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Hey guys,
Just a quick personal plug about an event I am going to be doing on May 15th….Please help me reach my goal! It would mean so much to me and the American Lung Association!
Click here to visit my personal page.
I really love when art meets function…
….A single-coat, roller-applied paint that can transform any smooth surface (including drywall, plaster, chalkboards, wood, and laminates) into a dry-erase writing surface AND that will work with every brand of dry-erase markers? And it is low cost AND produces no seams AND will not stain or dirty over time AND erases easily AND formaldehyde free? Ideas could include a wall in your kitchen for notes…kids rooms…play rooms…office spaces…meeting rooms…home schooling…corporate think rooms…wall by the door so you never forget your grocery list again…endless possibilities! And then invite me over and lets play an endless game of Pictionary!
Recap:
- single-coat
- roller-applied
- work with every brand of dry-erase marker
- low cost
- no seams
- will not stain
- erases easily
- formaldehyde free
These amazing oven/stove combinations by Aga could heat up any kitchen, and to be honest get me heated up just looking at them. How ingenious is it is have a combo of energy as well as utilization of spaces in one appliance that can meet all of your needs in the most simplistic method available…containment?
With these stoves you can cook, keep warm, broil, bake, sear, and roast all at the same time on the same appliance without having to having to stager your meal so that something is cold before you can serve it. Now that we have satisfied one of my major checks on the list, function, lets look at the aesthetics of this “live in chef”. The slightly retro’d look is easy to incorporate in umpteen of different design feels. Clean and modern, eclectic, minimalistic, country, retro, traditional….it can basically be morphed into what ever feel you are trying to incorporate, and if you cannot visualize it, give me a call….it’s what I do! The lines are simple with a little bulk to them, giving the piece some great sturdiness and visual weight and the fact that it can come in a plethora of colors only makes it that much more radtastic.
The materials are basic and straightforward keeping the focus on what it should be….cooking awesome food. They are however made with durable cast iron covered by three coats of vitreous enamel so they are there to rock for year and years, and durability in a product is uber important when talking sustainability as well as the fact that a well made product can make your home stand out among others.
All in all, it gets an A+. Simplicity, function, aesthetics, and history of amazing performance puts this at the top of my “wish for someday when I have a house” list. Now just to work on the whole house thing…..
I love it…..
so very Phillip Starck…..except it isn’t. Ghost chair revisited with perforations….
Just wanted to share some photos I recently took while on another stroll in the beautiful city of Portland.
An AHmazing shot of Dubai…
Phuket…a small market, selling the good au natural stuff …
Quirky, fun, eclectic, and different fabric from the Finnish:
Linn Olofsdotter was born in Sweden, has lived and worked in Brazil and now calls P-town her home. That’s right, our Portland is the home to this amazing artist. Her work has appeared in Computer Arts and Bon Magazine as well as being a featured graphic designer for Levi’s and a plethora of other projects ranging from CD covers, book illustrations, and wall murals. The look of her art grabs the viewer and doesn’t seem to want to let them go until they have been pulled into the multitude of layers in her work. A juxtaposition of being intimidated by her work and at the same time enthralled is a great captivation for me! I am a fan. Show me more!!
Photo Courtesy: http://cargocollective.com/olofsdotter
When someone says getaway, I visualize sand beaches, warm breezes, swaying palm trees, sun kisses, and cold beverages. However, this getaway is right outside your door and houses none of the aforementioned. Designed by Chris Kempel, of Rockefeller Partners Architects, this “just out your backdoor” get away was conceptualized after a 40 year old pine tree took a fall. This was not your average pine tree (if there is one), rather, after falling, the tree rejuvenated itself and the owner paid tribute its hardiness by integrating it into a 172-square-foot office outside his residence. This small “tree house” serves as an office space, guest area, getaway, gallery and refuge from the world.
Despite not housing sand beaches and swaying palm trees the getaway does house a daybed, sink, toilet, small refrigerator (for those cold beverages), fireplace, microwave, and outdoor shower….perfect for escaping to for a few hours or days. The design of the tree house is integral to its natural start. The fallen tree is paid homage to by a portal carved into the walnut flooring, giving a view of the tree lying below. The butterfly roof is atop a row of clerestory windows that surround the perimeter of the house giving a lofty and dreamy quality to the space, both from an exterior view as well as interior. Floor-to-ceiling windows and doors provide copious amounts of natural light and the operable ones ample ventilation, creating a truly nature inspired getaway.
The materials inside are predominantly walnut and mahogany. I think pine should have had more of an influence personally, seeing as the fallen solider was a pine. The front steps were designed to mimic or evoke the idea of a tree house ladder to tie in the overall theme. It is these steps that house the outdoor shower, which I am told and through the photos is truly a private place!
I think this is a great way to pay honor to such a resilient tree while creating a wonderful creative space to live in, lie in, dream in and smile in.
Photo Courtesy: Dwell Magazine
Fab Pre-Fab
Killing time is proving to bring great finds! Once again, was I was taking a few minutes to myself between AutoCAD and picking out fixtures for ADA plumbing to regroup my troops and tea it up I came upon an subject that has always fascinated me. Pre-fab homes.
Really? Pre-fab homes Hanna? Most definitely! I have always wondered profusely about why prefabricated homes had to look the way they did/do. Why do they HAVE to look like they are pre-fabs? Why do they HAVE to look like they cost less than the stick built homes just down the street? I always wanted to see a modern take on the pre-fab, something to give the fab a new look, rather something FABulous. Getting back to my first and foremost principle in design, simplicity, I was puzzled why they did not make a “box concept” that you could purchase, finish them (as your budget would allow) from a choice of, oh say five options, choose which sides you wanted to remain on the box, then place them side by side and create a simple and elegant prefab’ed home, or at least create a home that was distinct enough that it did not need to over-mimic stick built details in order to prove it was a house. Why not celebrate the uniqueness of a prefabricated versus a stick built home? Author, Allison Arieff, seemingly thought along the same lines, wrote a book about it and also took her position at dwell magazine to her advantage and created a challenge to get the fab-prefab accomplished.
In 2003 dwell magazine hosted a challenge to 16 architects to design a modern prefabricated home for $200,000 or less. Looking back in history this is a feat that has been attempted by some of the most creative minds design and architecture have ever seen (at least in my opinion!) such as Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Philippe Starck. Unfortunately their ideas and efforts were never brought to fruition (Prefab, Allison Arieff). There we bumps along the way as well as celebrationS but the overall product is stunning to look at and something that I would be overjoyed to call my home. For the full story click any of the photos for a link to the Dwell article…
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