Coffou Cottage

Coffou Cottage
Michigan City, IN (say it with me, I-N-D-I-A-N-A!)
Architect: Brininstool+Lynch

sugar bowl

Got a little post-birthday surprise last week... the sugar bowl that goes with my vintage Rosenthal china. Thank you Mark!! We have the Conference pattern designed by Raymond Loewy. What didn't Raymond Loewy design? His Palm Springs home I suppose was one thing. He let Albert Frey take care of that one.

busy pinning

I haven't made an I could live here post in a long time although I have seen many homes around the web recently that fit the bill. I've been pinning such architectural delights on my Pinterest page. What a love-hate relationship I've got with with ol' Pinterest. It definitely works well to save all my fantasy homes and dream spaces as I find them...and keeps me unshowered and in my PJs for way too long on my days off. Damn you Pinterest!

WRB Arkitektstudio

Some of my favorite Scandinavian homes are projects by WRB Arkitektstudio (Widjedal Racki Bergerhoff). I've posted a couple of photos here and here. House Gunderson in Haugesund, Norway is just as drool worthy. That outdoor fireplace sitting area is to die for!

bringing Jens back

A little update on our Jens Risom coffee table... the top had so many drink rings and deep stains. With a veneer top, I had my doubts but Mark has really made some progress bringing it back to its original glory. Go Mark!

Speaking of Jens Risom, his Block Island prefab weekend home built in the 1960s is simply perfect. One of my dream homes!







In 1965, Risom purchased 7 acres of land for $5,000 on Block Island (in Rhode Island) and built this amazing prefab weekend home for his family. LIFE magazine sent a team to document the construction from start to finish. Risom had met a LIFE editor before the house was built and criticized the magazine for only covering expensive summer homes. He asked why they did not write about affordable homes that readers would be more interested in. That editor obviously took note. The article with a nice spread of photos appeared in the September 8, 1967 issue.

Photos by John Zimmerman for Life Magazine, 1967

Heliotrope Architects

Another beauty from Heliotrope Architects.
This house in Palm Desert found its inspiration in the classic west-coast ranch house style – a single story structure with low-pitched sloped roofs and an open, asymmetrical floor plan centered around the backyard pool and patio. The house is clad in a protective layer of stone cladding and zinc roofing against the harsh desert sun.

Check out a few of my favorite Heliotrope homes on Orcas Island here.

Photography: David Glomb

Speckman House

So much good stuff in the latest issue of Atomic Ranch. The Speckman House in Saint Paul, MN is featured and I wish the article included some interior shots as well. I'm sure the inside is as stunning as the exterior and landscape!

READ MORE HERE

I could live here

Make that, I could absolutely live here.


Architects: Johan Sundberg
Location: Höllviken, Sweden
Collaborator: Mattias Andréasson
Landscaping: Maria Arborgh
Structural engineer: Laine Montelin, Tyréns
Client: Håkansson-Tegman Family
Builder: Lars Benjaminsson
Project year: 2008 – 2009
Photographs: Kasper Dudzik

things I liked today

More here and here.

Why do I live in the Midwest??


photos: Judy Parker

yes, Indiana!

Avant Gardens - LaPorte, Indiana

photo: Connor Steinkamp

Arkitekthus

I have seen photos of the Folded Roof House all over the blogosphere. This stunning home by architecture company Claesson Koivisto Rune for Swedish manufacturer Arkitekthus is well deserving of all the attention it has received.

After visiting the Arkitekthus site, I decided I could do about 5 of my I could live here posts just from Arkitekthus!




see more here...
Arkitekthus - Gert Wingårdh AH#062 - Suterräng

Blu Homes

The Glidehouse offers inspired design and quality construction in an extraordinarily convenient way - to make life simpler, healthier and more beautiful for you. The design of the Glidehouse offers simple harmony between beautiful indoor living and the natural world. Combining warm materials, clean and spacious lines, high ceilings and thoughtful storage systems to create a delightful indoor environment, the Glidehouse's stunning glass walls, clerestory windows and optional cedar shading and decking designs create a connection with the outdoors.
2-4 bedrooms
2-3 baths
1 floor
1632 - 2244 sq ft

Chicago, Illinois
Blu Seminar
Sunday, February 27
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Garfield Park Conservatory
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Seattle, Washington
Blu Seminar
Thursday, March 17
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REI Flagship Seattle Store, 2nd Floor

Christchurch, New Zealand

You may have woken to the news of the earthquake that hit New Zealand. This powerful 6.3 magnitude quake rocked Christchurch, NZ, a town that is still recovering from a 7.1 earthquake back in September.

Last year I discovered Christchurch Modern - a site run by modern enthusiast homeowners in Christchurch which is a town full of wonderful modern homes. The ‘Christchurch Style’ or ‘Christchurch School’ are frequently used to describe the modernist architecture movement that exploded in Christchurch in the middle of the last century. The modern Christchurch style was formed by a loose group of architects all using contemporary materials and techniques to create houses that sat comfortably with the strong geography. In construction, concrete blocks replaced timber cladding. Placement on the site was emphatic. Chimneys were tall and assertive. Windows and doors seemed to have been punched through solid masses. The result looked sculptural, abstract and emphatically anchored in the landscape.

Many of these homes are thankfully still around and some are currently being renovated with new home owners embracing the architecture. The photo above is from the Our Christchurch Modern blog... a nice family restoring their home and blogging about their reno. I have been following along since last Spring and was relieved to read that they are all safe and well even though their home has suffered seriously from today's quake. My heart goes out to this family and the entire community.

what to do when it's 7 degrees outside...

dream about being here instead!



The Napa River House in Napa, California is located on a site with mature oak trees and stone pathways winding down a gently sloping hill. Love the pool. Ok, I pretty much love everything about this home.

read more here... ArchDaily

Photo: Craig Steely Architecture

I could live here

ArchDaily strikes again. I could live here. Yep.


© Paul Warchol Photography

genius

© Brett Boardman

I would kill to have a little bathroom like this accessible from the outdoors.
Spotted at archdaily.com today.

Orcas Island, WA

HELIOTROPE ARCHITECTS




Project: Loop - Orcas Island, WA (under construction)
Contractor:Owner
Building Area:2,400 sf
Completion:2010




Project: North Beach - Orcas Island, WA
Contractor:David Shore
Building area:2,400 sf
Completion:2009



Project: Doe Bay - Orcas Island, WA
Contractor:Sudden Homes
Building Area:1,050 sf
Completion:2008

Photography: Sean Airhart,Ben Benschnieder