NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. A decade ago, Janelle BlakelyPhotopoulos was at a bit of a crossroads. A former marketing communications employee for AT&T, she, her husband and their young family had just moved to Rhode Island from New Jersey and she was looking for a way to fulfill her creative drive.

Theres this creative side of me that Ive always wanted to utilize and realize and so when I moved here to Rhode Island, I did a lot of work in my own home and realized I had a passion for it, Photopoulos said. People saw the work that I did in my own home and had asked if I was a professional interior designer, at which point I was encouraged to pursue that.

Describing herself as someone who feels she has to earn (her) stripes and go through the process of learning everything she could about the interior design industry, Photopoulos soon enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Designs ContinuingEducation Program and launched her own business, Blakely Interior Design, in North Kingstown.

Now, Blakely Interior Design has grown from a one woman operation to a team of six and from a few projects in the coastal homes of South County to projects up and down the East Coast, earning the firm the honor of being named the 2020 Rhode Island Small Business Associations Woman-Owned Business of the Year.

Its an honor to be recognized as a woman who has built a business from the ground up and Im so thankful for the acknowledgment, but also for the team that has helped me to get to where I am, Photopoulos said.

Blakely Interior Design isa residential interior design firm that specializes in mostly new home construction projects, but also does full-service interior design from a decorating prospective for already built homes.

We really work in a fashion where we work with our clients from the very beginning of the design process, many times teaming up with the architect and the builder on those projects that do involve construction and help our clients realize their vision for their homes and how they want to live in their homes functionally. But also what that means is aesthetically, and our position is that everyone deserves to live in a place that really uplifts them, so we really design from a place of color, Photopoulos said.

In particular, its color that drives Photopoulos and Blakely Interior Designs.

We use color as the foundation of our designs and so were known for creating very vibrant and colorful interiors, Photopoulos said. Im a believer that color really creates emotions in us and its scientifically proven but it creates emotions in us and so we try to find out which colors resonate with which clients and how do we bring that color into their homes so that it uplifts them and creates a space that feels uniquely them.

Holding a marketing degree from Syracuse University, Photopoulos initially worked for AT&T before leaving to start her family. She did some dcor work back in New Jersey, but really began her career in interior design in Rhode Island, attending night classes at RISD while starting her business and raising three young children.

My business really grew alongside of my journey at RISD, so much that it really just exploded fairly early on and now I never dreamed back then that I would be where I am now in terms of growing a business and having a staff of six employees and really contributing to our local economy and creating beautiful spaces really throughout the East Coast, Photopoulos said.

Blakely Interior Design recently completed projects as far away as New Jersey and Alexandria, Virginia, and Photopoulos said theres been interest in her work from across the country.

We love our Rhode Island coastal homes that we work on, but were also getting some visibility throughout the country, Photopoulos said.

While she says that after finding her passion for interior design she was initially disappointed in having studied marketing, she says the combination of both of her degrees has helped make her a more well-rounded and successful entrepreneur.

I remember thinking to myself, Gosh, why didnt I know back when I was 18 or 19 that this was really what I wouldve wanted to do? It wouldve made it a lot easier to spend hours and hours in the studio doing my design work at 18, 19 years old when I wouldnt have to go and figure out picking my son up at preschool and all of these things related to family life, Photopoulos said. At the time I was kind of kicking myself like, Gosh, why didnt I know this early on, but as I started to build my business, all of the knowledge I had gained through my original degree in marketing and business really helped it to flourish.

Im so thankful for that education because I think if I had just had a design degree, I might be really good at design but I might not know how to grow my business and help build jobs and to do bigger and better things with my business, Photopoulos added.

In addition to her work with Blakely Interior Design, Photopoulos is also active in charity work with Savvy Givings By Design, a nonprofit started in San Diego, California, that rebuilds the interior spaces of children facing a medical crisis at no cost to their families to help strengthen and encourage their recovery.

Photopoulos first became involved with Savvy Givings By Design after hearing an episode of an interior design podcast that featured its founder, Susan Wintersteen.

I had been wanting for a few years to do something to give back to the community and use my talents to do that, and so when I heard about Savvy Giving By Design, I was like, This is what I want to do here and I reached out to her and we started to develop chapters throughout the country and (Rhode Island was) one of the chapters that we created, Photopoulos said.

For Photopoulos, being able to help these children and their families brighten their spirits with her interior design skills is truly rewarding.

When you work with families that are struggling with a medics crisis and many times dont have either the financial wherewithal to do a project like this for their child or the mental or emotional wherewithal to do something like this because theyre in the thick of pediatric cancer treatments and things that really consume them, to be able to come into these families homes and these spaces and really transform them to create a space for these kids to heal, its so rewarding, Photopoulos said. Its very rewarding when we have our reveal with the child and they see the space that is all theirs and they can now have a space that they can heal in and feel creative and play and be like a normal kid.

As with all small businesses, Blakely Interior Design has had to navigate the waters of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its been a tough year for everyone I know, Photopoulos said.

Photopoulos says her firm was fortunate in that theyhad some reserves on hand to avoid major layoffs as well as pivot their approach to more online interactions to better keep with social distancing guidelines and to meet customers comfort levels.

We pivoted a little and started doing virtual design consultations that allowed us to still interact with potential clients and provide design services virtually, Photopoulos said.

As for the projects they were already working on when COVID-19 hit, Photopoulos said understanding and flexibility for both themselves and their customers was key.

We just had to have a lot of flexibility and understanding and hope that our clients did too because the supply chains changed, the workrooms closed down and so I think that everyone in the entire world had to have just a different viewpoint and an extra level of patience through all of it, which fortunately most of our clients have been incredibly understanding, Photopoulos said, adding that business for her has been returning to its normal fall rate after a quieter-than-usual summer.

Now with nearly a decade of experience under her belt, Photopoulos has her eyes set on expanding even further in the decade, with hopes of becoming a national lifestyle brand based around their tagline: Live vibrantly.

We try to inspire our clients to live vibrantly through their home and their interior, Photopoulos said. I want to really inspire the world to live vibrantly in whatever way that means to them.

Photopoulos said shes already began work on developing color-driven products for the home space such as accessories and wallpapers, with fabric textiles on the horizon as well as she hopes to bring Blakely Interior Design into the national spotlight.

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NK firm named RI SBA woman-owned business of the year - The Independent

Sunset is arriving noticeably earlier, meaning less mood-lifting daylight for everyone. The weather is turning colder, so well soon spend even more time cooped up inside the homes where weve huddled, and sometimes completely quarantined, for six months.

Many of us are working and studying at home by day, then trying to shift into relaxation mode in the very same rooms at night. And were doing all of this while battling the many stresses that 2020 keeps on delivering.

If ever there was an autumn when things could be a bit brighter, this is it.

So while better light bulbs or a repositioned lamp wont solve everything, its a great year to reassess the way your home is lit and possibly make some changes.

DIFFERENTIATE NIGHT FROM DAY

Its hard to step away from work or school when youre living in your workspace. One way to shift the mood and tell your body and brain that its time to relax is to change the lighting when day becomes night.

By day, use lightbulbs that mimic daylight (about 5000 Kelvin). Virginia-based architect Warren Ralston says this is usually the lighting we see in offices, because its cool white hue offers plenty of energizing brightness.

Smart LED bulbs can be set to this brightness in the morning and kept there all day.

Another great thing about 5000K daylight LED is how well it works for video conferencing, says Atlanta-based interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn. Anytime Im working from home, I turn on the overhead LEDs and it eliminates yellowy shadows from the videos.

When your workday is over, switch to lamps and fixtures fitted with traditional warm bulbs or set your smart bulbs to a lower intensity (about 3000-3500 Kelvin, or as low as 2500 for very warm light).

Many types of smart lightbulbs can be adjusted easily with a remote control or through an app, Flynn says. This is hugely helpful for creating ambience and warmth versus using pure daylight for work purposes.

You can also set your lights on timers, so your preferred evening lighting comes on automatically.

LIGHT YOUR THINGS, NOT YOUR ROOMS

Brightening up your home may be about repositioning the lights you already have, rather than adding more.

Light has to reflect off of something in order for your eyes to perceive that light, Ralston explains. So you dont really light a space. You light a surface. Youre lighting a wall or a floor or an object.

Try positioning lamps or overhead lights so the light bounces off items you want to highlight, or off surfaces like a glossy tabletop or lustrous fabric.

Consider rearranging furniture and art to make better use of the light coming from ceiling fixtures and sconces.

Ralston sometimes uses virtual reality technology to show clients what a room will look like at different times of day, and how lighting options would look paired with different furnishings. He says theyre often surprised at how different the light looks depending on what surfaces surround it.

WARM YOUR SPACE WITH FIRELIGHT

In the fall, lighting a few logs in a traditional fireplace is a great way to shift the mood in your home. And if you dont have a fireplace, you can still enjoy that same warmth and flickering light, says designer and sculptor Elena Colombo, who creates fire features that range from elaborate outdoor installations to delicate tabletop fire bowls.

A small fire bowl can be used on a coffee table or as a centerpiece on a dining-room table to create a warm, welcoming, flickering light thats a step beyond what candles offer, Colombo says. Many fire bowls burn an alcohol-based gel that requires no ventilation.

As soon as your eye sees the flame, she says, it just changes your mood.

When choosing your source of indoor firelight, just be sure to follow any fire safety restrictions where you live.

And when night falls, Colombo suggests switching on a few low-wattage lights near the door to your deck or patio. Just having a view of your warmly lit outdoor space can keep you from feeling penned in on a dark autumn night. It will make your home feel more expansive, and maybe even inspire you to grab a sweater and sit out under the stars.

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At home: Making the most of lighting can keep moods lifted - Daily Herald

TV Series Finale reports that HGTV confirmed in a press release who will be taking part in the show's sophomore season. Four teams of two will compete to transform a selection of identical three-story properties into an interior designer's dream in just one month. They consist of Mike Holmes, of Holmes On Homes, and Alison Victoria of Windy City Rehab,Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent, stars of Nate and Jeremiah: Save My House; David Bromstad (My Lottery Dream Home) and Tiffany Brooks (50K Three Ways); and 100 Day Dream Home stars Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt. Rock the Block will premiere on HGTV in early 2021.

Home renovation hero Ty Pennington is set to host the show, responding to an Instagram announcement with a comment noting, "Whoop! Can't wait!" As the press release advised, "With a $225,000 budget and a whole lot of teamwork, the dueling duos hope to win major bragging rights and their names on a street sign." HGTV president Jane Latman enthused that fans can, "Expect to see impressive displays of strategy, creativity and incredible designs from these top stars." She also promised, "bold build and design challenges; in-show surprises; and appearances from special guest judges."

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Rock the Block season 2 will feature top HGTV stars - The List

You cant underestimate the power of flowers to cheer people up, even ina pandemic.

Its thoughtful, its refreshing, its something bright, natural and healthy, says Jeff Gordon, the owner of Sarasota-based Suncoast Florist. A number of our local customers comment that you just want something bright and fresh in your home.

As more people choose to spruce up their houses or the houses of friends and family members with flower arrangements, some flower-related businesses in the area have gotten a boost during portions of the pandemic. But recent months havent all been rosy florists have seen their share of sales fluctuations. Plus there are new precautions to take when delivering flowers to homes, hospitals, assisted-living facilities and other locations. Throw in a rose shortage, and theyve got a whole bouquet worth of challenges.

April Showers

Gordon says the uncertainty that filled peoples minds in March and April led to a downturn in business. We missed the Easter season, which was a pretty good hit, but we recovered as soon as possible, he says. Mothers Day was just overwhelming. It was astounding.

For his customers and customers nationwide, sending Mom a flower arrangement was still a safe way to mark the occasion during the pandemic. Mothers Day is the big one for sure, he says. Probably close behind that is Valentines Day. We just slipped that in before everything got crazy.

Michael Longo, the owner and designer at Naples Floral Design, says that since closing and then reopening toward the beginning of the pandemic, his store has gone through some changes. He reconfigured the retail area to make space for a designer, so employees were more separated. He also added tables outside, so customers could pick up orders without coming in.

Like at Suncoast Florist, Mothers Day was good for Naples Floral Design, too better than last year even. It was a blessing because we got destroyed in March and April, Longo says.

Courtesy. Michael Longo, owner and designer at Naples Floral Design, says his business offered to bring special items to people who were separated from their loved ones, whether they were at home or in hospitals or nursing homes.

Stephanie Newton, the owner of Tampa-based Posies Flower Truck, seized the moment during stay-at-home orders, delivering more than 600 bouquets. I guess people were just using that to reach out to people they couldnt see and for special occasions they couldnt celebrate together, she says.

Newtons flower truck pops up twice a week at Hyde Park Village, an outdoor shopping area in Tampa, and visits other locations in the area, giving customers the chance to build bouquets. This summer, traffic for the truck has been better than ever at Hyde Park Village. People are spending more time at home, she says. Making a little excursion to the flower truck is a fun outing. Having something beautiful and fragrant at home when youre spending more time at home is a nice thing.

She expects business to pick up even more in the fall, when shell start to visit additional destinations. Plus, she expects her delivery option to continue to be popular with Posies customers. The delivery part of our business is still really big, says Newton. Before it was a small companion piece to the flower truck. Now deliveries are half of the business.

Theres another plus for Posies during the coronavirus pandemic, too the flower truck is an outside business. I dont think people are as concerned about being around a lot of people, Newton says. Theres plenty of space to spread out. Our business model works in a pandemic.

She declines to share 2019 revenuebut says that since she started the business in 2017, its grown each year. We have even with the pandemic exceeded last years revenue, she says. Weve had a 20% increase in revenue year over year since weve been in business.

Special Delivery

One source of complications? Deliveries. Weve implemented all sorts of COVID-sensitive protocols in terms of deliveries, Gordon says.

Suncoast Florist drivers wear masks, and when they drop off an arrangement at a house, they leave it at the door and step back to keep their distance. When Suncoast Florist delivers to a hospital now, instead of going inside, a hospital employee comes out and accepts the arrangement. Im very impressed that they have never stopped accepting floral deliveries, Gordon says.

Courtesy. Jeff Gordon, owner of Sarasota-based Suncoast Florist, says business was overwhelming for Mother's Day.

The company also makes deliveries to assisted-living facilities and nursing homes, though some facilities havent allowed deliveries during the pandemic. Among the facilities allowing floral deliveries, some accept them at the door, and some take drivers temperatures before accepting them.

Suncoast Florist also continues to provide arrangements for funeral homes during the coronavirus. Many families couldnt have any kind of a funeral service but wanted flowers for private viewings, Gordon says. It was busy there for a while for sure.

For walk-in customers, the procedure has changedtoo. We are not allowing them to come in as deep in the store as in the past, Gordon says. And early in the pandemic, the shop only offered curbside pickup.

Bouquet Toss

Flower arrangements are a key part of decor for weddings and events up and down the west coast of Florida. Nowwith many events canceled, postponed or downscaled, the floral industry is feeling the impacts.

Some of Suncoast Florists weddings and events were canceled right away. Then there was a period in the summer with no activity. Events, such as those hosted by area nonprofits, are still not back on the books for the most part. Now were getting back to the point of small weddings, small venues, fewer people in bridal party and fewer centerpieces, Gordon says. Its starting to feel closer to normal, just smaller.

Its thoughtful, its refreshing, its something bright, natural and healthy. A number of our local customers comment that you just want something bright and fresh in your home. Jeff Gordon, Suncoast Florist

Naples Floral Design is experiencing something similar. Normally, the company does 100 weddings a year. In 2020, some have been postponed and others downsized. Last week, we were able to do wedding of 100 people in Estero, says Longo. Most of them are smaller. Theyre downsizing, but people are still getting married.

In normal years, December is a busy month for Suncoast Florist. Gordon expects it to be busy this yeartoo, despite the pandemicand, in some cases, because of it. For friends and relatives who cant gather for holiday celebrations, for example, flower arrangements could become a way to send their thoughts during the season, Gordon says.

For holiday parties and corporate gatherings, demand is harder to gauge, with many events likely canceled this year.

Courtesy. Stephanie Newton, owner of Tampa-based Posies Flower Truck, delivered more than 600 bouquets during the early weeks of the pandemic.

Suncoast Florist reacts to fluctuations in demand fairly quickly, Gordon says, because of Sarasotas proximity to Miami, a major shipping destination for flowers. But despite that proximity, like many industries, floral businesses have had to contend with supply chain issues during the pandemic particularly early on.

Suncoast Florist buys many flowers from Central and South America, and when countries there shut down, their farms shut downtoo. It took weeks for things to get back up and running. We went through a rose shortagethen a lily shortage, Gordon says. A couple of farms closed that didnt reopen. Now, he says, availability has stabilized more.

Newton, with the Posies Flower Truck, was concerned about supplies as well. When the pandemic hit, she thought she might not be able to get any flowers. Then I started getting phone calls from floral farms in California, she says. They offered to get products to her directly, without going through a middleman. Newton is also using logistics services to get products from other parts of the U.S. and Europe, and shes been able to keep her truck stocked with blooms.

With Love

The pandemic has also pushed some florists to innovate. During the pandemic, for instance, Naples Floral Design started something new it offered to bring special items to people who were separated from their loved ones, whether they were at home or in hospitals or nursing homes.

Customers called in with special requests, asking for specific things to be delivered, among them a Chicago-style pizza. Longo and his team also delivered teddy bears, brought people balloons for their birthdays and made up fruit and food baskets with items from the grocery store.

Its one of Longos efforts to keep up with changing demands during the pandemic as sales fluctuate from month to month. But beyond the business implications of the virus, Longo knows better than most about the human toll.

In April, his father died from COVID-19. He didnt get to see him before he died, and he still hasnt been able to get to New York to see his mother because of quarantine restrictions.

That loss and that distance is part of the reason why he puts a great deal of effort into delivering items that express love, from food to flowers. He wants his customers to feel like their moms and dads are taken care of. We just keep moving forward, Longo says. If someone calls me with a request, Ill go get them anything they want.

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Flower-related businesses experience ups and downs during pandemic - Business Observer

School is in session, and today's lesson is brought to you by none other than The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Marlo Hampton. The fashion enthusiast and designer label lover has an honorary degree in diva-hood with a minor in DGAF-a-tude. Marlo's Instagram alone is practically a master class in trendy looks from barely-there, sexy dresses togowns with gold sneakers. And now,we're ready to take notes because Marlo just managed to pull off the unthinkable in luxurious living.

On October 7, Marlo shared a paparazzi-inspired snap on Instagram as she stepped out of a black-and-orangecolor-blocked Rolls Royce. "No I'm not foreign, but I drive em'," Marlo quipped in her captionas she finaglds her massive Herms Birkin bag from the passenger's seat.

There's a lot happening here and we are still trying to process all this amazingness. To start, Marlo's outfit from her white, mod-inspired sunnies to her crisp white shirt and orange pants with white trim and peach Giuseppe Zanotti heels perfectly coordinates with the luxe ride. Hair, nails, lip shade, and even her tan, croc Birkin all match to a tee. Honey, your minivan could never!

Is this two-toned Rolls Marlo's new set of wheels? Well, all evidence (including her matchy-matchy ensemble) point to yes considering that she has hernamescrolled inside the driver door.

It was an education in the art of slayage and we are all under her tutelage.

Want moreThe Real Housewives of Atlanta? Catch up on the latest season through theBravo app.

Bravos Style & Living is your window to the fabulous lifestyles of Bravolebrities. Be the first to know about all the best fashion and beauty looks, the breathtaking homes Bravo stars live in, everything theyre eating and drinking, and so much more. Sign up to become a Bravo Insider and get exclusive extras.

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Marlo Hampton Has a New Rolls Royce and an Orange Designer Outfit to Match - Bravo

LISTING OF THE DAY

Location: Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Price: US$4.15 million

Completed this year, this Costa Rican retreat is architecturally stunning with a casual, bohemian atmosphere and clean lines. Architect Richard Mller is known for creative solutions to tropical climate challenges, according to the homes agent, Bryan Bruce.

Richard's barrier-free indoor-outdoor design celebrates the peninsulas unique landscape and closeness to nature, Mr. Bruce said. His clean architectural lines and monochromatic simplicity are a perfect fit. Mother Nature takes center stage.

The home was built using steel reinforced poured concrete, while its doors and accents are rendered in solid teak wood, valued throughout the world due to its rich color, durability, and water and termite resistance, according to Mr. Bruce.

More: 27,000-Square-Foot Mediterranean Villa in a Private Beachfront Resort in Costa Rica

The windows are from Pella Windows, whose designs offer improved energy efficiency and noise reduction, while impact-resistant glass provides added security and safety.

The home has a stunning designer infinity-edge pool, a fitness center, a tennis court and yoga space, and an outdoor kitchen area with a barbecue and a bar.

Stats

The 4,160-square-foot home has five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, and sits on 1.5 acres of land, including 7,875 square feet of exterior living area.

More: What Are Property Taxes Like in Costa Rica?

Amenities

The house is in a gated community of about 140 homes, and ownership comes with the opportunity to join The Club at Peninsula Papagayo, a coveted private club set within a 1,400-acre eco-paradise and open exclusively to homeowners, according to Steve Grubba, director of sales at the Peninsula Papagayo Realty Group.

The club offers an extraordinary variety of activities, including water sports and an ever-changing calendar of classes, workshops, and social events for every season.

Neighborhood Notes

Situated on a panoramic hillside above Culebra Bay, this private retreat on Peninsula Papagayo overlooks the sixth hole of the Arnold Palmer Signature golf course, in a gated community of roughly 140 homes. Mr. Grubba describes Peninsula Papagayo as more like a refuge or a national park than a neighborhood, adding that the government set aside the parcel of land in the 1970s for luxury tourism, with the stipulation that 70% of the area must remain natural and undeveloped.

The jagged peninsula, with 10 miles of coastline, is lush and mountainous. Mr. Grubba points out that while most beach zones tend to have a dry climate and fewer trees, the tropical forest of the Peninsula Papagayo coastline is populated by mature, 300-year-old trees, as well as wildlife, including wild cats and three different kinds of monkey, while the ocean is home to dolphins and humpback whales.

Of the 21 beaches on the peninsula, only five can be accessed by car, according to Mr. Grubba. The rest must be reached by kayak, boat or mountain bike.

Known for its world-class fishing and golf, the region is an ideal retreat for both nature and sporting enthusiasts, boasting a 180-foot marina and the Arnold Palmer golf course. Adventure tourism is a big feature, with about 20 miles of mountain bike trails running through the peninsula.

Luxury resorts in the area include the Four Seasons Costa Rica, the only five- star resort in the region, as well as the four-star Andaz resort, both of which are within a half-hour drive from the residence.

More: Costa Ricas Escaz Has Beautiful Scenery, a Temperate Climate and Lots of Amenities

Agent: Bryan Bruce, Costa Rica Sothebys International Realty

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A Costa Rican Retreat Within an Amenity-Filled Resort - Mansion Global

Perched atop the new Pendry Residences West Hollywood, this nearly completed terrace estate offers the five-star treatment with curated interiors and exterior amenities such as a private terrace and spa. Designed by Martin Brudnizki in collaboration with Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects, the showplace-in-the-sky features honed marble finishes, eye-catching fixtures and walls of windows that take in the cityscape. For a night in, forget DoorDash; owners have access to the adjacent Pendry hotels amenities including new restaurants by Wolfgang Puck.

Location: 8430 Sunset Blvd., Unit 803, West Hollywood, 90069

Asking price: $13 million

Built: 2020

Living area: 2,827 square feet, three bedrooms, 3.25 bathrooms

Exterior space: 2,908 square feet

Features: Panoramic views; designer finishes; custom built-ins; private terrace with full kitchen; fire pit; hot tub

About the area: In the 90069 ZIP Code, based on 13 sales, the median price for single-family homes in July was $2.55 million, a 1.3% increase year over year, according to CoreLogic.

Agents: Paul Stukin, Pendry Residences West Hollywood, (310) 779-2595

To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos via Dropbox.com, permission from the photographer to publish the images and a description of the house to jack.flemming@latimes.com.

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Home of the Week: Going top shelf in West Hollywood - Los Angeles Times

REVIEW: Some people love to live dangerously. Even if it means theyre always keeping a watchful eye on the weather in case a storm is brewing out to sea. In case waves literally swamp the house.

Like the couple undertaking the beachfront build that features in the latest episode of Grand Designs NZ.

Mark and Pip Pennington have chosen to build right beside the sea on the Kpiti Coast at Paekkriki, an exposed location where coastal erosion is accelerating with climate change. You can tell its a problem just by looking at the effort put in by the locals to keep the sea out of their homes massive rock and timber retaining walls line the beach.

MEDIAWORKS

Pip and Mark Pennington stand amid the detritus of the last storm to hit these Kpiti Coast shores. They hope their new gambion stone walls will stop a wall of water from hitting their new Paekkriki beach house.

And even then, the high tide comes roaring right up to the walls, which begs the question, What happens in a storm?.

READ MORE:* Grand Designs NZ: Extreme Piha beach-house build highlights stress of underestimating cost* Grand Designs NZ: Massive build inserts $6m penthouse into former Farmers tearooms* Grand Designs NZ: Ode to classic Kiwi bach

Yep, these are the builds we love to watch, and this latest one is a beauty. Grand Designs NZ presenter Chris Moller describes this slice of the coastline as a challenging place to live, not somewhere perhaps in this day and age youd think of building.

The coast is really being eaten away on a daily basis, he says. And Mark and Pip are going to be building right on the coast, almost with their feet in the water. Now, would you call that brave, or would you have to use a different word?

MEDIAWORKS

There's an easy flow outdoors to a large deck facing the sea.

The couple admit the locals think theyre crazy. And right at the start of this episode, theres a shot of them scrambling back up the beach to escape a wave that rolls right up to the wall. And that was no storm surge.

Mark, an industrial designer and a mentor of Mollers, acknowledges theyre living on the edge, but he says instead of being threatening, he finds the location invigorating and exciting. Pip, a microbiologist, says shes not mad on the storms, to which Mark replies, Youve got to hold on.

Hold on to what? Each other? Your sanity? The tree?

MEDAWORKS

Chris Moller enjoys a little sun with Pip and Mark outside the main living space.

You always say exciting, and I say frightening, Pip says to Mark, who loves the wildness and the fury of the waves. Hes doing this because he wants this thrill in his life. And we get that, but do you really need the added stress of potential danger to life and property?

Now retired, these two want a warm, comfortable beach house to replace the old brick bungalow on the site. And keeping costs down is essential. So they opt for a modular build designed by architect Geoff Fletcher. Its very low-key, simple and unpretentious, a house that sits lightly on the sand dune.

Two rectangular, black-clad pavilions will be joined by a transparent linking element. The front pavilion will be elevated to float on steel poles to provide a little more height above sea level. So far, so good. Thats exactly what this site needs. It sounds like the perfect bach.

MEDIAWORKS

There's a strong industrial aesthetic to the architecture, the soft furnishings make it comfortable and inviting.

MEDIAWORKS

There's a lovely plywood kitchen with stainless steel benchtops, which is just what Pip ordered. The dining chairs feature recycled plastic.

The modular design is a highly efficient, sustainable approach that should keep costs down. All the modules are standardised, and Moller notes they will give the house an elegance and pared-back beauty.

Mark loves the idea of the tension between solidity of the back pavilion and lightness of the floating living pavilion that opens out to the view.

And the budget? $550,000, with a six-month time-frame. Moller is sceptical about both of those. But, unsurprisingly, hes more sceptical about the sea. The Penningtons admit during the last cyclone before the build started, the sea came over the wall and surrounded the old bach, depositing large pieces of driftwood on their front lawn.

MEDIAWORKS

This is the main bedroom. The couple did not want a window on the left side, which, which would have given them a sea view.

Before work on the house starts, the builders strengthen the retaining wall on the beach with gabion blocks cages containing rocks, each weighing a tonne. Thats to stop the land (and house) washing away.

Mark is nostalgic about demolishing the old house, and even more so about removing a brick garage that is the sole-remaining link to a famous former owner renowned classical composer Douglas Lilburn, who lived there in the 50s. We hear his music played on the piano in the house by concert pianist Mary Gow (who lives in the same street), while the surf roars outside, and its a magical moment.

There are the usual hold-ups with supplies, but the build progresses well under Nick Robbers. And how cool that Mark, who designed the famous Life office chair, is ordering new dining chairs made from recycled fishing nets.

MEDIAWORKS

And this is the guest suite in the back pavilion, which opens out to a private deck.

We keep seeing drone shots of the house and the sea just rolling right up towards it the house seems so small and vulnerable next to this incredible surf (on a normal day).

Moller turns up for the reveal and its all calm.

It feels like the sea is just coming right into the house, he says as he walks in. Well, hopefully not, the others joke. We hope thats not prophetic.

The house is beautiful light, architecturally minimalist and simple inside. The furnishings balance the more industrial elements. And the large outdoor room with the old fireplace beside the old garage makes a super deck. We love the idea of the core modules with the kitchen and bathrooms in the centre of the pavilion leaving long walkways on either side.

MEDIAWORKS

Chris Moller gets contemplative in one of the passageways - the sea is always changing.

Pip got her plywood kitchen and stainless steel benchtop, and its perfectly bachy. Were still not sure about the wall that blocks the sea view from the main bedroom suite, however. Wouldnt it be great to be able to lie in bed and look out at that. Or maybe privacy is an issue.

A guest retreat occupies the back pavilion, and theres another deck out there, too.

They are rightly thrilled. And the budget? They went over by 20 per cent to just over $600,000.

Moller, more than once, says he feels its like a contemporary Greek temple beside the sea.

MEDIAWORKS

A lone macrocarpa tree has survived the full force of the storms that come across the Tasman.

We know what could happen we know climate change increases the frequency of big storms. There WILL be a storm that breaches the retaining walls. But would we want to live there?

YES, YES, YES. We love the ideal of living on the edge in paradise.

Our bet is this home will have a lifespan in this location, and then, when things get a little too hairy (they might get 10 to 20 years), it may well get moved off to sit a little higher somewhere else.

Grand Designs NZ screens on Three on Mondays at 7.30pm

View post:
Grand Designs NZ: Will this new bach on an eroding beachfront defy the tide and storms? - Stuff.co.nz

It all starts with a web site

I started my real estate career in the mid-1990s and from the first day, I focused on one thing: prospecting for listings. I was fortunate to align myself with a top coaching company and I committed to following their system. It workedI ended up creating a huge business. It was common that I would list more than 20 homes per month, doing hundreds of deals with just a few staff.

But I did one thing that, looking back now, I regret. I referred all of my buyer leads away.

About 15 years ago, a friend convinced me I needed a website and I was introduced to Jan, a web designer. She liked the friendliness of the Real Geeks platform, so I followed her lead.

We started building city pages. Its a best practice now, but I had no idea I would end up ranking for those city names and organically generating more leads for myself. Then I decided I would build a team, add a few buyer agents, and start taking online lead generation seriously.

Next-level localization made simple

Once we had every city represented on my site, we went further and built out pages for each condo building and neighborhood in my market. As we did, I started to rank highly in organic search for those pages and leads started to pour in. All the while, the Real Geeks platform made it extremely easy to scaleand Google liked it, too, because we were ranking at the top for nearly every page we built.

Years later, I had over 900 community pages and another 800 condo building pages. Plus I had multiple city pages and informational pages. I refer to that as the first stage of my Real Geeks experience. At that time, my site was generating over 400 leads per week organically and I had no ad budget whatsoever.

As the platform grows, so does my business

Today, we have gone way beyond organic lead generation. We have strategies in place to generate online buyer and seller leads using the extended suite of Real Geeks tools:

Currently, I have nine Real Geeks sites spread over three different markets. I have roughly 200 agents working the leads and we close around 3500 sales per year. There is no doubt that our success comes from a combination of old school listing strategies coupled with new school tech and automation strategies.

Last but not least, a best-in-class CRM

To top it all off, we could not manage this volume of leads if the Real Geeks CRM wasnt top of the class. We have created custom workflows to help nurture leads for the short and long term. Thousands of people receive Market Activity Reports and Sold Reports in addition to all of the new property alerts that go out as they hit the market. We use the CRM to help monetize our database.

In order to scale your real estate business or even experience growth while maintaining a life-work balance, you must leverage automation. Between the Real Geeks lead capture capabilities and the CRM where we transform our database to a databank, I have never used a tech platform that has produced a better ROI.

Leveraging technology and automation will save you time, make you more money, and make life easier.

Visit link:
The platform that powers my success - Inman

Integrating functional spaces with great design, Martin Modern, a development by GuocoLand, is like a vertical oasis in the city

As we plan ahead for a post-pandemic landscape, our homes will become definitive extensions of our lifestyles; here are the property trends to note if you're searching for a new abode

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What is a dream home? The concept has undergone a significant evolution across the agesfrom the Paleolithic era when it was simply a shelter from the elements to a place that reflects how far one has come in life. But in a world waking up to a new reality created by the Covid-19 pandemic, it appears to centre around the idea that dominated during the industrial revolution.

Your home is your sanctuary is a notion that will influence the post-pandemic landscape, according to Victoria Garrett, head of residential for Asia Pacific at real estate consultancy firm, Knight Frank. Covid-19 has completely changed the way most of us view our homesthey now need to encompass many diverse atmospheres under one roof, becoming not only our places of rest but also our office, gym, and cinema, agrees Victoria Edwards, design director at the Singapore office of international interior architectural practice Wilson Associates.

Being cloistered from the outside world has also led to introspection. The crisis created a moment for people to focus inwards on those nearest and dearest, and to simplify their lives, says Edwards.

People are going to get even more particular about where they want to live. Beyond considering how best to preserve their wealth, high-net-worth investors will also be evaluating appropriate means to protect their families.

While in the past, wealthy clients sought to establish an alternative citizenship or residence in countries that provided the best access, resources and opportunities; now, some of them are considering coronavirus response and pandemic preparedness in general, among other criteria, says Dominic Volek, managing partner at Henley & Partners, which operates exclusively in the investment migration industry.

As the curtain lifts, people will seek to move from poorly governed and ill-prepared places to more proactive countries with greater resilience and better standards of medical care. This behaviour pattern will help Singapore maintain its position as a migration hotspot in the Asia Pacific region.

On a micro level, the consideration would be proximity to amenities such as supermarkets, as well as easy access to close familyif not living with themadds Jeremy Tay, director of homegrown studio Prestige Global Designs. Location has been and still will be a very important consideration, says the interior designer.

Read also: Designer Budji Layug And Architect Royal Pineda On The Design Philosophies That Influence Their Craft

Telecommuting also looks set to become the norm. In a country where employers still value face time with their staff, companies are realising the associated benefitsand employees appreciate having greater freedom over their work hours and location. Considering that the average person in Singapore spends a minimum of 45 hours a week at work, eliminating a couple of hours a day on commuting lends a lot to work-life balance.

The need for a larger area to carve out a proper workspace will be crucial as we spend more time working from home, says Larry Lim, managing partner of interior design firm Summerhaus Dzign. Having a formal area for long periods of work, conferences and online meetings will be a ubiquitous requirement as opposed to doing occasional work with our laptops at the dining table or in the living room, he adds.

This is a trend that interior designers say has been on the rise in recent years, even before the pandemic. But Shermaine Ong, co-founder of local design firm MOW Interior feels that clients will give the concept more consideration now. I think this effect will be here to stay; some of our clients have recently altered their designs to fit in a more formal workspace, she adds, recalling a recent renovation where the owners requested for specific demarcations of their open-plan space to create more intimate nooks, along with an integrated home-office.

But as Dora Chng, general manager of the residential segment at property management company GuocoLand, puts it, there is a marked shift in priorities. Prior to Covid-19, property buyers were more focused on aspects such as price, layout, tenure, location and the developers track record. But now, with the work-from-home trend firmly settling in, buyers have started to focus a bit more on how the property will be able to accommodate the imminent changes in their lifestyle.

As people spend longer hours at home, more homeowners will plan on maximising and improving the use of every square inch of their abodes. We will see a shift towards more bespoke features as clients focus on customised cabinetry to ensure they appreciate the extended hours they are spending in their homes, says Tay. Apart from having a home office, there will be a need for more built-in storage and a good, functional kitchen.

Edwards agrees: Most of us, myself included, have gotten bitten by the cooking bug in recent months, and I see this translating in an increased demand for kitchens adjacent to dining spaces, where homecooks can create delectable dishes while entertaining their guests.

Read also: Urban Farming, Plant Parenting & Gardening Tips From Expert Nicolo Aberasturi Of Down To Earth Farms

The emphasis will be on design and layouts that offer flexibility, as the trend moves further towards e-commerce and telecommuting. For example, a dual-income family will now put a lot more thought into setting up a conducive workspace within the apartment or even two or more workspaces, when there are school-age children, adds Chng. An appropriate background for online meetings, a certain degree of isolation and soundproofing, especially for families with young children, will become common criteria, says Lim.

As adaptability becomes the winning hand, property developers may look towards making condominiums more self-sufficient and better suited to home-based working, says Garrett. Co-working spaces and business lounges overlooking the swimming pool and caf areasread: impressive backgrounds for Zoom callsmay become mainstays.

In a time marred by uncertainty, if anything has emerged a winner, it is technology. Property walk-throughs via video calls are now as commonplace as Internet banking, online shopping and self-service counters at supermarkets. Virtual reality (VR) technology is not new to the property industry; developers in Singapore have been using it to give online tours of their developments to prospective buyers for a few years now.

But it is not until the present time that it has become the only option available. Although the trend may soften as things return to normalcy, many homeowners may still opt for virtual viewings during the initial stages of their search. Smart-home upgrades will likely encompass the ability to coordinate services without requiring human contact. The increased demand for contactless home deliveries will make concierge services even more crucial and is a feature that developers such as GuocoLand already offer in some of their high-end properties.

In addition, some people may even choose to avoid using communal facilities altogether, and instead spend more time in their homes by investing in personal amenities such as a fitness room or entertainment den with cinema-like features.

As we observe a move from shared facilities to personal ones, we will also see a rise in demand for zen-corners where homeowners can hit the mat for some yoga, or simply take a quiet break from the rest of the house, says Edwards. Amid the digital transformation that the pandemic has spurred, we cannot ignore the existential dialogue it has brought to the fore, which is a stronger argument for sustainability. How were living, how it looks in the next generation and what were handing down are going to be key takeaways from the pandemic, says Garrett.

As homeowners move even further away from cookie-cutter features, they are also going to be looking at the long-term implications of their decisions. As terrifying as Covid-19 has been, hearing of nature creeping back into our cities has been magical and should perhaps remind us to tread more lightly and make more room in our planning for wildlife, says Matthew Potter, director of UK architecture practice WilkinsonEyres Asia office.

Read also: New Normal Home Improvement Tips: Cynthia Almario On Multifinctional Spaces

The presence of greenery and improving the flow of natural ventilation and daylight in houses and residential towers alike will be as significantthese elements make our homes more liveable and appealing, and have also been proven to improve our wellbeing. Making sure we use natural daylight as much as possible should be a key objective, says Potter.

Used in a controlled way, windows can be deployed without heat gain; you can see the change in light when clouds cross the sky as well as the position of the sun changing through the day.

Although this is not the first pandemic that Singapore has faced, it is possibly the first that has necessitated such strict measures and lockdowns. But the housing market will continue to move ahead, and developers will launch new properties.

I think in the new normal, we may see design firms engaging more locally based contractors to avoid time delays in the event of further border closures, at least for the rest of this year, says Ong. Going forward, Lim also anticipates stricter rules in place for workers, including restrictions on the number of labourers and teams per construction project, which will stretch completion timelinesand costs may be passed on to consumers as a result.

Pre- or post-pandemic, that emotional, tactile connection we desire in our homes continues to be integral to the design process. Ultimately, designers and architects alike believe in the uplifting effect of design and how it can improve our lives, even in these unprecedented times.

The power of beautiful spaces to affect our mood and behaviour remains unchangedthe challenge now is how we can incorporate a layer of post-pandemic practicality so that people will continue to feel comfortable and enthused in the spaces we create, says Edwards.

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Real Estate In The Time Of Covid-19: 7 Property Trends To Watch For 2021 - Tatler Philippines