COLOR N.E.W.S.*
Published May 12, 2011 | 
(*North East West South)
You do not have to select trendy colors for your home. They should be right for your environment, especially your lighting conditions. And they should be right for you and your lifestyle. The "Today's Home"™ show on May 8 featured a discussion about color, with guests Teresa Tullio and Nancy Alwin (both are certified color consultants). We talked about the importance of color in our built environment, and why light and color are important, inseparable elements of our lives (listen to podcast).
Awareness of colors' effects on us has been documented back to early Chinese and Egyptian civilizations; they were the first to use chromatherapy. Johann Wolfgang Goethe connected colors and psychology in his 1810 book, "Theory of Colours". Faber Birren's book "Color Psychology and Color Therapy" was first published in 1950. Both books are still used in art and interior design classes. For this article, I'm using pigmented colors for reference. Pigmented colors are called "subtractive". Here are some guidelines to help you select color schemes for your home, based on the compass orientation of the interior rooms you want to paint:
► North and East exposures: Select warmer colors (i.e., red, yellow and orange) to balance the natural coolness of the daylight (blue). These colors include wood, because most wood is brown (achieved by mixing yellow and red, with a touch of green). It's okay (and recommended) to use cool colors for accents.
► South and West exposures: Select cooler colors (i.e., blue, purple and green) to balance the natural warmth of the daylight (yellow-orange). If you're using a lot of wood, avoid yellow or orange wood (maple, birch, bamboo, teak), and try to select cooler and darker wood colors (mahogany and cherry). It's okay to use warm colors for accents, but they should be used very sparingly.
Dark colors absorb light, while light colors reflect light. The colors you choose could easily affect how much energy you use to light your home. When choosing paint, look at the light reflectance value (LRV). A room where you intend to cook, read, sew, use power tools, or use a computer should have a higher LRV than a sleeping room.
EXAMPLE: An amateur photographer got permission to create a dark room in the basement of his parents' home. The parents hired a contractor (who was not a photographer) to create the room, including cabinets and a sink. He did, indeed, create a dark room; the walls, countertop, cabinets, and floor were black! A single 100-watt lamp would light objects no further than two inches away!
Be careful about using pure colors (red, yellow, blue, green, orange, and purple) for walls, ceilings, floors, furniture, or large accessories, because they will dominate the room. Most paint colors are mixes of multiple pigments to achieve a "livable" look. Dramatic colors should be used only in powder rooms or dining rooms. It's been popular to paint one interior wall a totally different color, but this should be done carefully to avoid creating an artificial focal point, or accentuating a room's proportions.
EXAMPLE: Many years ago, an acquaintance repainted her long, slender living+dining room. The two narrow walls and one of the long walls were a pale warm white, and the remaining long wall was a "cinnabar" color (deep reddish-orange), which made the room feel narrower than it was. It was not a comfortable room!
Complementary colors (red/green, blue/orange, yellow/purple) should not be used equally. If both of the colors are pure (saturated), and similar in intensity (value), they will appear to vibrate. When complementary pigments are mixed, the colors cancel each other out to achieve gray or black.
EXAMPLE: Recently, I was in a home that had beautiful, pale buttercream yellow walls in the kitchen, on the north side of the home. The adjoining living room had faux-finished walls, a broad dry-brush criss-cross pattern of pale lavendar over the yellow, which made the lavendar translucent. The pale purple over the pale yellow "grayed" the lavendar enough so the two colors didn't vibrate, and created a beautiful background for the furnishings. If the lavendar had been more intense, the results would have been garish.
Example from Johannes Itten's "Elements of Color": If you stare at one of the complementary colors for several seconds, then look at a white piece of paper, you'll see the same image, but in opposite complementary color! Have you ever wondered why surgical drapes and scrubs are typically pale green? The green gives the surgical team's eyes a rest, prevents negative imaging and eye strain!
Some people have been blessed with perfect pitch. I was blessed with color memory, which used to drive my mother crazy when we went shopping. "Can we get this sweater, ple-e-e-ase? It will go with my [color] skirt." Sure enough, if she bought the sweater, it would be an exact match, or blended beautifully with the skirt. The same thing would happen when she was decorating a room. No, she never asked my advice, but I'd give it anyway, especially if she was making a mistake. Neither of us understood why my recommendations were correct until I started attending interior design school. I had a natural talent, but had to learn the theories to become an expert. Anyone can have an opinion or give advice, but if the opinion or advice comes from a professional, it should be supported with reasons, based on education, training, and experience.
Get more information about color in an article on the D. P. Design website.
If you would like to get more information about updating or remodeling your home office, kitchen, bathroom, or color palette, I'm offering a FREE 45-minute phone consultation to help you.
© 2011 Diane Plesset – All Rights Reserved
HOME LIGHTING CONTROLS
Published April 23, 2011 |
WIRELESS CONTROL SYSTEMS: VERVE
What can you do with these new wireless contol systems? A better question is: What can't you do with them?
The basic concept for Verve Living Systems is that your controls are completely un-wired. No wires to the back room. No wires for electric power. Totally wireless control! How do they do it? When you press a button, a tiny bit of electricity is generated. The system uses that electricity to power a radio that signals your command to the "brain" box.
What does this mean? You can put a switch/control anywhere. The range is around 300 feet. Anywhere is on a wall, on a window, on the table, in your pocket, wherever is most convenient. You can move it, re-program it, whatever you want to do. The great thing is, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand how it works, how it will work for you. The controller can be programmed to handle any circuit or circuits you want, dim lights, run ceiling fans, open the garage door, etc.
You can even access the controller over the internet. If you're out of town, and, "Did I forget to turn off the lights?" You can connect from your smartphone or any computer, and turn the system off, or onto a programmable "vacation" setting.
What's involved in getting a Verve system installed? Can you do it yourself? Well, no. You really need to have an electrician do the installation for you. The pieces include a "controller" that can handle up to 10 different things, a single controller for heavy loads and various switch modules. Your lights are connected directly to the controller. Once the controller and your lights are installed, you can install and program the wireless control switches to do whatever you would like yourself. You can have, for example, one switch that sets your kitchen lights up to 80%, your dining room at 50%, and your front porch light at 100%, all at one clicik.
What's it cost? According to Verve, it costs little more than conventional setups, because the wiring is much easier and quicker, paying for much of the cost of the equipment.
HOME REPAIR AND IMPROVEMENT
Published April 22, 2011 |
DO-IT-YOURSELF PROJECTS: POWER TOOLS
What Do You Need? How Much Should You Pay?
You can go wild at a "big box" store or your local hardware store and spend thousands of dollars on power tools for your do-it-yourself projects. What power tools you purchase depends on:
► How handy you are
► How much you need and want to do around your home
► How much time you have for D-I-Y projects
► Your budget
It depends on what D-I-Y project you have in mind, but it's best to start your power tools collection with a circular saw (aka "Skil Saw"). A decent basic circular saw will have a blade 6-1/2" or larger, and should cost you around $50. Yes, you can spend over $200 if you want. The extra cost gets you a tool that you can use every day for years. Unless you're going to be a professional carpenter, not a Do-It-Yourself'er, you likely won't need a top-of-the-line unit. Get a corded unit. Cordless saws are really speciality tools, not general-use tools. When using a circular saw, do make sure your work is clamped down or is held by somebody other than you.
Second, get a "chop saw" or "Miter saw". These are similar in some ways to a circular saw, but have larger blades (often 10" or more) and are mounted so you can set an angle, and get the same angle on every cut. Be prepared to spend up to $100 for a decent one. Be warned, saws are power tools designed to cut things. They have "blade guards," but, if you're careless and get yourself in the way of the blade, you will get hurt. When using a chop saw, clamp it down to a work table, so it doesn't move.
Your next D-I-Y power tool should be a drill or power driver. A power driver will accept a "drill chuck" and become a drill. A drill will hold a screwdriver bit, and will work as a power driver. The only real exception is if you need to drill concrete. If so, you need a "hammer drill", or you'll be drilling for years, probably melting drill bits. A regular, cordless drill or power driver will cost you around $50. A hammer-drill will cost a little more. Cordless is fine for this use, but I suggest getting two sets of batteries, so one can be charging while you use the other one. Lithium batteries are the current "best", but "NiMH" are very good, too.
The last basic tool is a "random orbital" sander, around $40. I've used ours a lot, sanding cabinets, furniture, floors, miscellaneous wood, etc.
If you plan to set tile, don't bother with a "score and snap" tool. It takes years of experience to get one of those to work well. I've never managed it. I got a diamond saw, and have been very happy with the results. Get one with an overhead motor. The cheap ones with the motor under the table don't work well. Expect to spend around $200 for one that is good enough to be worthwhile. NOTE: Setting tile is tedious work, and needs to be done well. We figure that we've saved over $6,000 by setting our own tile, but it took about four times as long as it would have taken a professional tile setter; it was a necessary trade-off.
Don't forget non-powered hand tools such as screwdriver kits, a good hammer, a level, carpenters's pencils and markers, measuring tapes, and a sturdy tool box. Your basic tool kit should also include safety goggles, kneepads, masks, earplugs, and heavy-duty gloves.
HOME LIGHTING
Published April 22, 2011 |
DIMMABLE L.E.D. BULBS!
Yes, we now have dimmable LED light bulbs. These can be used anywhere you would use a regular light bulb. I found both L.E.D. MR-16 and "A" types, at about $20 at big home-improvement stores last month. Here's what they look like:
The dimmable L.E.D. MR-16 is a standard 12-volt unit (on left), and plugs in just as most others do. It's rated at 7 watts, and puts out about the same light as the 50 watt halogen I replaced it with. The color is just about the same, but when you dim it, the color stays exactly the same, no getting yellow or red when it's dim. It comes on instantly, doesn't flicker, and is in my book very satisfactory.
The dimmable L.E.D. "A" lamp on the right is rated at 9 watts, and puts out nearly the same amount of light as the 50 watt halogen unit it replaced. Color is as close to dead-on as I can tell, and it, too is very satisfactory.
Both these units are rated with a "CRI", or "Color Rendering Index" of 85, which means it's acceptable for evaluating and comparing color for painting, fabric, thread, photography, etc. Normal incandescent lamps don't do as well, being very blue-deficient. Here's how they look installed in our ceiling:
If you're going to compare how much a bulb costs, you need to calculate not only the cost of one bulb, but how long it will last you. A standard bulb lasts 1,200 hours, and costs about $1.50 each. One of these LED lights will last you abut 30 times longer, so you're ahead on bare cost of the bulb. Then you can add up the cost of electricity, and find you'll save far more over the lifetime
You can see why Diane and I are sold on L.E.D. lighting — especially when it can be dimmed to create the mood you want, in addition to providing great lighting.
HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Published October 30, 2010 |
HOME THEATER: WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE?
Last week, I answered these questions which many people have asked me over the years:
► What's a Home Theater system?
► Do I really need a Home Theater system?
Let's start out with a definition. Home Theater is typically a combination of:
► A large-screen television; all of the major brands are excellent
► Several speakers (including Left-front, Right-front, Center, Left-rear, Right-rear and Sub-woofer), called "5.1", for 5 full-range speakers and one sub-woofer (more elaborate systems have more speakers on the sides, often called "7.1")
► A multi-channel amplifier system (able to feed the speakers and decode the different channels)
Purchasing 5 or 7 speakers of equivalent quality will cost more than getting 2 speakers, so if you don't really need or use your large-screen system for watching movies, then why bother? On the other hand, adding a decent stereo system to an existing large-screen TV can make watching broadcast television or the occasional movie much more enjoyable. You can start with a good stereo system and later add the rear speakers and more electronics if you decide you want the theater experience.
One way to improve an existing system, to extend the bass response, is to add a sub-woofer. There are dozens of different systems available from many manufacturers. I've not spent time auditioning them, so I won't make any specific suggestions. Audition them as you would any other speaker. Tips for auditioning speakers will follow a little later. Here's an online resource if you're interested in building your own sub-woofer system: http://www.parts-express.com. You can find speaker kits, cabinets, parts, amplifiers, sub-woofer parts including crossover-amplifiers ready for you to assemble. I doubt I'll build my own from scratch again. . .
How do you set a budget for a home theater system? An "entry level" home theater can be put together for as little as $3,000. There's no limit to the investment you could make, especially if you create a dedicated home theater in a home addition or custom renovation. It could easily exceed $300,000. Whether your budget is low, medium, or high, your home theater experience depends on your choice of sound equipment. What are the logical steps to selecting the right speakers?
Jay's Tips, To Get the Best Sound for Your Money
1. 99% of what you hear is in the speakers. Speakers make a very big difference in the sound. Get the best ones you can afford, though cost is not a reliable gage for speaker quality. Listen.
When you audition speakers, DO:
► Bring your own source.
► Listen for several minutes to each one; don't flick back and forth.
► Play them at the same volume.
► Compare only two at a time. Decide if you like one better, and eliminate the other, to be replaced by another option. Trying to keep three or more straight makes it much harder to choose one.
► Look for sound that's realistic, not hyped up in either the base, "presence" midrage or highs. You will get tired of hyped sound.
DON'T:
► Listen to a salesperson telling you that "these are better for rock (or classical or whatever). These are going to be yours, not his/hers.
► Listen just at very high volume, unless that's what you intend to do at home. Good speakers sound good loud, at moderate levels, and at low levels. Do listen at both low and normal levels, similar to what you're going to be doing at home. If the speakers only sound good loud, then they're missing something. (Many people use background music for other activities.)
2. Only 1% of the sound differences are in the electronics. Electronic components don't make much difference in listening enjoyment. Some people disagree. If your salesperson insists that one brand of amplifier sounds better than another one, have them prove it to you…
► Get enough power (Watts per channel) to listen as loud as you want to. Power is pretty inexpensive these days, and you don't typically need a whole lot (you may be happy with 50 or 60 watts per channel). How much you need depends on:
► Speaker "efficiency"
► Room size
► How loud you listen
3. Speaker wire makes even less difference than electronics. Don't spend hundreds of dollars for fancy speaker wire. You'll barely hear the difference. 18-gage or 16-gage wire will give you very good sound, and spending several dollars per foot for special wire will make a barely audible difference. You can get 16- or 18-gage wire at home supply stores at lower prices than at audio stores. If your salesperson insists that their special wire sounds better than another one, have them prove it to you.
(Example: When we owned a stereo store in the Bay Area, our store manager swore that the wire made a big difference, so I asked him to prove it to me. We set up a test, with mid-price speakers, a decent, but not expensive receiver and 30' of regular wire vs the best we had at the time, "Monster Cable". Yes, I could hear that it was better. A little… A tiny bit. . . We didn't wire our new home with fancy wire.)
Information for Audiophiles
For anybody interested, I just found the article that got me started building multi-amplified systems and sub-woofers: http://www.linkwitzlab.com/x-sb80-3wy.htm The author was a customer at our stereo store when the article was written, and I remember selling him the parts to build the described system. Those parts are not available, but the concepts and calculations still work as well today as they did in 1978. It's a very different view of loudspeaker design than was popular then (or even now).
In fact, Mr. Linkwitz has written many other articles I will enjoy reading, and I highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in the scientific basis of reproducing music so that it sounds live. Here's the link: http://www.linkwitzlab.com/publications.htm
© 2010 Jay Plesset — All Rights Reserved
FREE SURVEY
Published October 30, 2010 |
SAVE MONEY! REDUCE STRESS! ELIMINATE HASSLES!
We are making the NEW, REVISED Homeowner Survey available to you!
Diane's new book, "THE Survival Guide: Home Building and Improvement will feature the surveys, to help you get started, before you plan to remodel your existing home, or build a new home.
Be prepared for your home improvement (or building) project! Order your FREE copy of one or all of the surveys today. Simply send the Survey Request Form, and we'll send you the Surveys, a value of $9.95! We guarantee unconditionally that they will help you make informed decisions, which will ultimately save you money!