Architectural space has long been framed by permanence: rooms for fixed functions, facades that clearly define where exterior ends and interior begins. Yet contemporary life is defined by overlap and transition: between work and living, interior and exterior, privacy and community. Spatial needs evolve continually, demanding architecture that can respond, adapt, and remain relevant over time. In this context, adaptability has emerged not only as a design ambition but as a sustainable necessity.
Mountain House, which is home to the new accommodations, unveils four room categories: Forest King Rooms come with a view of the pines; Mountain King Rooms face tree-framed slopes; and Mountain Studio Suites have loft-style layouts and wide views over Windham Mountain. The Pine Suite links a Forest King and a Mountain King to form a spacious accommodation that works well for families or groups. Guests also have access to a new wood-barrel sauna.
Or at least that's what's supposed to happen, as the end result is not really what was suggested in the early concept image sent to other publications. The impression would be of a simmering, partially translucent screen that would be lit from behind. To show off the church through a veil. In fact, it's a painted fabric hung over scaffolding and lit from the outside by a handful of spotlights at the bottom.
If you're wondering what a block print is, it's a pattern with a repeating image usually staggered across a single sheet. Traditionally, these types of papers were printed by hand using hand-carved block prints, but now they're usually digitally printed. In fact, block print was the first wallpaper produced, back in the 17th century, which gives its modern counterpart a historic charm.
Site Context: Lush Mountains and Clear Waters - Anji is a city embraced by verdant hills and meandering clear streams, renowned as China's "Bamboo Hometown" and the birthplace of the "Two Mountains" philosophy. The site is located in the core area of Anji's Liangshan Future Sci-Tech City, built on a former industrial zone at the edge of the existing urban area. This former factory district is being progressively regenerated into the heart of the Liangshan Future Sci-Tech City.
New interior renders released by Studio Sofield - the firm responsible for the interiors of SHoP Architects' ultra-thin tower at 111 West 57th Street - reveal how the triangular icon is being reshaped from office spaces into a collection of homes. While the 1903-built structure is shaped strongly by its site and steel frame, its tapering geometry guides the plan of each unit.
A spacious backyard can be a relaxing sanctuary, but turning it into a functional, beautiful space often feels expensive. With creativity and strategic planning, you can renovate your backyard on a budget, creating an inviting oasis without breaking the bank. Keep reading to explore cost-effective ways to revamp your backyard, blending practicality with charm. Plan with purpose and repurpose Start by envisioning your ideal backyard-whether it's a cozy seating area, a veggie garden, or a play space.
Yes, you should wipe condensation off your windows. In fact, if this happens regularly, it's a good idea to get into the habit of removing it every single day, recommends Stephen Hankinson, Heating Expert at Electric Radiators Direct.
Our 2025 Gift Guides are filled with thoughtfully chosen favorites-some I own and enjoy myself, and others I think would make lovely gifts. We know our readers look forward to these guides each season, so we consider our time putting them together as a time-saving gift to you! Enjoy browsing, and feel free to bookmark or pin this page for later! See ALL of our full Gift Guides 2025 here!
Home heating is notoriously hard to get right. Most of us have that one room that's never quite warm enough, so we reach for a plastic, fan-blasting space heater that's loud, dries the air, kicks up dust, and looks out of place. Central systems often overheat empty rooms and underheat the ones we're in, wasting energy along the way. What's missing is a safe, efficient, affordable way to warm the spaces that need it, right when they need it.
Many homeowners don't realise that their winter garden clearance or renovation projects could be putting protected wildlife at risk. Disturbing hibernating or dormant species such as bats, hedgehogs, dormice, and amphibians is illegal and can carry fines or even prison sentences. Experts recommend practical checks and careful planning to avoid accidental offences while supporting local biodiversity. Which hibernating species are most commonly affected by winter work?
Beal Blanckaert + 20 Category: Cultural Architecture, Educational Architecture, Refurbishment Lead Team: Nathan Gourcerol, Justine Laberenne Design Team: Beal Blanckaert Architectes Engineering & Consulting > Environmental Sustainability: Impact Engineering & Consulting > Acoustic: Vincent Hedont Engineering & Consulting > Structural: MBA Engineering & Consulting > Other: Becquart More SpecsLess Specs Beal Blanckaert Text description provided by the architects. The project involves the redevelopment of a former building that was once part of the industrial site of the Leonard Danel printing house.
As they assessed the 7,000-square-foot property, which spans two combined row houses and includes six bedrooms and bathrooms, one thing was certain: the challenge wasn't starting from scratch, but refining what was already there. Early on, Buxbaum Gordon and the clients agreed that replacing new materials felt wasteful. Instead, the focus became layering in warmth and personality through finishes and furnishings. The guiding principle was to refine, not rebuild.
If you live in an older home, chances are you've heard of a back boiler. These were popular heating systems installed behind fireplaces. They provided hot water and heating by burning gas or solid fuel. But today, back boilers are outdated, inefficient, and even unsafe. So, if you still have one, you might be thinking about replacing it. But how much does it cost to replace a back boiler?
The best bathroom retailers help your budget go further, offering designs that look bespoke without breaking the bank. And if you're after something more luxurious, there's no shortage of places to browse handmade tiles and beautifully engineered luxury vinyl flooring. Your bathroom design deserves flooring that not only looks great but also stands up to moisture, heat and everyday use. So before you order samples or head to the checkout, take a look at our guide to the best places to buy bathroom flooring online.
You want something that looks good, fits the space, and stands up to the unpredictable British weather. But when the options online are seemingly endless, it's easy to get lost between bespoke timber builds and practical metal designs. The trick is knowing where to shop. Thankfully for you, we've rounded up the best places to buy sheds online, from trusted high-street names to quality makers, so you can elevate your garden design and find an outbuilding that truly earns its spot on the patio.
If you've woken up with itchy bites and reddish-brown marks on your mattress, you're probably wondering how to get rid of bedbugs - and fast! These tiny insects live on bedding and furniture and are often brought inside via your clothing or other belongings. Thankfully, these pests are visible to the human eye, and the signs are fairly obvious, so it shouldn't be too difficult to tell if you have them - unlike other pests, like dust mites, which are too small to see.
"Everything was blue underneath, from floor to ceiling," says vintage dealer Robert Ropertz. It's just the kind of surprise one encounters when scraping through layers of paint and wallpaper in an 1865 building. Then, there's the crooked floors, crumbling clay plaster, and leaky roofs, all of which illustrator Andrea Weber and Ropertz, who is also a painter and preservationist, took in stride.
I'll call him Bruce. He's any of the 3.1 million Australians living in a house with a pool or spa. Over my long career in hardware, listening to the woes of so many Bruces, I've discovered that owning a pool is not all fun and bubbles at cocktail hour. In the beginning, it wasn't so bad. On first viewing his bayside property, Bruce already believed the agent's claim that by far the most desirable addition to any home is a pool.
For Marian and John Nash, the dream of owning an oak-frame home began over 40 years ago - that's when they came across a brochure on homebuilding and were captivated by an open-plan bungalow that featured in it. "We always kept that and said to each other that one day we'd build an oak-frame home that felt just as special," says Marian. "The oakwork in it had been done by Carpenter Oak, so when the time came, we naturally approached them with a view to them doing the same for us." The first stage of the process was meeting up with the company's architect, Ben Hancock-Parr, and it was only when explaining their must-haves for the house, that they realised their tastes had changed since their original oak-frame infatuation.
(Image credit: Getty Images/DamianKuzdak) With winter around the corner, preparing your garden is probably high on your to-do list - but before you grab your rake and trimmer, it's important to be wary of hibernating hedgehogs who could be hiding outdoors. Hedgehogs start to hibernate in late October to mid-November and tend to nestle down in places such as leaf piles, compost heaps, and under dense bushes - common spots where we often cut back or remove before the colder months creep in.
It was the faceted pink counter tiles that first caught our attention. We also loved the cloud of flowers hovering over the café. And the lime-washed tranquility of the guest rooms crowned by century-old moldings. That was before we learned that Rotterdam's 14-room Hotel âme is beyond boutique: it's a mom-and-pop establishment owned and created by Angel Cheung-Kwok and Manfung Cheung. The couple purchased the 1867 building pre-pandemic and devoted years to shaping its new guise.
We're longtime fans of the ofuro, or Japanese soaking tub, both for its good looks and promotion of rest and relaxation at the end of the day. Here are 10 in-situ favorites, ranging from traditional hinoki cypress wood or darker teakwood baths to Western-style ceramic baths in Japanese-style wood wrapping. Above: A hinoki wood bathtub in the Rudolph Schindler-designed Hollywood Hills home of designer Pamela Shamshiri.
India's palaces and former colonial warehouses are witnessing a new kind of restoration, one that happens beneath the surface. From discreet steel supports tucked behind centuries-old masonry to digital sensors embedded in frescoed ceilings, technology is quietly reshaping how heritage buildings are protected for the future. These upgrades are more about subtle precision and less about spectacle; invisible engineering wonders.
The Barbican is a maze. A beautiful brutalist, multi-levelled maze of crisscrossing walkways in the sky - but still a maze. In a way, that's part of the cultural institution's charm, always leading visitors to discover surprising corners of the site. There are, however, a few downsides to the Barbican's labyrinthine layout. Sometimes you'll try to meet a friend before a show and find yourself at the opposite side to where you're meant to be (or worse, in the car park).
The First Unitarian Church of San Jose is one of the city's oldest and most picturesque houses of worship, with the Romanesque building overlooking St. James Park originally constructed in 1891. And today, after a $2 million renovation, the building is looking better than ever. The congregation and its church building have had a long and storied history in San Jose, with its members speaking out on social causes.
It's easy to achieve a sleek, polished look when you're working with chrome, and, thanks to its reflective nature, it can even help to brighten up your space and make it appear larger than it really is - particularly when combined with these modern lighting ideas. Pretty and practical, this durable finish is also long-lasting, making it a sensible option as well as an attractive one.
Cristobal Palma + 39 Architects: IDOM Area of this architecture project Area: 39592 m Completion year of this architecture project Year: 2025 Photographs:Cristobal Palma Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: ChileSeating Category: Stadiums, Renovation Architects Authors: Borja Gomez, Cesar Azcarate Collaborating Architects: Agostina Sambataro, Carmen Prada, Clara Guzman, Diego Rodriguez Segura, Felipe Vergara Galleguillos, Fernando Garrido, Jose Manuel Pando de Prado, Manuel Bouzas Barcala, Maria Francisca Navarro Valenzuela, Samuel Araneda, Simon Lucas Morgado, Tomas Santiago Perez.
Whenever you move into a new place, there are often unexpected little surprises in the home that you missed during your initial walk-through. That being said, Threads user @chrisxvargas probably didn't overlook this random nook. He is now asking people to help him figure out what to do with it:
In the current real estate landscape, outdoor living is no longer an optional upgrade; it's a required feature. Buyers are craving spaces where they can truly live and entertain, and few additions deliver that experience-and the corresponding increase in home value-quite like a well-designed outdoor cooking area. In fact, choosing to build a custom outdoor kitchen transforms a basic patio into a premium, functional extension of your home. It's an amenity that significantly elevates your property's standing, giving you a competitive edge when it's time
