Contemporary Dining Room

More people are opting for a more modern interior design even in traditional New England colonial homes. The hallmark of modern design is its clean, straight lines with a minimalist look. Furnishings typically use metal, glass and rich wood tones and is considered part of its design element. This dining room design is a perfect example.

[T]he all white chairs with satin metal legs have great lines and the metal ties in with the dining table. The designer has used a small splash of color which really makes a splash surrounded by the whites and browns. And of course who doesn’t love a shag carpet!

The creation of the modern interior design style is credited to the group of European designers and architects that started the Bauhaus School of Design in Germany in 1919. The Bauhaus philosophy is that form should combine with function in all interior designs.

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What is Green Home Building?

Green building which is also known as green construction or sustainable building is construction of a environmentally responsible and resource-efficient home.  This requires close cooperation of the design team, the architects, the engineers, and the client at all project stages. The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.
Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:
1. Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
2. Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
3. Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation
Green building brings together a vast array of practices and techniques to reduce and ultimately eliminate the impacts of buildings on the environment and human health. It often emphasizes taking advantage of renewable resources, e.g., using sunlight through passive solar, active solar, and photovoltaic techniques and using plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens, and for reduction of rainwater run-off. Many other techniques, such as using packed gravel or permeable concrete instead of conventional concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of ground water, are used as well.
Other related topics include sustainable design and green architecture. Sustainability may be defined as meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Green building does not specifically address the issue of the retrofitting existing homes.
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