Winteriors: Design Ideas for the Winter

Time flies really fast. Before you know it, summer’s over and in comes the fall. Then winter sets in. It’s pretty easy to design the inside of a house. It’s another thing however, to come up with designs for the different seasons. Let’s skip forward a few months and see what kind of winter design ideas are good for a house.

Image source: freshome.com

Palette
Spring colors are mostly pastel – green and blue. Summer is also blue to cool down the scene. Fall would be yellow and red to match the leaves. Winter though, is predominantly white with a bit of gray. These colors blend well with the exterior of a house in a snowy region. But some houses though opt for red or yellow to give it a “cozier” feel.
Rugs
It’s always a good idea to roll out the plush rugs during the winter since wood and tile floorings can be too cold to the touch. Not only does a beautiful rug provide an aesthetic advantage, it also has practical uses, warming up residents.
Fire
Romantic candlelight fire in lamps can change the mood of a winter home if you don’t have a (or make use of your) fireplace. As long as every safety precaution is observed, fire serves both an aesthetic as well as practical design.

Image source: foxlodges.com

Hi, I’m Scott Jay Abraham, and I love my dog Shadow as much as I love interior design. Visit my blog for more on the stuff I love.

Quick guide to buying Golden State Warriors memorabilia

There are several types of Golden State Warriors memorabilia that fans can collect as a way to profess their love for their favorite NBA team. They can be classified into three – new items, autographed items, and game-used items, with the latter two deemed most valuable given their unique characteristics. They are most likely to increase their value over time, too. 

Image source: NBA Store

New items 

Fans can purchase a wide range of Warriors gear, including apparel, car décor, home items, and tailgating items. Show off your team spirit by dressing in Warriors jersey, jacket, and other outfits, or don that baseball-style cap or knit winter hat. Decorate your home or car with flags, bedding, bumper stickers, or decorative floor mats for when you want to beam with GSW team pride.  

Autographed items 

Athletes’ signatures, ever in demand, can be obtained at personal appearances, post-games, open practices, and even chance encounters. Some enterprising individuals have even built a business out of obtaining these signatures and selling them to fans and collectors. Beware, though, of forged signatures and reproductions passed off as the real thing. Autographed items include player trading cards, apparel such as jerseys and hats, and paper items such as programs, ticket stubs, or player photographs. 

Game-used items 

Even without signatures, these objects used in games are considered to hold the highest value of sports memorabilia. It’s typical for die-hard fans to spend quite a fortune on jerseys, game balls, nets, and even court logos, especially if they’re from defining games such as championships or if from big-shot players such as Stephen Curry. 

eBay (under Collectibles & Art), as well as many sports memorabilia websites, offers these collectibles for GSW fans to collect, display at homes and cars, and enjoy for a long time. 

Image source: FanaticsAuthentic.com 

Scott Jay Abraham is an industrial interior designer who has a strong fondness toward basketball and cheers for the Golden State Warriors. Follow him on Twitter for related updates.

NBA Super Teams From the ‘80s Onwards

With the Warriors and Cavs dominating the NBA season, the discussion on the age of NBA super teams has begun. However, what many people fail to realize is that super teams have been around the league for the longest time. Let’s take a closer look at the super teams of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Image source: nba.nbcsports.com

Los Angeles Lakers
Led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers of the ‘80s were called Showtime and for a good reason. They not only dominated most of the league, but they also did it in such a fun fashion that watching them became an event itself.

Boston Celtics
The only team that could beat the Showtime Lakers was the other super team of the era, the Boston Celtics. With tough, gritty, basketball genius Larry Bird and the front line of Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, the Celtics of the ‘80s were intimidating and unstoppable.

Chicago Bulls
Arguably the greatest super team in NBA history, the 95-96 Chicago Bulls had it all. They had the greatest player of all time, who was also the highest scorer. They had three of the best defenders and the best sixth man. They had the coach of the year. They also had a 72-win season, and most importantly, the championship.

Image source: hdnux.com

Houston Rockets
Moving on to the ‘90s, when Michael Jordan retired, it left a hole for the greats to win a ring. Unfortunately, the Houston Rockets did so – without a super team. Their super team came a year after Jordan returned to dominance, and the Rockets got a hold of Charles Barkley. Their big three? Hakeem Olajuwon, Barkley, and Clyde Drexler.

Scott Jay Abraham is an interior designer who is also a certified NBA fan. For more on Scott, follow him on Facebook.

Paint Color Mistakes You Should Avoid

Image source : hearstapps.com

Choosing a paint color for your home is a task we often leave to professionals. While this is a safe way to go, choosing your own color gives you a better feeling about your home, knowing you have a big part of its design. But choosing a paint color isn’t as simple as choosing color for your furniture.

Here are paint color mistakes you should avoid:

Picking colors that exactly match your favorite object

If you want your favorite piece to stand out in a room, choose colors that are similar but a shade softer. So, instead of choosing the exact green for your pillow, choose a lighter and more subtle shade, so your pillow will pop up.

Choosing very bright colors

Colors that are too bright and strong are not very good for interior wall color. These walls should invite a relaxing feeling when you enter a room, and bright colors convey the opposite. Choose colors that will easily blend with your environment, and complement what you love.

Image source : laurelberninteriors.com

Overwhelming the eye

Not giving your eye places to rest will make you feel exhausted, rather than relaxed. As much as wall-to-wall boldness is good, even the most colorful spaces need spots for the eye to rest. Make sure to include empty, or neutral spaces in your room that will balance out all the color.

Hey there, Scott Jay Abraham here. I’m an interior design expert in home and office design. I’m also a travel aficionado. If you’re looking for advice on designing, follow me on Twitter.

The Health Benefits Of Walking Your Dog

We all know the many benefits our dogs get when we walk them. But dog owners enjoy numerous health benefits from this activity as well. Nature has provided us not only man’s best friend but also the perfect personal trainers. They are hardworking, loyal, and enthusiastic. Their energy is contagious that they provide good motivation to maintain a program.

Image source: itsaheartfulllife.com

Here are some of the benefits of owning and walking your dog regularly:

• Breast cancer risk reduced by 75 percent and heart disease by 49 percent from regular walking exercise.
• Good social support plus people who walk their dogs are perceived as friendly and approachable.
• Dog owners who reportedly walk their dogs are 25 percent less likely to gain obesity than people without dogs.
• Studies show that 70 percent of adult dog owners achieved 150 minutes of exercise per week compared to only 40 percent among non-owners.

If having a hard time following through on your New Year’s resolution to exercise daily, maybe having a dog is the answer. Go get yourself a dog, grab a leash, and go for a walk.

Image source: Stonebridge.uk.com

Hi, I’m Scott Jay Abraham, and I love my dog Shadow. I like to go to odd places that are ruggedly handsome in my free time to take pictures. I usually take Shadow with me. Visit my blog for more updates like this.

A Californian Treasure: The Forestiere Underground Gardens

One of the “hidden” treasures of California is the Forestiere Underground Gardens. I say hidden because while to some the landmark is already well-known, those who have no idea about it will be surprised to see a row of chartered buses along a nondescript stretch of road in Fresno, California for no apparent reason.

Image source: pashtunforums.com

The beauty lies underneath.

The subterranean garden is a manmade creation, built by Sicilian immigrant Baldasare Forestiere over a period of four decades starting from 1906. He bought a parcel of land wherein he initially wanted to grow trees and vines, only to be disappointed to discover that his lot was a solid plate of hardpan rock.

Taking inspiration from the Roman catacombs he was infatuated with during his younger years, he spent countless hours digging through the slabs of rocks to create an underground home.

Image source: undergroundgardens.com

Before his death in 1946, he was able to carve an unfinished underground network of complex arches and pathways that led to different niches, such as bedrooms for the summer and winter, bathrooms, a functional kitchen, courtyards, and patios. He made all of these with hand tools worth just $300. And contrary to what the name implies, the underground gardens are full of light due to skylights and grottos.

If you are planning to visit this roadside attraction, it is situated on Shaw Avenue, which runs east from Highway 99, and just an hour away from the Yosemite National Park.

My name is Scott Jay Abraham, a home and office interior designer from California. I am a travel aficionado, with an affinity for going to odd roadside attractions. Visit this LinkedIn profile to know more about me.

A beginner’s guide to ‘glamping’

Who said spending the night outdoors had to be grimy and dark? For those who want to experience nature but are afraid to get dirty, why not try glamping?

Glamping is a word play between glamour and camping. It is a form of camping that features accommodation and activities that are luxurious as compared to traditional camping. It’s a different experience, as glampers become one without going back to basics. Glampers do not need to cramp themselves on a small sleeping bag, but they experience luxury outdoors.

Image source: goglamping.net

Where do people stay when they go glamping? Instead of setting up a tent themselves, they can settle for other accommodation options like a geodesic dome, an airstream caravan, or a tree house.

Glampsites are usually free-standing, or can be assembled and moved easily unlike a traditional accommodation. It may be situated outdoors, but it must come with comfort. Glampsites often have luxurious beds, bathrooms, and electricity. Different glampsites have different rates, depending on the features of the accommodation.

Image source: ashevilleglamping.com

Glampers, even if they enjoy luxury, can still do outdoor activities like hiking, white water rafting, and canoeing. There are many wonderful glamping sites in the United States, as well as in Europe and Africa. Glamping is for everyone who want to experience the glorious outdoors.

Hi there, I’m Scott Jay Abraham, an avid backpacker and nature-lover. Learn more about glamping and other outdoor activities when you visit this Twitter page.