Saturday 31 December 2011

MY MANTRA FOR 2012

VIENTIENNE SUNSET 2008

Dream big, if you can dream it you can be it... reach it
Love abundantly
Smile often
Shine always
Believe without fear
Hope relentlessly
Be quick to forgive
and slow to judge
Do good - even the smallest of gestures can create an explosion,
a magnitude of good
Never give up on your dreams
Have pure intentions
a pure heart
Collectively we can create the change we want to see in the world
Lets make 2012 our year
Happiness, health, love and good fortune to all

x

Thursday 29 December 2011

STONE HOUSE IN THE SOUTH OF ITALY


"Welcome home" - is what this charming stone house in the South of Italy is whispering to me!  The pebbled pathway lit by candles leads the way to an inviting and relaxing stay.  Very rustic it is, and the domed ceiling is a building method used in ancient Roman times (if I am not mistaken) but there are also some surprisingly modern interior touches once you step through the doors.  The floating wooden staircase leading to a mezzanine sleeping area is beautiful!  But again if you look closely, there is no visible support for the mezzanine platform except from the wall to the back and to the right - highly sophisticated and visually pleasing.

 

I love how the walls have only been plastered up to a certain level, leaving the domed areas exposed to show the stone - a beautiful touch that really shows a lot of thought has gone into the renovation of this home.  I'd love to know more about it - so if perhaps anyone has more information - please send me a note/ comment.


I'm a very big fan of this kind of wall finish - silimar in look to Moroccan tadelact, however in the UK we use a polished concrete to create this finish and in South Africa the best product to use would be Cemcrete's Satincrete - a waterproof cement finish ideal for wetrooms and bathrooms as well as feature walls and the like.  I used to work with the product and it creates a beautiful mottled finish that is durable and very versatile.

via the style files

Wednesday 28 December 2011

A POEM


Multi-coloured and many shades,
A scope more broad than the sun's gaze,
My heart moves as you smile often,
Life parades from each look you give and take.

Multi-dimensions your voices speak,
To my ears a lullaby from all words emerging,
A tower of strength,
As gentle as kindness,
The earth moves with each step on the path you take.

Night is your season,
A songbird of wonder,
A flash in my life, an explosion of joy,
Our closeness beyond our moments together,
Forever my heart shall be open to you.

A beautiful creature of this earth,
My love for you shall extend over oceans,
Close your eyes and our smiles shall connect once more.

Beyond words to me you are...


 most beautiful poem: D Budd
image: Pinterest

Tuesday 27 December 2011

VILLA IN IBIZA - PASCAL CHEIKH DJAVADI


 
 


This striking Villa was designed by French Architect, Pascal Cheikh Djavadi.  Minimal in core design elements - yet slightly more inviting and warm once you step into this beautiful home.

White, sandy neutrals and wood complete the interior.  I do like the concrete ceilings (my love for things that seem slightly unfinished...) and my favorite spot, bar the pool - would be the reading nook in the last image.

I would love to incorporate a little tranquil and private nook into my home one day, overlooking the nature reserve... where I can sip Moroccan mint tea, ponder life and dream up creativity!

via http://minimalissimo.com/

Saturday 24 December 2011

JOYOUS CHRISTMAS TIME TO ALL


Wishing you one and all a wonderful Christmas time 
shared with family, friends and loved ones!
May it not only be about the gifts under the tree, 
but may the true meaning of this time also be cherished during these days.

Love and peace to all


x

Image:  My favorite Xmas cards of all time by Greeting Life Inc

Wednesday 21 December 2011

HUMLEBAEK HOUSE - NORM ARCHITECTS

"The artist was looking for a sanctuary – a place with surrounding beauty to recreate and to be inspired from. This was found in a house on the open fields behind the famous Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk. Placed in rural surroundings, near the water, it was perfect!

So the reconstruction of the house was next: And old, land workers house had to be turned into a modern home, with a lot more light coming in, in order to function as a home as well as a studio. 

The raw materials were the first inspiration: Brick walls, concrete floors and a huge steel beam supporting the first floor was actually part of the house when the project started. And these were the elements that we decided to make the identity of the house, together with the old wooden beams that were revealed when reconstructing the first floor. The original concrete floors were removed and floor heating was installed before the new concrete floor was laid out, sanded roughly and treated with a shiny epoxy. The floor heating allowed us to remove all wall-mounted heating from the ground floor and then we rebuild the walls as clean-cut white, matte surfaces. No panelling, just white walls. 

Since the outside of the house is protected by local architectural restrictions, the windows were kept in the original style. But this gave a good contrast to the strict square window openings."

This time a renovation beautifully crafted at the hands of Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen and Kasper Ronn of Norm Architects Copenhagen.  I highly respect their work, and how much consideration goes into their design projects.  This particular renovation allowed an open and inviting space - with a slight industrial feel.  I can imagine the use of natural materials and finishes must add greatly to the creative inspiration the artist finds within the space.

The walls are bare and the home feels almost unfinished.  I am particularly fond of spaces which allows a sense of incompleteness - I guess in my mind it metaphorically represents somewhere with a future, somewhere that still needs a touch of *this or that*, something personal perhaps to finish it off.  Artist studios often have that appeal, and in most cases I imagine it to be unintentional - just unfinished, lack of time perhaps or more important projects etc etc.

In no way am my intending to say that about this particular project.  My writings and musings are just thoughts and ideas, and no other intention than just that.

Polished concrete floors with underfloor heating, exposed brick walls, and wooden beams - beautifully rustic yet modern and sophisticated.  A combination that only a handful of designers can pull off, and Norm being extremely talented architects has pulled it off to perfection! 

 

Monday 19 December 2011

BOLINA WEBSHOP

These beautifully styled images are from the Bolina.no webshop.  Selling anything and everything from clothing and jewelry to interior bits and pieces as well as the most gorgeous gift items.

The images above creates a feeling of coziness and warmth with dark greys and charcoals and natural dark wood mixed in here and there.

via http://www.bolina.no/

Sunday 18 December 2011

SERIES 7 BY ARNE JACOBSEN

A true timeless piece of mid century modern design.  
I do favor the walnut Series 7 chair, however in these beautifully styled images it would be very hard to choose just the 'one' favorite.

What is yours?

Designed by Arne Jacobsen, Architect turned designer.

Images via http://www.fritzhansen.com/

Friday 16 December 2011

HARMONY STORAGE CANISTER BY AARDVARK

On my festive wishlist is this fun and retro Harmony storage canister.  It is the result of a collaboration between Wild and Wolf and Aardvark, a design duo specializing in creating fabulous letterpress prints using a vintage Heidelberg press with original wood and metal type. A modern take on The Desiderata, the message distills the values of that famous poem to amuse and inspire. Ceramic storage canister with wooden lid available from SCP in London

Tuesday 13 December 2011

TODOS SANTOS BY GRACIA STUDIO

From snowed in minimalism to this beautiful and simplistic desert haven...

"The client required a house that is open to nature and at the same time is secure because it will be used only for vacationing and will be unused during 8 months of the year. The maintenance needed to be minimum and the materials needed to withstand hurricane seasons.

Basically the house is one open floor plan for the common areas and the bedrooms are more enclosed to have privacy.

The main structure of the house is composed of concrete matching the natural color of the local dirt, this way we blend with the local nature. We utilized to main walls that are east and west facades. We covered them with "talavera" to try to bring a traditional interpretation of Mexican architecture and looking at it in a more contemporary way.

The floor plan is very easy and flexible because of the linear structure of the house, basically we centralized the common areas that includes kitchen, dinning, and living and opened them to the main terrace and the pool. And on one side we added the master bedroom with a bathroom. And to the north we added two more bedrooms with a shared bathroom. The simplicity of the floor plan matches the simplicity of the design of the exterior, this way we tried to make a sanctuary to rest and to enjoy nature."

This kind of architecture just really works for me - it's basic, it's rectangular and it blends in well with the natural environment.  All aspects had been considered, and even the security gates adds a rustic element that works well with the overall design.

This prototype could work very well for my 'Darling Project'

http://www.graciastudio.com/

http://www.architecture-page.com/go/projects/todos-santos

Sunday 11 December 2011

TWINS: HOUSES IN 5 PARTS BY WILLIAM O'BRIAN JR


After a good few days of looking, searching and hunting - I have finally found the project I mentioned in my previous post.  It took ages, as I could not remember what it was called - but finally I managed to find it on Yatzer.

"Twins is a project located in upstate New York that commenced in 2009 and was completed in 2011. It consists of two vacation houses on one plot of land constructed in five parts for two brothers and their families. The conceptual thinking behind these structures is truly impressive. Great detail has been given to the forms in relation to the landscape. Each house is made out of five shapes, which have been minimally dissected and rotated to fit within the plot. The mathematical principle of “dissection” states that any two regular polygons with equal areas can be divided into sets of similar shapes; “minimal dissection” is the pursuit of the fewest number of subdivisions in each polygon. A regular six-sided polygon and a regular four-sided polygon contain the same five shapes—each are made up of the same four trapezoids and one triangle. The adjacencies between the five shapes are different within each of the regular polygons, as are their orientations relative to the outer perimeters of the polygons. Translated into spatial divisions in an architectural plan, these fixed arrangements prompt sectional-flexibility."



"Moving away from the structures and looking at the surroundings, you instantly notice how these two houses have been designed accordingly retaining the relation between architecture & the environment. Water collection is achieved through the angled roofs directed to a subterranean piping system between the residences. The agricultural development of the land varies according to the season. With this variation the relation between the two houses also alters according to the height of the plantation, the colour of the landscape and the thickness or bareness of the trees. Everything has been planted, created and designed in order to enforce the communication (direct or none) between the residences according to the particular time of the month. Nature takes a prime role in deciding how much you see of your loving neighbor and when."

Lately I am just drawn to this exact kind of architecture and landscape - minimalist yet thoughtful in design and execution.  The landscape covered in snow - vast windows perfectly frames the beauty of the surrounding areas - and the most basic of furniture.

Dreamy it is, beautiful it is, well designed it most certainly is.  The starkness of the exterior is purposefully striking in the wintry surroundings.  I'd love to see more of the interiors and how the space has been furnished throughout.   And I'd love to see it in the varying seasons.
http://yatzer.com/Twins-Houses-in-Five-Parts-by-William-O-Brien-Jr