Uncategorized

Keeping these four important questions in mind will help you get to know your prospective home a little better.

Simon Billing Photography

Groovy

Camper vans come in all shapes and sizes, many with striped-down aesthetics or adventure-oriented perks. But beyond the industrial feel of some campers, other upfitters are churning out vans that are cozy homes-on-the-go. Love campers and trailers? Come join our community group.

Taking tips from the tiny home industry, these campers incorporate innovative sleeping areas, large functioning kitchens, and homey aesthetics that skew more farmhouse than loft. The van converter This Moving House, for example, has mastered the look—with creative nook beds for kids, a pull-out guest bed, and cute kitchens.

The latest tiny home-like van conversion company to catch our eye is Supertramped Co. out of Somerset, United Kingdom. Supertramped Co’s latest build started with a Mercedes-Benz T2, a boxy, burly van that was manufactured by Daimler-Benz from 1967 to 1996. Often used as ambulances, delivery vehicles, and work trucks, the T2s have established a cult status in Europe for their durable construction and maneuverability.

Called Ernie, this bright blue and white van has been gutted and transformed. Supertramped Co.’s clients wanted a surf-inspired mobile beach hut with shabby chic decor. The main living area features a bench seat with table that sits across from the spacious kitchen. The whitewashed cabinetry delivers on country style, and seashell and starfish trinkets point to the beach theme. A blue and white backsplash tile accents the farmhouse sink nicely, and the kitchen also includes a fridge/freezer combo, stove top, and oven.

The sleeping quarters are built in the rear to take advantage of open-door views out of the back. A bed platform provides storage underneath, and vintage-style lights add charm. But where Ernie really shines is the shower stall. Unlike many cramped RV showers, this version is airy and bright thanks to a giant skylight, white subway tile-inspired wallboards (not tiles), and exposed piping. A separate area includes a marine toilet.

Behind the homey decor, Ernie also features an impressive amount of tech, including Alexa-controlled lighting, six ceiling mounted speakers and a sound system, WiFi, 400-watt solar panels, and exterior lights. The entire build took about 10 months—while Supertramped Co. also worked on other projects—and Ernie is now traveling the roads with the van’s new owners.

Supertramped Co. is currently working on other conversions but is taking bookings beginning next summer. Conversions start at 20,000 pounds ($24,600) and include materials, labor, and fees. For more info, head over here.

Langley Street Reuven Upholstered Dining Chair, $141.99, Wayfair.

Here’s how to make a statement with seating

An accent chair is pretty high up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. To be in the market for an accent chair means not only do you have shelter (the place you’re decorating), but you probably intend to stay there for the foreseeable future, and you’ve likely already secured non-accent furniture: sofa, dining table, bed, and so on. With an accent chair, you make a declaration of personal style.

From artsy pieces that nearly qualify as sculpture to cozy reading chairs that aren’t total eyesores, we have searched low and high (well, not that high—everything’s under $600) to find nine capable candidates for the job of accent chair.

---

Elowen Chair

Anthropologie | $398

Inspired by classic Italian styles, this plush velvet chair has been streamlined with a slim profile for a modern look, finished with polished brass legs and back handle.

Cat’s Pajamas Lounge Chair

Blu Dot | $399.20

With a bent steel seat and back, this unique lounge chair provides visual interest from all angles. Don’t worry about the cushions sliding around: Hidden magnets keep them securely in place.

Better Homes and Gardens Rolled Arm Accent Chair

Walmart | $175

Nestled in the “Farmhouse” section of Walmart’s refreshed furniture section, this rolled armchair from the Better Homes and Gardens line is traditional and cozy.

CB2

Noelie Rattan Lounge Chair

CB2 | $399

Combining warm mahogany wood, Indonesian rattan curves to the back and seat, and a plush tufted cushion, this chair brings a lot to a room without taking up much space.

Langley Street Reuven Upholstered Dining Chair

Wayfair | $109.99

With a sophisticated balance of thick and thin lines, this statement piece functions beyond its duty as a mere seat to serve as an anchor of style in a room.

Wolfe Convertible Chair

AllModern | $208.99

This contemporary armless chair (available in three colors) folds out into a tiny bed to accommodate overnight guests.

Looking for other affordable furniture like sofas, coffee tables, and more? Head right this way.

When you’ve hit a sales plateau you have to shake things up, you have to take a different approach. When my team is working through a lull in the marketplace, we use the four following tactics to break through that plateau and get buyers moving.

Posted To: MND NewsWire

Pending home sales resumed their upward trajectory in August after declining 2.5 percent in July, making for positive results in three of the last four months. It was also the third winning sales report this month after solid existing and new home sales . The National Association of Realtors'® (NAR's) Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator of existing home sales based on signed contracts to purchase those homes. It rose 1.6 percent to 107.3 in August from a July reading of 105.6. This puts pending sales 2.5 percent higher than in the previous August. The number was at the high end of analysts projections. Those polled by Econoday had expected pending sales to be anywhere from flat compared to July to a 1.8 percent gain. The consensus was an increase of 0.6 percent. The index rose...(read more)

Casa L sits on a hill in the back, while Casa M cuts across the foreground. | Fernando Guerra

Dramatic angles and amazing views

It’s a feast of geometries at this pair of homes in Lagos, Portugal. Designed as a duo of rental villas, the LuxMare homes—Casa L and Casa M—cut across the verdant landscape in cool swoops of white.

The work of Mário Martins Atelier, both villas are designed with unorthodox layouts that look totally different despite sharing plenty of aesthetic DNA.

“The two new houses are supposed to be two individual parts of a set, two autonomous pieces that complement one another,” Martins tells Designboom. “The slightly curved shapes suggest this connection, but the differences between them emphasize the individuality of each building.”

Fernando Guerra

Casa L sits higher up on a hill and is built from two soft-edged triangles that stack atop one another at rotated angles, creating two levels of terraces for maximum outdoor lounging. A row of floor-to-ceiling windows line both stories and bring in tons of natural light to the four-bedroom house.

Fernando Guerra

Fernando Guerra

Casa M stretches across its plot of land in a single story, plus a basement that contains a cinema room and workout space. Its serene atmosphere was inspired by its Nordic owner, who wanted the residence to embody a mix of quiet Scandinavian design and the warmth of southern Portugal.

Accordingly, the house blends pale wood, clean lines, and lot of white with some unexpected details like a shapely cut-out in the terrace’s overhang and a vast garden that fills the rooftop.

Fernando Guerra

Fernando Guerra