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Learning from the Web
JULY 2015 | BY BARBARA BALLINGER

There’s a wealth of architecture and design information online that you can share with your clients. But how do you know which site is best for them? We curated these ten so you can help buyers and sellers find the right one for their design challenge, budget, location, and web experience preferences.

In the not-so-distant past, home owners may have had difficulty imagining if a listing could work for their needs. Maybe they wanted four bedrooms, and an otherwise perfect house only had three. How could they carve out another sleeping space for a reasonable price? Or, perhaps they couldn’t decide which paint palette would best brighten a dark hall? Maybe you offered some advice or suggested names of design professionals to contact.

Today, there’s an alternative. In fact, it seems that almost every day a new home design–oriented site pops up with advice from professionals, home owners, manufacturers, and retailers. In addition, information is presented in a variety of ways from personalized bulletin boards of do-it-yourself projects to luxurious, professionally designed interiors and exteriors from around the globe. Some sites also showcase products with links to manufacturers and retailers to help obtain a specific look. One caveat to be aware of is that not all sites have a design expert curating the selection process so they may showcase a range of options, from “brilliant to banal,” warns Chicago architect Stuart Cohen of Cohen & Hacker Architects. We’ve organized them in alphabetical order.

APARTMENT THERAPY.COM Designed as an inspirational guide for decorating or renovating apartments, the site features posts from amateurs, some of whom have sought professional input. The choices are accessible, varied in style, affordable, and informative. Founder and CEO Maxwell Ryan and his staff use “cool” as the curating criteria, he says. Users can learn everything from how to organize closets to how to grow herbs without a backyard. A new video feature presents two identical apartment layouts furnished in different ways. There are also links to find furniture and equipment, and color palette suggestions from paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams. The site’s team also publishes books; its latest is Complete + Happy Home. Navigation: Items are divided into categories of style, DIY, homekeeping, family, tech, renovating, shopping, outdoor, and “the kitchen.” But there are also other sections featuring before-and-afters and budget ideas to browse.
Content style: A mix of fun stories about real home owners who furnished their apartments, such as one couple who reinvented their mobile home or another who rescued a rental bathroom, plus lots of products to get that “cool” look. Who benefits most: Mostly a younger audience with smaller budgets hungry for cutting-edge rather than traditional design ideas for their small spaces, whether an apartment, condominium, smaller home, or mobile home.

ARCHINSPIRE.ORG This is a high-end site with numerous examples of apartments, houses, gardens, landscapes, and products, as well as commercial and public spaces. Recent posts featured a modern apartment with Scandinavian style, a micro apartment with a mezzanine bedroom, and a backyard terrace with sloping terrain transformed by garden spaces surrounding a swimming pool. The site also presents clever products with an architectural vibe such as a round modern coffee table with different colored drawers for storage underneath. Architects and designers submit work for consideration. Navigation: Examples are divided by apartments, houses, gardens and landscapes, products, public and commercial, and products. Each category showcases numerous examples in a magazine format, making zeroing in on any project easy. Who benefits most: Those who seek high-end design and novel solutions but who don’t want to have to wade through excessive content.

CURBED.COM Geared for those looking for real estate in specific cities and neighborhoods, the site offers witty, insightful coverage about new developments and transformations, either from a national perspective or in a particular market. It also gathers information on recent area listings of note, such as the Upper East Side townhouse where fictional party girl Holly Golightly hosted her gatherings in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. A recurring feature for East Coast voyeurs is House Calls, which tours New Yorkers’ offbeat homes. In Denver, the site recently featured a home fabricated from recycled shipping containers to show how this new style of green housing can be spruced up with luxe finishes. Navigation: The main filter for stories is by location, though with listings and news mixed together it can take users time to find what they’re after. Expect a newspaper-style format with catchy headlines about current real estate news and trends. Who benefits most: Celebrity watchers, hyperlocal folks who gather ideas through inspiration, or anyone who wants to be up on real estate developments and trends.

DECOIST.COM This six-year-old site showcases a healthy mix for most tastes and budgets. There are stylish but reasonably priced ideas such as closets turned into efficient office nooks, vertical herb gardens for small balconies and terraces, and all-natural swimming pools. There’s also more utilitarian information: how to keep mosquitoes at bay, build a dog house, or caulk your bathtub. And for those wanting upscale ideas, there’s a dream house section, which recently posted industrial-style lofts with breathtaking cantilevered overhangs. Navigation: Tabs divide content by apartments, bathrooms, bedrooms, design ideas, dining rooms, DIY projects, lighting, office, outdoors, travel, and more. Content style: Once users select a category, the site presents one large image to represent a given trend, followed by smaller photos. Recent examples from the kids’ category: 20 rooms that offer a fun tropical twist, stylish toys that double as décor, and 25 brilliant blue nursery designs. Who benefits most: Those who want to see a mix of mostly practical interior design and architecture ideas that still look stylish.

DESIGNBOOM.COM This site posts extremely cutting-edge ideas, both residential and commercial, from around the globe. You might see a floating contemporary yacht home with underwater rooms, an eco-safari lodge, or urban tree houses here. Want an even more novel design? Check out the transparent sleeping capsules—24 feet long by 8 feet high and wide—fabricated from weatherproof aerospace aluminum and suspended above Peru’s sacred Cuzco valley to offer intrepid travelers a place to sleep and enjoy spectacular views. Navigation: The site is organized with architect, design, art, technology, and shop tabs, but it can be hard to find ideas that appeal to a particular design aesthetic. Content style: A home page that resembles a giant collage with an archived slide show playing up numerous design and architecture projects, plus different subcategories for browsing.
Who benefits most: Architecture, travel, and design buffs who want to know about imaginative interiors, exteriors, technology, and products, but may not be looking to find content for their own specific needs.
Dwelling Gawker. A curated photo gallery with submissions from designers, architects, and home owners worldwide, this site presents a format similar to Pinterest yet with a cleaner presentation. Thumbnail images and short descriptions, which link from the original post, feature both residential and commercial spaces, as well as innovative design ideas. One off-beat example features a laundry-room floor stenciled to look like an intricate rug. Navigation: Organized two ways—all posts viewed at once or separated out according to different categories such as lighting, garden, furniture, house tours, and before-and-afters. The social networking format of this site allows users to favorite, tag, and make notes on posts. Who benefits most: DIY home owners looking for a better curated alternative to Pinterest.

HOUZZ.COM Considered by many to be the largest residential renovation and design community online, this site attracts more than 30 million monthly users, according to the company, founded six years ago by a couple working on their own home. Home owners can post queries on a discussion board to engage professionals about how to source a look or solve problems. Cohen says Houzz (and other sites included here) have replaced the home magazine as a design source. “In the past, our clients came to us with a clipping file of images. Now, they send a link to their digital clipping file,” he says. San Francisco designer Sarah Barnard also uses Houzz as a collaborative tool. “The ability to search photos by keyword and collect images into shareable albums makes sharing ideas with clients and colleagues simple and fun,” she says. Navigation: Easy to maneuver from category to category — different rooms in a house, styles, budgets, location, and size. Content style: A magazine-style format; instead of turning another page, simply scroll down for another example. Who benefits most: This one is for home owners who are ready to embark on a remodel and who want to pose a design dilemma query, find the sources of products showcased, or even hire a pro for a project.

PINTEREST.COM This site is perhaps the best-known social media site in the amateur design world. The upside: You get to curate your own boards featuring all types of linked images, from inexpensive to pricey. The downside: The site is not focused purely on design, so you get food and fashion served up, too. Looking for ingredients to put together a timeless-looking kitchen? Watch out or you’ll get distracted by recipes for cookies that resemble basketballs or vegan meals with lots of protein. San Francisco designer Claudia Juestel of Adeeni Design Group likes Pinterest as a starting point. We get new clients started by creating a private project board for them and asking them to pin designs they like from our many boards. Then, we share inspirational photos with them, they do the same, and we leave notes for each other throughout the project. It’s been a great communication tool to understand each others’ thoughts,” she says. She prefers Pinterest to Houzz for collecting images since it’s not limited to professionally designed work. Navigation: Time-consuming, due to the clutter. Content style: A social network bulletin board with array of images tacked up by anyone from amateurs to pros. Who benefits most: Those who thrive on the ability to comb through a huge variety to find design solutions, many easy and affordable to pursue.

REMODELISTA.COM The site is a good jumping-off point for distinct projects, from finding ways to use small spaces to soundproofing a room. But it also helps users educate themselves on broader subjects such as selecting paint colors, says Newtown, Conn.–based designer Nora Murphy of Nora Murphy Country House. The site also features noteworthy design in hotels and shops around the world in their travel section. The overall look of selections is stylishly upscale, and for those who like their information on paper, site founders published a book under the same name. Because so much interest now centers on outdoor living, developers added a second site called Gardenista, The information presented is equally high-end, inspirational, and helpful. Examples: a trio of Minnesota barns, 10 ideas to steal from English country gardens, 11 ideas for all-white gardens. “The outside world is truly your oyster,” says Murphy. Navigation: Under the “inspiration” tab at the top, you’ll find both browsable “exclusives” and ideas broken out by room. Content style: Similar to a newspaper with features on a variety of design and garden topics. Who benefits most: Not necessarily geared to those with serious remodeling plans, this site offers furniture and décor advice to those seeking clean, trendy home features with a few DIY projects scattered about. Of course, both sites could inspire major undertakings.

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Sunset Magazine leaves Menlo Park for new headquarters in Oakland’s Jack London Square.

Sunset will move its headquarters to Jack London Square in Oakland this December, Evelyn Webster, Executive Vice President, Time Inc. announced today. Sunset will relocate to Oakland from the Menlo Park campus that it has occupied since 1951. Where the publishing company would land has been a topic of much discussion since last December when the magazine’s owner, Time Inc., announced that it had sold the seven-acre campus of gardens and 1950s ranch-style buildings to Embarcadero Capital Partners, a San Francisco real estate investment and management company.

The new headquarters will be located at 55 Harrison Street in the same building that will house the Water Street Market, an artisan food marketplace being developed by Carlin Company, the team behind San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace and Napa’s Oxbow Public Market. Sunset will occupy approximately 20,000 square feet on the second floor of the mixed-use building, and its offices will include a test kitchen and wine cellar.

“Cities like Oakland are at the heart of some of the most exciting trends and innovations coming out of the West, and we’re thrilled to be where the action is,” said Peggy Northrop, Editor-in-Chief, Sunset. “We’re especially looking forward to be moving to such a vibrant neighborhood, where readers will have the chance to interact with the Sunset brand each and every day.”

“The City of Oakland is thrilled to be the new home of Sunset, one of the most influential voices in California and throughout the West,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. “The addition of Sunset is a coup for Jack London Square, our bourgeoning waterfront center, and underscores just how attractive the Oakland market is right now for emerging and established companies eager to grow and thrive.”

In addition to its new flagship location in Oakland, Sunset will have a continuous presence in California wine country at Cornerstone, a public garden, event and retail space in Sonoma. Cornerstone and Sunset have formed a strategic partnership that will entail hosting Sunset’s main test garden, an outdoor kitchen and on-site programming.

The annual Sunset Celebration Weekend will take place this weekend, June 6 to 7, at its Menlo Park headquarters at 80 Willow Road. Sunset editors, celebrity chefs and lifestyle experts from across the West will bring the brand to life, showcasing the region’s hottest trends in food, wine, travel, garden and home. Tickets and more information are online.

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Beautiful Palo Alto

June 2015 Events: Location

1   Takashi Murakami: Flowers in San Francisco | San Francisco
2   San Francisco International Arts festival | San Francisco
4   Annieglass Grand Opening Event | Santana Row
5   COMPAGNIA T.P.O. (Performing Arts) | Stanford
6   Santana Row – Summer Fashion Show | San Jose
7   Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend | Menlo Park
8   The Theatrical Traditions of Japan Exhibition | Stanford
11  Filoli Twilight Stroll | Filoli Gardens
12  Jazz Uncorked | Ray Obiedo | San Carlos
13  Salon D’Art Exhibition at The Ritz-Carlton | Half Moon Bay
14  Vibha Bay Area Dream Mile 2015 | San Jose
15   Chronicle Nights at Four Seasons | Palo Alto
17   National Geographic Live 2015 withe Steve Winter | Redwood City
18   Connoisseurs Marketplace | Menlo Park
20  11th Annual San Francisco Pinot Days San Jose
21   Outdoor Jazz Concert | Filoli Gardens
21-22 Chief Innovation Officer Summit | San Francisco
22  Willie Nelson | Mountain Winery
25  Silicon Valley Energy Summit | Stanford
26  Cheval Polo Tournament | Menlo Circus Club
27   Cars and Croissants | Santana Row
28  The Roots | Mountain Winery

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Palo Alto 94301 Demographics

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Working at Home: Who Claims the Home Office Deduction?

BY ROBERT DIETZ on MARCH 23, 2015 •

With tax preparation season well underway, it is a good time to examine the use of the home office deduction.

Often cited as a “red flag” for tax audits, the home office deduction is in fact a legitimate business deduction with particular importance for certain careers and small business owners. Moreover – from the housing economics perspective – IRS data concerning the deduction, along with Census data reporting who works at home, can shed light on an important and growing role for homes: workplaces for business owners and telecommuters.

There’s no doubt that the practice of working at home is on the rise. According to data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, in 1997 just 7% of workers (9.2 million individuals) reported working at home at least one day a week. By 2010, that total had grown to 9.4% (13.4 million), an increase of more than four million or 35%.

The geographic distribution of those workers who primarily work at home (most days) shows interesting geographic clustering. Using data from the 2012 Census Bureau American Community Survey, the map above maps the share of the workforce (age 16 and over) who report working at home. The highest shares are found in the West, the Northwest, the Upper Midwest and New England. The state of Vermont has the highest share (7.1%), followed by Montana (6.5%), Colorado (6.5%), and Oregon (6.3%). Louisiana has the lowest share at 2.3%.

The reasons behind this geographic distribution are not immediately clear. Potential explanations include the geographic distribution of jobs that are more likely to include or allow at-home employment, weather, age/education differences in the workforce, and less quantifiable differences in workplace culture across states. Regardless, the growth of working-at-home represents a business opportunity for both remodelers and builders to help accommodate homes for this growing purpose.

Recent industry-specific IRS data (2010) for the home office deduction for independent contractors and sole proprietorships (Form 8829) (not telecommuters) provides a sense of who is using space in their home for a dedicated office.

Not surprising, workers in industries that involve more individual independence or technology tend toward greater use of the deduction. For example, educators, the information technology sector, professional services (lawyers, accountants, architects, etc.), and those in the arts and entertainment sectors are all more likely to claim the home office deduction. The real estate sector is in the middle category, with many Realtors reporting home office expenses. Home office deductions are less common in the construction sector, although many small construction firms do have home office expenses.

Specific sectors with high levels of home office deduction use include textile producers, electronics producers, nonstore based retailers, publishers, video/audio producers, broadcasters, internet based workers, certain financial workers, real estate brokers, appliance and video rental services, CPAs, architects, engineers, drafters, building inspectors, designers, science and business consultants, advertisers, marketers, business administrators, educators, doctors, social workers, actors, and religious and professional organization workers.

Overall, according to IRS data for tax year 2011, $9.8 billion in home office expenses (insurance, rent, repairs and utilities) were claimed on IRS Form 8829. The deduction is split into two classes: direct expenses related to the actual officer and indirect expenses that apply to the home as whole and are only partially deductible. Approximately 6 out of every 7 dollars claimed as a deduction originate from this indirect class. An additional $1.3 billion in home office related depreciation deductions was claimed in 2011.

Taxpayers who are likely to claim the deduction, including small business owners (builders and remodelers) and Realtors, should be aware of the rules. The IRS has a good summary page on the deduction. More details can be found in IRS Publication 587, which includes the following useful flowchart regarding qualifying.

IRS home office

From a tax law perspective, two relatively recent key changes are worth noting. First, in 2013 the IRS provided a simplified method for claiming the deduction, which can save taxpayers time in filing the required form. Under this approach, taxpayers may claim a $5 per square foot of home office space (up to a maximum of 300 square feet), other expenses such as mortgage interest and real estate taxes are claimed on Schedule A, and no depreciation deduction (or future recapture) is allowed.

Second, for those who have often heard about strict tests connected to the deduction, do keep in mind tax law changes made in 1997 that went into effect in 1999. Under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, a residence can qualify as a principal place of business when it is used to conduct administrative or management activities if there is no other fixed business location. This change clarified a lot of uncertainty regarding the deduction for many classes of workers. However, for all taxpayers (homeowners and renters), the office space must be exclusively used for business purposes.

Telecommuting employees are less likely to be able to claim the deduction (they must itemize for example), and should consult IRS Form 2106 for additional detail.

Finally, the IRS recently published IRS Tax Tip 2015-42 and more explanations on the simplified deduction method. The Tax Tip document provides 6 helpful points on the use of the deduction.

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The luxury housing market around the Bay remains strong heading toward spring, with sales and prices climbing in most areas. However, a shortage of inventory is having an impact in communities where listings are even more scarce than they were last year at this time. Communities such as Palo Alto and Los Altos are extremely thin inventory-wise.

Sales over $1.5 million in Silicon Valley jumped 22 percent in January from a year ago, according to the latest luxury market report. The upper end of Silicon Valley’s luxury market was particularly robust with 50 sales over $2 million, double the number last year, and 19 sales over $3 million, nearly triple the seven sales at that level a year ago.

Meanwhile, the median sale price of a luxury home in Silicon Valley climbed to $2.1 million in January, up 9.4 percent from a year ago when the median stood at $1,920,000. Prices were also up from December’s $1,915,000 median. Up in the North Bay, a severe shortage of listings is starting to impact sales. The Marin County luxury market report announced 24 sales over that $1.5 million level in January, down from 29 in January 2014. And the median sale price dropped to $1,915,000 from $2,385,500 in December and $3,075,000 in January 2014.

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Welcome, here’s where I’ll post thoughts and opinions, statistics and information, creative ideas and photos I’ve stumbled upon.

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