Whether you’re planning a major overhaul of your home or updating your décor eventually you will find yourself in a familiar fork in the road … “Which way do I go from here?” Finding the right path can be overwhelming. Most people don’t even know how to define their own personal style. The great thing about that is you don’t have to.
Start with the big picture. First decide what room you want to tackle first. Narrowing down the room choice can help tremendously when trying to find a style or theme for your new space. Finding some inspiration for that particular space may start with a magazine but in 2013 the latest and greatest sources come from social networking sites.
One of the coolest and easiest is Houzz.com, an elegant site that focuses primarily on residential design. Thousands of interior designers, architects and design/build firms from across the nation load their project photos giving the Houzz community an opportunity to engage with the designers, discuss photo details and create inspiration books that can easily be exported or emailed. You can even narrow down your search by your local area so if you’re contemplating hiring someone for your project you can do so by previewing their work as you build your inspiration book.
If you’re one of the many millions who are riding the Apple product wave then you probably own an iPad. If you do then download the Houzz app and start perusing some cool projects while on the go. The photos are large enough to fill the screen but with the ipad you can zoom in for greater detail.
At HartmanBaldwin Design/Build, Houzz is used in a very practical way. Clients are encouraged to sign-up and start collecting photos of inspirational spaces or items. At different design meetings the client and team review the inspiration books and start incorporating ideas into the design. Sometimes a photo can say what a thousand words can’t.
For more information and cool photos visit HartmanBaldwin’s profile on https://www.houzz.com/hartmanbaldwin










There are a few different systems out there worth checking out. One of the simplest is Nest, the learning thermostat. In just one week this little gadget will learn your routine and it will automatically turns itself down when you’re away. The idea being that Nest helps you understand how your home uses energy so you can save more. The Nest can be accessed online, on your iPad or iPhone so if you’d like to make the house a little cooler before heading home you can choose any of those easy options to adjust the thermostat. It’s also very easy to install, according to the Nest website if you can install a light fixture, then you can easily install the Nest thermostat. And for about a $250 investment you can save money, energy and be more comfortable in your home throughout the year.
Lutron’s website describes RadioRA as a wireless total home control system. This energy-saving system gives you the ability to adjust the amount of daylight and electric light (using light controls and automated shades) as well as temperature in a single room or throughout your whole home. The system also turns off standby power to small appliances when they’re not in use. One of the reasons designers like this system is because they can expand on the lighting design well after construction is complete because one can design different lighting configurations in different living areas or rooms based on your preferences or activities. This type of system may require more of an investment because of the planning involved to install and program but once it’s complete it triples your home’s IQ by turning it into an intelligent home that intuitively adapts to your lifestyle.






















