It seems that our domestic social lives have been making the headlines over the last few weeks with the impact of smart phones, tablets and mobile devices at the root of these changes – both good and bad, depending on your view point. Recent research by the National Literacy Trust shows having set mealtimes with the whole family will boost a child’s …
Eco Kitchen Interiors set to become smart intelligent spaces
With kitchens being the one space in the home that uses the most resources on a daily basis, were seeing that eco kitchens are also set to become smart kitchens – learning and adapting user behaviour – minimising resource input to maximise output -might even bring a smile to the eco side of Grodon Ramsay ! But what are the …
The Fixer movement- hacking to save the planet! Eco Culture develops ….
As a younger version of myself – i spent my childhood taking things apart, modifying, fixing and “improving” them – many things it turns out weren’t actually broken – at least not before i started on them. In my twenties I travelled a lot and was always amazed by the ingenuity i saw in Asia – open up the hood …
May 2013 be the start of a more Sustainable future. . .
May 2013 be the Start …… to living sustainably. Start is an initiative inspired by the Prince of Wales in 2009 – at which point he explained why it is so important that the people of the world adapt their behaviour in order to ease the effects of climate change. Until this point, much of the information we were being …
Smart Floors – creating eco homes one step at a time !
The next stop in our tour of the future of smart homes is taking a look at “smart floors”. Our floors can be so much more than a surface we just step over. What are the added benefits that we see our industry bringing the future of flooring in our homes? Did you know that in a typical home, 15% …
Sustainable homes need smart water thinking – World Water Day 2013
Friday 22nd March sees the annual return of World Water Day. It acts as a means to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Each year there is a theme for the day and this year it is ‘Water Cooperation’. World water day was created in 1992 by the United …
Bathrooms of the future – saving us water and giving us so much more
Im always on the lookout for surveys and stats that tell us a little more about how we want to live, rather than the way we currently do- they can be a fascinating insight for any designer particularly those interested in the Future Home. Well this week its bathrooms. A recent survey of 1500 home owners by bathroom manufacturer Ideal …
Future kitchen concepts – cooking up a storm in home design
As technology plays an increasingly larger role in our everyday lives we thought we’d take a look at some of the weird and wonderful gadgets which are being designed for the kitchens of the future. The kitchen is fast becoming the centre of the home, being used for much more than just cooking. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place …
Eco Homes future trends – predictions for 2013
With 2012 over and 2013 about to kick off, our thoughts here are turning to what’s going to be happening in the year ahead. So here are our Eco homes future predictions for 2013. The Green Deal – green shoots The Green Deal scheme becomes available to customers as of the 28th January 2013. But do you know what it …
Is it really all just going down the pan? Sustainable Water Saving Toilets
Water is one of those resources that i’m really passionate about, and it seems that its rising up the agenda – be it floods, drought massive rainfalls and tidal surges. its getting more and more difficult to escape its impact and I would hope our complacency in the way we use it. None more pressing is just how much we …