Three Remarkably Strange Homes around the World

A home is generally a square, with square rooms and long rectangular passages that offer entrance to many other square bedrooms, bathrooms and living rooms. Some strange homes around the world have turned the generic home design on its head and taken the route of incorporating a plethora of shapes that rarely follow the square shape.

Leaf House
The Leaf House in Brazil qualifies as an exemplary example of strange homes. The exterior of the home resembles a flower with six petals, when viewing it aerially. Each petal covers different sections of the home. A curved swimming pool, in keeping with the organic design of the home winds its way through the house before culminating as a small fish pond in the backyard.

Square homes are also extremely popular, particularly in London because the vibe and ambience of this thriving city adds to the attraction. However, for those who prefer more organic scenery, there’s the home that can change its view from bedroom to bedroom, at the touch of a few buttons. The Everingham Rotating House has thirty two outrigger wheels and two 500-watt electrical motors that rotate the house on demand. Strange homes are certainly the envy of many. This rotating home can take anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours to move 360 degrees, but nobody is complaining because it’s strangely unique.

Subterra Castle was once a nuclear warhead control station. The owner transferred this defunct missile silo in 1983 into a comfortable living space. Boasting and 11,000-square-foot garage and a 1,700-foot-long airstrip for the owner’s DIY light aircraft toys, this strange home is every boy’s perfect toy.




Klein Bottle House

Voted the world’s best home at the 2009 World Architecture Festival, the Klein Bottle House (pictured above) is one of the strange homes that boggles the mind. When looking at the home it gives off a mathematical vibe of confusing proportions, but when explained it makes perfect sense, to maths geniuses. The strange concept involved folding a cylindrical shape into itself to form a spiral. Think about that. The idea is to bring the interior out and take the exterior in. Basically, the courtyard is at the centre of the home.

Otherwise, if you don’t want to buy strange homes such as an old nuclear control station, or a sliding house, then look no further than luxury property in Tuscany. You may not get 11,000-square-feet of garage space but you’ll have to deal with exotic views, amazing scenery and pure Italian luxury instead.

Citations:

• CC image from Flickr

Sally Roberts enjoys writing on a variety of property-related topics and is a keen interior decorator; she prefers the comfort of a conventional luxury property for rent in Piccadilly to these weird and wacky structures, but you might find them appealing!

#K'NEX PERT 2013 SEARCH ~ WIN $5000

Coolest Offices-Don’t You Wish You Worked There Unless of Course You Do!

We spend about a third of our lives working and for most of us, this means working in an office of some form or another. Going to work is often a chore whereby we try to make the day pass as quickly as possible waiting anxiously for 5pm to arrive. It’s not like this for everyone though as there are offices out there which will completely blow your mind! This top 10 list gives us an insight into some of these amazing places of employment.

Living Social

Designed by OTJ Architects, Living Social has created a workspace for its employees full of colour and character. The office is completely bike friendly with internal parking bays. The floors are hard wearing and polished and metro maps can be seen on the walls. Meeting areas are referred to as parks with traditional, generic office furniture being replaced with bespoke antique pieces. All in all a fantastic, workable yet fun environment to be in.

Nike

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Now based in Carnaby Street, the sports manufacturing giant has injected a wealth of influence in their London office. Employees will have the benefit of large TV’s available to watch big games and large open spaces conducive to a chilled working environment.

McLaren

McLaren’s HQ in Surrey is a perfect example of how things should be done. Not unlike their exploits on the track, their technology centre sets the standard. Apart from the stunning glass structure surrounded by a selection of artificial lakes, McLaren is a leading employer. As an aspiring engineer, this would be the place to nurture your skills in the best possible environment.

FactSet

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The company is not the best payer on the list but is has a young vibe and encourages progression within. There is also a free top class restaurant style canteen. Employees have said that the offices are very similar to a university campus which in itself will be a draw to many young people.

Boston Consulting Group

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Not only do they have cool, sophisticated offices but every Friday, the employees are treated to a free beer cart as part of a weekly happy hour. There are more concrete incentives too since every employee once hired will earn $139,000 a year for their basic salary.

DreamWorks

DreamWorks Central Fountain

DreamWorks is a great place to work due to the simple fact that employees are genuinely valued for what they do. New starters are given the personal treatment from the CEO and all workers are given daily updates via email. Despite being a large organisation, there is a warm intimate feeling amongst the workers.

Facebook

Facebook

The Facebook offices are the envy of many a workplace. One of the reasons is that it is the product of the desires of the workers themselves. The company asked employees on its own website what they wanted in an office. The result was clear open spaces complete with iPhone docking stations and a DJ station which enables cool tunes whilst you work.

Pixar

Pixar Studios

This is one of the few places where you can immerse in your inner child. It’s a tranquil, calming environment where workers will inevitably experience an absence of stress. It’s almost like going to playgroup but for adults.

Groupon

Groupon Office

The Groupon office culture is completely whacky. Following on from their huge commercial success in recent years, their offices have come to be a reflection of their fun approach to work. All the meeting rooms are themed and there is even one based on 1980’s teenage boy’s room. White boards are present all around as an outlet for spurs of creativity or just plain scribbling!

Google

Google Office

Google really is a great place to work. It truly is outstanding and justifiably at the top of the list. This is a place where people are desperate to get their feet through the front door and with good reason. Complete with a games room, free food from eleven gourmet restaurants, free onsite doctors, and its own gym, why would you want to go home? This company even allows you to wear your pyjamas to work!

This cool article was put together by British Antique Replicas; retailers of reproduction office furniture.

Clive Palmer wants to build the second Titanic

Clive Palmer is one of Australia's richest men. Having made his billions from mining he now wants to build a modern-day version of the Titanic. Naturally this will be called Titanic II. Mr. Palmer told waiting media representatives that his plans involve starting work on the ship around November 2013. Building work on the ship is expected to take around three years and it will set sail at some stage in the latter half of 2016.

Mr. Palmer wants the vessel to be as identical as possible to the original White Star Belfast-built original. The 58-year-old oligarch also owned Gold Coast United Football Club and his wealth is said to be around $600m Australian dollars. Building work will be complex but the Australian-born multi-millionaire has held talks with a ship building company, CSC Jinling Shipping with a view for them to build the ship.

Mr. Palmer says Titanic II will have every thing on board the original Titanic enjoyed with one major improvement. His Titanic will be fitted with all the latest technology and on-board computers. Its design and installation are said to be state-of-the-art and all the very latest up-to-date technologies and GPS systems are to be fitted. All rooms and cabins are likely to have Wi-Fi access and the major building project will come just a month or so after the 110-year commemoration of the original Titanic which sank in the North Atlantic in April 1912.

Titanic | Image CC Attribution Generic Commercial - Elsie esq

The maiden voyage was due to sail from Southampton, in the English Channel to New York. The vessel was the worlds biggest at the time and Mr. Palmer was asked by Australian media if his maritime building concept would sink like the last one. He angrily told media it would if someone "put a hole in it".

If all goes to plan then Mr. Palmer will launch his building project to end all building projects in 2016 when he will see it launch from London to New York. Mr. Palmer has been tight-lipped on the cost of construction and building of the second Titanic. The mining magnate is closely linked in the building and mining industries with the Chinese government.

Mr. Palmer already owns a luxury holiday resort on the Sunshine Coast and says he wants to build more ships in time. It is believed a series of luxury cruise liners are in the plans being drafted by Mr. Palmer's team.

Queensland Home Improvements is a builder in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Townsville. QHI office is at 320 Adelaide St, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

So You’d Like to Start a Flower Garden…

We all flip through magazines with beautiful, lush, colorful outdoor spaces we wish we could recreate in our own yards. Or, we envy our friends and neighbors for their endless, abundant flowers beds that seem to go on forever.

If you have a vision for that perfect flower garden outside your own doors, stop dreaming and start planning. With a little research on what flowers and plants are best suited to your area, and a commitment to learning how to properly care for them, you can grow a flower garden that will bring beauty to your yard season after season.



Most gardens evolve for a number of reasons—the gardeners growing knowledge, the weather that season, and changing tastes. When you've learned a bit more about your capabilities as a gardener and exactly what you like, you'll be better equipped to choose plants, plant and care for them.

First things first. You will need some basic tools.

You want to have two shovels to dig different size holes to plant your flowers and dig up the roots of old plants, and a hoe to help till the ground and get under and remove stubborn weeds.

A garden hose will be necessary for watering. There are a number of available options; just be sure the one you select is long enough to reach your beds. Some gardeners choose soaker hoses, which weave through your beds and slowly soak the soil. Hand watering is made easier with a watering wand that enables you to adjust the water pressure and direction. Invest in a good pair of gardening gloves, a knee pad and a sturdy garden cart as well.

Start with the soil:
Just about any flowering plant you choose will thrive when planted in loose, moist, well-draining soil. You can have your soil tested (or buy a soil testing kit at your local garden center and do it at home) to determine which nutrients it may be lacking before you begin. You can improve just about any soil by adding hummus, compost, manure, or a combination.

What to plant?
For beginners, annuals are easy to grow and widely available. Ask your nursery attendant for tips, read labels and hop online if you have immediate questions. There are a number of easy-to-care-for perennials as well. Perennials can add long term beauty to your garden with beautiful blooms that come back year after year—with the proper attention and pruning of course. If you are trying to stick to a color scheme, look into the plants that will fall into your preferred palette.

The right place at the right time:
When deciding what to grow, take into account what surrounds your garden. Are there large trees surrounding your space? Choose flowers that will thrive in shady areas. In full sun all day long? That will require a different flower choice. Trust me, as many new gardeners learn the hard way, they are not interchangeable. Hint: most perennial flowers and roses do best in full sun. You’ll find a number of part-sun plants too for those areas about which you are unsure.

Get started:
Today you can find flowers at just about any retail venue, from a locally-owned nursery to grocery and drug stores. While hearty plants can be found anywhere, for your first endeavor I encourage you to seek out a reputable nursery with professionals on staff who can offer guidance on planning and selection. Most of these centers will often guarantee their plants as well and welcome return visits when you have questions—which you will. Buy hearty-looking plants with strong stems and full, leaves,

Planting:
Once you have prepared your soil, dig a hole slightly deeper than the roots of your plants. Remove the plant from its temporary container (unless it is an organic, biodegradable peat container which may be planted) and slight loose the roots. Gently place the entire root ball into the ground and fill in the hole, mounding the soil up around the stem. Fertilize at this point and then carefully monitor your plants’ water needs. Continued addition of the right nutrients and a bit of attention, and you will have a thriving, blooming flower garden in no time.

Elena Gomez is a receptionist at the Palms Hotel and avid gardener who enjoys spending her time off writing about botany and the fine art of growing home gardens.

Photo Credit: Kirpernicus

World’s 5 Most Famous Statues

In ancient history, people did everything that they can in order to commemorate something or someone. Through the making of large statues, humans were able to put a large mark in history by letting people know about their victories, their hardships, as well as their wealth. With the number of famous statues that you can see in the world, it would take you a whole lifetime as well as a king’s fortune to see them all. However, if you want to see the ones that really matter, you should read further into this article as we count down the best statues that everybody should see before dying.

1. Statue of David

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/89649959@N00/4425705900/
This statue is made by the artist named Michelangelo back in the renaissance period. It stands 5.17 meters tall and it is made out of marble. The statue depicts the biblical character named David before his fight with the monstrous Goliath. The whole thing is a nude statue of David in which he stands firmly on one foot and relaxed on the other. His face looks as if he is ready for battle with his slingshot hung over the shoulders. The great thing about this statue is that it is anatomically accurate with regards to proportions of the human body.

2. Spring Temple Buddha

This is currently the tallest statue in the world and it stands about 128 meters. It depicts the Vairocana Buddha. This statue is relatively new as it was finished around the year 2002. A lot of money was spent in the building of this monument and it was recorded that the whole project costs around $55 million. The whole statue stands on top of a monastery and it is called as such because of its location near the Tianrui hot spring.

3. Mount Rushmore

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeshuanace/1833665209/
The US Nation is truly proud of this statue since it depicts four of its greatest presidents namely, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The whole thing is made out of granite and it measures about 18 meters. The main reason for its creation is to boost the tourism in South Dakota. The original design was supposed to include the torsos of these people but unfortunately, insufficient funding left them with only the creation of the heads.

4. The Mamayev Monument

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/musatych/400062817/
This statue used to be the largest monument in the world before the spring temple Buddha was created. The whole thing stands 52 meters and a lot of experts say that this is a very complex monument in terms of its architecture. It depicts a woman holding a sword with her right hand raised and the left hand outstretched as if calling people to battle. This is a commemorating statue of the battle of Stalingrad.

5. Great Sphinx of Giza

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironmanixs/515950995/
This is the oldest among the five and also a bit different from the bunch. The statue depicts the mythical creature named the sphinx. It has the body of a lion and a head of a human being. It stands over 73.5 meters and is believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians. The statue used to be buried completely under the sand but today it is completely dug up and the whole figure of the sculpture can be seen from afar.

All of these statues are amazing. You would sometimes wonder how people are able to do this huge feats and how these structures are able to stand the test of time. Whatever the case may be, it is a must for you to see these statues while you are still alive.

If you are looking for something just as appealing but maybe not quite as extravagant many people are now opting to have marble worktops and tiles fitted in their kitchen. Whilst it’s no sculpture marble is a wonderful material that has a certain beauty in and of itself.

World’s Oldest Known Mattress Unearthed

If your mattress is feeling a little lumpy or saggy, then take heart. It may feel like you have the world’s oldest, ickiest mattress, but you’re better off than you think. Archaeologists have just unearthed the world’s oldest mattress, and it’s not a pretty sight. Even cheap foam mattresses sound appealing compared to the thought of living in a cave. In 75,000BC they didn’t have places where you could order discount mattresses online. They didn’t even have traditional mail order, for that matter.

Photograph courtesy Marion Bamford via Science/AAAS

The mattress, which is made of layers of reeds and rushes, was discovered underneath a pile of bedding made from grass and leafy plants. The discovery was made at the Sibudu Cave Site in KwaZulu-Natal, and the oldest materials date back 77,000 years. That makes this mattress 50,000 years older than the one that previously held the “oldest bedding” title.

Photo Credit

Our 77,000 year-old ancestors were pretty clever too. The ancient people that lived in the cave made bedding out of insect repelling greenery that would ward off mosquitoes, flies, and other bugs. This is the first evidence of our ancestors using plants for medicinal purposes, and as an insecticide. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Sibudu dwellers learned how to protect themselves from insects, though. Living in a dark, damp cave isn’t exactly a fun experience, and if they hadn’t managed to ward off the insects, they’d have been forced out of the cave by rot, decay, and disease pretty quickly.

Credit:  Prof. Lyn Wadley

What makes the mattresses at Sibudu special is that there’s evidence that the residents of the cave stayed there for a long time. Hunter gatherers in other parts of the world would just move on when their home became rotten and bug infested, but the Sibudu cave dwellers would burn their old bedding, and then make more. They’d re-use the same cave for thousands of years, each time re-building a mattress and a layer of bedding big enough for an entire family to sleep on.

sanbeiji's/CC BY-SA 2.0

Stone Age Breakfast in Bed
While these ancient cleaning habits sound unfamiliar, there are a few things that we have in common with the Sibudu cave dwellers. For one, we have a penchant for breakfast in bed. The archaeologists have found small tools and bone fragments in amongst the bedding. Presumably, they could get away with eating in the cave because of the frequent replacement of the bedding. A few scraps of meat left lying around might smell bad, and could attract vermin, or at the very least encourage birds to come and try to share the cave, but they wouldn’t get to stay there long because they’d be driven out by the fires.

So, next time you’re shopping for discount mattresses online, spare a thought for your cave-dwelling ancestors. They had to build their own mattresses, and make their own bedding! When it decayed, they had to clear out their bedrooms, and re-make the entire thing from scratch. These days, we have it easy!

This article was written by Amy Fowler on behalf of The Original Factory Shop, who offer discounted mattresses online and other cut-price goods. 

Garden Design Ideas

A well planned out garden is not only a place to plant plants and trees, but also a great place to spend your time relaxing and enjoying the beauty of nature. There are many types of gardens depending on a person’s taste and choice of layout. You can make a garden anywhere you choose in your house, you can have an indoor garden if you want or can have a terrace garden or an outdoor one.  While gardens are made according to individual choice and taste, there are two types of gardens which can be strongly distinguished those are flower gardens and landscaping gardens.

If a person is planning on setting up a garden at home, there are many garden design ideas that one can choose from. The choice of garden design depends on your individual taste and the availability of space. A garden can be set up in a small space or you can have a large sprawling landscaped garden if you choose.  Let’s take a look at some interesting garden design ideas that one can use to set up a...

Garden At Home
Garden for small space: Nowadays small gardens are gaining in popularity due to the limited space available in houses as well as the fact that small garden are easy to maintain and looks good. The idea to decorate your small space gardens is to have more of vertical plants which will save you place. You can use specific colors in your garden so that the garden looks uniform, place appropriate number of plants in your garden so that you got sufficient place to move around while the accessories you choose should be of appropriate size to your garden.

Wall Garden Ideas
The concept of a wall garden is used by those who like to cover their high walls or those who want some privacy from outside. The ideas to prepare a garden by placing plants that are tall and less dense along with shorter plants which can grow in limited sunlight. Following this garden design idea would make your garden look denser and is suited for small passages. However you may need a good contractor to help you build this garden design.

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Garden Terrace
These gardens are more popular with those who have big houses with a large terrace attached. The garden terrace is an ideal design for your house, which allows you to view your garden from various rooms. The terrace garden is generally attached with your living room which gives you a relaxing experience; it is also a great place to entertain your friends, when they come over. To design a terrace garden, one should have plants that are not very tall. If your terrace has ample sunlight through the day, you can plant flowering plants, placing plants which have aromatic flowers will always give your home a pleasant atmosphere. You can add some accessories in between the plants that would make your terrace garden look attractive.

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Informal Garden style
These types of gardens are created when plants are placed in such a way that they have twist and turns according to the space available. These gardens can be made any where you want, in this type of a garden you can place small and average height plants, you can add flowering plants which will add more color in your garden.Meditation garden: In this particular type of garden, plants are placed for meditation purpose. To make a meditation garden one should place plants which are flowering which will sooth your eyes, plants which have soothing aroma can be very useful during meditation.

Photo Credit

Rose garden
In this type of garden different type of roses are planted which have a beautiful aroma. Rose gardens should be planned carefully, one should not plant too many roses of one type which make the garden look monotonous, place roses of different colors side by side keeping equal distance between them, and you can place contracting color roses side by side.

Above are some types of garden which can be created in your home according to size and your personal  liking .Various other changes can be done in garden style to complement the individual taste.
 

David Hamer is SEO for Garden Design Cumbria.  They provide a full range of garden design services and for people search for Gardening Cumbria.

An Architecture Fanatic's Dream Holiday

Around the world are many wonderful and truly unique buildings that can be seen for miles around. Incredible displays of architecture, they dominate the skyline and attract many a tourist with their beauty.

Here are five of the most amazing structures you simply must see in your lifetime.

1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Burj Khalifa Image Credit
Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the Burj Khalifa tower is the tallest building ever built and can be found standing proud in Dubai. A whopping 828 metres high, the structure has broken numerous other records and is currently the tallest free standing structure in the world. With the most amount of stories – 160 to be exact - the highest ever observation deck, the highest occupied floor and the tallest service elevator, it has certainly caused a buzz and really is a sight to behold. The huge skyscraper officially opened in January 2010 and is the centre piece of a large scale development including numerous homes and hotels.

2. The Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House Image Credit
The Opera House is an exquisite and highly-modern building designed and largely built by architect Jørn Utzon who won the Pritzker Prize for his work in 2003.  The structure can be found in Sydney Harbour and is a performing arts centres as well as world heritage site. The venue hosts over 1,500 performances and is visited by over 7 million people every year making it an extremely popular tourist attraction. With everything from a swanky Concert Hall to an impressive Opera Theatre, the Sydney Opera House has been created with care and is a visual spectacle.

3. La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia Image Credit
La Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona is a truly wonderful building designed by Antoni Gaudi. Construction of this sensational structure began in 1882 and still continues today with ongoing donations funding the long-lasting building project. Gaudi longed to represent the Catholic faith in the architecture itself and called for eighteen spires of various heights representing (in ascending order) the Twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. With beautiful detail and exquisite sculptures, the church has to date been constructed using twenty-two types of stone.

4. St Basil’s Cathedral

St Basil's Cathedral Image Credit
St Basil’s Cathedral is a wonderfully unique building located in Moscow’s Red Square – right next to the Kremlin. Eight brightly-coloured churches were built around a ninth and a tenth church was later constructed over the grave of a local saint named Vasily (Basil). Surrounded in intrigue, little is known about this fabulous structure except that it was ordered by Ivan the Terrible to mark the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan and was erected from 1555 – 1561. The architects of this creation are unknown, however, rumour has it that the former Tsar had them blinded so they would construct a building that would compare with no other in the county.

5. The Gherkin

The Gherkin Image Credit
The Gherkin, located at the heart of London’s financial district is so called thanks to its unique pickle-like shape. Officially known as 30 St Mary Axe, the skyscraper is 180 metres tall, has 40 floors and is even home to a bar on the top level offering an impressive 360-degree panoramic view of London. When the light shines through at night, the structure looks incredibly impressive and almost resembles a rocket about to take off. If you are interested in architecture, these building really are truly magnificent sights for you to enjoy.

This article was produced for architecture fans on behalf of Hotel Club: where you can find beautifully designed 5 star hotels in Singapore.