apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This week, we asked how you mix it up and blogged about putting it into practice (click here and here and here). That mindset can become especially important if you're a modernist who's just purchased a period home. How do you reconcile your needs while maintaining the house's integrity? In this week's feature story, the Los Angeles Times Home & Garden section looks at how one couple in Santa Monica answered just this question when they tackled their 1932 hacienda's renovation. This home may strike a familiar chord with those of you who subscribe to Maxwell's e-mails; you'll recognize some of the things he's highlighted, put into practice here: a chalkboard, open shelving in the kitchen, green ideas (thick adobe walls, long eaves and low tile roof lessen the need for air conditioning; new skylights in the roof provide natural lighting) that decrease the reliance on energy, and a number of items (concrete islands, furniture) that were designed and built by the couple themselves. Other articles of interest this week include instructions on how to build a dog ramp, a debate over whether tankless water heaters reduce energy; and, among other things, The Scout finds a rocking chair we love and showcases an enclave of design stores in West Hollywood. Links, after the jump...