Sustainable Living at Costa Rica

Hi All,

With the growing population around the world and increasing needs we are at the verge of losing our precious natural treasures. Some experts and analysts have realized this danger and conducted studies to conserve those natural resources. Living with conservation as the prime concept is nothing but sustainability. More meanings can be derived from the term, however I opine conservation should remain the key word. With clumsy urban living, lot of urban bees have migrated to rural areas and to the country side to breathe in some fresh air. When it is not possible, they at least travel to pacify their thirst for natural living. So are the travelers Mateo & Erica who have been to Costa Rica on a vacation and found a sustainable living in a forest there. 

They have simple story to tell, a story that most urban dwellers fed up with the claustrophobic nuances in the cities have to tell. What is different is Erica & Mateo was they found an answer for their search in the name of "Finca Bellavista" a treehouse community in dense forest of Costa Rica.

 The frontage of dense forests and flowing rivers from the treetops

 Walkways between the treehouses

 Is there a better shower than those fresh falling waters?

 Route indicating flag posts

 Can anyone ask for a better vacation time than this?

 Organic vegetables reaped from the forest around

 Treehouses by night.. The dim lighting does not cause light pollution thereby letting the night habitat coexist.

 The giant cabbage family veggie..the colour and texture of the leaves indicate its organic strengths.

 The bedroom casted in wood, the colour gels very well with surrounding palette

 The bar and dining open to air

Lay yourself on this cozy seating and get engrossed in a great book, can the sky scrapper living beat this austere living?

More than the design, the idea of not polluting this clean place is what attracts the most in this community. The community sells some parcels for public at $45,000. If you want to spend your savings in a best possible way and if you are a nature lover, go buy yourself a treehouse and become a Finca Bellavista family member.

7 Interesting facts about Costa Rica

1. Costa Rica has permanently abolished its Army in 1949
2. Costa Rica was cited as one of the high human development countries by the UN
3. Costa Rica is the only country to have met all 5 criteria of environmental sustainability
4. Costa Rica ranks 1 in the Happy Planet Index
5. Costa Rica is the first country to ban recreational hunting
6. Costa Rica alone consists of 5% of world's biodiversity
7. Costa Rica has the highest literacy rate of 94% among the Latin American countries

What better location would be there than Costa Rica for housing such a sustainable living community?

[Photo courtesy: Finca Bellavista]

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J & R

Sweden - World's Design Capital

Hi all,

We totally mean it...Yes we strongly think Sweden is the world's design capital for the unique and most innovative design ideas that emerge out of this country,be it a multi-million dollar company, or a design firm, or a the Swedish government ventures or just the homes in the country... everything is design inspiring there!! Newness, variety concepts, and attractive themes, everything seem like they belong there. This week, we are presenting the world's best designed tube/underground rail/subway stations at Stockholm. 

The pictures say a millions words about the quality of top notch design and moreover the wonderful art that went inside a metro station..this is otherwise called the world's longest art galleries underground. 

This post will tour you around the stations through pictures, however we would like to present the story of the making of this wonderful work in future posts.

While this is just a glimpse of Art Odyssey in the stations, we will bring in more. 

[Photo Courtesy: TwistedSifter]

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 J & R

Anthroplogie Round Up

Hi All,

Anthropologie is an amazing retail which primarily does vintage, antique and handmade crafts, apparel, accessories, furniture and many other items. This has been our favourite store when it comes to picking exclusive stuff for home needs, we love this store for its sheer uniqueness and exclusivity. Here on we would like do a round up of some wonderful picks from Anthropologie and present here in this page along with how it works and where to stall it etc; Have a look!

 Named as Zonkers Club chair....this chair can be the statement chair for that special corner. The floral upholstery can bring that bright appeal for the corner and the comfortable cozy seating is the best part of this item.

Have you lately seen a re-purposed coffee table with unique material like this. The legs are rusted iron with wheels beneath and the table top is the fibre board. 

                     The summer is around the corner and heres the lovely bird bath styled trinket dish.

 The ruffled quilt in moon blue color which is quite rich in color and texture. Bring in the luxury and coziness effortlessly to your bedroom

The interlocking vase made of ceramic with a white glazing on top matches with any colored flowers.

 The spring time wall paper, it has the perfect appeal to decorate your space with the light shade peony flowers on the wall decal.

 The mirror of special craft, this would a special look for your living space or above the headboard of your bed....a big mirror is always good in small spaces as it would help look the space bigger

 Stained glass floral photo frame, goes well on side table or cabinet tops, especially during the spring and in that corner where there is direct access to sunlight, this would reflect the shine.

 Ivory etched cabinet, a luxury piece of craft, an antique styled cabinet. Perfect for a luxurious space. Topped with right accessories, it can be the best side of your room.

 The ceramic made lamp glazed with bright colour topped with a woven lamp shade, the perfect choice to go in bedsides or sofasides

 As always, our favourite picks from the cushion collection of the store., the top one with patchwork and bottom one with sequin embroidery and some decent spring colours. For those old, dull and pale sofas or cushioned chairs, top these cushions to change the look.

With the items listed above, we made a design palette for a bedroom, although it seems a bit unusual combination, we think it works for it being different. 

 While this store has best collection, there is an opinion among buyers that some items are too expensive to afford...but who said second best things aren't expensive. One thing to be kept in mind that most of these items are hand crafted and such items certainly deserve some very good piece. 

Hope you enjoyed our round up of items of our choice and we would repeat this now and then updating some of the best picks.

[Photo courtesy: Anthropologie]

Keep visiting

J & R

The 'Sun' Power

Hi All,

As you know that summer is fast approaching and the air conditioned systems are in best demand. But many states in India are experiencing drastic power shortages already and during summer this shortage is going to be worse. So, lot of people are relying on fuel powered generators and battery charged invertors. But, how many of them have given a thought to use renewable energy??? Well, unlike the old times, the awareness about many new products is very much in there, yet not many are resorting to renewable energy sources.

We know that solar power is the best option when it comes to renewable energy but we are not adapting the practice assuming that the first costs(installation) are quite high. If a life time cost assessment is made comparing Solar power vs regular power from the grid, the difference will be clear. With the scorching summers, it is quite obvious to see quadrupled energy bills. If you want to avoid recurring energy bills, it is better you chose solar power.

Herez a wonderful example from Lancaster, California where the city requires every new house to install solar panels just like recycling which is a must in many cities around the world. The zoning code of the city is going to for an update which will require homes that are built on lots larger than 7000 sqft to include a solar system of 1.0-1.5 kilo watts and homes that are located on rural lots that have more than 10,000 sqft will be required to have a solar system of at least 1.5 kilo watts.This is quite a big leap for any city, but definitely a revolutionary intention which may inspire many other cities in the world.

Of course there are companies which are investing in setting up solar farms which will supply the harvested power to the grid which might be economical to the subscribers.

The research says that Solar Power is contagious, the study evidently shows that the visibility of the panels and word-of-mouth lead to larger installations. "if my neighbour installs a solar panel and tells me he's saving money, its likely that I'll go ahead and do the same" said many.

When it comes to buying and installing, as mentioned above many consumers have misconceptions about the initial expenditure involved. If you wish to get rid of the high energy bills and reduce the dependency on the grid, contact us for details. We will provide best possible solutions. Write to us on seekanidea@gmail.com.

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J & R

Spectacular Spa

Hi Readers,

This week, we are presenting a beautiful spa that has won many accolades for its wonderful design and astonishing ambiance. We believe spas are the places for rejenuvation, which means they need to have the most serene environment, mostly natural and earthy tones suit the spa interiors. This spa is slightly different yet it leaves a magical feel. Have a look.
Located approximately 175miles southwest of Rome, the Amalfi coast streches for 15miles along the Sorrentine Peninsula. The Spa that we are talking about is part of the Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel which is located 10 miles from the town of Amalfi.
The beauty of this place lies in its location., The Amalfi coast mountains, the sunrise and sunset views, the colour of the waters, everything add up to the beauty. Originally this places was a monastery and hence the name.

The Spa opens up with a neat reception area. Well crafted beige coloured reception chairs in wicker along with complementing wood stand-up cabinet, the candles and wall texture, everything seems so welcoming

None of us want to miss the sauna experience when visiting a spa, the stoned wall and lighting concept are unique here.

The thermal room, with pale yellow mosaic flooring reflects the dull lighting and brightens a warm light, the texture of the wall which is quite earthy, the row lights along the warm pool are all part of the spectacle.

The name given to this space is tepidarium, which is nothing but a heated bathroom, inspired by the Roman baths. The floor has underground heating, which comes out through the walls and floors...these walls are perfect for the Roman styled bath.

The lovely outdoor spa with a awesome view, the blues of the waters and skies bring in great relief to the spa goers. The rafters and roof of the shelter are more natural and earthy.
We love those turquoise bowls on the corners too. :)

 Apart from the pampering at the amazing spa, if you want to soak in the sun, therez a terrace place to enjoy the view and enjoy the bright sunlight. If you notice, the terrace is also done in natural stone.

Here comes the gorgeous dining space for you to enjoy some sumptuous greek salads(may be), after all its about going natural.

Finally, to have some sound sleep, with a bedroom done in most simple yet elegant interiors. The headboard and the footings are very interesting. Can't ignore the window and the reading desk by it.

The infinity pool view in the day time...surreal isn't it?

The infinity pool view by the night....Ethreal!!!

We hope we took you on a great spa ride through this post.

[Photo Courtesy: MonestaroSantaRosa]
Keep visiting

J & R