Month: October 2020

The Way to Install Exterior Cedar Trim

Cedar is among the greatest options for exterior because of it’s moisture tolerant properties. Additionally, it is rot and insect resistant, which makes it ideal for a replacement trimming, or if constructing a new home. Cedar has a exterior, but if painted or stained, takes on a textured look. Use it to trim around doors and windows for a barrier against water or wind, and to add the house and aesthetics. When trimming with cedar, it is important to follow a pattern to make sure water runs from your opening that is trimmed.

Measure along the bottom of the window. Skip this step for doors; the threshold serves as the trim. Using a miter saw, cut on a piece of cedar to that span. Nail the cedar tight under the window, spacing the nails every 8 inches.

Run a tape measure the sides of the window or door down. Measure all the way down to the bottom of the cedar piece which you installed when measuring the window. Cut two pieces of cedar to that span. Nail them tight to the sides of the door or door, spacing the nails every 8 inches.

Measure throughout the top of door or the window from corner to corner of the two parts of cedar which you nailed on. Cut a piece of cedar to that span. Nail it tight to the top of door or the window.

Run a bead of exterior caulk around the inside and outside perimeters of this trimming. Fill the cracks and joints with caulk. Paint or stain as desired.

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A Simple Standard Housing Lease Agreement

A rental, also known as a rental agreementthat defines a set length of time and outlines the basic details of the rental of a house. Although a verbal contract can hold up in housing court, law and real estate professionals recommend property owners utilize a written rental to clearly and simply specify the duties of the tenant and landlord.

Parties to Contract

The lease should include the title of the house owner and a list of all the residents of the house, together with their dates of birth. The grownup lessors of the house and the landlord must sign and date the rental to signify agreement and allow it to be valid.

Location

The physical location of the house ought to be indicated by writing the house type (by way of instance, apartment or single-family house ), the real address of the house, and any apartment or building title, if the residence is located in a building or community.

Lease Term

The length of the contract should have recorded in two manners; by indicating the contract’s overall length in months and days, and by indicating the start and end dates of the rental.

Rental Payments

Clarity from the rental payments section of the rental can help ensure the landlord receives timely and correct payments from the renter. The rental should indicate the dollar amount of lease payments, written in both text and numeric form, together with the due date and any applicable late fees. The lease should specify where the renter could make rent payments (by way of instance, through mail, bank deposit or drop-box), and the acceptable forms of payment, such as money order, cash or check.

Security Deposit Statement

The lease document should include the quantity of security deposit produced by the tenant and a statement that the landlord will withhold funds from the deposit to cover unpaid rent, late fees and damage or cleaning solutions if the residence is vacated.

Rules and Responsibilities

The principles and responsibilities part of the rental clearly specifies any items the landlord accomplishes in the rental house, like modifications, long-term guests or water beds. It informs the tenant of any duties he will have in terms of home care, such as trash disposal and maintenance. Some property managers recommend a pet clause, which indicates if and which types of pets are permitted and any related charges. Since tenant-landlord laws vary from municipality, checking local law helps ensure no that prohibited exemptions, limitations or language make their way into a self-made lease arrangement.

Required Disclosures in California

If shared utility yards exist within a home, the condition requires landlords to outline in the rental who will pay for the charges associated with the yards and how charges get calculated and billed to residents. A text copy in eight-point font or larger must get connected to or within the rental, together with the language offered by the California Department of Consumer Affairs in appendix five of those California Tenants Guide, regarding Megan’s Law, lead-based paint, waiving rights to receipt, bill and estimate copies and legal safety deposit utilizes.

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How to Get Army Home

Military housing is a money-saving advantage to military service members. Military housing is usually independently developed residences based on military bases that are readily available to support members. The immediate family of a service member can also reside in the housing, such as the member’s spouse and kids. Pets may be allowed in military housing, based on the kind of the animal.

Check the official site of your service division. The official sites of the armed forces provide housing advice, including what assistance is available and whom to contact.

Check the official site for your assigned military base. Some base sites have information regarding the housing options available to you, including the forms and documents needed to apply for housing.

Speak to the officer you report . Your superior officer ought to have advice about military housing and can help start the process for you. Ask the officer any questions you have about obtaining housing.

Pay a visit to your military housing office. Each branch of the military has a housing agency that manages housing for members. Complete all the forms necessary and include all of the requested documentation. Set your name on the waiting list. You will be notified when housing becomes available.

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Debt's Amortization

Debt amortization describes the process of paying down a liability over a set period of time. Successful debt amortization is important to building wealth, as your regular payments reduced interest expenses. In terms of real estate, mortgage refinancing assists homeowners and investors establish equity in their properties. Home equity refers to financial ownership, or the value of your house that exceeds its affiliated mortgage debt.

Identification

Debt might be retired, or amortized, together with combinations of free cash flow and credit refinancing. Resources of free cash flow include employee salaries and investment income. Successful real estate investors direct their leasing income toward mortgage payments to repay home loans and increase equity ownership. Refinancing, nevertheless, is a technique where borrowers take out new loans to raise money and retire current debt. Effective refinancing empowers people to secure lower interest rates for their current liabilities.

Features

Debt financing interest expenses might be grouped into fixed- or – floating-rate structures. Fixed-interest-rate loans cost level interest payments through maturity. Floating, or adjustable-rate, debt includes interest charges that shift with existing economic conditions during the course of the loan. For the sake of comparison, real estate traders must grasp the amortization routines of both 30-year mended – and adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). Together with 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, loans have been retired with regular installments of interest and principal payments. Over time, larger parts of these payments go toward paying down the loan principal and building home equity. Alternatively, ARM amortization programs must account for various financial situations. ARMs generally extend teaser, or low, introductory prices for set periods of up to five years until interest charges reset greater. At the stage, ARM payments could significantly rise to match existing rates of interest and pay off the loan in 30 years.

Considerations

The Federal Reserve Board influences domestic rates of interest via its federal funds rate. Banks frequently borrow money from each other overnight at the federal funds rate to satisfy reserve requirements together with the Federal Reserve. Interest earnings on such loans offer banking earnings at minimal risks. For additional loan offerings, like mortgages, banks demand a premium above the federal funds rate. Higher interest rates are compensation for increased risks of consumer default compared with overnight bank loans. In recession, the Fed lowers interest rates and reduces overall debt amortization expenses. Conversely, the Fed goals higher interest rates to shield economical growth from inflation risks.

Plan

Prioritize your general debt amortization program according to interest prices. To conserve money, real estate investors should work to eliminate expensive credit card debt before spending money on additional mortgage payments. Further, most homeowners who have removed ARMs should evaluate fixed-rate mortgages as refinancing alternatives, before the expiration of ARM teaser prices.

Benefits

Timely debt amortization enables you to negotiate with prospective lenders from a place of strength. Banks extend credit on good terms toward applicants that present large assets alongside nominal debt levels in their personal balance sheets. Order a free credit report each year to track and confirm that your own history of debt .

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Short Refinance Options

If you owe more on your mortgage than what your house is worth, your alternatives to refinance this loan are limited. And that is unfortunate, as a mortgage refinance to a loan with a lower interest rate can save you significant money every month. If you have a $250,000 mortgage loan, then you can save more than $320 a month by refinancing that loan from one having an interest rate of 7 percent to one having a speed of 5 percent. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to refinance even when your house value is short.

Home Affordable Refinance

The federal government last year launched its Home Affordable Refinance Program. This program is intended to help homeowners obtain refinancing even when they owe more on their homes than what they are worth, something that traditional mortgage lenders seldom will allow. The Home Affordable Refinance is open to homeowners who owe up to 125 percent of the home’s values. This means that a homeowner who owns a home valued at $100,000 can owe up to $125,000 on their mortgage loan. To qualify for your program, homeowners should be refinancing a loan on a house of one to four units, possess a loan owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and be current on their mortgage obligations.

Call Your Bank

Not all lenders are participating in the government’s refinance program. That doesn’t mean, though, they won’t refinance your house loan even if your home’s worth is short of what you owe. Lenders’ policies on refinances vary. While most traditional lenders require homeowners to get 80 percent equity before approving a refinance, others may have laxer standards. The key is for customers to shop around.

Loan Modification

Those homeowners who can’t qualify for a refinance, either through the government program or private lenders, can apply for a mortgage loan modification. Under a modification, creditors will waive homeowners’ loans so they pay less every month. This is an alternative that lenders book for homeowners who are struggling to pay their house loan payments every month and are at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure if they don’t nab a lesser monthly payment. The federal government is even encouraging lenders to modify more loans. Through its Home Affordable Modification Program, the government is providing financial incentives to lenders who modify home loans either through interest-rate discounts, by modifying loan terms or by repaying some of loans’ main balances. To see if you can be eligible for a mortgage loan alteration, if your house worth precludes you from refinancing your loan, then call your mortgage lender and explain that you can no longer manage your monthly payment.

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What Does a Real Estate Lease With an Option to Purchase Mean?

In tough financial times, house sellers begin to look for creative ways to attract buyers and buyers begin searching for unique ways to buy a house. One method that seems to work for many people is lease with an choice to purchase. While there are possible pitfalls with this kind of financing arrangement, they may be avoided with preparation and a well-worded contract.

Benefits

The benefits to a seller would be that he immediately begins to receive income on his house, and if all goes well, he understands that by the end of the contract he will have a house sale. A buyer may benefit by negotiating a sales price he thinks that he will have the ability to take care of. In case he’s credit issues, a lease with an choice to purchase gives him time to clean them up. Due to the way that this arrangement is organised, the buyer also builds equity in the house as he leases it, giving him less to come up with in the time of purchase.

Characteristics

A lease to purchase is an agreement between a landlord and tenant stating that during a particular period of time, the renter has the choice to buy the rented property. The landlord and tenant agree on the sales cost and the length of time the contract will last. The tenant pays the landlord a consideration fee of between 3% and 7 percent of their sales cost in exchange for maintaining the house off the market. They determine how much of their monthly rental will be credited toward an eventual buy, with the average amount being from 30 to 50 percent. In addition, the 2 parties determine who will be liable for ordinary maintenance issues and whether the tenant is required to carry renter’s insurance on his possessions.

Time Frame

The average lease to purchase option lasts three to five years, but the purpose is negotiable. A longer period may be necessary for a renter who wants to repair his charge before attempting to secure a mortgage loan. Generally, the tenant has the right to buy the property at any time during the term of this contract.

Possible

There are potentially serious consequences to the renter that decides not to buy the house or is not able to procure a loan in a timely way. Not only does he lose the whole amount he gave the landlord as a consideration charge but he also loses all of the rental credits which were paid ahead of the loan each month. On the flip side, if the renter does exercise his right to buy the property, 100 percent of their consideration fee he paid at the beginning of the contract and 100 percent of his rental credits will be deducted from the sales price, providing him less to borrow from an outside lender.

Caution

Many landlords do not own their property outright, but instead continue to make monthly mortgage payments as they lease it out. The renter runs the risk of having a landlord who doesn’t make his monthly payments to the mortgage company and who enables the house to enter foreclosure. One remedy for this could be written into the contract. It should say that the tenant will pay the mortgage payment directly to the mortgage company each month, with any lease overages being sent to the landlord. The renter will offer the landlord with evidence he gets paid the mortgage note before its monthly due date.

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Simple Pleasures: Indulging in Teatime

Plump cushions, dainty tea trays full of all manner of treats and, of course, superbly hot, strong tea … what’s not to adore? If you don’t already have teatime in your residence, this daily heritage is well worth adopting. From the poshest tea service to reassuring tea and toast in bed, here are a bevy of thoughts for embracing this age-old ritual.

A Very Short History of Teatime

Though tea (the beverage) is enjoyed all around the world, and carries with it several different customs, the particular heritage of tea (the meal) has its origins in England in the mid-1800s. A couple of variations on the teatime ritual include afternoon tea, cream tea and high tea.

Afternoon teais the most formal tea. In the States, we mistakenly call it high tea, when in fact that’s a much more casual affair. Afternoon tea is served between 6 and 4 p.m. and typically contains fancy tea sandwiches, small cakes, scones, pastries, perhaps crumpets, and spicy tea — this is the event to bring out Grandma’s china and the silver wedding service.

Cream tea is a much simpler variant on afternoon tea, typically enjoyed in countryside tearooms and in home. Like afternoon tea, cream tea is served between 6 and 4 p.m.. It generally contains hot tea, scones, clotted cream and jam.

High tea is your heartiest and least formal tea, taking the place of an ancient dinner. High tea is usually served in home between 7 and 5 p.m., and might include a main dish, bread and butter, cake and hot tea.

Burdge & Associates Architects

A proper afternoon tea. If you would like to re-create that luxury tea-shop experience in your home, begin with preparing your space. Try pulling a small table up to a sunny window and then tucking a few seats around it to get comfy seating.

If you would like to decorate a space exclusively for the purpose of enjoying afternoon tea, you can’t fail with De Gournay wallpaper along with a matched pair of elegant settees, as exhibited here.

Amy Renea

What and how to pour. The one constant for teatime is that the tea itself, which should be served warm and freshly brewed, using a small pitcher of milk and a bowl of sugar on the side, also lemon for people who prefer their tea straight.

Preheating your teapot can help keep the tea warm as long as you can. To do so, fill the kettle with hot water from the tap as you are waiting for the kettle to boil. After the kettle is ready, pour the warm water out of your teapot, put in your tea (1 tbsp of loose tea per cup, plus one “for the pot”) and then pour in the warm water.

When your tea has brewed, put a strainer over your cup and then pour through the tea. Whether to add milk before or after the tea is a hotly debated issue!

Charmean Neithart Interiors

Things to nibble. If you enjoy baking and love tea, it would serve you well to find out a fantastic basic scone recipe. Scones are quick to prepare and certainly the best when pulled hot from the oven.

For those of us in the States, it may be hard to come across the clotted cream that’s traditionally slathered over warm scones. You may create your own or just use decent butter.

For those folks that are not bakers, fresh scones from a neighborhood bakery and a couple of homemade tea sandwiches are a close second to from-scratch teatime treats. Obviously, you may also create teatime your own by introducing your favorite treats.

Holly Marder

Tea in bed. Stuck at home with the sniffles? Repair to the bed with a big mug of hot tea with lemon and honey, and a plateful of toast.

Place the pot in reach on your nightstand and lie back on a gigantic mountain of cushions. Put on a favourite podcast or radio show to zone out to.

Refill your cup needed; be worried about crumbs later.

Iris

Tea split for you personally. Take a break from weekend home chores to enjoy a cup of tea on your own patio or porch. Taking an extra minute to snip a bloom from the flower pot, place it in a bud vase and then carry the entire affair out on a tray will probably allow it to be extra special.

And nobody will tell if you decide what you really want is brewed green tea and cookies.

Little Red House

Cozy tea and a publication. Cream tea in the living area could be even better when accompanied by a roaring fire and a fantastic book. Pile a platter high with fresh scones (home made or store bought and warmed) and jam, and a pot of your favourite brew. Snuggle up under a warm throw and put on a little soft music.

Holly Marder

Breakfast tea. Enjoy your first cup of the day at a joyous breakfast corner, followed by soft-boiled eggs and toast soldiers. If you’ve got a hand-knit teapot cozy or cute little egg cups, now would be the opportunity to use them.

Mary Prince Photography

Holiday tea. Less stressful compared to a full size dinner party, and not as rowdy than the usual cocktail party, the vacation tea is a complex alternative. Think about planning yours now, to provide friends and family ample time to pencil it in on their busy vacation calendars. On party day set up big trays and tiered cake stands full of small savories and sweets, and extend tea plus maybe some hot cider or wassail.

Jeni Lee

Teatime around the world. Both the British and Irish customs are only the tip of the iceberg in regards to teatime. Tea is steeped (sorry, couldn’t help it) in ritual throughout the world, from Japan to Indonesia, Morocco and outside. If a proper afternoon tea with crumpets and jam isn’t your style, maybe sipping green tea from a floor-cushion perch in your backyard teahouse will suit you. Or perhaps you would prefer a refreshing mint tisane served in tiny glasses while lounging Moroccan-style. There really is a teatime ritual for everybody; you only have to find yours.

Inform us :
Can you have a favourite teatime ritual? Please discuss details in the Remarks!

Next: View a tea service–inspired miniature home

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Reinvent It: 9 Methods to Resurrect Church Pews

At Anderson High School in Cincinnati, Ohio,”The Senior Lobby” was right near the primary entry, and only seniors could utilize it.

The distance was the hub of my college’s universe. It consisted of three rejected church pews in the Methodist church across the street and also a politically incorrect cigar-store Indian to represent our politically incorrect mascot (it was the’80s, and also the term”politically correct” didn’t yet exist). Those older pews were a hot place, and we frosh couldn’t wait to become old enough to fulfill there before college and hang for 30 seconds in between classes on them.

Nowadays all you ers seem as enthused about church pews as a lot of Anderson High School 12th graders on the first day of college. You have stripped themrefinished themrepurposed them and even added cushions and cushions to them. (Anybody who has spent more than an hour listening to a sermon understands a pillow is a fantastic idea.)

Here is a glance at how educated homeowners are repurposing pews in the home.

Urban Rustic Living

1. At a entry hall. One advantage of a pew’s proportions is it is not very deep, so it could slide right in a entrance or hallway without jutting out and slowing blood flow.

Cornerstone Architects

One other excellent advantage of a pew’s proportions is length. Meant to seat up to eight individuals, a lengthy pew can resist a very long expanse of hallway within an entryway. It is a fantastic place for stopping and putting on boots, dropping an attaché case or backpack, and transitioning in the outside world to house or vice versa.

Cornerstone Architects

Here is the same entryway pew as previously viewed from the other area; it produces a strong horizontal line across the gallery-like space. The older wood and peeling paint make for a wonderful contrast to the sharp finishes.

2to5design

A very long pew within an entrance or a mudroom allows all of the children to sit down and pull rain boots at once. The handsome wood pew and its curved armrest give this Chicago entryway a vintage-eclectic vibe.

Kim Wilson made this classic English pew the focal point of her entryway. Give personality to it and to upgrade it, she painted it black, distressed it added the pillow.

Keiffer Phillips – Patricia Brown, Builders Inc..

2. In a more comfortable mudroom. Wooden pews also work well in a more casual back or side entryway, as long as you have the period to accommodate one. Here the depth of the pew lets it slip into this space.

Witt Construction

3. In the potting shed. Because often you are able to pick up these beauties for free, you probably won’t mind if they show a little wear and tear from helping out with the gardening. The long seats provide a lot of space for storage.

Madison Modern Home

4. In an outdoor area. While a wooden bench will not resist the components indefinitely, it will weather beautifully for several years, obtaining a worn, rustic finish that works very well with grain cloth cushions.

5. In the skillet. This former pew is presently a fashionable banquette complete with cushions.

Watch more breakfast nooks

Lindsay von Hagel

6. In the living area. While a pew is certainly not where you wish to slim down, put your feet up and watch the Superbowl for four hours, it can serve as an intriguing accent piece and additional seating for those who wish to work on their posture.

Coggan + Crawford Architecture + Design

7. In the bedroom. It might look a bit odd at first to include church furniture vibes for your own bedroom. Within this area, however, the easy painted-white pew fits in as a contemporary headboard that provides space for a glass of water, reading glasses, books and even a reading lamp.

8. At a loft. A pew’s large scale is a fitting match for a loft’s expansive proportions.

9. In the bar. This smart couple established an whole basement bar bar having repurposed Gothic pews.

See more details and in-progress shots of the bar

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Styling Basics: 8 Favorite Accessories to Finish Your Space

What provides a space that look? The key lies in the use of a favorite accessories. These are the types of items that decorators and stylists reach for again and again. Read up on eight of the top accessories to give your space polish, along with foolproof combinations you can use with confidence.

Kerrisdale Design Inc

1. Books. Books instantly warm up and customize a room. If your surface is crying out for many interest, consider adding a pile of books — or only one great big coffee table book. If the dust jacket is too active or has colors that clash with your decor, eliminate it.

Urrutia Design

Foolproof combo: Books + tiny products. Probably the quickest and easiest way to style a table is with a pile of a couple of novels, topped with a trio of little objects. Keep in mind that they should not be overly fussy or heavy, otherwise actually reading the novels will become impossible!

Corynne Pless

Foolproof combo: Bookcase + color-coded publications. Designers have been organizing books by color for a fun and quirky approach to style a bookcase for a few decades now, occasionally to the terror of book fans. Try that. You may be amazed at how easily you remember where a particular novel is based on the color of its cover.

Residents Understood

2. Small items. A favorite of decorators the world over — and the bane of organizers and neatniks, little decorative items should be utilised in moderation. Choose pieces you love because of their aesthetic value, since they have significance for you and since they serve a beneficial function.

Kerrisdale Design Inc

Foolproof combo: Small objects in a bowl. Give small items, like seashells, balls or river stones, more presence by putting them into a bowl. You most likely don’t need to buy a bowl — only look in your kitchen cabinets or china hutch for something you are not using.

Dana Frieling Interiors

3. Plants. For me, an area doesn’t feel finished with no living plant. There’s something welcoming and buoyant about an energetic green-leafed plant which makes a space feel like home. Read up on houseplants and select plants that will succeed in the mild conditions of your room for the very best outcomes.

Foolproof combo: Fiddle leaf fig tree + jar. A decorator favored, the fiddle leaf fig comes with an elegant form and big, luxurious leaves. The texture of a woven basket makes a fantastic pairing with this tree — put a pot and saucer inside the basket, and then enhance it up on a vacant kettle if you want to fake a taller look.

Dufner Heighes Inc

4. Bookends. Beautiful and sculptural, consider bookends as little works of art you can use. Put a set on your dresser, kitchen counter or in the nursery.

Foolproof combo: Credenza + bookends + novels + lamp. Design a credenza from the dining or living area with a table lamp and a tiny choice of books sandwiched between bookends. Arrangements usually look best in odd-numbered groups, so try adding a third item, like a clock tray, to complete the look.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

5. Chunky items. Too many tiny items may look fussy and cluttered. Ground your arrangements and make a bold statement with a big chunky vase, jar or basket.

Favreau Design

Foolproof combo: Chunky basket + wood. Stock up on firewood and also fill a bare corner with this favorite decorator finishing touch. Select a big, hefty basket having a strong shape, and then fill it to almost brimming over with chopped firewood.

Lynn Kloythanomsup

6. Picture frames. Statement art has its own place, however a few smaller photographs and bits of art go a long way toward making a home feel comfortable and private. Remember, you don’t need to keep every little image on display in any respect times — rotate, rotate, rotate! Store what isn’t currently being used in a drawer and pull out fresh pieces when you get bored.

Foolproof combo: Picture rail + tiny frames. Feeling a little cautious about performing a full gallery wall? Get your feet wet with a simple image railroad. No matter what you set on it, it’s bound to look great … and you can change it on a whim.

7. Trays. There isn’t a space in the home that could not make good use of a tray. Try one on your bedside table, in the kitchen corralling the spices, in the bathroom for toiletries, in the entry for mail or on your coffee table to get books and candles.

Foolproof combo: Tray + novels + small, medium and tall items.
Start with a little pile of books on your tray. Put a small object (the size of a big seashell) on top. Next to the novels, put a medium and a tall thing, like a medium-sized candle along with a tall vase with flowers.

Cynthia Lynn Photography

8. Tall objects. Tall objects are a home stylist’s key weapon. They could draw attention away from something gruesome (like the TV) and fill visual openings, like that space between your bedside table along with the peak of your headboard. Try a tall, narrow vase filled with flowering branches, a potted topiary or tall candlesticks.

Foolproof combo: TV + art + tall thing. Draw the eye away in the big black box by hanging art on the wall around and over it. Complete the job by putting a nice tall decorative item to one side of the TV.

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International Meets Industrial in a Brooklyn Attic

Artist Alina Preciado and designer has a knack for finding beauty and possibility she goes. She spends much of her time traveling to places like India, Spain, Japan and the Middle East, highlighting handmade goods for her business, Dar Gitane. “‘ Dar‘ is Arabic for ‘house,’ and ‘gitane‘ is French for ‘gypsy,’ that is basically me in a nutshell,” she states.

Preciado’s eclectic loft in an 1890s industrial building in Brooklyn, New York, subscribes to a similar worldly, accumulated style that combines new and old. “This used to be a woodshop, and it had huge machines that made divots and scrapes across the floors, so it is great to have the ability to observe the background,” Preciado states.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Alina Preciado along with her 2 cats
Location: Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: Around 2,000 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom

Chris A Dorsey Photography

Preciado’s loft flows together with openness. The huge windows and high ceilings keep it lit, with an airy texture. “I invest a great deal of time in the hammock,” she states. “It’s a huge hit with my friends’ children, and also the trapeze bar is great for stretching.” The leather sofa is vintage from the 1960s, along with the ladder that is leaning was picked up from a warehouse.

Rug: Cow Hides International; bookshelf: Rakks; poufs: leather, Dosa; forged metal tables: Dar Gitane

Chris A Dorsey Photography

The living room has a large wood-burning stove that keeps together with the industrial motif but supplies much-needed warmth from the winter months. “The distance is spacious, and the windows and floors can get a little chilly, but sitting by the fire really gives the area a coziness that I adore,” Preciadosays. “Since it has a double-insulated chimney, so I can have an open fire which not only looks beautiful but keeps me warm also. One of my favourite things is to put citrus peels on top and allow the smell waft through the apartment.”

Wood-burning stove: Vermont Castings; armchairs: vintage, 1940s

Chris A Dorsey Photography

Storage in any New York City apartment tends to be scarce, and Preciado’s distance is no exception. So she built this storage room with a sleeping loft at the top.

Hooks: gathered over time; hanging artwork: custom by Preciado

Chris A Dorsey Photography

Preciado shows collected pieces from all over the world, such as this hundred-year-old metal incense burner from Morocco which sits one of three metal tables purchased in the Middle East. “I think it’s my favourite piece in the apartment,” she states. “I burn sage inside, and there’s something about the way the smoke flows from it that is so beautiful.”

Chris A Dorsey Photography

Preciado created a walled-off bedroom with curtains that allow sunshine in or close for privacy.

Artwork, stainless steel mesh chair: custom by Preciado; bed: antique, circa 1890s

Chris A Dorsey Photography

One of those unique pieces adorning the loft is the human hair artwork hanging on a bedroom wall. “I really like to weave,” Preciado states. “Some time back, I purchased some human hair to weave for a job, which was left. I just thought it was beautiful, so I decided to hang it up as a piece in itself.”

Rug: hides from Mexico; crimson chair: antique, redone byPreciado; artwork: custom by Preciado; black desk: antique; Bedouin dowry trunk: purchased in Morocco

Chris A Dorsey Photography

With a little TLC, Preciado attracted these 90-year-old dining chairs back to life. “When I got them, they had been in bad shape, but among the things I’ve discovered is that even very old leather can nevertheless be preserved,” she states. “It requires time and care, but over time with the right conditioning, older leather can bounce back to its original beauty.”

Table: Big Sur, Crate & Barrel; artwork: Joseph Maruska; pendant lighting: purchased in Murano, Italy

Chris A Dorsey Photography

“One of my favourite things to do if I travel is bring back plenty of spices and gift them to my buddies,” Preciado states. “I also love bringing back things such as dyes from Iran, frankincense and myrrh in stone form, metals, one-of-a-kind trays and trinkets which are not on my website yet. One of the first items I brought back for Dar Gitane was a grouping of one-of-a-kind teapots,” that she shows on open shelves in the kitchen.

Sink: architectural salvage; black barrel: Dar Gitane; workbench: Revival

Chris A Dorsey Photography

The worktable was a holdover from the prior owner’s woodshop; it fits perfectly with Preciado’s style. “I really like these worktables,” she states. “They were really left here from the distance from the older woodshop — likely because they are so heavy. They have 1/4-inch-thick steel tops and are perfect for designing, as they are so sturdy, flat and durable. I really do wonder what will happen if I move, though. I don’t understand how I would take them out.”

Pendant mild: architectural salvage

Chris A Dorsey Photography

“Little touches can make a place feel like home,” Preciado states. Seen here’s her design philosophy of blending fresh, old, discovered and designed objects under a collection of cloches.

Chris A Dorsey Photography

Preciado’s style extends into a spacious bathroom, where she adds easy touches from her travels. “I think it’s very important to present products into your house that are soulful,” she states. “My view is that your house is alive; it lives with you and frees you, so you always want things around you who are both beautiful and useful.”

Bathtub: architectural salvage; pendant lighting: Droog

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