Planning home improvements necessarily involves addressing numerous practical matters. That doesn’t mean you should ignore the fun stuff!

The Fun Stuff

The first thing to plan for in home improvements is the practical stuff. The second thing you need to talk to family members about is the fun stuff.

Most people have colors they like and colors they don’t like. They have things that interest them and things that don’t. Get your family to talk to you about those things. Each person’s bedroom, or bedroom area, should reflect his or her taste and interests.

A boy who likes green, football, and backpacking can easily have a sage green (it “reads” as more neutral than many shades of green if re-sale of your home is a concern) room with cream woodwork, cream interior shutters, and cream ceiling. Framed football posters and wilderness scenes might be pleasant. Bedding with a rustic motif (rows of stylized pine trees?) from L.L. Bean or Plow and Hearth would work right in. Add a touch or two of a bright color like red or yellow.

Does he need a desk in his room? A chest of drawers? A bookcase? Would he enjoy having a bulletin board? Even if they’re small, most rooms need at least three lamps so that illumination is general and even. The shades are usually best in warm, neutral colors. (Light coming through green shades tends to make people look sick.) Lamp shades should be level and the seams should be toward the wall so they’re not visible. When the bottom edge of most lamp shades in a room are the same height from the floor, the room tends to look serene and cohesive.

Hanging pictures usually look best if the bottom edges of the frames are the same height from the floor and level with each other, too. There are exceptions to this and every generalization of course. A grouping of pictures can have the bottom tier follow the “rule” while all of the other pictures are higher. A picture over a fireplace often looks good higher than the other pictures in the room.

Pictures usually look best when they have a relationship to furniture or an architectural feature. Pictures centered over a chest, bed, bookcase, or fireplace are good examples. Pictures don’t tend to look good if they’re scattered willy-nilly around a room, or if they’re up near the ceiling (unless they’re part of a grouping), or if the height at which they’re hung varies wildly with no rhyme nor reason.

A girl who loves pink, the ballet, and swimming can have woodwork the same cream as her brother’s while her walls are a soft pink (a pink with a hint of yellow in it tends to go well with cream), and her art work reflects her interests. If she loves to read, make sure she has a good reading lamp near her bed, or near a comfortable chair, or both.

A cream colored dust ruffle with widely spaced pink stripes and a quilted plaid coverlet in pink, green, yellow, and blue on a cream background might look nice. Add cream fabric window shades with large pink polka dots and I’ll bet she’ll smile.

The bigger point is to simply have fun with some of your home improvements. There is no need to look exclusively at practical matters.

by: Kathy Iven

Whether you are working with existing furnishings and fabrics or “starting from scratch” with an empty room, you should always use the elements and principles of design as a guide in choosing everything. The elements are your tools or raw materials, much like paints are the basics to a painter. The elements of design include space, line, form, color, and texture. The principles of design relate to how you use these elements. The principles of design are balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, and harmony and unity.

Principle #1: Balance

Visual equilibrium in a room is called balance. It gives a sense of repose and a feeling of completion. A well-balanced room gives careful consideration to the placement of objects according to their visual weight. The elements of line, form, color and texture all help determine an object’s visual weight, which is the amount of space it appears to occupy. Balance also refers to how and where you place the elements (line, form, color and texture) within a room. To maintain balance, try to distribute the elements throughout the room.

. Formal balance, often referred to as symmetrical balance, creates a mirror image effect.

. Informal balance uses different objects of the same visual weight to create equilibrium in a room. It is more subtle and spontaneous and gives a warmer, more casual feeling.

Principle #2: Emphasis

Emphasis is the focal point of the room. The focal point should be obvious as you enter the room; it is the area to which your eye is attracted. Whatever is featured, as the center of interest -a fireplace, artwork or a window treatment framing a beautiful view – must be sufficiently emphasized so that everything else leads the eye toward the featured area. You can add emphasis to a natural focal point or create one in a room through effective use of line, form, color and texture.

Principle #3: Rhythm

Rhythm supplies the discipline that controls the eye as is moves around a room. Rhythm helps the eye to move easily from one object to another and creates a harmony that tells the eye everything in the room belongs to a unified whole. Rhythm is created through repetition of line, form, color or texture. It can also be created through progression. Progressive rhythm is a gradual increasing or decreasing in size, direction or color.

Principle #4: Proportion and Scale

Size relationships in a room are defined by proportion and scale. Proportion refers to how the elements within an object relate to the object as a whole. Scale relates to the size of an object when compared with the size of the space in which it is located.

Principle #5: Harmony and Unity

A well-designed room is a unified whole that encompasses all the other elements and principles of design. Unity assures a sense of order. There is a consistency of sizes and shapes, a harmony of color and pattern. The ultimate goal of decorating is to create a room with unity and harmony and a sense of rhythm. Repeating the elements, balancing them throughout the room, and then adding a little variety so that the room has its own sense of personality accomplishes this. Too much unity can be boring; too much variety can cause a restless feeling. Juggling the elements and principles to get just the right mix is a key to good design.

Prague offers so many varying styles of architecture that after a visit you can practically go home with a PhD. within the city center and its immediate surroundings, you’ll find every architectural style from Gothic to Baroque, Cubism to Functionalism, and Art Noveau to the boxy beasts of Communism. and that’s not all of them.

This post presents a handful of the city’s great structures categorized according to style; a kind of architecture tour of Prague, if you will. and remember, it doesn’t cost anything to gaze at some of the finest examples of architecture in the world.

Gothic

Charles BridgeStare Mesto and Mala Strana

Construction of this epic bridge began in 1337 and was completed in the 15th century. The most distinguishing features of this stone bridge are its Baroque sculptures and statues that were added to the sides of it in the 1700’s. (Today’s are just replicas of the originals, which are housed inside the National Museum.)

Three towers are found at the entrances to the bridge, one on the side headed to Old Town and two on the Mala Strana side. The latter is considered one of Europe’s finest examples of civil Gothic architecture. as one of Prague’s most visited sites, it’s advised to visit at the crack of dawn or late night (which actually turn out to be the hours which suit this wonder best).

Others Gothic structures: The House of the Stone Bell, St. Vitus Cathedral, The Convent of St. Agnes

Renaissance

Ball Game HallHradcany

Located within the Royal Garden of the castle, this sgraffito-adorned building was first built in the 16th century to serve as the Royal Game Hall for an early form of tennis and badminton. after transforming into the Royal Stables in the 17th century and then a military barrack and storeroom, the building was struck by a bomb during World War II and burned down to its outer wall.

Its restoration was completed in 1952, but the Royal Garden wasn’t opened again until after 1989. But the communists left their mark. on the front of the building, facing the garden, look out for their own sgraffito: the number five (for the “five Year Plan”) and a hammer and sickle.

Other Renaissance examples: The Royal Summer Palace, Star Summer Palace, The House at the Minute

Baroque

Strahov MonasteryStrahovské nádvorí 132/1Hradcany

Dating back to the 12th century, Strahov is Prague’s second oldest monastery (and it remains functioning today). Comprised of several buildings, its baroque library—including both the Theological Hall and the Philosophical Hall—are not to be missed. as it is perched atop a hill, its location offers some wonderful views of the city.

Other Baroque examples: St. Nicholas Cathedral, Troja Chateau, The Sternberg Palace.

Art Noveau

The Municipal HouseNámestí Republiky 1090/5Stare Mesto

Including gilded decorations, ceramics, stained glass windows, and murals, the Municipal House’s details, in combination with its impressive size, make it perhaps Prague’s most shining example of the style. Completed in 1911, its remarkable outcome is the work of prominent Czech sculptors and painters, including Alfons Mucha.

Saloun’s VillaSlovenská 4/2499,Vinohrady

A more off-the-beaten-path example, but definitely worth the journey, this great little structure is the former studio of Czech sculptor Ladislav Saloun, a leading figure of Czech Art Noveau symbolism. Designated as a protected cultural monument in 1958, today it serves as a teaching space for guest professors of the Academy of Fine Arts. You’ll find it in Prague’s Vinohrady neighborhood, to the side of a long set of stairs that run beside a park. Look out for the sculpted head above the doorway.

Cubism

House of the Black MadonnaCeletná 569/34Stare Mesto

Cubism is special to the Czech Republic, as it is the only country where you will find Cubist architecture. one of the most renowned examples, the House of the Black Madonna was completed between 1911-1912 by architect Josef Gocar–one of the members of a famous group of Czech artists and architects who worked in the style. Appropriately, the house is home to the Museum of Czech Cubism and the Grand Café Orient, which boasts a cubist interior.

Kovarovic VillaLibušina 3Vyšehrad

Inspired by the works of Braque and Picasso, this exceptional villa is a must see. not only is the house done in the cubist style, but also the garden layout, the surrounding metal fence and even the stairs.

Cubist LamppostJungmannovo Namesti

It’s the only cubist lamppost in the world. enough said.

Functionalism

ManesMasarykovo nábreží 250/1Stare Mesto

Opened in 1930, the Manes building is considered one of Europe’s top Functionalist buildings. Comprised of three floors, with the river running underneath it, Manes’ function since it was formed has been to serve as a visual arts exhibition hall.

Muller VillaNad hradním vodojemem 642/14Strešovice

One of the most influential architects of Modern European architecture, Adolf Loos built this cubed-shaped home for the family after which it was named. done in a design called “Raumplan,” the interior was conceived as spaces–as opposed to rooms, sections or floor plans–that flow into one another via multi-levels, according to function.

Communist Era

Panelaks

From Prague’s highest points you can’t not see these structures. Situated on the outskirts of the city, these tall, gray boxes, sitting side by side, were actually inspired by Le Corbusier’s idea of people living in small, efficient cities. however, the outcome was blank buildings that feel completely devoid of inspiration. Due to the more affordable costs, this is where a large percentage of Praguers live today.

Other Communist examples: Kotva department store, The Zizkov Television Tower (as this is the highest structure in Prague, you can’t miss it on the skyline. It was started by the communists and is today characterized by large sculpted children climbing up its sides, made by controversial Czech artist David Cerny).

Post 1989

The Dancing HouseRašínovo nábreží 1981/80Nove Mesto

Not much has been done in the way of interesting modern architecture in Prague at this point. The Dancing Building however is the one exception. Built by Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunic between 1992 and 1996, the structure rests on a formerly vacant riverfront plot where the building before had been destroyed by a bomb at the end of WWII. It’s sometimes referred to as the “Fred and Ginger Building,” as it was made to resemble two dancers.

Prague: Architecture history on tour, from Gothic to Gehry

He was one of 24 people awarded the Order of Luthuli in 2007 by former president Thabo Mbeki. “we are able to live and develop in a world of freedom, without the fetters of oppression or exclusion because of them,” Mbeki said.

Issel was honoured in 2007 by then Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool as an architect of freedom and democracy.

Issel was born in Worcester, Western Cape, where he was brought up by his mother and grandmother, who struggled to support him and three cousins.

In recent years, Issel criticised the values of post-apartheid South Africa. in an interview with SA History Online, he said: “in our market society [today] everyone looks out for himself – and only himself. nobody is his brother’s keeper. very different from the tenets held and forged during the camaraderie of the ’80s.”

“the new values emerging within our nascent democracy are at the opposite pole of those prevalent during the times of the UDF.”

Issel leaves six children.

tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article868078.ece/Anti-apartheid-activist-Johnny-Issel-dies Sun, 23 Jan 2011 22:28:26 GMT 00:00″>Anti-apartheid activist Johnny Issel dies

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