That ancient Roman architecture grew out of the influence of Greek and Etruscan styles is an indication of the closeness of interaction between cultures in the Mediterranean region and how civilizations adopted and evolved from each others influence. The Roman architectural style can be traced to Greek and Etruscan styles, the roots of these forming the basis of a style that would be adapted to reflect the aspirations and self awareness of the emerging Roman consciousness.

The Dorians and Ionians developed the architecture of classical Greece, hence the Doric and Ionic orders, which are systems of columnar design which formed the most striking feature of that architecture, and were mainly used to create an impressive exterior effect. It was the most important element in the temple architecture of the Greeks, and an almost indispensable adornment of their gateways, public squares, and temple enclosures. Each of the two types had its own special shaft, capital, entablature, mouldings, and ornaments, although considerable variation was allowed in the proportions and minor details. The general type, however, remained substantially unchanged from first to last.

There are three Greek orders in classical architecture, Doric, Ionian, and Corinthian, and two Latin orders, Tuscan and Composite, although the Romans also used the Greek orders with detail changes. The first and simplest of the three Greek orders, the Doric, has a plain bell-shaped capital, and was intended by the ancient Greeks to convey masculine form and dignity, basing its proportion on the average mans foot compared to his height. The Ionic order is characterized by the two large volutes of the capital, and compared to the ruder, masculine Doric, the order was seen as feminine, depicting a mature woman in its design and proportions. The third of the Grecian orders, the Corinthian, is recognized by a bell shaped capital adorned with rows of acanthus leaves transforming into helices and volutes. Compared to the other Greek orders , the Corinthian is a riot of decoration, and reflected the Corinthians, who were wealthy and liked to flaunt their wealth through their surroundings.

The Tuscan order is the simplest and most basic of the five orders, and is similar to Doric but without decoration. This style was developed by the Etruscans, who lived in what is now Tuscany, and in an ancient example of ethnic cleansing the Etruscan civilization was obliterated by the Romans, together with its language, with only Etruscan architecture and their engineering achievements such as the invention of the arch, being adopted by the Romans. It is characterized by its simplicity in comparison with the other orders, leading Ruskin to complain that Tuscan.is no order at all, but a spoiled Doric.

The Composite order was a mixture of Ionian and Corinthian, which literally means to put together. Vitruvius did not recognize the Composite order, but Sebastiano Serlio diffidently proposed its inclusion in 1537 as almost a fifth style, a mixture of the said pure ones, and it has since been universally accepted. Serlio argued that since the Greek columns had represented men (Doric), women (Ionic), and virgins (Corinthian), and since Rome had triumphed over the rest of the known world, it could rightly create its own order as a combination of the classic orders.

The Greek employed strict rules regarding the way their buildings were to be constructed, and allowed only minor variations of the orders to be used in any construction. The main philosophy behind Greek architecture dealt with reflecting the honesty or trueness of forms, as are displayed in life and the natural world. This is evidenced clearly by the Greeks refusal to deviate from traditional forms in construction even when using new construction methods with different materials. The triglyph and metope which were carved into marble or stone construction were intended to imitate the rafter ends and spacings of wooden beams of earlier wooden construction techniques. Rather than developing a different style they chose to repeat the visual representation of traditional buildings in their true form. The ancient Greeks placed great importance on building temples to their gods, and endeavoured to bring a sense of humanity and art to their architectural forms.

Ancient Greek interior decoration may have looked like this.

The Romans were more concerned with developing new technological and engineering techniques rather than creating buildings for any philosophical or solely artistic reasons. By invading and conquering different territories they literally took from other cultures their greatest achievements and adapted them for their own use for the benefit and glory of advancing the Roman empire. Although the Romans, like the Greeks built temples to their gods, the Romans were far more interested in building amphitheatres, aqueducts, bathhouses, and were generally more secular in their mindset. Building impressive monuments, basilicas, palaces, and feats of engineering that would pay homage to the greatness of Rome and its emperor was far more important to the Romans than fawning to the metaphysical or the divine.

Dwellings were constructed in Roman cities and towns to suit the occupation of the owner, to reflect their social status, and to facilitate their trade. The Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius makes this intention clear when he states that the buildings will be arranged with convenience and perfection to suit every purpose. He further states that:

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History of Interior Design in Five Posts Part 1 ...

Kate Burt, Houzz Contributor

One effect of the recent recession is the rise in live-in landlords. Perhaps youre one of them, or are considering taking in a housemate. Its something I did for years, and the experience taught me theres a knack to planning an interior for adults leading separate lives but living together.

So how do you divvy up a modern home in style to make sure everyone has the space they need, as well as enough privacy? Both are key considerations for domestic comfort, so try these practical but beautiful ideas to help you and your new roommate live in stylish synchronicity.

Create a Chic First Apartment on a Dorm Room Budget

Create zones. In an age of open-plan living, it may not be immediately obvious how to accommodate a new person with their own timetable and social life. Clever zoning is key. Consider how you could rearrange your communal space so it will comfortably accommodate multiple activities and inhabitants working, resting, eating or cooking in harmony.

Look out for small-scale furniture if space is tight lots of brands now have a dedicated range of compact or flexible pieces. And shop creatively a small round metal garden table can easily double as an affordable dining or laptop spot for one. Comfy armchairs are good, too, since you may not always feel like sharing the sofa.

Split your space. Room dividers can also help to create zones in larger rooms or open-plan spaces to allow different members of the household to do their own thing. These are especially useful if you each have friends over at the same time.

Boost living room storage. With that spare room full of your stuff gone, youll need to create additional storage in the rest of your home. High-level floating shelving that stretches from wall to wall looks great painted the same color as the walls, it creates an architectural detail. And it can stash heaps of books, magazine holders and good-looking storage boxes without compromising space.

Reorganize Your Space With New Storage Bins and Boxes

Seek out a shelf nook. Where else could you carve out space for more storage? Look beyond the obvious places to add bookshelves: the littlest room in the house can sometimes pack in a surprising amount of shelf space. This dinky-sized library looks cute, too.

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Living With A Roommate: How To Make It Work

A ribbon-cutting will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday for the newly remodeled and rebranded, 133-room Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel and Conference Center at Airway and Interstate 10 in East Central El Paso.

The hotel until late last year had operated as the Holiday Inn El Paso Airport Hotel.

Officials with Esperanto Developments, the El Paso company that owns and operates the hotel and several others, did not immediately divulge the cost of remodeling the hotel.

This is El Paso's only Best Western Plus branded hotel. The Best Western Plus brand is a full-service hotel and different from regular Best Western hotels, an Esperanto official said in the past.

Esperanto also is renovating the former Artisan Hotel building Downtown to be an upscale Hotel Indigo-franchised hotel. It is scheduled to be opened this year.

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Rebranding, remodeling of Best Western Plus hotel in El Paso to be celebrated

House hunters often are faced with the same compromise Wisconsin residents Patti Ann and Christopher Curtin considered when scouting Longboat Key for their ideal winter vacation home.

Two years ago, they discovered the neighborhood they loved, but an available villa in that neighborhood of Winding Oaks was far from a favorite. And yet, they bought the 2,700-square foot, three-bedroom, three-bath place without much hesitation, realizing that what was fixed (the location) trumped what could be altered with time and money.

Although they werent thrilled about committing to a major renovation project, they knew it was the sensible compromise.

The neighborhood is lovely, quiet and gated, said Patti Ann, so that we could lock and leave the house without worry. The villa style is more like a home to us than a high-rise, and this one came with a garage. The living space is on one level and the three bedrooms mean that our three adult sons and daughter-in-law can come and visit often. The exteriors of the homes in this neighborhood have a contemporary Cape Cod feel that appeals to us a lot. Everything about the outside of the place said home to us right away.

But then came the inside assessment of this 1991 villa. The entrance foyer was huge and just a major waste of space, continued Patti Ann. And the kitchen had a dysfunctional U-shape that I hated. The place was carpeted, and there was no color anywhere except for white and beige. The three bathrooms needed updating, and the all the lighting was insufficient. The fireplace in the living room wasnt our style, but the worst feature of the house was an atrium off the foyer that was nothing but a gloomy dungeon as far as I was concerned. On the good side, the place had been well maintained and it was in great shape.

The Curtins wisely decided to live in the house as it was last winter while compiling a list of plan changes and upgrades.

During this time they researched Sarasota designers online and ultimately hired Mark Dalton of Chic on the Cheap. He brought in designer Jessica Napoli and also Jeff Francola, owner of J&K Building and Remodeling, for a project that took six months. For all of that time, the Curtins were back in Wisconsin and communicated with the two designers by phone, photos and texts. They shared online sources and did some shopping that way. Patti Ann Curtin made two trips to Sarasota to select furniture, area carpets, tile patterns, and lighting with the designers at Robb & Stucky, Rugs as Art, Franklin Lighting and Ikea.

The biggest change we made was to take out three walls in the kitchen area, add a big center island and reconfigure the space so that now its open to the living area, has expansive views and functions for a family, explained Dalton. Its big, open, airy and white, with stainless appliances and vivid yellow walls. Since the house had very little color and the Curtins were eager to add some, we kept the Hawthorne Yellow, by Benjamin Moore, as the major wall color throughout the public places of the villa. Then the designers did a daring thing that Dalton is pretty sure no one else in the neighborhood has tried.

We took that long and wide, useless foyer and converted it into a roomy contemporary dining space, with a glass-and-chrome chandelier over a long wood-and-chrome table paired with Plexiglass chairs, continued the designer. The six sculptural chairs were the most expensive accessories the Curtins chose for the place, but the impact is worth it. And the chairs are quite comfortable.

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Sarasota home goes from showing its age to a glam makeover

The Streator YMCA is challenging community members to reach new heights with a new multipurpose room featuring a climbing wall.

The area formerly designed for racquetball boasts two new basketball hoops and an 8-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide climbing wall.

Executive Director Josh Biros said the project came together about a month ago at a committee meeting, where the idea came up to tear down the wall in the racquetball court to create a new space for youth.

In the wintertime especially we are just busy, Biros said. We have so many programs going on right now that we dont have anywhere to put them, or if people want to come in and shoot baskets, they cant right now because there is no space. And unfortunately, the racquetball courts sit empty. We are paying yearlong to heat and cool the area, and it is just not cost effective for us.

Racquetball has seen a decline in the last 20 years, Biros said. After conducting a study, the YMCA determined about seven members out of 2,300 were using the racquetball courts for racquetball or squash exclusively.

Unfortunately those few racquetball players had to lose the sport they enjoy the most and I apologize for that, Biros said. As a whole, we try to make everybody happy, but unfortunately, I have to try to make almost everybody happy here.

The project took less than two weeks to complete. One court was turned into a circuit training room, which is geared toward seniors and has easy accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Within the first week, the wall was eliminated and the gym floor was patched, sanded and has new polyurethane. The two basketball hoops and the wall were added next.

We were very fortunate that (Streator Onized Credit Union) and their employees donated $1,000 toward a portion of the basketball hoops, Biros said. We were also lucky that (Vactor Manufacturing) donated the entire climbing wall at a cost of $5,700. We were very lucky to create those relationships with those organizations in town and kind of help us with the burden of the cost of doing this.

The climbing wall is for elementary-aged children and older. Biros said the wall is kid-friendly and safe. There is a mat that locks up with a key, so no one can use the wall while it is locked. About 3 feet up is a red safety line, which the kids are not allowed to go above.

Remodeling is ongoing to turn the upstairs mezzanine that was previously used for viewing the racquetball courts into a birthday party area. The YMCA has revamped its birthday party packages with this new space in mind. Before the new space was added, just the pool or the gym could be rented out.

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Take a climb at the Streator Y

Room remodeling update
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A 1926 Fornfelt High School letterman's jacket is displayed at the Scott City Historical Museum. (photo by Savanna Maue)

Members of the Scott City Historical Commission remember it well and the impact it left on the community.

"Nothing's been done for a really long time, and I think the heart of the community just had a big punch to it when the museum burned down," commission chairman Susan Laughlin Perez said. "It was a tragic thing. ... I lived in Illmo, and I've been coming back my whole life ... [Since I've moved back,] what we have tried to do is rebuild the trust from the community because people gave them things and then they were lost."

For the past nine months the commission began remodeling a building owned by The Bank of Missouri since 2013 and transforming it into the Scott City Historical Museum.

The resurrected historical commission consists of 12 members appointed by the city council. Those still interested in the history of Scott City are welcome to be a part of the Scott City Historical Society, which offers free membership to the museum and its resources but without the power to vote the commission has during official meetings. The commission holds its meetings at 3 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at the new site, at 1514 Main St. in Scott City.

Last month, it scheduled a session for people to donate items of historic value to the museum to be used in its display cases. It collected about 300 items, secretary Gail Cummins Crader said.

Members labeled the historic items with identification numbers and photographed everything donated or loaned to the museum.

The next donation sessions are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 28 and from 1 to 4 p.m. March 1. Some items can be copied and returned to the owner, or they can donated or loaned to the museum for a limited period of time.

The museum space comprises of smaller rooms, each with a theme. The lobby is filled with a variety of artifacts, from an old high-school letterman's jacket to a collection of oddly shaped glass bottles.

Through the hallway, there's a military room, a room filled with items that would have been found in a woman's changing room during a different era, an office, research room, a larger meeting room, a railroad room and a fireside chat room.

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Scott City works to establish a history museum

By Jennifer Mason The Virginian-Pilot February 16, 2015

VIRGINIA BEACH

It's been a little more than a year since a fire at Jungle Golf, a family-owned fixture at the city's resort area for more than 40 years.

The accidental electrical blaze damaged the snack bar, game room and office on Jan. 2, 2014, The Virginian-Pilot reported. But the fire spared the miniature golf course known for its tropical landscaping and large faux animals on Pacific Avenue.

Owner Preston Midgett said he and his family were touched by the response from the community and the many offers to help. Locals make up about 40 percent of their customers, Midgett said. The snack bar and game room have been popular places for birthday parties.

The fire came on top of another family crisis.

Midgett's mother's heart stopped 20 minutes before midnight New Year's Eve, just days before the fire. She died Jan. 5, 2014. Six months later, in July, lightning struck her Great Neck Point home, causing extensive damage.

It's been quite a journey for the family - wading through paperwork, making decisions and dealing with construction and insurance companies, Midgett said.

The 18-hole course has remained open, but progress has been slow in rebuilding the rest of the business. A generator kept the lights on and computers running until June.

One positive emerged from the fire: a remodel of a dated space.

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Whatever happened to...Jungle Golf in Va. Beach?

Living room remodeling part 1
This is after I have taken out all the carpet and I #39;ll be laying down the wooden planks soon. Stay tuned to my channel for more clips being uploaded as I wor...

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Living room remodeling part 1 - Video

Greg Camps hobby of making beer at home has transformed into a weekend business thats been gaining attention around the area since he and a friend opened a tasting room at a local winery almost a month ago.

Deslogetown Brewerys Ale House makes its home at St. Francois Winery, off Highway 32, a couple of miles outside Bismarck. Camp, whose main job is Desloge city administrator, said his new venture was all made possible by winery owner Ed Daugherty.

Hes been in business there since 2005, Camp said. Ed has a full-blown nursery and the vineyard producing several different varieties of wine. Its all locally grown, produced and sold there at St. Francois Winery. When it comes to fermenting things, Eds the man.

Camp said his interest in brewing beer came from an unexpected source.

This is all my wife Kristies fault, he said with a laugh. We have an affection for all different types of beer and its been one of those things that weve been able to explore together by trying the 100 different styles and different flavor profiles that are available out there.

Back in Christmas 2008, she bought me a homebrew kit. We just started messing around with it. You get into it and your first recipe, the first batch that you make is something that is bought and pre-packaged. Its an awful lot of fun. You get into the science of brewing. You get into the different ways that you can make beer.

Thats when Camp said Daugherty entered the picture.

We got to talking to Ed about it and he had been dabbling in homebrewing, too, he said. So, a few years ago we just started making beer together. We would get together on a Saturday or Sunday and decided a week or so in advance we were going to make this style or that style of beer. A lot of those would be recipes that I had started working on when I first started brewing in early, early January of 2009."

Camp said that in the natural process of having fun brewing together and sharing their beers with friends, things began to get a little more serious.

Back last spring, Kristie and I were starting to say, Lets do this for real. Lets find a place. Lets get our licensing and our permits squared away. Its just going to be a hobby on the weekend.

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Brewery brings craft beer to area