January 2020

Among the biggest e-commerce trends to hit the market in recent years are direct-to-consumer brands. If you’re not familiar with the term, a direct-to-consumer brand is just a fancy way of saying that the brand sells items without using a retailer, like a department store or boutique, as a middleman.

The advantage of this sales model for consumers like us is that it means products are typically cheaper without sacrificing quality. Retailers often mark up the items they sell to make a better profit, but because direct-to-consumer brands don’t use retailers, you can avoid those mark-ups and receive a better deal.

All of that being said, there are now quite a few awesome direct-to-consumer home brands that you can take advantage of to elevate your

Source: modernismweek.com

Anyone who loves the clean lines, classic silhouettes, and elegant simplicity of mid-century modern architecture and design will love what Modernism Week 2020 has in store. The annual festival attracts thousands of people to Palm Springs to celebrate what makes this timeless design style so iconic. 

With a mission to encourage modernist education, preservation, and sustainability, Modernism Week hosts more than 350 events, including home tours, lectures, exhibitions, and parties. We received a taste of what this year’s festival has to offer during the Fall Preview, but it’s shaping up to be even bigger than we anticipated. 

Some of the highlights this year include a keynote presentation by internationally acclaimed

Source: latimes.com 

Born in 1895, Wallace Neff was a California architect who many attribute to developing the quintessential Southern California architectural style the state is known for. Neff studied architecture under Ralph Adams Cram in Massachusetts before returning to his birthplace of California to to work as a shipyard draftsman. 

After spending several years working as a draftsman, Neff began his career as an architect, designing structures that were heavily influenced by Spanish and Mediterranean architectural styles. One of Neff's earliest designs was his own church, the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church, built in 1926 in Altadena. 

The church featured a Spanish Medieval design, complete with a bell tower modeled after a

Source: hammerandhand.com

It’s officially 2020, but we’re still swooning over all the inspiring home trends that came out of 2019 and are projected to continue into this year. Interior trends include a rise in feng shui-inspired decor as more people seek to infuse their homes with feel-good vibes. Homeowners are also increasingly adding thrifted and global decor in addition to indoor-outdoor living spaces to their homes.  

While we love following the popular ways that people are outfitting their interiors, it’s the architectural trends that get us most excited, so we did a little digging to find out last year’s most coveted architectural styles and we can’t say we’re surprised by the results.

Based on independent research and analysis of Google

Source: kcet.org

Bounded by Atlantic Avenue and Cherry Avenue in the west and east and Wardlow Road and Bixby Road in the south and north, California Heights is the largest historic district in Long Beach. The neighborhood was initially developed in the 1920s when an oil discovery near Signal Hill drew an influx of people to the area. 

Formerly part of Bixby Ranch (now known as Rancho Los Cerritos), Jotham Bixby Co. added 830 lots to the land shortly after the neighborhood was formally established in 1922. The company marketed the properties to include oil rights and, within four hours, 185 of the lots were sold, with the rest of them sold shortly thereafter. In 1927, the burgeoning neighborhood petitioned the city of Long Beach for paved roads,

Source: tallerescape.com

Prefabricated homes have long added affordability and convenience to the architectural landscape of the U.S., allowing residents to live virtually anywhere for a fraction of the price of a traditional house. In addition to being convenient and affordable, prefab homes also have the potential to be among the most environmentally-friendly on the market--just ask Mexico City-based firm STUDIOROCA. 

STUDIOROCA is taking prefab homes to new, more sustainable heights with its prefabricated housing system dubbed VMD (Vivienda Minima de Descanso). Developed by architects Rodrigo Alegre and Carlos Acosta, VMD homes are designed to have a small ecological footprint and far more customization options than typical prefab homes.  

Source: chinesenewyear.net

January 1st isn’t the only mark of a new year worth celebrating. For thousands of years, people in China and beyond have celebrated the Chinese/Lunar New Year beginning on the day of the new moon between January 21st and February 20th. 

Legend has it that Lunar New Year festivities began when a mythical beast dubbed Nian would terrorize communities, eating all of the livestock, crops, and even people who crossed its path. According to mythology, an old man named Yanhuang discovered that Nian feared loud noises and the color red, which inspired villagers to hang red lanterns and scrolls around their homes and light crackling bamboo to scare Nian away. Apparently, their efforts worked, resulting in the longstanding tradition

Source: mcmdaily.com

Born in Pasadena in 1911, Whitney R. Smith was a pioneer in postwar modernist architecture. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1934 but because it was difficult to find architectural work during the Depression, Smith took a position as a movie set designer shortly after graduation. 

After a few years of movie set design, Smith finally began working with several different architects, including Harwell Hamilton Harris, a modernist whom Smith said had a heavy influence on his work. In 1941, Smith opened his own architectural firm before meeting his soon-to-be partner, architect Wayne R. Williams, in 1946. The two formed an official working partnership shortly thereafter,

Featured: @meetlockly

We always make sure to follow the innovative products and technological advances that come out of CES, and this year’s event definitely didn’t disappoint. CES 2020 showcased a ton of inventive products and designs intended to make our lives happier, healthier, and easier, especially when it comes to home technology.

From temperature-controlled weighted blankets to AI home robots that help you complete household tasks, these are our favorite home tech products to come out of CES 2020. 

chiliBLANKET, $299

There’s nothing quite like the calming embrace of a weighted blanket, but many agree that their one major downfall is just how hot they can be. Enter: chiliBLANKET, the world’s first hydro-powered,

Source: hgtv.com

With their timeless charm and abundant value, both literal and figurative, there’s a lot to love about owning a historic home. However, a major drawback of living in an old house is that, at some point, it invariably needs some work to remain functional. There are several approaches you can take to ensuring your historic home stays in strong working order, topmost among them being rehabilitation and restoration. 

While the terms “rehabilitation" and “restoration" may seem nearly interchangeable, they actually mean two very different things. When it comes to architecture, rehabilitation is the process of returning a structure to a useful state through contemporary repairs and modifications, while restoration works to retain the