Interior Design

MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, the world’s largest solar boat, set a new record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by a vessel powered entirely by solar energy, smashing its own 2010 record by four days. The 115-foot Swiss catamaran traveled 2,867 miles (5,310 kilometers) across the Atlantic Ocean in 22 days, conducting experiments along the Gulf Stream as part of the PlanetSolar DeepWater expedition. Read the rest of Tûranor PlanetSolar: World’s Largest Solar-Powered Boat Sets Transatlantic Speed Record Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: "energy efficiency", "solar energy", green transportation, Guinness World Records, marine expedition Tûranor, MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, PlanetSolar, PlanetSolar’s Tûranor, solar boat, solar catamaran, solar design, Solar Power, solar powered boat, Swiss solar boat, transatlantic crossing record, TURANOR, World speed record boat

Read the rest of 100-Year-Old Utah Church is Lifted 40 Foot Above Ground Without Moving an Inch Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: building shell, church restoration, churches, construction materials, construction sites, destroyed houses, Floating Church Utah, Mormon temple Utah, Provo Tabernacle Utah, reconstruction, restoration, Temple Utah

it's weird when you write a blog about frivolous, mostly meaningless things and poop to try to write a post about said frivolity after a tragedy has struck. i could talk about how shitty it feels to have been complaining about hand cramps from painting when children were buried alive under their school. because that truly does feel ridiculous and perspective-y. or about how weird it is that not too long ago a young man walked into a school and murdered 26 children and yesterday mother nature took out 20? i'm sure someone somewhere is tallying up the randomness of that one. or how everyone is probably at this point asking... what fucking next??!!!!! only the reality of that is probably really fucking terrifying bc no, really...WHAT FUCKING NEXT?!! i don't read or listen to the news anymore.. how can i?! it's a horror show out there and the media thrives on it. plus it's a giant waste of time and energy. the truth is i'd rather be painting tiny window panes, freehand until my fingers bleed. there is an area of my yard that i like to call "the deadly snarea" (snare+area). yes because i will always be a nerd but also bc it's a patch of yard next to my house where nothing safe grows. there are hornet's nests, endless, creeping ivy, winding, woody vines and thorny, fuzzyprickled (prizzyfuckled?) leaves PLUS SPIDERS FOR DAYS...it's a place you don't want to go near. all you can do is cut it back and then run in fear. but every year in the spring...there are blackberries. wild, blackest purple, sweet, delicious blackberries. they lay gently on top of all the scary stuff as if to say..i won't give you cancer, i am not a tornado and i don't own a gun...i am sweet and delicious and i will come back every year to remind you of that. here's to focusing on the blackberries. donate.

Bonsai Stamps from the USPS. I like the tall ‘Bonsai’ text and the little red USA’s.

Read the rest of Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s Ny Anstalt Prison Heals With a Connection to Light & Nature Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: "sustainable architecture", connection to nature, Daylighting, eco design, eco prison, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green prison, greenland, Light, Nature, Nuuk, ny anstalt, ny anstalt correctional facility, prison, schmidt hammer lassen, Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

When I first saw this house on Flathead Lake in Bigfork, Montana, I assumed it had been around for a long time. So I was surprised to learn it’s actually fairly new, built by the architect Larry Pearson “with siding recycled from an old house so it has a nice weathered look,” as the reader who told me about it explained. If I pulled up to this house, I wouldn’t guess it was built in 2006. Would you? Patti saw the house in person and says the photos don’t do the house justice–”My jaw was hanging open through the whole tour.” She explains, “The breezeway with the big stone fireplace is a connection between the main house and the guest house with a studio below the guest house.” The beautifully aged hardwood floors in the house were rescued from an old gymnasium. Note the tree-trunk details on the corners of the kitchen island: This makes me want wood countertops in my kitchen. Gorgeous. The house sits on 15.5 acres and was recently on the market for $2.5 million. For more photos and information, check the listing and the architect’s website. Thanks to Patti for telling me about it! P.S. Do you like the intentionally weathered look? It reminds me of the houses Bronson Pinchot restores on his DIY Network show with old siding and materials. Click here to see some of his before and afters, including this one: // //

A huge tornado more than one mile wide touched down in Oklahoma Monday afternoon, flattening a community of 41,000 south of Oklahoma City and killing roughly 91 people. Eye witnesses report that the tornado, which has received a preliminary rating of four out of five on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, tossed around cars during its 20 mile journey, crushed homes and ripped apart buildings – including two schools. Twenty children are among the dead and scores more were rushed to various hospitals with injuries. This tornado is the worst to hit the suburb since 1999 and officials from the National Weather Service warn that more could be on their way. Meanwhile, hundreds of people are without homes and hurt. Hit the jump to find out what you can do to help. Read the rest of Huge Tornado Devastates Oklahoma City Suburb, Find Out How You Can Help Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Environment, environmental destruction, how to help Oklahoma tornado victims, locate Oklahoma tornado pets, locate Oklahoma tornado victims, natural disasters, News, Oklahoma tornado destruction, Oklahoma tornado relief, photos of Oklahoma tornado

Materials: LACK Side Tables; Wood blocks, wood glue, nailer Description: I was on a tight budget. After trying to find suitable night tables in second hand stores and online, I came across ikeahackers.net. I was impressed with all the ideas. I went to IKEA and found 4 LACK side tables on sale at $4.99 each. I bought the basic white. The first step was to assemble 2 tables, to serve as the base of the 2 nightstands. The second step was to cut down the legs of the second set of tables. Then I assembled the tables. They would serve as the top of the finished tables. I cut them so the overall height of the finished product would be 27". Once I cut the legs, I discovered they were hollow. This was my first IKEA purchase, so I was unfamiliar with their product. No worries. I cut small blocks from a 2"x4" plank, and glued and air nailed them to the corners of the base tables. Then the cut legs would slide over the blocks. I then fastened the legs using the air nailer to the blocks. ~ Sue AllenMore hacks on IKEAHackers.net

Yes, please. I wouldn't change a thing except maybe the chandelier. I love the design of this wonderful bathroom by Shon Parker.

Giles Miller's London design studio has positioned a target of reflective pixels in front of a medieval gate for this year's Clerkenwell Design Week, which kicks off in London today (+ slideshow). (more...)