Interior design news & notes: Front porches; built for Pittsburgh; and keeping the picture in mind

FRONT PORCH BLING: Front porches can sometimes get overlooked or become neglected because so many folks come home and enter their houses through garages or sidedoors. Take a look, if your front porch needs a little love, we've found it for you.

BUILT OF STEEL: Love this house Bob and Kim Zielinski built in Pittsburgh. But more so, I'm also impressed with people who stick to it even when the "experts" say it can't be done. "WHEN Bob Zielinski, a former marine who owns a glass manufacturing company here, and his wife, Kim, showed contractors plans for the house they wanted to build -- a 53-foot-long glass-and-steel wedge cantilevered over their factory -- the contractors said they couldn't do it. You'd have to get guys who build bridges and do highway work to create the support system for something like that, they said. So, that's exactly what the Zielinskis did. It took three years to build, but the Emerald Art Glass House (named after the Zielinskis' company, Emerald Art Glass) now hovers above the factory in the South Side neighborhood, overlooking the Monongahela River, railway line and bridges." DON'T FOCUS ON ONE THING: This is a wonderful lesson that nearly every designer teaches or has experienced with a client and everyone homeowner going through even just a small update needs to learn: You can't judge one item in isolation. INEXPENSIVE BATHROOM UPDATE: This bathroom update is full of interesting ideas and ways to improve a space without spending it all. I'm not a huge fan of the hand-held mirrors hung randomly, but the idea is one that could morph to fit your taste. The biggest thing here is the change in paint color. I'm pretty sure the cabinets were painted, not replaced. What a difference.

-- Bridget A. Otto

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Interior design news & notes: Front porches; built for Pittsburgh; and keeping the picture in mind