steel staircase…
13 Friday Sep 2013
Posted amazing palette, interiors, less IS more
in13 Friday Sep 2013
Posted amazing palette, interiors, less IS more
in28 Saturday Jul 2012
Posted ARCHITECTURE, interiors, less IS more, travel / destination
inTags
Here is another incredible project that my husband found for me. I love the openness of the space…and look at that – another sunken living room!! I love the use of commercial glazing with wings to keep the glazing free of any hardware so there is little obstruction to the amazing views…just beautiful. And such an interesting way to do the roofing…using tension cables to attach the roofs to the ground. There is a peek of a raised pool in the background and solar panels…Very nicely done. Someday….
23 Monday Jul 2012
Posted ARCHITECTURE, daily dose of white, interiors, travel / destination
in…Steel, concrete, wood, limestone and WHITE! The door is fantastic! And the limestone floors are just incredible…I can only imagine how they would feel walking barefoot on a hot summer day! The mossy-stone-water-feature-niche-area is amazing. Such a great contrast between the natural stone and the smooth concrete…and the stone vessels in the bathrooms are such an incredible touch. It’s such a clean, open modern space, but the natural elements, textures and materials give it such soul! And I especially love the limited, yet strategic use of blues throughout the various spaces…It doesn’t hurt that it is in Spain either…Enjoy!
31 Thursday May 2012
Posted ARCHITECTURE, interiors, less IS more, travel / destination
inI get dozens of great design magazines each month – I’m kind of a junkie that way. I have piles of them that I am just waiting to go through…In particular, waiting for the perfect warm afternoon to sit on the patio, under the grapevines with a glass of wine with time to slowly read though every one – or at least 2 or 3! When my Sunset Magazine showed up the other day – low and behold…there was an amazing destination hotel profiled that really caught my eye. Not Architectural Digest, not Cote Est, or Elle Decor or Interior Design Magazine…but Sunset Magazine. Check this out…what wonderfully clean, simple architecture – with a little nod to Neutra, that subtly ( the best part! ) tucks into the landscape…the interiors are wonderfully clean ( white! ) and simple as well. What more do you need when you are floating above the incredible valley and landscape below? What a view! So, so cool! And with further exploration, I find that they are part of Groupo Habita ( of course they are! ) – who also own a few other favorite hotels of mine…one favorite is Distrito Capito in San Diego. I have been a huge fan of their hotel design for so long…I love the minimal, industrial, sort of raw feeling of the spaces. How fun it would be to design for a group that does not hold back, or seem to have rules…Just love.
17 Tuesday Apr 2012
Posted ARCHITECTURE, design favorites, less IS more, outdoor & garden
inI LOVE gabion walls.
I don’t think you need to say much about a gabion wall because the simplicity, structure, power and just the essence of it speaks for itself. The nature of the material IS the color and texture and pattern…it is what it is…and in my opinion – just perfect. I have been wanting to go visit the Dominus Winery forever! The winery is an incredible gabion building (!) by Herzog & De Meuron. It was built to integrate into the landscape, almost disappearing, allowing the winery to be what it should be – most important. Using basalt rocks as the buildings’ skin allows natural light to filter in the entire building (beautifully!), while keeping it naturally insulated, and especially cool in the extreme summer heat of the Napa Valley.
We had friends visiting us this weekend, one who also happens to be a landscape designer and fan of gabions, so it seemed the perfect opportunity to go visit the winery up in Yountville. It was a beautiful Spring day so we headed up to the Napa Valley for lunch and some architectural inspiration… We pulled into the winery and low and behold – a (very) small sign posted just to the side of the large white entrance gate said…’No Tastings. No Tours”…What?? A winery that does not do tastings or tours?? A building SO incredible that does not allow tours?? Needless to say we were devastated. I have been doing some research since then, determined to get in to see the building, and have found that they do allow occasional private architectural tours, so I will be on a personal mission to get in to see it some day!! I will of course keep you posted on that, but in the mean time, here are some wonderful found images of the winery. Enjoy…
Images via Architectural Week, Dezeen, Arch|MYC Studio, Dominus Estate
03 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted graphic design, outdoor & garden, TOOLS
inTags
O.k…how awesome are these?
In honor of the continued work on our courtyard re-do, and the loads and loads, and loads of gravel we have dug so far and will dig even more today, I thought I would post these amazing pieces by Cal Lane! I absolutely love ideas that are so simple.
Love.
image via http://www.callane.com
07 Saturday Jan 2012
I love concrete. I love it polished, rough, broken, board formed, in blocks, formal, industrial, modern…I just love concrete. And there is nothing like a concrete wall! I have been researching concrete block for a clients’ fireplace refacing, which will most likely be concrete block in a very long narrow mid-century modern style. Since I was going through my files, I figured I would put up a few of my favorites, as well as some of the newer images that I found while doing my research. Enjoy!
11 Sunday Dec 2011
Posted daily dose of white, design favorites, gray LOVE, interiors
inAmong all the things that flow in and out of my brain on a daily basis, certain images from my digital library will occasionally just pop into my head – and for no reason that I have come up with at all. I have folders upon folders of various categories of design filed away; one of my favorites being the ‘DESIGNERS / ARCHITECTS’ folder…For whatever reason, this mornings’ ‘flash’ was of Jerome Abel Seguin, a French designer that I love. Take a look at his home in Bali…the palette is phenomenal, the mix of materials are just incredible ( and simply perfect in my opinion ) and touches of what I assume are some of his art and furniture pieces along with some local cultural artifacts. I just love the way the light plays on and with the structure and materials and bounces around the spaces…pure heaven.
And one of his newer art pieces as well as one of my long-time favorites…
25 Friday Nov 2011
Posted current OBSESSION, interiors
inTags
I have been obsessing over iron and/or steel frame windows lately…Our house has an enclosed patio, done by the previous owner. It’s one of the reasons we bought the house, because I loved the idea of having my office be part of the main living space instead of in a little room off somewhere. The room has glass on 2 sides, one to the inside – adjacent to the living room, and one to a small side patio area. It’s wonderful, because I get light from both sides, but the window wall to the outside are those crappy cheap metal frames – what I affectionately refer to as ‘winnebago’ windows, that I want to tear out daily!! They desperately need to be replaced, and I have been dreaming of replacing both sides with black steel frame windows (which would also help to satisfy my dream of living in a warehouse loft someday), but I know it will cost a fortune! It would be an amazing addition to our modern home, but would it be worth the cost even if we could afford it? My heart says hell yes, of course! But my head says, uh, well, no…sadly. What’s a girl to do?? Has anyone gone with iron or steel frame windows?? Was it worth it…are they amazing??