vernacular : the dog trot

A Traditional dog trot style home from GreatBuildings.com

Bosworth Hoedemaker

An enclosed breeze way found on Desire To Inspire

Below: Eero Saarinen's Cape Cod home:

During the 19th century the dog trot style home was popularized in the southern regions of the United States.  The dog trot, or breeze way, drew cool air into the rooms creating a cross ventilation.  The dog trot is an example of efficient passive cooling for hot and humid climates. 

spotlight on design : deborah berke

The Deborah Berke & Partners webpage has a tab of video and audio clips that can take you a beyond the surface of design. 

suzanne shaker : shelter island

NY designer Suzanne Shaker worked with Deborah Berke & Partners on her 1,200 square foot Shelter Island summer house.  The only thing missing is a floor plan.

(Images from Remodelista.com)

stone town : zanzibar

ngorongoro crater conservation area

23 days later : plus a holiday

We're back! Tanzania was a fantastic holiday with welcoming friends, amazing beaches and landscapes, people and wildlife. Every sense was teased and stretched with Swahili, colors, smells and tastes that were new but somehow familiar and comforting at the same time. Many pictures are soon to follow.

factory 20

In their own words:

At Factory 20, we offer exceptional and exquisite design without boundaries. We do not limit ourselves to a specific era in time or medium of art. We explore, we discover, and we exhibit our treasures. Let us help you redefine the use of antiques and vintage Modern furnishings to decorate your home or commercial space. Re-using existing furnishings, and re-purposing architectural artifacts is a great way to add warmth and character to your home.

 We offer design that is a melange of fantasy, thought and often a sensual outburst of our moods -- Moderne, Mid-Century Modern, Contemporary, Industrial, Deco, Streamline, Primitive, Turn-of-the-Century, Bauhaus, and Outsider Art. No run-of-the-mill designs. Only unique pieces, thanks to their intrinsic quality, originality and their history.
 
Beautiful, authentic pieces. Check out Factory 20.
 
Photos from Factory 20's webpage.  Discovered over on Frolic.

a read : the rise and fall of design within reach

Apartment Therapy just posted an exert of Jeff Chu’s Fast Company article titled ‘The Rise and Fall of Design Within Reach’. I drool over DWR unknowing of their shady reproductions. 

This opens up volumes on consumerism, buying power, artistic expression, protecting artistic vision, authenticity, inspiration vs. plegarism and so on.

N.S. I will probably still drool over DWR inventory, but will definitely do my homework should the day come that I could afford something there.

(Photo by Jonny Valiant)

toto : africa

vernacular : mapungubwe interpretation centre

Designed by Peter Rich, recipient of the second World Building Award at the World Architecture Festival, the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre in South Africa is such a breath of fresh air.  Not only is it new, modern and organic, but its honest in its vernacular.  It is built to be a part of the natural environment as well as from local natural materials while at the same time representing the local culture.

Vist the World Buildings Directory for more information on the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre.

Peter Rich was overwhelmed to receive the World Building Award.  Quoted on ArchitectAfrica.com he said, "Architects need to be of service to a broader audience and to make changes so that it is not just one per cent of people who can afford to use an architect, and that is what excites me."  Rich and his work is new to me, but I do think I'll be watching him.

Peter Rich Architects is based in Johannesberg, South Africa.

one week

It may seen a little obnoxious (or tacky?) that's I've already posted a holiday wish list, but there's a reason for that.  You see, right after Thanksgiving I'll be leaving town and I won't return until right before Christmas.  That's right, I'll be missing out on all the holiday festivities and shopping expeditions.  Instead I'll be in Tanzania experiencing safari in the Serengeti and lounging in Zanzibar.  Only one week left. (insert excitement here!)

(Photography from Sterling Riber)

sticks

After The Blair Witch Project came out, a lot of my friends questioned 'my thing' for sticks.  I don't know where 'my thing' for sticks came from or when it quite started, but I've always loved the form and lines of wood.  In high school I started collecting sticks.  I would arrange them into collages and hang them on my bedroom walls or make butterfly wings out of bent willow branches with dream catcher centers.  I would leave them about my room in still lifes with stones and paint brushes. 
Today, I still collect and create art with sticks (although most people have forgotten the creepy similarity to the Blair Witch Project).  When I see pictures of natural wood on design blogs or in shelter magazines, I feel a little akin to whoever put that stick there. 

(Fernanda Bourlot from decor8)

(Frank Roop)

(Always one of my favorites: James Merrell)

(Kelly Ishikawa photo via Remodelista)

(unknown)

(Lincoln Barbour)

Lili Diallo's NYC loft via Apartment Therapy

(From Remodelisa)

(Napanee Design's Highcliff Capilano Home)

(Patric Johansson)

wish list : this holiday season

Bern Bike Helmet from REI

I don't wear spandex while I ride my bike so I think a helmet like this would be perfect.

Nikki McClure's webpage and products for sale.

Nikki McClure is an amazing artist out of Olympia Washington who creates images with incredible precision and clarity by cutting sheets of paper with an x-acto knife. She really captures the human spirit and inspires me to be a positive force in my community. 

I used to create a lot of art projects with wood: paintings on sticks, embelished walking sticks, mobiles and so on. Years ago I inherited an ancient drill from my Dad so that I could hang pieces on the wall or hand things on the sticks.  Since then I've collected quite a catalog of natural materials such as stone, bone and shell that I really need to manipulate for future projects. So for this holiday season I will be requesting a Dremel Rotary Tool and their Workstation that mounts the tool into a drill press setup.  I'm totally convinced that this will revamp my creative juices.

NineWest

The quest for the perfect black boot will continue this holiday season.

principle : emphasis

(floto+warner via Coco Kelley)

(James Merrell)

(Jenny Francis)

(Jeremy Levine)

(Malcolm Davis' Stable Cafe)

I love good bones and wonder why they all so often are hidden behind gyp-board or who-knows-what.  I think some of the best design goes easy on the 'design elements' and simply emphasizes the bones.