrasts with the warm hues of this red oak hardwood flooring.

Fireplace surround: Spec Ceramics, Sentousai
Hearth: Ann Sacks, Ozone Metallic

Regan Baker Design Inc..

The fresh and contemporary kitchen is one of Baker’s favorite rooms in the house. “I love the way the graphite penny-round backsplash really frames the view of the bay in the instant you walk in and complements the walnut accents,” she says.

The husband is an avid cook, so having a big and workable kitchen was a must. A deep solitary kitchen sink has been high on the priority list, as were plenty of storage and counterspace.

Counters: soapstone, Integrated Resource
Island counter: Calcutta Oro, Integrated Resource

Regan Baker Design Inc..

The home’s unique mix of textures is especially evident in the kitchen. “Sheen and texture were very important in the color and material choice,” says Baker. “An overabundance of shiny finishes are too retro, and the contrary would be too rustic and not as contemporary. A combination helped marry both styles.”

Stove: 30-inch Viking convection array
Bar stools: Leo pub stool, Room & Board
Refrigerator: Miele KF1800 collection
Subway tile: Rittenhouse Square, DalTile

Regan Baker Design Inc..

Open shelving provides storage and effortless accessibility for frequently used glasses and dishes. The warm Boos walnut shelving plays off the trendy graphite tones of this penny-round backsplash.

Penny rounds: Waterworks

Regan Baker Design Inc..

Architect Miller functioned to optimize the home’s natural light. Like many homes in San Francisco neighborhoods that are close-knit, this one stocks two walls with houses. Getting enough natural light in was certainly an issue, as the north and south walls are the only ones with windows. To solve this, Miller knocked out many of the home’s interior walls to open up the area and put a big skylight in the center of the house.

Regan Baker Design Inc..

A high-gloss reddish gives this custom made desk a retro touch. Baker played glistening paints, fixtures and lighting to bring a couple of subtle mid-century touches into the contemporary design.

Desk: Custom by Mason Miller
Desk paint: Salute, Sherwin Williams
Seat: Enzo Chair, Room & Board

Regan Baker Design Inc..

The contemporary half-bath was outfitted with an off-the-shelf dressing table to offset price and save some time for the team. High- and – low-end tile has been mixed in across the room to extend the budget without scrimping on style. The light fixture is one of Baker’s treasured pieces in the house — the exceptional pendant is a custom combination of three individual fittings from Design Within Reach.

Tile: Pillowed wall tile, Ann Sacks
Lighting fixture: Custom made with E27 Pendant, Design Within Reach

Regan Baker Design Inc..

Baker’s initial decision to depart walls relatively bare was abandoned in a few of the home’s bigger spaces. The patterned background in the bathroom feels present but still has a old-school vibe that works nicely with the rest of the house.

Wallpaper: Winter Trees, Larsen

Regan Baker Design Inc..

Considering that the house didn’t originally have a master suite, figuring out how to configure one on the upper floor has been a challenge. This smaller area was the home’s authentic living room, so every inch counted when squeezing a bedroom and a bath into it.

Interior color: Benjamin Moore, Imperial Gray
Cabinets: Custom Ripple Fold Track Drapery, The Shade Store
Dresser: Anders Dresser, Room & Board
Mirror: Infinity Narrow Mirror, CB2
Wall pendant: BL5, Design Within Reach
Bedding: Dwell Studio

Regan Baker Design Inc..

The client had completed quite a bit of homework on substances for the bathrooms and kitchens. She understood right off the bat she desired glass tile at a matte finish, and scattering Carrara marble. Miller enjoys working with walnut, so it had been used for these custom pieces, which have been created to complement the glass and stonework in the master bath.

Backsplash: Lucian Glass, Ann Sacks
Flooring tile: Black Slate, Waterworks
Vanity counter and tub apron: Statuary Carrara marble slab, Integrated Resource
Tub and shower tile surround: Carrara tile, Integrated Resource

Photography by Odessa

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From pumpkin patch outings to Thanksgiving dinner, fall brings up the warmest of parties each year. These are a couple of of my favourite fall-themed accessories to help in all your entertaining needs this season. — Annemarie from Brunch at Saks

Pottery Barn

Pumpkin Punch Bowl – $49

What better way to welcome guests to a fall-themed celebration or dinner than using a pumpkin-shaped punch bowl? I would imagine cold apple cider for a brunch would be ideal, or a hot citrus to accompany dessert would be nice as well.

Williams-Sonoma

Heirloom Pumpkin Spreaders – $19.95

These are too adorable for words. Fantastic for Thanksgiving dinner or at any time.

Pottery Barn

Acorn Vase Filler – $14.50

I adore these acorns to fill mason jars, votives or vases on your desk. I think they would look great lightly sprinkled across your desk as well.

Crate&Barrel

Leaf Napkin Ring in Napkin Rings – $2.95

Simple yet perfectly fitting for fall entertaining, these napkin rings will go with any decor theme you have in mind and will add a finishing touch to your place setting.

Williams-Sonoma

Botanical Pumpkin Napkins, Set of 4 – $40

These botanical pumpkin ribbons will make a beautiful addition to any autumn-themed table setting.

FRONTGATE

Set of 12 Bronze Apple Leaf Picks – $79.50

These apple leaf picks are so adorable and flexible. Add them to your garland, door or incorporate them in to every place setting.

West Elm

Thanksgiving Wishbone Platter – $49

I adore this dish. I think it would be interesting to use this to get a dish, and as people plate their food, everybody takes a turn sharing their wishes for the period ahead.

Nell Hill’s

Metal and Wood Server – $139.25

This metal and wood server is the best touch of rustic decor for your table. I would love to fill this with beers or bite-size desserts.

Grandin Road

Martha Stewart Flicker Flame Light Strand – $19

I think this flicker flame light strand by Martha Stewart is so much fun and amazing to get an autumn-themed get-together. Hang it around your door, package it upon your mantel or string across the side of a dessert table — it is going to be a welcome addition any way you use it.

Bloomingdale’s

Michael Aram “Botanical Leaf” Salt & Pepper Caddy – $89

This botanical leaf pepper and salt caddy is actually adorable and fun. Keep it on your stove top or counter top when not enjoyable.

Williams-Sonoma

Verde Salad Plates – $40

These salad plates are joyous, fun and will certainly liven up any table setting.

FRONTGATE

Manzanita Garland – $99.50

I love the whimsical appearance of this branch-filled garland. It would be ideal on your own fireplace mantel throughout the season or perhaps along a runner on your desk.

Bloomingdale’s

Nambé “Eclipse” Nut Bowl – $75

This serving piece would be great for your coffee table or bar during cocktail hour.

Williams-Sonoma

Heirloom Pumpkin Place Card Holders – $19.95

These are so adorable for your Thanksgiving table. Occasionally I skip name cards and rather fill them with holiday-related trivia cards. Just Google interesting facts about Thanksgiving, write them down in question form, and sew! An instant conversation starter.

Pottery Barn

Penelope Kalamkari Tablecloth

I adore this tablecloth, particularly if you are utilizing wrought china and dishware. It’s chic and strays only enough from the traditional colour palette of fall to give you a new twist on this season.

Williams-Sonoma

Monogrammed Dessert Bowl – $39

I adore this monogrammed bowl for serving something sweet after a huge meal. Layered desserts such as whipped cream and fruit would make for a beautiful presentation, or an ice cream sundae would do just fine as well!

Williams-Sonoma

Pumpkin Patch Wreath – $99.95

Greet your guests with this miniature pumpkin wreath. I think it would look great in your front door or hanging from a mirror over the fireplace.

Ballard Designs

Mercury Glass Votives – Assorted Set of 5 – $29

This mercury glass set is ideal for fall and winter decor. I enjoy incorporating votives to any surface, particularly my table during romantic dinner parties and holiday parties.

Pottery Barn

Mason Jar Mug, Set of 6 – $26

These mason jar mugs are fantastic for serving hot cider to your guests. Reuse them during the year for coffee and other special drinks.

Williams-Sonoma

Venezia Wood Tray – $69

I like the idea of using this menu to function hot cider in mason jars or to arrange fall-themed sugar biscuits for dessert.

Next: Autumn Tabletop Essentials

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