Von Löwen Designs

Kitchen Design & Remodeling – Kitchen Cabinet Basics

Lars — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:24:37 +0000

Before anyone gets ready to start a kitchen remodeling project and begins sorting through what can frequently appear as a never ending selection of cabinetry, it can really help to acquaint yourself with both general kitchen remodeling and basic cabinet terminology. There’s no need to get to carried away, but if you know a little bit more about the language, communication becomes easier and more effective and will help with your research or when … [visit site to read more]

Kitchen Cabinetry – Design & Remodeling Considerations

Lars — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:58:30 +0000

It seems as though family life has always been centered around the kitchen. Whatever culture or country you may be in, socializing takes place in the kitchen; from parties to family meals, an occasional snack, even just a simple chat with friends over coffee, often takes place in the kitchen.

Fitted kitchens have gone from being considered a luxury to an … [visit site to read more]

Green Remodeling In Practice – Part II

Lars — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:11:36 +0000

Green remodeling and sustainable design should embrace an overall greener lifestyle approach and incorporate features that will facilitate environmentally responsible living. Specific design elements can range from something as simple as incorporating recycling receptacles when greening your … [visit site to read more]

Green Remodeling In Practice – Part I

Lars — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:37:04 +0000

As addressed in my previous post Green Remodeling Defined – green remodeling involves both design and construction methods which principal aim is to produce the healthiest home possible, increasing it’s life cycle, while reducing the structure’s environmental impacts. With that said, it becomes obvious that the importance of a design approach that is rooted in the concept of … [visit site to read more]

The Holistic House – Part II

Lars — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:09:41 +0000

Infiltration & Exfiltration.

Air leaks, or drafts, can be responsible for 25 percent of the heat loss in a newer house, more in older homes. Moreover, when air moves through the house because of leaks it is often laden with moisture that can end up in wall cavities and condense, increasing the likelihood of mold and structural deterioration. In the course of remodeling air traffic control is the key. We have grown used to sealing the obvious problem areas with foam under bottom plates, expanding foam around window and door framing, and insulation stuffed into smaller wall cavities. It is the invisible and often convoluted paths of air leakage that need our attention. Because air leaks are so detrimental to the energy … [visit site to read more]

The Holistic House – Part I

Lars — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:20:34 +0000

It’s much easier to turn a remodel green for a house when you understand how heat and cold move from one object to another, and how air and moisture move inside our home. Green remodeling practices and design, in addition to the selection of appropriate materials, revolve around a few basic principles.

• Thinking of the house as a holistic system of interrelated parts.

• Energy loses some of its potential each time it is converted from one form to another, which helps explain why passive solar heat is much more efficient than electric heat.

• Form follows function when it comes to design, meaning that construction should be tailored to the environment in which the … [visit site to read more]

The Ever Changing Dimensions of Colour

Lars — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:28:05 +0000

“The colour of my soul is iron-grey and sad bats wheel about the steeple of my dreams.”

Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)

Colour – wow, were to begin? When I think of colour I think of many things: art, design, textiles, nature, and even music – especially music actually – but that’s … [visit site to read more]

Greening Your Kitchen Remodel

Lars — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:36:32 +0000

Today’s kitchens are often the most active and multipurpose rooms in the house and typically offer many opportunities when remodeling to select and implement sustainable choices – resulting in not only a more beautiful and usable space, but a much more healthy and eco-friendly indoor environment overall. From lighting and … [visit site to read more]

Let There Be Light

Lars — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:00:51 +0000

As man and technology forge ahead with the removal from our natural habitat to create a near synthetic environment, artificial lighting could easily be argued as one of the most important developments in the modern world. Be it business or recreation, the use of artificial light allows us the luxury to work and play independent of day or night. Lighting and its applications are endless, with contemporary lighting design often providing a much desired aesthetic and artful feature both inside and outside of the home. With recent market trends and technological improvements homeowners can reap the rewards and substantially reduce the energy they use for lighting while actually increasing its quality, comfort, and convenience.

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Mindfulness – From Breath To Business To Design

Lars — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:56:23 +0000

Learning for pleasure, for its own sake, whether it is learning a foreign language, traveling, reading history or philosophy, or pursuing a hobby, is in short supply today. Many people find that just keeping up with their home lives and doing a minimum of reading about their field, or anything else for that matter, is more than they can handle; but you never can tell how your personal interest learning may one day connect with professional opportunities and your overall effectiveness.

The analogy of the explorer as the quintessential learner can be useful to keep in mind. As we mature from children into … [visit site to read more]