BALA Awards Spot Trends

BALA?  What the heck is BALA?

It is the Best of American Living Awards sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders.  This years contest winners were announced in January at the annual conference.  The judges involved reported these trends...

Each year they survey the members to determine what the trends are and have been...several key trends were reflected in the annual design contest.  The first being in the bathroom where clients are wanting an open feel but with a more compact floor plan and square footage.  This can be accomplished by reducing floor space between fixtures, using transparent glass enclosures, and eliminating extra walls.

Paned glass enclosure for shower
 

Kitchen features included "mega-islands", intricate light fixtures, Carrara marble, and cooking hearths.  The "mega-islands" give some space for prepping meals, & cooking meals while socializing with guests.

"Mega-Island"

High-quality detailing, whether it is a small or large space, reflecting historic or traditional elements.

Detailed ceiling

Ceiling treatments are also a priority- a barrel vaulted, tray or coffered ceiling can add texture and depth.

Herringbone vaulted ceiling

Specialty rooms could be an secondary cooking area(indoors or out), a wine room, or a pet specific area.

Specialty "rooms"/areas for pets

And the last trend reflected is for multi-generational living.  What exactly is that?  It is sometimes called "Aging in Place" or "Aging in Style" and may show an open floor plan and curbless showers.  Curbless showers are just that, there is no step or ledge to step over to get into the shower.  Additional items are shower bars, lever door handles, and cabinet pulls that are longer or larger to help us grasp/open easier. 

Curbless shower floor

 

Some of these should not be listed in the trend category as we all will age and will want to consider them for our own living environment.  Are you going to incorporate any of these trends into your home? 

 

Easy Ottoman!

Want your own unique ottoman? 

How about an ottoman with some storage?


Finished product.

 

 If you do, I can point you in the right direction...checkout out this website and it will walk you through all of the steps.  http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,20616419,00.html 

It has pictures and measurements, along with a supply list.  There are a couple of comments to read thru with some clarifications- so don't skip that!

I can attest to building this ottoman AND upholstering it in a couple of days.  The longest wait was for the feet to dry after staining, as it was very humid weather.  We purchased the feet at a Lowe's, but I know Home Depot or other wood supply stores will have them as well.  I applied 2 coats of stain and 2 coats of a clear finish on top.  We chose feet that matched some other furniture in the room- a transitional style for sure.

 



A couple of helpful hints or considerations are:  Be sure to shorten the height of the ottoman to fit the sofa it will be paired with.  Ours was shortened by 1 1/2 inches for the sofa.  If you forget this step, the ottoman will be too high to comfortably put your feet up on...  another consideration is the fabric choice.  We chose a sculpted microfiber in a aqua/mint shade to lighten up the room and dark brown sofa.  The color alone makes the piece visually "less heavy" to our eyes.  The fabric is easy to clean, as there are 2 dogs and a baby on the way...so it will see a lot of use!  Lastly, we chose to tuft the top cushion, you will want to have buttons covered by a professional, and get some heavy thread/string to thread them with.  (Tufting is NOT for beginners-so if you have never tufted before just stick to the plain upholstered top.  If you still want to tuft it, I would search the internet for instructions and take this into account before you buy fabric!)



Lid is propped open with the tufted button strings "hanging"

 

 

Not a hard project to tackle..This Old House website makes it easy!  Give it a try and send pictures and I will post them!

P.S. Is there such thing as an "otto-woman"?



"Ottoman" they replaced...good choice!