Hasta La Ideas

One of the most famous houses by Italian architect Gio Ponti is set to be demolished, as the owner plans to replace it with a 20-storey hotel.

Built in the north of Iranian capital Tehran in the 1960s, Villa Namazee forms part of an influential trio of properties by Ponti, along with Villa Planchart and Villa Arreaza, both in Caracas, Venezuela.

The villa was previously protected by a heritage listing.

But a court has now granted the owner permission to delist the mid-century property, paving for the way for it to be demolished and replaced with the high-rise five-star hotel.

“The building has been legally taken off the list,” said Mohammad-Hassan Talebian, deputy head of Iran’s cultural heritage, handcrafts and tourism organisation, according to the Guardian.

“So the only way to save it is for the municipality to bring it under public ownership or exchange it for other properties.”

The country’s architects have launched a campaign to try and save the house.

But many see it as evidence of Iran’s disregard for its modern heritage – even through the country is currently experiencing a boom in the demand for contemporary architecture.

“This is a building designed by such an important architect,” said Leila Araghian, the architect of Tehran’s new Tabiat Bridge – a project that has won critical acclaim around the world.

“If it was anywhere else, it would have been protected,” she told the Guardian.

Gio Ponti died in 1979. His other famous architecture projects include the Pirelli Tower in Milan and the Denver Art Museum in Colorado. He also founded Domus magazine, and produced several iconic furniture and lighting designs.

All images courtesy of Hamed Khosravi/Tehran Project.

The post Mid-century Iran villa by Gio Ponti faces demolition to make way for luxury hotel appeared first on Dezeen.

This week’s Pinterest roundup features 10 homes from Dezeen’s Pinterest boards that demonstrate how colour blocking can be used to add personality to residential interiors.

House For Agnes, UK, by Tigg Coll Architects

Exposed I-beams in this London house in London were painted bright red by designer Tigg Coll Architects. They introduce a playful character into the property’s otherwise traditional interior.

Find out more about House for Agnes ›

Kennington House, UK, by R2 Studio

Blue, green and yellow all feature in the kitchen of this renovated 19th century house in London. The previously dark and narrow property also features a stairwell that graduates from red up to orange.

Find out more about Kennington House ›

Apartment AB, Austria, by Kombinat

Slovenian studio Kombinat added coloured tiles to the walls of this Vienna apartment to highlight storage areas. The kitchen wall features pastel green tiles behind shelving units, while blue and pink tiles line a hallway where the owners store their bikes.

Find out more about Apartment AB ›

Chipinque Monterrey, Mexico, by Studio Jakob Gomez

A bold yellow storage area acts as the transition area between the living room and bedrooms of this 1970s apartment in Mexico. Architect Jakob Gomez chose the bright colour to make the space stand out.

Find out more about Chipinque Monterrey ›

Fin House for Roksanda Ilincic, UK, by RA Projects

RA Projects introduced a bright blue steel staircase to contrast with the minimal interior of this London house. It was designed for fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic and her husband Philip Bueno de Mesquita – although the pair later decided to sell.

Find out more about Fin House ›

Apartment Filippo, UK, by Studio Alexander Fehre

A fixed table and benches form the dining space in this London apartment by Studio Alexander Fehre. The seating is finished in bright crimson, creating a vivid contrast with the monochrome wallpaper.

Find out more about Apartment Filippo ›

Piso Pereiv44, Spain, by Miel Arquitectos

Miel Arquitectos added various bold pops of colour to this bright apartment designed for visitors to Barcelona. The focal point of the space is a continuous wall interrupted by fluorescent green storage spaces.

Find out more about Piso Pereiv44 ›

Basanaviciaus, Lithuania, by AKTA

The kitchen, dining and living room of this apartment in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius features colourful furniture, which are offset by black-metal details. Elements include green kitchen cabinets, a velvet blue sofa and a textured red chair.

Find out more about Basanaviciaus ›

Tin House, UK, by Henning Stummel

Skylights illuminate the warm-hued rooms of Henning Stummel’s self-designed London home. Rich orange cabinetry and walls feature throughout, chosen to complement the natural hue of the home’s russet steel cladding.

Find out more about Tin House ›

Canari House, Canada, by Naturehumaine

Canadian studio Naturehumaine transformed a 1930s building to create this contemporary home, and used colour-blocking to articulate circulation. The focal point of the interior is a stark black and yellow staircase with geometric cut-outs.

Find out more about Canari House ›

Follow Dezeen on Pinterest ›

The post 10 homes that feature colour blocking from Dezeen’s Pinterest boards appeared first on Dezeen.

Order a copy today of ​Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter​ by Unclutterer’s Editor-in-Chief Erin Rooney Doland.

This wraps up the 10th anniversary of the Holiday Gift Guide here on Unclutterer. I hope this series of posts inspired you to give uncluttered, organized, and/or useful gifts this year. To recap:

• Organizing gifts for kids
• Convenient tech
• Experience gifts
• Long-lasting kitchen gifts
• Gifts for clutter-prone rooms
• Tech for the person who has everything
• Black Friday
• Buying a laptop for school

And speaking of “wrapping up” here is an interesting video on using furoshiki, a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that can be used for wrapping gifts. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, consider uncluttering a closet and converting a favourite shirt, dress or blanket into re-usable gift bags.

Feel welcome to explore our previous Gift Giving Guides for even more ideas: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Post written by Jacki Hollywood Brown

Order a copy today of ​Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter​ by Unclutterer’s Editor-in-Chief Erin Rooney Doland.

About a year ago I joined my local Nextdoor community. For those who aren’t aware of Nextdoor, it’s a “private social network for your neighborhood.” Nextdoor is currently available in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

As a locally focused network, Nextdoor won’t have messages about national politics. The following are the kinds of messages I usually see:

• Lost and found pets: dogs, cats, and chickens
• Other lost and found items, including keys, phones, and jewelry
• Items for sale (or items being given away for free)
• Items people are looking for (usually free or inexpensive)
• Requests for a good painter, plumber, handyperson, house cleaner, etc.
• Notices about local events
• Notices about local road closures

As with any such network, taking time to use it effectively will pay off. If you’re using Nextdoor (or considering such use in the future), please keep the following suggestions in mind.

Choose your notification options carefully

Nextdoor lets you choose to get emails about every post from your neighborhood (and top posts from nearby neighborhoods), no emails at all, or something in between. You can also choose to get a daily digest, and the contents of that digest can be customized a bit. You can also select which “nearby neighborhoods” you want to see messages from, whether that’s via email or on the Nextdoor website or mobile app.

You can also choose to get mobile alerts about urgent items: missing children, natural disasters, etc.

You may not be sure which messages you want to get at first, so just make your best guess and then adjust as necessary after you’ve been in the network for a while.

Use good subject lines

Just as with email, you will make everyone’s life a bit easier if the subject line makes it obvious what your message is about. I get a lot of Nextdoor emails every day, and I want to be able to quickly scan to see which ones may be of interest.

I saw a message this week with the subject line “Hi all” — which wound up being someone who was looking for a vacuum cleaner. A subject line saying “Wanted: vacuum cleaner” or “Need a vacuum cleaner” would have been a whole lot better.

Similarly, a lost and found message entitled “Lost bracelet at or around Farmers Market” is much better than one that just says “bracelet.”

Include good photos when relevant

Just as you would with Craigslist, be sure to include good photos if you’re offering something for sale (or even for free). Even if it’s something where the looks don’t matter (such as tickets to an event) or something pretty standard (like a Kindle), a photo can help because the message will look better in the online listings.

This is one area where I want to commend my neighbors, who have generally done a good job of this. One person even included a picture of the “free clean dirt” being offered — which got taken pretty quickly!

Also consider photos when posting about lost or found items or pets.

I haven’t yet used Nextdoor to give things away, since my local freecycle group usually works fine for that. But I have some china to get rid of, and I just might try selling it on Nextdoor.

Post written by Jeri Dansky

Order a copy today of ​Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter​ by Unclutterer’s Editor-in-Chief Erin Rooney Doland.

Holiday organizing sometimes means calling in a professional.

The winter holidays represent a busy time for many people. In addition to the day-to-day tasks of running a household, you may take on:

• Traveling
• Hosting visitors
• Planning/hosting a party
• Decorating the house
• Shopping
• Cooking

…and so on. Add to that the general cleaning, laundry, maintenance, homework, etc. of a typical month and it’s very easy to get stretched way too thin. When that happens you might consider hiring a professional organizer. This extra set of hands can be a real life-saver, if you approach it carefully. Here are a few tips for finding, hiring and getting the most out of a professional organizer around the holidays.

Find the right organizer for you

Hiring the right organizer for you isn’t as easy as firing up Google and contacting the top result. There’s a lot to consider, starting with trust. This is a person who will be working in your home, and potentially be working with stuff you don’t often share with strangers. The truth is just about anyone can call themselves a “professional organizer.” There are, however, a few steps you can take to find a trustworthy, qualified professional.

Your best option is to start with an industry association such as the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). There are NAPO members all over the world however, many countries have their own associations. See the International Federation of Professional Organizing Associations (IFPOA) for an association in your country.

Most associations require their members to have a certain amount of training and carry insurance before they can be listed on the association website. Additionally, members must adhere to a strict Code of Ethics.

It is also a good idea to ask around. Perhaps a friend, relative or coworker has used an organizer successfully. Create a list of two or three likely candidates and then schedule interviews.

Spend twenty or thirty minutes to spend talking with each candidate. Many will offer this type of consultation for free. During this chat, you can get to know his or her personality, experience, credentials, history and organizational philosophy. Get even more specific by asking about:

• How long have they been in business?
• What type of organizing do they specialize in?
• What do they charge and is there a written contract?
• Do they prefer to work alone or with others?
• Can they provide references?

Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) has a great list of Frequently Asked Questions about hiring an organizer that may be helpful.

Once you’re satisfied with that I think of as the “technical” aspect, move on to the tricker questions, like:

• How do they deal with clients who have a strong sentimental attachment to items?
• Can they remove items marked for donation?
• Will they purchase organizing items like baskets and bins or is that my responsibility?

A consultation can help you get the kick-start you need, find the right person and most importantly, identify the person you’re going to get along with.

How much will an organizer cost?

Rates for a professional organizer can range from about $50 to $100 an hour, and most have a 2–3 hour minimum requirement. You’ll want to know if he or she charges by the hour or by the project. Rates may vary between geographical areas and travel charges may apply depending on your location. While it’s possible to find that person who will work for $20 per hour, that “bargain” might not deliver the results you’re looking for.

Other considerations

This one might sound silly, but ask if they have advertising on their car. Perhaps you don’t want the neighbors to know you’ve brought someone in. Most organizers have confidentiality agreements to protect your privacy. If the organizer doesn’t mention this, raise the subject with him/her.

Also, know just what type of work you’re looking for. In this instance, you might want help with prepping for a party or organizing holiday decorations. Therefore, someone who specializes in bathrooms or kitchens might not be your best choice.

Pro organizer or personal assistant?

Perhaps you want to go in the other direction entirely. That is to say, hire someone to take care of the little errands while you stay home and organize the party, put the decorations away neatly and efficiently, etc. In this case, a personal assistant may be what you need. Websites like Care.com can help you find one.

In any case, best of luck with getting it all done. Hiring an organizer or assistant can be a great way to reach your goal and enjoy a more stress-free holiday. Let us know how it goes.

Post written by David Caolo