Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

College Station residents might have seen Michael Stribling as a contestant on the TV show Design Star. Or they might remember him from several episodes of Little Couple as an interior designer.

Or they just might have seen him around town, particularly near 2501 Texas Ave., where he is opening the Christopher Michael Salon.

The salon, which formally opens at 5 p.m. Friday, was initially going to be a smaller salon in College Station. But through Striblings mentor, Jason Backe, LOreal partnered with Stribling, providing products and instructors to create what Stribling calls a luxury salon.

Stribling, whose full name is Christopher Michael Stribling, made his reality-show career as an interior designer, but the stress of owning his own firm led him to seek a different profession. The revelation came to him during a Disney cruise with his family.

Whenever I was at my most stressed-out place in life, whenever I was over-worked and just burnt out, the place I found the most relaxation was at the salon, Stribling said. If I was able to do that for someone, if I can relax them, then my job is awesome.

Stribling was living in Houston, but decided to move home to College Station, where his parents, brother and sister-in-law live. Its also home to Striblings three nephews and niece.

My life is about those four kids, Stribling said. When Im not at work, Im with my nephews and niece.

Stribling pitches his salon as more than just a place to get a haircut. There are TVs on the ceiling above the sinks so clients can have a music video with their shampoo. Giant pictures of models cover several walls, and wine and chocolate are available.

I wanted it to feel like an art gallery, he said.

Backe, whose clientele includes Anne Hathaway and Angelina Jolie, said he has high hopes for Striblings salon.

Link:
Reality show contestant opening luxury salon in College Station

PRESS RELEASE

Three new model homes professionally decorated for the holidays by top Houston interior designer Dina Holleron, ASID and the interior design team of The Designers Niche will open to the public during the Tuscan Lakes Art of Living Home Tour held every weekend in October.

Each of the professionally decorated model homes in Tuscan Lakes is open daily: Monday Saturday from 10 a.m. 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon 6 p.m. There is no charge to enter the decorated homes and cameras are welcome.

Holleron, an award-winning designer and an Allied Member of the American Society of Interior Designers, will collaborate with her team to present amazing Halloween, Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years decorations as well as holiday entertaining ideas in each home. While touring the homes, visitors can pick up easy-to-follow design ideas for entries and living rooms, dining tables and family rooms, staircase banisters, fireplace mantels and more.

Hollerons firm, The Designers Niche, offers several levels of service ranging from hourly consultations for simple advice to complete interior design services.

Tuscan Lakes, a master-planned community by The Johnson Development Corp., is conveniently located in League City between downtown Houston and Galveston Island on League City Parkway (SH 96), just two miles east of I-45.

With new homes from the $170s to the $600s, Tuscan Lakes offers a variety of options to suit the lifestyles of todays active families along with convenient access to nearby medical centers, shopping, dining and entertainment.

For more information, visit http://www.TuscanLakes.com and like the community on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/TuscanLakes.

Continued here:
Holiday designs showcased at Tuscan Lakes Art of Living home tour

Visitors walking past the small, tidy lawn outside Brent and Wendy Mathers' neo-modern Park Hill home have no idea that under the grass, two vertical pipes stretch 250 feet into the ground to heat and cool the house.

And most of them would be surprised to learn that the roof hosts 500 square feet of solar panels that help make the Mathers' home even more energy-efficient.

"It's intentionally disguised to keep it from being seen from the street," said Brent, an architect and woodworker who designed some of the furniture in the home, which is among those featured on the Park Hill Home Tour on Sept. 28.

The Mathers chose smooth, durable walnut for many of the surfaces in their home, including the kitchen cabinets and the floors. Orange accessories add a vibrant touch.

Brent and Wendy, who also is an architect, designed the house at 2334 Grape St. to visually suggest the unpretentious dimensions of other houses on the block. Most of those are older brick homes, one or two stories high, places that would fit comfortably inside a suburban McMansion.

But few of those neighboring houses come close to the energy-efficiency of the Mathers' home, which they built last year after acquiring the lot in 2011. Only a carriage house, leased to renters, stood on the property. When it was listed for sale, the Mathers snapped it up.

"We got a good deal, because prices were still depressed, and it's a nice, wide lot with good solar exposure," Brent said.

Green demolition

After stripping the carriage-house appliances and fixtures, which they donated to Habitat for Humanity, they demolished the structure, along with a 40-foot spruce and a couple of aspen. They saved the usable wood for a friend who, like Brent, is a woodworker.

Then they designed their home. They knew they wanted geothermal heating and solar energy, and hired Dan Schmied of Sensible Heating And Cooling.

Go here to read the rest:
Denver home combines solar and geothermal but you'd never know it

Everything is connected these days, and that includes our houses. With wall-to-wall tech tempting potential homebuyers, how can you make your own house stand out from the crowd? These high-tech options can make your house so cool that you might actually have second thoughts about selling the place.

Make it easier to get in

What if walking into your home didn't require a key? What if you could simply push a button or two and walk right in the door, without having to carry around that keyring? Keyless entry has been standard with many car companies for years, and now you can have the same luxury with your home. Want even more security? Fingerprint scans are now becoming available for those who want to be absolutely certain that the person entering their home is truly supposed to be there. Best Consumer Reviews offers up three biometric door locks that have very reasonable prices.

Light the place up

Gone are the days when you had to flip a switch to get some light. Smart light systems sense when you come into the room and do all the work for you, so you never walk into a dark space. It can be an impressive part of your home security system, or it can be done with simple motion sensors. The cost depends upon the light you need, the size of your house, and what bells and whistles you want. An in-depth consultation with a lighting designer can help you figure out which route to take to light up the place. To learn about the education, training, and certifications your lighting designer should have, visit the International Association of Lighting Designers .

Control your atmosphere

Sure, you know all about the new thermostats that can read your activities and adjust your indoor climate accordingly. But did you know that they can do much more than that? Thermostats can use motion detectors to determine whether you are home, and adjust the temperature accordingly. It can also track the energy usage, giving you a clear look at exactly where your money is going. According to Mashable , even the coolest thermostats can run under $500.

Get a handle on the weather

Do more than just look out a window to figure out whether it's rain or shine. Wireless weather stations tell you much more about the outdoor situation, including forecasts for the next few days, the humidity (a heads-up for bad-hair days), and much more. These stations can be very simple and inexpensive, or can come with all the upgrades you could possibly desire. The New York Times points out that a personal weather station can cost between $150 and $2,500.

Read this article:
6 High-Tech Options to Make Your Home Stand Out

Names: Trish Floyd and Carey Beavers, owners of a contract office furniture dealership

The home: A three-bedroom, three-bath Craftsman-style bungalow built in 1930

Where: Atlantas Kirkwood neighborhood

Why they sold: After living in the home for nine years, they wanted more space, especially for the furniture that Floyd inherited from her mother. I had big, chunky furniture that I loved that didnt quite fit in the house, she said. They work and have friends who live in Avondale Estates, and they found a home to buy in that community. They contacted another friend, Margie Yondorf with Atlanta Intown Real Estate Services, to help them sell their home. We loved Kirkwood and we knew it was a good market, Floyd said.

Time on market: 8 days

Original price: $379,900

Sale price: $365,000

What it took

Yondorf visited their house and told them, Get rid of this, get rid of that. Clean this, clean that, Floyd said. Their work included rearranging furniture and placing some items in storage.

The writeup about the home in the listing emphasized its location on a corner lot in Kirkwood. A granite rock wall around the property gave it definition, along with a front porch, Floyd said. A previous remodel had increased the master bedroom and closet, along with the kitchen, which had granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Floyd and Beavers had added a carport and fence to the backyard. Yondorf arranged an open house quickly, and they accepted the first offer. We were obviously ecstatic, Floyd said.

More:
Clearing out Kirkwood bungalow proves a key step

Ambiance The special atmosphere or mood created by a particular environment. Ambiance is what makes us feel like we belong or want to remain in a particular space. Think of cozy, romantic restaurants with candles, alcoves of fancy old hotels, warm rock fireplaces and overstuffed chairs with low lighting. Night lighting in you garden can create a similar ambiance and its simpler and more affordable than you think.

Night lighting can do several things. It can extend the time you can spend in your garden and enhance the setting. It can address safety issues for you and guests walking through the yard. Security can be handled in an aesthetically pleasing manner and be appropriate to the site. Lighting can bring special interest to specimen plants, sculptures, and ponds while adding depth, and interest to your creation.

Lights and shadows are always attention getters. To achieve your goals for lighting take time to do a little research and planning. Drive through nice neighborhoods likely to have night lighting. Make notes of what catches your eye. Do you like the up-lighting illuminating a beautiful tree trunk? What about the low lights guiding you up the walk to the front door? Is there a light on or in the fountain or pond?

Also, make a note of what doesnt work, like harsh lights on a blank wall (you dont want to look like funeral home or model home). Flood lights detract from the ambiance. Are there glaring lights in the shrubs? Can you actually see the light bulbs? Lights should not shine into the windows of the home. Too many lights along a path can make it look like a runway. Unbalanced lighting will divide rather than unite a garden. Avoid high contrast ratios hot spots of bright light surrounded by large dark areas. Flooding the whole garden with light creates an artificial atmosphere and washes out the moonlight and night sky.

Yard lighting used to be solely electric. Today there are a number of solar powered lights that are making a big splash in the market. They are easy to install with no wiring and have no electric bill. It is any easy chore that almost anyone can do.

Guidelines

1. Light the pathways even if they are simple routes only you use. You deserve enjoyment too. Short or tall stake lighting is available for this; just press them into the ground.

2. Light stairs. Stick lights can be laid along the step, string lights (50 to 100 LED lights inside a PVC tube that is designed to hold up against the elements.) can be wrapped on the railing or laid along the step, stakes work well here also.

3. Accent the most dramatic trees in the garden with solar spot lights. Illuminating the trunk and branches from below can add enough glow that the garden can be navigated safely at night.

4. Some decorative light fixtures can add style when used with moderation.

Read more:
At Home Living: Creating evening ambiance in the garden

Negotiate a home warranty for your new home!
Don #39;t let the thought of 1st year repairs stop you from buying! We can negotiate a home warranty at the seller #39;s expense to give you peace of mind!

By: Becky Lane

Continued here:
Negotiate a home warranty for your new home! - Video

ADT St. Louis MI | Call 1-877-310-5363 to Order ADT Home Security Services St. Louis MI Deals
Call 1-877-310-5363 Today For a Free ADT Home Security System When You Sign Up For Alarm Monitoring From ADT in St. Louis, MI, Michigan and surrounding areas...

By: BestDealsADT

See original here:
ADT St. Louis MI | Call 1-877-310-5363 to Order ADT Home Security Services St. Louis MI Deals - Video

ADT Swainsboro GA | Call 1-866-581-7283 to Order ADT Home Security Services Swainsboro GA Deals
Call 1-866-581-7283 Today For a Free ADT Home Security System When You Sign Up For Alarm Monitoring From ADT in Swainsboro, GA, Georgia: the #1 Home Security...

By: TopADTOffers

Read the original:
ADT Swainsboro GA | Call 1-866-581-7283 to Order ADT Home Security Services Swainsboro GA Deals - Video

ADT Crystal TX | Call 1-866-581-7283 to Order ADT Home Security Services Crystal TX Deals
Call 1-866-581-7283 Today For a Free ADT Home Security System When You Sign Up For Alarm Monitoring From ADT in Crystal, TX, Texas: the #1 Home Security Prov...

By: ADT1Offer

Original post:
ADT Crystal TX | Call 1-866-581-7283 to Order ADT Home Security Services Crystal TX Deals - Video