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Garage
Ready to reclaim some space in your garage? This plan can help. Get help deciding what to keep and what to toss, learn the best methods for cleaning up oil stains and — once you’ve cleared and cleaned — make your own storage map, so you never have trouble finding what you need again.
Getting started: Take a moment to set up several areas for hazardous waste, garbage, recycling, things to donate, things to sell and things to keep. Rent a Dumpster if you need it, but keep in mind that you should be able to recycle, donate or sell most of what you no longer want or need.
Once you have your zones in place, begin pulling things out of your garage and sorting them. (Don’t try to sort stuff in your garage — you won’t be able to really clean or organize your garage if you try to sort it in place.)
What to keep:
Important memorabiliaThings you have used within the past 12 monthsThings you have a definite plan to use in the near future (such as workout gear you forgot you owned)Spare materials for your home, such as paint and tileGet rid of everything else.
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Our passion for design can lead us to choose the fabulous over the friendly, and, while nothing can compete with a midcentury Danish chair or a classic Eames lounger, there is room in our homes for more anonymous but no less appealing pieces. Think friendly items of furniture — tables, chairs, dressers and more — that have been handed down through the family, picked up at a thrift store or purchased new. They may have been repainted or reupholstered time and again, through a lifetime of love and use. Comfort is key, and sociability is central — make friends with these easygoing treasures.
1. Leather Armchair
Once the classic choice for a gentlemen’s club, and often enhanced with a velvet-covered cushion, leather armchairs have been soothing our cares away for centuries. Find a vintage piece online or buy a newly made classic. The leather will wear beautifully, taking on a rich patina and becoming softer every time you sit.
Look for an interior designer near you
2. Farmhouse Table
Tables are often large-scale pieces and can dominate a space, but while a strong-lined modern design will often stand out, a wooden farmhouse table will always fit in, looking warm and inviting. Flank it with a mix of design-classic chairs in lucite for a fantastic, up-to-date look.
See more farmhouse tables
3. Wooden Chest of Drawers
A simple chest of drawers in stripped wood with traditional brass drawer knobs is a friendly addition to any bedroom. Here one doubles as a bedside table, complete with a lamp, a candle and fresh flowers.
4. Chesterfield
The chesterfield, with its rounded arms and buttoned upholstery, is a timeless sofa design that puts everyone at ease. Often covered in leather, a chesterfield can take on a softer, less gentlemen’s-club look when upholstered in a pale cotton or rich velvet instead.
Trend Alert: The Modern Chesterfield Sofa
5. Hutch
This piece of freestanding kitchen storage has found new popularity in many countries, gracing the kitchens of many a cottage and farmhouse. In this home, though, it’s obvious how a much-loved hutch can find a place in more contemporary settings too. Painted a bold shade and sitting in a neutral modern scheme, it looks right at home.
Smart Storage: Make the Most of Your Hutch
6. Footstool
No evening on the sofa is complete without a sizable footstool on which to rest tired feet. This classic buttoned design has a contemporary twist, thanks to blue upholstery.
7. Classic Bed Frame
A traditional iron bed frame manages to look both romantic and comforting at the same time. This style of bed has been soothing us to sleep for generations and, when finished in white, as here, will not compete with other design elements in the room.
8. Sideboard
A home to everything from napkins to board games, and with space on top for displaying favorite objects, a sideboard is an indispensable and much-cherished addition to a dining room or living space. While midcentury designs look streamlined and sleek, a vintage version with chunkier lines will have a more friendly feel. Upcycling an old sideboard with a coat of soft gray paint can quickly transform it, turning this hardworking piece into a family heirloom.
Buffet, Sideboard, Server, Credenza — What’s the Difference?
9. Vintage Double Sinks
What could be more friendly than a double sink so you can wash hands or clean teeth alongside a family member? Search for a reclaimed marble-topped piece like this, or take inspiration and mount two basins and classic brass faucets in an old table for a vintage, friendly feel.
A Furniture Look for Your Bathroom Vanity
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Why Hire a Designer?
1. You’ll Save Time
You may not know how structural choices can impact the installation of the mechanical system. Or about options for new materials or technologies that might be cheaper, better or more appropriate than what you are familiar with. Figuring those things out takes time, and lots of it. A skilled professional will have this information at the ready for you.
Plus, with advances in technology, new building envelope techniques are coming on the market with increasing frequency, and new, tougher energy-efficiency requirements are transforming how walls are constructed and bringing an end to many traditional building practices. So it’s more crucial than ever to have someone on your team who understands how your building assembly meets current building code requirements.
These codes are typically complex texts that are difficult for those outside the building industry to understand. When designers submit drawings to the building authority, a plans examiner reviews them and issues a revision notice to address any variances from the current codes and construction standards.
A well-informed designer with up-to-date knowledge of building science can get building projects through with the minimum number of revisions. Since each revision takes time to be completed, having fewer revisions will allow you to get your permit faster. Low-quality or incomplete documents can delay your construction. Hiring a designer will help ensure that your project meets relevant codes so it can progress smoothly through your municipality’s process.
This could save you many sleepless nights and potentially weeks on your project trying to determine what is needed to satisfy the code requirements.
Find an architect near you
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Lindberg’s office is also on the first floor, just off the foyer. Petite and pretty, it has a built-in white oak desk with upper cabinets painted a warm greenish-gray.
Once again, the light fixtures are standout design elements, especially the antiqued brass star suspended from the ceiling.
Among the invisible special features in the office — as well as in most rooms throughout the house — is sound insulation in the walls and between the ceilings and floors. “When you’ve got your loud subwoofers playing your movies in the basement, [you] can knock down the sound by over 50%,” Thompson says. “It’s almost like not having anybody down there.”
Upper cabinet paint: Carolina Gull, Benjamin Moore; Rex pendant light: Arteriors; sconces: Clarkson, Visual Comfort
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning and generative AI (GenAI), is reshaping industries, creating new economic opportunities, and raising critical questions about its long-term impact on jobs and economic growth.
A recent study by Ping Wang and Tsz-Nga Wong, titled “Artificial Intelligence and Technological Unemployment” (NBER Working Paper No. 33867, May 2025), provides valuable insights into how AI is reshaping labor markets. Their research highlights both the opportunities and challenges AI adoption brings to the workforce as it becomes increasingly integrated into the economy.
The paper conceptualizes AI as a “learning-by-using” technology, meaning that AI improves its capabilities by learning from the very workers it may eventually replace. In the short term, this dynamic can significantly boost labor productivity. However, over time, if wages and job roles are not adjusted to reflect the growing capabilities of AI, the technology may transition from a supportive tool to a direct substitute for human labor.
The paper outlines three possible long-term scenarios:
Some-AI Steady State: AI improves productivity threefold but cuts nearly a quarter of jobs. Half of the job losses occur within the first five years, driven by the rapid replacement of workers by an AI system.
Unbounded-AI Equilibrium: AI adoption unfolds smoothly, enhancing productivity without displacing workers. Employment rises modestly as AI becomes a complement to human labor rather than a substitute.
No AI Equilibrium: AI fails to take off, and the labor market remains largely unchanged from its traditional form.
AI presents a dual-edged sword. While it holds the potential to drive sustained growth and create new kinds of work, it also poses significant risks of job displacement. Early stages of AI adoption see the most significant job losses, while those who keep their jobs often see wage increases due to higher productivity.
The authors emphasize that the long-term impact of AI remains uncertain. Outcomes will depend on several variables, including AI’s learning speed, error rates, and the relative cost of replacing workers with machines. This unpredictability makes it difficult to forecast whether AI will be a net job creator or destroyer over time.
Additionally, the study points out that traditional labor market policies are insufficient to address the complex challenges posed by AI. Instead, smart, targeted policies are needed, like balancing the bargaining power between workers and firms, and offering subsidies to jobs at risk of AI disruption. These steps could mitigate negative outcomes and improve overall welfare significantly over the next 20 years, and help make AI a powerful ally in our work rather than a threat.
The Impact of AI on the Home Building Industry: Opportunities and Challenges
In the home building industry, on the supply side, AI is beginning to make its mark with both significant opportunities and complex challenges.
From automating repetitive tasks to enhancing project efficiency, AI is transforming how homes are designed and built. Technologies, such as AI-powered design tools, robotic bricklayers, and automated construction equipment, are streamlining construction processes. These innovations reduce the need for manual labor in certain areas, leading to lower costs and shorter project timelines and helping address ongoing labor shortages. Moreover, AI is creating new opportunities within the home building sector. Demand is rising for workers skilled in AI system management, data analysis, and digital design, signaling a shift toward more technologically integrated and highly skilled roles.
However, the adoption of AI comes with disruption. Without opportunities for reskilling, many workers whose roles may become automated may face displacement. The shortage of highly skilled workers could drive up labor costs and lead to project delays, putting pressure on housing affordability.
To ensure a smooth transformation, targeted policy support is essential. Public and private investment in workforce retraining and upskilling programs will be key to helping displaced workers adapt to new roles, like ones that involve supervising AI systems or solving complex problems machines can’t yet handle.
On the demand side of the housing market, the impact of AI could potentially be farther-reaching. AI will bring short-term disruption to labor markets, eliminating office jobs in metro areas. Such transitions in labor markets will alter housing demand, until the economy produces new jobs in an AI-adopting economy. And in theory, by making workers more productive, AI will raise long-term wage growth. These income gains will be a positive outcome for remodeling, housing demand, and vacation home demand in long run.
For the time being, these impacts are speculative. Over time, they will be worth watching on both the supply and demand sides of the housing market.
Note:
Schmelzer, Ron. “Building The Future: How AI Is Revolutionizing Construction.”
“The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Construction.” Construction Today, September 2024.
Demirci, Ozge, Jonas Hannane, and Xinrong Zhu. “Research: How Gen AI Is Already Impacting the Labor Market.” Harvard Business Review, November 11, 2024.
“Artificial Intelligence Impact on Labor Markets.” International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and Economic Development Research Partners (EDRP), Literature Review.
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This article was originally published by a eyeonhousing.org . Read the Original article here. .
Lindberg’s office is also on the first floor, just off the foyer. Petite and pretty, it has a built-in white oak desk with upper cabinets painted a warm greenish-gray.
Once again, the light fixtures are standout design elements, especially the antiqued brass star suspended from the ceiling.
Among the invisible special features in the office — as well as in most rooms throughout the house — is sound insulation in the walls and between the ceilings and floors. “When you’ve got your loud subwoofers playing your movies in the basement, [you] can knock down the sound by over 50%,” Thompson says. “It’s almost like not having anybody down there.”
Upper cabinet paint: Carolina Gull, Benjamin Moore; Rex pendant light: Arteriors; sconces: Clarkson, Visual Comfort
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
15. Give your garage or shed a clean-out. Since you’ll likely be spending more time in your outdoor spaces during the summer, it’s a good idea to take some time at the start of the season to clear out space in your storage area. Take old paint cans to a hazardous waste drop-off point, sell or give away items you no longer want and organize what’s left into zones of use: garden tools and supplies, outdoor adventures and sports gear, and household tools.
16. Get seasonal gear ready. What with camping and beach trips, summertime activities come with a lot of gear. Get it cleaned up and ready now, so you’re not surprised by a leaky tent or blown-out beach umbrella when it’s too late to replace them. And if you plan to waterproof anything (tents or outdoor tablecloths, for example), now is the time.
How to Store Your Outdoor Gear for Summer and All Year
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
7. Incorporate Biophilic Design
Interior designer Shannon Ggem thoroughly studied how design can affect health in health care-related settings. Then she worked on two self-contained room types for immunocompromised children undergoing lifesaving treatment, and for their accompanying family members, for the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House. She is also a speaker on biophilic design for the National Kitchen and Bath Association.
Biophilic design is based on the idea that people have an innate tendency to seek connections to nature. Because we spend so much time indoors, bringing organic materials, shapes and colors that remind us of nature to interiors helps us feel connected to the natural world. In the bedroom seen here, Ggem used natural colors and fibers to promote wellness. For example, the cotton velvet settee is a deep leafy green.
A fiddlehead fig adds a natural element to the corner of the room and helps with air filtration. The homeowners also wanted wall-to-wall carpeting in the bedroom for sensory purposes — softness under their feet and sound control. “This carpeting is 100% wool, which is natural and which humans have figured out how to keep clean for many years,” Ggem says.
Simple Pleasures: The Joy of Fresh Sheets
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
Seattle interior designer Harmony Weihs and her husband have four children between them, three of whom still live at home. They wanted a house where they could be comfortable and casual while spending time together. After they’d saved enough, they found a very tight real estate market and limited options for a house with four bedrooms in the kids’ school district.
However, the designer knew she could transform any house into a comfortable and functional home for the family. “It had been seven years since I’d been able to own and remodel a home, and I was so excited to do it again,” she says. In the house they eventually purchased, Weihs acted as both designer and general contractor, adding character and altering the floor plan to accommodate the casual way her family likes to cook, eat, watch games, study, do puzzles, take naps and catch up on each other’s day.
This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .
Consider your desk first. Think about whether the desk should float in the room, as here, be placed against a wall or be built in. The standard desk height is 29 to 30 inches (74 to 76 centimeters).
Freestanding desks range in size, but common dimensions are 48, 60 and 72 in. (122, 152 and 183 cm) wide and 24, 30 and 36 in. (61, 76 and 91 cm) deep. Get the largest desk that fits comfortably in your space, as you can never have enough work surface.
If you float your desk, leave at least 30 in. (76 cm) between your desk and wall or shelves behind it. On the other side of the desk, allow 48 to 60 in. (122 to 152 cm) for additional chairs and tables, if needed.
Note: Conversions to metric dimensions are approximately translated from standard U.S. dimensions. Each country can be unique in its standards. Investigate the customs in your locale or work with a design pro before committing to a plan.