Natural stone retaining walls - Beautiful and practical

Retaining walls are sometimes a necessity, and sometimes optionally used on sloped lands to provide more useable flat space. Whatever your need and reasons are, consider using stacked natural rocks and stones. They offer significant benefits like:

• Ease of maintenance: Natural rock/stone retaining walls don't need painting, discoloration/moss growth/aging does not hurt the look, it actually enhances it
• Longer life: while subtle movements of the soil may crack or damage more rigid and concrete walls, stacked rocks can shift and work with the soil without needing difficult and pricey repairs, and if necessary any or all of the rocks can be restacked or adjusted without having to redo the entire wall
• Better drainage: Natural rock/stone retaining walls are more permeable and therefore less susceptible to issues that may arise due to poorly engineered or crafted drainage systems of less permeable solutions like concrete or mortared stones/bricks.
• Natural and Beautiful appearance: time spent in nature has proven benefits to people and more natural-looking spaces soothe our souls and create more easy-going, chill, and relaxing places. You can also easily add seasonal flowers, ground covers, hanging plants etc. between the rocks to soften the look add even more rustic appeal.
• Eco-friendly: Rocks are natural materials and don't need to be produced at a factory. And since there is no mortar or concrete involved, if you ever decide to get rid of your retaining wall you will just end up with clean soil and rocks that are ready to be reused in another project or even safely returned to nature, instead of construction waste and rubble.

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^Photo by Sinan Yucel

^image source

^image source

^image source

Natural retaining walls rock! :)

Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V4

4th installment of pictures of front doors with lots of character, taken all in Eifel, Germany. As the title says, a few of them are from historic sites, such as churches, but most of them are currently being used as residential front doors.

All pics by Sinan Yucel @siyu_adam.

For more pictures of charming European front doors see:

Doors - Historic and current European front doors
Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V2

Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V3

Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V3

3rd installment of pictures of front doors with lots of character, this time taken all in Germany. As the title says, a few of them are from historic sites, such as churches, but most of them are currently being used as residential front doors.

All pics by Sinan Yucel @siyu_adam.

For more pictures of charming European front doors see:

Doors - Historic and current European front doors
Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V2

Doors - Historic and current European front doors - V4

Authentic Log Furniture; Efficient, Resourceful, and Beautiful

Nowadays, log furniture are usually overpriced, exaggerated (built with unnecessarily large logs, like a caricature of what log furniture is,) and often found in rich people's "thematic" cabins. But honest and authentic log furniture represent ingenuity, using branches that are too small to be milled or used otherwise, and used to be made by readily available branches without having to cut down trees. Log furniture also bring the warmth and the beauty of the outdoors to homes, often becoming treasured pieces. With their organic and minimally-processed appearance, they also age well and are comfortable to live with, making our homes more cozy and easy-going.

 Image sources: image 1, image 2, image 3

Real, small, beautiful, cozy kitchens

You don't need just the right counter-tops, expensive faucets, state-of-the-art appliances or anything fancy to have a beautiful, cozy, practical kitchen. A touch of a color that you like, or a picture or a plant that you enjoy will go far. Don't rip out perfectly good things to "update the look," that's a wasteful and a never-ending game. Appreciating and making the most of what you have, that's the ticket to peace of mind and happiness. Loving touches, and appreciation leads to beauty, not a bigger budget. 

Image sources:  image 1, image 2, image 3, image 4, image 5, image 6

 

Casual and chill living rooms

Creating cozy and comfortable living spaces go hand-in-hand with unpretentious, well-loved pieces of furniture, and low-maintenance natural materials that age well. 

Image sources: image 1, image 2, image 3, and image 4

Bohemian & colorful kitchens

^ Image source

^ Image source

^ Image source

If you're thinking about renovating your kitchen, or other spaces for that matter, consider adding some color, and giving your space more character, instead of going for a generic, flavor-of-the-day look that most everyone else is going for at that time. Let your place have a timeless character and soul, and ideally your touch. Mark your territory.

That approach usually leads to a style generally referred to as boho-chic, or bohemian, or gypsy style... What these styles have in common is a relaxed, easy-going vibe, and an original aesthetic unrestrained by formulaic/textbook styles.