From Snore to Sensational – Bring a Touch of Magic to Your Bathroom Shower

One can argue very few would find the above video interesting. Only the true construction aficionado would be captivated.

Enter the following article:

Heat sensitive shower tiles change colours as it warms up

Heat sensitive tile construction inspired by the Aurora Borealis. Now were talking!

 

DIY Garage Shelving

Don’t forget to Spring forward this Sunday, March 8th! It’s in that spirit with the longer days and the warmer weather that we enjoy new found energy to do lots of spring cleaning and to tackle long overdue organization projects. In this video Ana White shows us how to put together a DIY garage shelving unit that not only is simple but loads of fun to do. So grab your miter saw, screw gun, screws and 2x4s to spring forward with a tidy, organized, solid shelving solution that should take only a few hours to build.

The Rotting Rothschild Mansion Of Paris

The Rothschilds are legendary as one of the greatest European banking families ever. They own grand estates and Chateaus throught the world that are well-known for anything but squalor, ruin or decay. However just outside of Paris, walking distance from Metro Jean Jaurès Line 10, standing quietly behind a thick wall of shrubbery and overgrowth is the haunting, ghostly figure of the Chateau Rothschild.

The neo-Louis XIV estate house has been abandoned since the World War II when the Rothschild family fled to England. Germans would inhabit and plunder the house during the four-year Nazi occupation of Paris. After the city’s liberation, the U.S. army were the next tenants at the Chateau Rothschild. The Rothschilds never returned to their home which has been left to rot, crumble and deteriorate.

This once palatial estate was built to reflect the Rothschild wealth and fortune. It boasted a regal English garden with picturesque waterfalls and beautiful indoor frescoes by Eugène Lami. For over eight years James Rothschild and his wife Betty, hosted the most lavish parties of the time within these walls.

Their guests and party goers would include great artists of the day like Rossini, Chopin, Balzac, and Delacroix as well as, a who’s who of the financial and political world.

Chopin even dedicated his Valse Op. 64, N° 2 in C sharp minor to their daughter Charlotte.

As the champagne flowed while the laughter and music rang through the halls, it would have been impossible to imagine that the this great estate house, the Chateau de Rothschild would be doomed to become a playground for vermin, graffiti artists and vandals.

Sources:

http://www.messynessychic.com

http://www.urban-exploration.com

https://www.wikipedia.org/

Visit Paris by Métro

Whether you are in town to oversee the renovation of your home or if you are in Paris for a vacation, this free app is a must have for your mobile device.

Did you know there is a ‘night bus’ route that runs throughout Paris after the Metro closes? They run about once an hour but it’s good to know they exist! And it’s through this app we made this discovery.

But that’s just the beginning of it’s online and offline surprises and features.

Click the link here to download and check it out for yourself

Haussmann In Under 3 Minutes

 

Rue Monge, Paris. Example of haussmannian arch...

Rue Monge, Paris. Example of haussmannian architecture. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is difficult to grasp the true enormity of Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s renovation of Paris. This massive undertaking was begun and much of it was accomplished before the age of electricity. And although it was commissioned by Emperor Napoléon III, Haussmann’s work was met with fierce opposition, and as a result he was finally dismissed by Napoleon III in 1870.

This development project involved the demolition of entire medieval neighborhoods that were over crowded and plagued with disease. In their place wide avenues, parks and squares, were built along with the construction of new sewers, fountains, aqueducts, bridges, churches, theaters, hospitals, city halls and even public toilets. The street plan and distinctive style of Paris ‘centre ville’ we all know today is largely due to the result of Haussmann’s renovation.

Here is a video we put together. We’re trying to give the viewer a feel of the scope of this grand construction project with a run time of under 3 minutes.