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casters, wheels, furniture, versatility, architect-on-demand, advice-without-strings

Casters at Target: Versatility of Furniture on Wheels

Having just come across a post advocating putting wheels or casters on furniture, I am thinking out loud. Enhancing versatility with casters is a terrific concept. Unless the piece in question is intended to be a certain height, like a desk, and it would be ergonomically awkward to raise it. Clearly, it’s always better to…

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windows, built-in, window seat, architect-on-demand, advice-without-strings

Selecting Windows for a Built-in Window Seat Comes First

I’ve written extensively about a collaboration with a wonderful client while designing an in-home child-care facility. We successfully got the project approved by the City of Santa Monica. You can read about our process here, here, and here. Finally, it’s under construction; the client is selecting/purchasing windows for a built-in window seat at the moment.

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creative work, imitation, architect-on-demand, advice-without-strings

All Creative Work Begins With Imitation

Over the weekend, visiting Los Angeles County Museum of Art, I snapped a few images of Gerrit Rietveld’s sideboard and Red/Blue chair. At that point I was collecting ideas for my next post. The following day, another Maria Popova article struck a chord. Titled Oliver Sacks on the Three Essential Elements of Creativity, it stated…

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shabby studio apartment, home, Home Depot, DIY Ally, studio apartment, architect on demand, advice without strings

How I Was Able To Turn a Shabby Studio Apartment Into a Home

Hello, it’s Mia Kazovsky, and I’m back for another guest post after over a year. Here’s a refresher: I moved into a studio on the Lower East Side of Manhattan at the beginning of 2016. In the previous post, I wrote about the first steps in the process of upgrading my digs. Today, I’d like…

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bookcase, closet, architect on demand, advice without strings

A Closet in a Bookcase

Our “Garden Room” has a built-in 11-inch-deep bookcase comprised of predominantly open shelves and some closed storage. Even though minimum reach-in closet depth is two feet, I planned to use a portion of the unit as a closet.

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repurpose, wet bar, functional space, architect on demand, advice without strings

How to Repurpose a Wet Bar Into a Functional Space

I received an email from a new client Heidi: “I have a wet bar in our dining/living room that we want to repurpose and make into something else.” She wondered if a small coat closet and a computer desk might be incorporated to turn it into a more functional space. Another alternative would have been to…

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architect on demand, advice without strings

How Difficult Is Simple?

Mary Little sat right next to me at a panel discussion. Once the Q&A part was over, she asked me to reflect on it. I welcomed a conversation — always too shy about approaching someone myself.

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Display to Organize: 10 Design Ideas (part one)

Display to Organize: 10 Design Ideas (part one)

Hello!! Welcome to my blog. Very excited to start with a series of ten posts that will outline a few design ideas as presented in my downloadable ideaBOOKs.

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Get to know

  • Meet Alla
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Get inspired

  • DIY like an architect
  • Kid-Focused Design
  • Idea books
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  • get to know
    • meet Alla
    • testimonials
    • accolades
    • legacy
  • get started
    • DIY like an Architect
  • get inspired
    • kid-focused design
    • ideabooks
    • blog
  • get in touch