Playhouse by Aboday

Home staging involves preparing a property for sale by cleaning, decluttering, repairing, depersonalizing, and updating it to appeal to potential buyers and enable them to envision themselves living in the space. Real estate professionals and homeowners have various staging options, including self-staging, engaging professional stagers, or utilizing virtual staging. A significant majority of real estate agents indicate that staging facilitates buyers' ability to imagine themselves in the home, often leading to quicker sales. Staging is the process of furnishing and decorating a home with appealing items. It serves as a crucial element in helping buyers connect with a property on an emotional level. While a complete decorative overhaul is not always necessary, stagers commonly advise removing personal items, using neutral color palettes, decluttering spaces, and incorporating storage solutions to highlight the home's potential. Certain areas, such as bedrooms, living rooms, and versatile bonus spaces like home offices, tend to have a greater impact on buyers. Focusing limited time and resources on these key areas can maximize returns for sellers. Virtual staging has gained considerable traction, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to traditional staging, it uses digital furniture and decor to enhance a space. This method is particularly useful for designers exploring different decor styles or for vacant properties that would require extensive physical furnishing. It also offers a solution for occupied homes, allowing for digital transformation without disrupting the current residents. Virtual staging provides a cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to physical staging, enabling real estate professionals to create diverse listing photos for various buyer preferences. However, it has limitations; while virtually staged photos can attract buyers for showings, the absence of physical staging upon arrival can make it challenging for buyers to truly visualize the space. Recent trends in home staging show a shift from minimalist, contemporary designs with neutral palettes to incorporating dramatic colors, unique art, textured furniture, and eclectic decor. Expanding kitchen islands are now often presented as central dining areas, and outdoor spaces are being highlighted as popular entertainment zones with features like fire pits. The cost of staging typically ranges from $800 to $1,000 for the service fee, with additional staging fees of $400 to $700 per room monthly, and furniture rental costing $500 to $600 per room monthly. For a two to three-month period, staging can cost approximately 1% of the home's list price. Despite the upfront investment, many sellers and agents find staging to be beneficial, often leading to quicker sales and higher offers. Homeowners are encouraged to focus on practical improvements rather than extensive renovations. Simplifying layouts, incorporating decorative accessories, and decluttering can significantly enhance a home's appeal. For instance, an agent reported that decluttering a home and staging it led to an increase in listing price and multiple offers. Key improvements for living rooms include maximizing natural light, using neutral wall colors, opening up spaces, streamlining decor, replacing old carpets with modern flooring, demonstrating room versatility, and adding storage. In bedrooms, avoiding cluttered closets, ensuring adequate lighting and artwork, and removing pet items are crucial. For kitchens, maintaining clear countertops, focusing on lighting, removing personal items from the fridge, clearly defining the dining area, keeping floors bare, and ensuring a deep clean are essential for attracting buyers. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) provides resources, including reports and guides, that offer insights into home staging practices, trends, and their impact on real estate transactions. #HomeStaging #RealEstate #PropertyMarketing #VirtualStaging #HomeDecor #SellingTips #BuyerExperience #RealEstateTrends

Maria Dueñas Jacobs, former accessories director at Elle magazine and founder of the children's jewelry line Super Smalls, has designed her New York West Village apartment to be both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional for her family, which includes her husband, Jordan, and their three daughters, Luna, Isa, and Silvi. Recognizing the challenges of maintaining a pristine home with young children, Jacobs adopted a philosophy of "strategic mess," focusing on durability and flexibility in her design choices. The apartment's layout, conceived with architects Marc Turkel of Leroy Street Studio and designer Jerry Cappiello, features a versatile four-bedroom plan that can adapt as her children grow from toddlers to teenagers. The home maintains a streamlined and intentional aesthetic, characterized by a neutral color palette accented with lavender and dusty blush tones. Key pieces of furniture, such as an ash- and burl-wood credenza, a navy leather-front bureau, and a Theo Ruth shearling club chair, provide grounding elements. Despite its sophisticated appearance, the apartment integrates numerous child-friendly features. The open-plan living, kitchen, and dining areas facilitate easy supervision, while an expandable dining table is paired with a built-in banquette upholstered in stain-resistant outdoor fabric. A custom ottoman with curved edges and scratch-resistant mohair caters to both children and their pet cat, Frankie, ensuring the space is suitable for entertaining, daily life, and family activities. Jacobs's approach extends to whimsical and practical decor. She incorporated spill-hiding, colorful patterned rugs and a custom daybed with built-in storage. The girls' bedroom is designed as a perpetual slumber party, featuring a teepee, cloud-painted walls, and a unique Murano glass light fixture. The adjacent playroom emphasizes freedom and joy, with movable furniture like bookshelves, beanbag chairs, and an arts-and-crafts table to accommodate dance parties and scooter rides. Practical elements are subtly woven into these playful spaces; for instance, the bunk bed includes stairs with hidden storage drawers, and the loft area can be converted into a desk or game spot in the future. Adult spaces also reflect a balance of practicality and creativity. The guest room includes a custom pull-out trundle for visitors, while the living room showcases a custom Moroccan rug mashup of two different patterns that Jacobs combined. Her bedside tables are topped with rose quartz, chosen for both its durability and its perceived magical and healing properties. The living room bookshelf serves as a display for personal and collected items, such as a Buddha statue, family photos, and ceramic vessels. Art plays a significant role, with pieces ranging from a Warhol print and a Robert Motherwell print to abstract paintings by Jacobs’s artist mother, Rosaria Pugliese, and even her children’s drawings, all coexisting harmoniously. Investment pieces are strategically placed out of children's reach, such as a Kalmar chandelier and disc lights by Apparatus Studio, which Jacobs considers akin to art or jewelry that completes an outfit. This thoughtful integration of high-end design with kid-proof functionality creates a home that is both beautiful and resilient, allowing for both sophisticated adult living and energetic child's play. The overall design prioritizes a lived-in, adaptable style that accommodates the evolving needs of a growing family, embracing the joyful chaos that comes with children while maintaining an elegant aesthetic. #FamilyHomeDesign #KidFriendlyDecor #InteriorDesign #WestVillageApartment #FlexibleLiving #NeutralColorPalette #CustomFurniture #HomeTour

Spanish studio Playoffice has introduced an innovative and playful gym within a family home, addressing the desire for an engaging indoor activity space for children. This design integrates a climbing area into a three-floor void, transforming a conventional living space into an interactive playground. The objective was to move away from typical workout room aesthetics, creating a vibrant and stimulating environment. The design features a striking blue climbing wall that spans the full height of the void, inviting children to ascend. The interior employs a distinct concrete texture alongside the bold blue color scheme, which contributes to a relaxing and fun atmosphere. The home gym is not just about climbing; it incorporates a circuit of exercises designed to enhance the coordination, strength, and balance of all family members. This approach fosters the healthy growth and development of children by providing diverse physical activities within the comfort and safety of their home. The project reimagines the concept of a home gym, moving beyond adult-centric fitness equipment to create a space that caters specifically to children's need for play and physical activity. The emphasis is on a holistic development through active engagement, ensuring that exercise is perceived as an enjoyable and integral part of daily life rather than a chore. Playoffice's design highlights how architectural interventions can significantly impact family dynamics and child development by providing dedicated spaces for imaginative and physical play. The colorful and dynamic interior, coupled with the functional climbing wall, serves as a central point for family interaction and physical challenges, promoting a healthy and active lifestyle for the residents. #Playoffice #IndoorClimbingGym #HomeDesign #ChildrensPlayArea #FamilyHome #ArchitecturalInnovation #KidsActivity #PlayfulInteriors

The Living Room Theatre in North Bennington, Vermont, is currently presenting Nick Payne’s play "Constellations." The play explores the concept of a multiverse, where life exists in parallel existences with infinitely different futures. This premise is applied to the relationship between Roland, a beekeeper, and Marianne, a theoretical physicist. In a departure from traditional "two-hander" plays, director Kirk Jackson has expanded the cast to include three separate couples, each portraying Roland and Marianne in their own theoretical universe. These couples perform the same scenes, allowing for variations in how their story unfolds, highlighting the impact of different choices and circumstances on their relationship. The play delves into how a relationship might develop across these parallel worlds, with some outcomes converging and others diverging significantly. The three couples — Randolyn Zinn and Allen McCullough, Nia Ragini and Oliver Wadsworth, and Valeri Madek and Michael Broadhurst — bring their unique interpretations to the roles. Despite performing similar lines and scenarios, each couple imbues the characters with distinct tones, creating a multifaceted exploration of the central relationship. The execution of this concept is noted as original and theatrical, offering a revolutionary way to experience the narrative. Jackson's direction emphasizes the psychological complexities of the relationship, showcasing how the characters can be perceived differently depending on their circumstances within each theoretical world. The play runs for an hour and fifteen minutes and is designed to provoke thought about personal decisions and the nature of existence. The choreography, particularly a waltz developed by Randolyn Zinn, transforms the interactions among the three couples throughout the performance. The setting for the production is the swimming pool at the Park-McCullough Mansion, which adds a unique environmental element to the experience. The reviewer found the production to be engaging and impactful, praising the performances of all six actors. The play prompts audience members to consider the profound implications of their choices and the myriad possibilities of their own lives within the framework of a multiverse theory. The run for "Constellations" at the Park-McCullough Mansion in North Bennington, Vermont, concludes on August 6. #TheaterReview #ConstellationsPlay #LivingRoomTheatre #NickPayne #MultiverseConcept #KirkJackson #ParallelUniverses #PerformingArts #BenningtonVermont

The Arc House, a modern private residence located on three forested acres in East Hampton, New York, was completed in 2010. Designed by architect Maziar Behrooz, the 6,400 square foot home features a distinctive architectural approach that integrates glass, steel, stone, and wood with a unique partially subterranean design. Over half of the structure is buried, fulfilling the owners' desire for a minimalist aesthetic. The architectural inspiration for the Arc House stemmed from an F-16 fighter jet emerging from a hangar, echoing the simplicity and efficiency of a Quonset hut. The upper level of the house is characterized by a self-supporting corrugated steel arch, measuring 60 feet by 20 feet, which forms both the roof and side walls. This industrial approach was chosen to transcend the perceived limitations of the site, which is situated under a flight path to a local airport and near a train track. The architect aimed to create a column-less, self-supporting canopy for the public spaces, focusing on cost-effectiveness while maintaining an intimate yet spacious feel. The chosen radius of 39 feet for the arch results in a peak ceiling height of 16 feet, balancing comfort with a sense of grandeur from the uninterrupted ceiling curve. Green features are integral to the Arc House's design, including geothermal heating for energy efficiency and a rainwater collection system positioned at both ends of the arch. A vegetated roof on the four-car garage further enhances the home's sustainability, blending seamlessly into the landscape. This garage is sunken and is accessed via a green surface of drivable grass interspersed with Belgian block stones. The lower level of the house accommodates an office, a sitting room, and workout areas. This level opens to a courtyard, facilitating cool air circulation and providing a private outdoor space. By embedding the house into the landscape, the design transforms the flat site into one with varied horizons, leveraging natural cooling and passive design principles. The Arc House's construction utilizes SIP panels, high-thermal windows, and closed-cell foam insulation, contributing to significantly lower energy consumption compared to conventional homes of similar size. The design has garnered recognition, including the Best Metal Roofing award in the 2011 MCN Building and Roofing Awards and the AIA Peconic Honor Award in the Project Category in 2009, when it was known as “Hangar House.” The green roof, in particular, acts like an infinity pool, with its vegetation merging into the surrounding environment, creating a continuous visual effect. The green roof installation at the Arc House was a significant culminating project for students from the Bronx, participating in a four-year educational program by Green Living Technologies International (GLTi). This program, which utilized the Mobile Edible Wall Unit (MEWU) for indoor vertical farming, aimed to enhance student learning through hands-on experience with green infrastructure. Under the guidance of GLTi President George Irwin, students engaged in various activities, from blending and testing growing media to actual installations. The curriculum focused on integrating CORE subject matter with authentic applications, fostering skills in biology, earth science, business, measurement, and problem-solving. This approach not only prepares students for standardized testing but also introduces them to advanced green roof and wall technologies. The program has demonstrated positive outcomes, including high attendance rates, 100% passing rates for the NY School Regents Exam, and 100% graduation rates. The Arc House project in 2010 offered these students an opportunity to apply their learned skills, earn a living wage, and experience a professional project in a high-profile setting, embodying the apex of the GLTi education program. #ArcHouse #GreenArchitecture #SustainableDesign #GreenRoof #GeothermalHeating #RainwaterHarvesting #MaziarBehrooz #ModernResidential #GLTiEducation

Transforming a space into an engaging game room offers an opportunity to infuse a home with character and foster memorable moments among family and friends. A game room serves as a central hub for entertainment, merging functionality with aesthetic appeal. The design process allows for creative expression, encouraging the use of vibrant colors, distinctive artwork, and vintage items that contribute to a room's narrative. Even with limited space, a dedicated game room can be carved out from an overlooked spot or an unused corner of a living room. The article provides diverse examples, from grand, turreted playrooms suitable for the entire family to sophisticated attic hideaways that offer a unique escape. These examples demonstrate how 'fun' can seamlessly integrate with 'stylish' in home decor. Several design strategies are highlighted to achieve an ultimate entertainment hub. One approach involves leveraging textiles, such as using acoustic fabric to discreetly conceal A/V equipment while complementing existing features like a stone fireplace. The placement of a game table, like a Karl Springer chess and backgammon table, by the fireside, encourages cozy game nights. Another innovative idea is to think outside the box, exemplified by a designer who incorporated a bowling alley, game room, and private nightclub into a home's 'play house.' This demonstrates the potential for bold and unique entertainment options. Integrating antiques, such as a 19th-century French oak table, can provide both historical charm and practical space for board games. The article also suggests embracing grandeur in design, as seen in an Irish manor where emerald damask wall coverings and a billiard table add both elegance and playfulness. Color is presented as a crucial element, with examples like a turreted playroom designed with whimsical touches through vibrant hues, appealing to both children and adults. Quirky spaces, such as an attic transformed into a verdant retreat with leafy stripe wallcovering and plush bean bag chairs, can become secret game alcoves. Making it a family affair involves creating a billiards room with a custom pool table and an extensive library, ideal for gathering after a day of activities. Practical considerations like easy cleanup are addressed through multi-functional furniture, such as a koa-wood game table that flips to become a coffee table, with secure pieces for transport. Adding a hidden bar, ingeniously unveiled by a mechanical panel, elevates the entertainment experience. Going big with patterns, like combining two 18th-century Indo-Persian borders, creates a striking decorative impact. Transforming a cozy nook into an enchanting game spot with stylish seating also maximizes space utility. Creating a multi-purpose library that also serves as a game room, featuring a custom horn card table and antiques, invites lively after-dinner games. Converting a corner into a cozy gaming retreat with comfortable seating, like Louis Philippe dining chairs with custom upholstery, ensures extended enjoyment. Incorporating retro fittings, such as a 1960s openwork wood screen and vintage furniture, helps achieve a sense of continuity within the home. Historical nods, like preserving vintage cigarette burns on antique leather chairs, add character and storytelling to a game room. Utilizing idyllic views as a backdrop for a gaming nook enhances the overall ambiance. Finally, using low-slung forms in furniture, painting antique pieces to integrate them seamlessly into the decor, and ensuring plenty of comfortable seating are all key elements in designing a functional and aesthetically pleasing game room. #GameRoomDesign #HomeEntertainment #InteriorDecorating #LuxuryHomes #SpaceUtilization #DesignTrends #FamilyFun #VintageDecor #CustomFurniture

Idina Menzel, the celebrated Broadway star, has transformed her Nederlander Theatre dressing room into a tranquil sanctuary, blending city glamour with the calm of a redwood forest. Having spent extensive time in dressing rooms throughout her career, Menzel emphasized the need for comfort and a homey atmosphere. This desire took on new meaning for her role in 'Redwood,' a musical she co-conceived, where her character, Jesse, seeks healing in California's redwood forests after profound loss. The role demands significant physical and emotional endurance, with Menzel climbing and swinging from a massive tree on stage while delivering powerful vocals. Instead of seeking complete detachment from her character off-stage, Menzel chose to deepen her immersion by surrounding herself with elements of Jesse's world, finding sanctuary in the theatrical space. To bring her vision to life, Menzel enlisted ELLE Decor A-List designer Young Huh. Huh was inspired by Menzel's dedication, including her real-life experience climbing redwoods, and aimed to create a space that reflected Menzel's spirit of discovery and authentic experience. The dressing room design masterfully navigates the constraints of an old New York City theater, dividing the compact space into two distinct zones. One area features a vanity, designed to be bright and functional for hair and makeup, adorned with personal touches like family photos and meaningful accessories. The adjacent lounge area offers a moodier, more meditative ambiance, serving as a peaceful retreat. A striking scenic wallpaper depicting a winding road through redwoods dominates the lounge, symbolizing Menzel's character's journey of overcoming grief and finding healing in nature. The centerpiece of the lounge is a green velvet couch, chosen by Menzel specifically for its comfort and suitability for naps. This is complemented by antique French chairs, thoughtfully selected by Huh for their small scale and beauty, ensuring the room remains spacious enough for visitors without feeling cluttered. Among the unique accessories are two baby redwoods, strategically placed between the chairs, and a one-of-a-kind Philip Crangi lamp, admired by Huh for its earthy aesthetic. Through this collaboration, Menzel and Huh have created a personal ecosystem within the theater, a space that nurtures both the artist and her character, allowing the spirit of the redwoods to flourish in the heart of New York City. #IdinaMenzel #DressingRoomDesign #YoungHuh #RedwoodMusical #InteriorDesign #CelebrityHomes #TheatricalDesign #NatureInspiredDecor #HomeSanctuary

Living Room Theatre in North Bennington, Vermont, is presenting Lucas Hnath’s "A Doll’s House, Part 2," a comedy-drama that serves as a sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s original play. The production is staged in the ancient swimming pool on the property of the Park-McCullough House Museum, offering a unique and immersive experience for the audience. The play centers on Nora Helmer, who returns to her former home 15 years after famously leaving her husband, Torvald, and children. The narrative explores Nora's motivations for returning, which are driven by a pressing necessity, and her interactions with the characters she left behind. The play begins with her reunion with Ann Marie, her former nanny and now Torvald's housekeeper, a meeting that highlights Nora's past choices and their long-term consequences. The setting of the swimming pool is not merely a backdrop but an integral part of the staging, allowing the audience to observe the characters from an elevated perspective, symbolizing a god-like view of their lives and struggles. Allen McCullough's portrayal of Torvald is noted for its sincerity and depth, making the character's journey and offers of reconciliation feel genuine despite Nora's initial disdain. Janis Young, as Ann Marie, delivers a forceful performance that balances the character's affection for Nora with disapproval of her past actions. Young's ability to convey a mix of emotions, even resorting to expletives in moments of frustration, contributes significantly to the play's comedic elements while maintaining the character's dignity. Gaia Visnar plays Emmy, Nora’s 18-year-old daughter, with conviction, showcasing a character whose youth is tempered by determination and early maturity. Her performance is highlighted for its mirroring of Randolyn Zinn's Nora, subtly emphasizing the influence of genetics on personality, even without direct upbringing. Visnar's delivery of dialogue as a soliloquy reinforces Nora's self-centered nature and creates an engaging theatrical effect. Randolyn Zinn's performance as Nora is central to the play, capturing the character's complex blend of maturity and immaturity. Zinn portrays Nora as constantly performing a role, a woman with a mission who masks her vulnerabilities. Her masterful handling of Nora's strengths and occasional moments of weakness, which are quickly reasserted, underscores the character's struggle for self-definition and independence. The swimming pool stage design, chosen by an unknown individual but praised for its inspiration, provides an intimate and effective viewing experience, allowing the audience to closely observe the actors' expressions and body language. Director Kirk Jackson skillfully utilizes this unique space, particularly by staging important scenes in the deep end of the pool, ensuring that every detail is visible from the audience's elevated vantage point. The costume design by Sarabell Wrigley also contributes to the visual storytelling, offering clear views from various angles. The play explores themes of independence, personal growth, societal expectations, and the lingering impact of past decisions on present relationships. It delves into the characters' attempts to grapple with their pasts and forge new paths, demonstrating that closure often requires confronting unresolved issues. The setting and the actors' performances combine to create a compelling theatrical experience that invites reflection on these universal themes. The review emphasizes the limited remaining shows due to weather disruptions, urging potential attendees to book tickets promptly to avoid missing the production. #TheaterReview #A DollsHousePart2 #LivingRoomTheatre #LucasHnath #HenrikIbsen #NorthBennington #ParkMcCulloughHouseMuseum #RandolynZinn #AllenMcCullough #JanisYoung #GaiaVisnar #KirkJackson #PerformingArts #VermontArts