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Essential oils used in aromatherapy: A systemic review
Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation
企業やそのブランドのロゴに使われる色は、その企業が主張したい方向性を端的に表現しています。色が人々に与える印象には一定のパターンがあるため、デザイナーはそれを意識して色を選ぶのです。 今回は緑色を使ったロゴを見ていきまし...
Share on: Does the world make you sick? If the distractions and distortions around you, the jarring colors and sounds, could shake up the healing chemistry of your mind, might your surroundings also have the power to heal you? This is the question Esther Sternberg explores in Healing Spaces, a look at the marvelously rich nexus of …
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Discover Wellness Design™ Wellness Design founded by the Greek interior designer, Elena Arsenoglou, after 20 years of studies, research and practical applications, in order to offer the modern people of all ages, places that are certified and function therapeutically for them, through the right design, decoration and positive energy. In the innovative Wellness Design system …
Critical Analysis on the Effectiveness of Chromo therapy
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I was so excited about the Petit Trianon that when I got home last night I took out my book on Petit Trianon right away and had to scan some...
The Belmont mansion, now home to the Order of the Eastern Star's International Temple, is located on an unusual triangular piece of land at 1618 New Hampshire Avenue here in the Dupont circle neighborhood of DC. I've always been fascinated by this building because of it's unusual footprint. a photograph from when the mansion was completed in 1909the mansion seen in the 1920s, behind an old firebell The mansion was built in the Beaux arts style for Perry Belmont by the French architect Ernest Sanson who did the most grand mansions in France of the time period. Horace Trumbauer was the state side representative who was also the architect of the Elms in Newport, RI that I blogged about last year (you can read the post HERE, it is my favorite mansion in Newport). the gated entry todaya side view along 18th streetone of the rear rounded corners The odd shaped lot was $90,000 (a lot for land alone back then!) and the house cost $1.5 MILLION to build and was completed in 1909. The interiors are extremely ornate to this day, so I'm not really surprised at the cost. The home was the headquarters for this past year's Dupont Circle house tour so I was able to see some of the interiors.the ground floor entrythe grand stairway to the piano nobile Belmont was a congressman from New York and later became the ambassador to Spain. The house was used to entertain while he was in DC for the winter season. In 1925 Belmont sold the house to the Masons for just $100,000 as he was a member. What a deal as it barely covers the cost of the land! The plans are fascinating in the way that Sanson dealt with the odd shaped lot. The entry is at the tip of the triangle, making for a very grand entry (a true beaux-arts ideal). Much of the front of the interior is open creating a grand hall and staircase, leading up to the piano nobile and public rooms (technically the '2nd floor'). What is unusual in this plan though, is that the bedrooms for the family are all located on the ground floor - unheard of in those days! The servants rooms are all up in the mansard roof (hidden by a parapet) on the 3rd floor. The main floorThe ground floor plan which has the family and guest bedrooms. Pics courtesy of NCinDC on flickr
I was so excited about the Petit Trianon that when I got home last night I took out my book on Petit Trianon right away and had to scan some...
Architect John Murray is no stranger to most style-minded classicists after his monograph,' Classical Invention', flew off shelves and onto design bookshelves everywhere. I recently heard him speak through our local chapter of the ICAA and his intelligence and beautiful work go hand in hand. While flipping through the most recent issue of New Old House magazine I came across a renovated country house Murray completed on the Hudson River that made me feel instantly at home. Murray enhanced the existing house in such a way that one doesn't know what is old and what is new, one only knows that it is RIGHT. The floorplan is a dream come true for most of us I would imagine; The only thing missing is the river view! French casements open completely to bring in the river views and air. The century old beams are the only decoration needed architecturally, interior designer Sam Blount provided the rest. The kitchen has all of the modern amenities of a new house and the charm of the old house. Again I love the french casements! The screened porch can be used year round. And what is a screened porch without ceiling fan and sky-blue beadboard ceiling? This definitely ranks among my country house dreams -how about yours? All photographs by Durston Saylor from New Old House magazine, Spring/Summer 2014
New Research: The Built Environment Impacts Our Health and Happiness More Than We Know
Again from the unbuilt section of the book "Domestic Architecture of H.T. Lindeberg" I bring you this modern houseplan.I love this melding of classical and modern. The plan is so rational it is strange to see the 1-story service spaces spilling out so organically on the upper right hand side; A strange after thought? It seems to have been hidden with the landscaping though, not a service wing in sight! I believe it was Frank Lloyd Wright who said he hid his mistakes with Ivy? How would you have solved this problem?
NASA REPORT | Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement
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Steven Gambrel is one of the biggest talents around these days, and everyone can bring some of him into their own bathrooms now with Drummonds! The newly launched Colvin collection is an eight-piece family of bathroom storage and accessories, designed by Gambrel and handcrafted at the Drummonds brassware foundry. Gambrel comments, “The materials we celebrate throughout the house - heavy plaster walls, marble mantels, antique brassware – these are the perfect elements to build a bathroom. We’ve moved far beyond the white sanitary box of previous eras." “I’ve always loved hardware – doorknobs, hinges, brackets - anything really. I often use it as a grounding element across a series of rooms. I see it like jewelry. And if I’m matching hardware to high walls and large heavy doors, I need it to look strong and architectural. I wanted to continue that into the bathroom as well.”
Steven Gambrel is one of the biggest talents around these days, and everyone can bring some of him into their own bathrooms now with Drummonds! The newly launched Colvin collection is an eight-piece family of bathroom storage and accessories, designed by Gambrel and handcrafted at the Drummonds brassware foundry. Gambrel comments, “The materials we celebrate throughout the house - heavy plaster walls, marble mantels, antique brassware – these are the perfect elements to build a bathroom. We’ve moved far beyond the white sanitary box of previous eras." “I’ve always loved hardware – doorknobs, hinges, brackets - anything really. I often use it as a grounding element across a series of rooms. I see it like jewelry. And if I’m matching hardware to high walls and large heavy doors, I need it to look strong and architectural. I wanted to continue that into the bathroom as well.”
I was so excited about the Petit Trianon that when I got home last night I took out my book on Petit Trianon right away and had to scan some of the images in to share with you. The book is the 1913 Boston Architectural Club Year book. The Boston Architectural Club was sort of like an AIA - it was a continuing eduction type of club that architects could belong to. They produced a yearbook every year on a different subject. In 1913 it was on the Petit Trianon. About 225 pages are devoted to it - first a brief history, then site plan and floor plans (pictured ), some photos, detailed drawings of every room ( you could practically build it! ) and then some furniture working drawings of Marie Antoinette's furniture! The rear has a few envois drawings of students ( I'll do a posting on these drawings later ) and then some really interesting ads. You can find the book around through some antique vendors ( I did a quick froogle of it and found 2 up for sale on the WWW ).section, plan and elevation of stair hall a typical window detail and elevation - mirrored side panels! drawing showing the detailed flooring and paneling of the dining room While the first floor has a very logical and well thought out floor plan, the '2nd' floor is a warren of little bedrooms. I was surprised to read that the 'closets' off the bedrooms were actually where servants slept! How awful! I mean -these literally ARE closets!detail of 'MA' monogram on paneling in stair hall The main room is the dining room, with the secondary main room being the salon ( isn't that backwards?? ). I know that these names are merely just terms and furniture in the 18th century was built to be moved around -so basically any room could be used for any purpose. Hence the light weight and delicacy of 18th century furniture. In the days before air conditioning and heating, you just stayed in the most comfortable room based on natural conditions and had servants bring in the dining table, sofa, dressing table or whatever piece you may require. dressing table at Petit Trianon Marie Anoinette's bedroom (s) were the small ones off the salon shown here. They are only 1/2 height and have another set of bedrooms right above her ( for her closest friends! ). The section shows this relationship more clearly.section - on the right hand side of the lower one you see MA bedrooms off the salon with lower ceiling I hope you enjoyed this 2 part lesson on the Petit Trianon!site plan of petit trianon ( square on the right side ), gardens and auxiliary buildings
I was so excited about the Petit Trianon that when I got home last night I took out my book on Petit Trianon right away and had to scan some...
Steven Gambrel is one of the biggest talents around these days, and everyone can bring some of him into their own bathrooms now with Drummonds! The newly launched Colvin collection is an eight-piece family of bathroom storage and accessories, designed by Gambrel and handcrafted at the Drummonds brassware foundry. Gambrel comments, “The materials we celebrate throughout the house - heavy plaster walls, marble mantels, antique brassware – these are the perfect elements to build a bathroom. We’ve moved far beyond the white sanitary box of previous eras." “I’ve always loved hardware – doorknobs, hinges, brackets - anything really. I often use it as a grounding element across a series of rooms. I see it like jewelry. And if I’m matching hardware to high walls and large heavy doors, I need it to look strong and architectural. I wanted to continue that into the bathroom as well.”
Έλενα Αρσένογλου Αθήνα | Ελλάδα Τηλ 22910 71252 Κιν 697 228 5569 ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΕΙΣ [email protected] ΚΑΡΙΕΡΑ & ΠΡΑΚΤΙΚΗ ΕΞΑΣΚΗΣΗ [email protected] ΓΕΝΙΚΕΣ ΠΛΗΡΟΦΟΡΙΕΣ [email protected]
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To make up for the lack of posts lately as I prepare for my move, I thought I would post some floorplans from a book I recently was browsing at work, "Domestic Architecture of H. T. Lindeberg".While never built, this early modern house has an intriguing plan which combines the functions of the doctor's office as well as his nice, but compact house. I only wonder what section of the city this was planned for. If this had been built, I also wonder how the warren of service spaces around the kitchen would have changed over time. What do you think?
While I often write about large houses, mansions even, long time readers know that I have always had a preference for well designed small houses (it has been over 7 years now so I think that constitutes a long time!). The golden era of this was the 1920s in my opinion when many high-quality, small houses were built in varied styles. Just north of downtown Phoenix are a host of 'historic' neighborhoods which are small lots with even smaller houses from this era in a plethora of styles. One of the things I enjoyed most was seeing these lovely small houses as they were meant to be - STILL SMALL! The problem here in Washington, DC is that small houses quickly get 2nd stories, enormous additions, and become mcmansions in their own right spoiling their jewel-box qualities. Size vs quality? The other aspect of checking out these neighborhoods was enjoying the lovely gardens people have created here in this arid climate. While some are native desert landscapes (which I enjoyed the most I must admit as they felt 'exotic' to my eastern eyes) others are as lush and green as a house in Maine. Just check out this bungalow above which looks straight out of a California suburb. One of the oddest houses I came upon wasn't actually very small at 6,000 SF and looked like it was dropped out of the English countryside. Built in 1930 by Carter Gibbes with builder Neil Gates the house appears to be hundreds of years old. Perhaps they used some reclaimed materials from England like the Virginia House or Agecroft Hall in Richmond. The shrubbery and grass was also a bit of jolly old England in the desert of Arizona. While hands down my favorite house it does seem a tad inappropriate for the climate and location? More fitted to the environment was this recently remodeled bungalow. It's easy to forget how much work it is to have such green grass in Phoenix! This charming little bungalow also caught my eye although I wish they hadn't planted the tree directly in the middle of the house! While the photograph is hard to see notice the wonky Cotswold cottage style roofline on this house -can't you see it being thatched? I'm sure it wouldn't last long though in the Phoenix summer heat. This house also was charming and cozy looking; Loved the front porch. Nearby was an art deco church with this very Hollywood Regency looking entry canopy. England to France to California and now Italy -have you ever seen an Italian style ranch complete with Della Robbia plaque? This seems very appropriate to the climate and I love the clay tile roof. This house was renovated to be modern but retains the compact size. I loved the entry courtyard. The cactus garden above is really fun and I loved these wispy green trees seen to the left and in all of my favorite gardens -does anyone know what they are? Of course most houses were either Spanish mission style or a modified Pueblo design like these two. This 2 story house looks to be plucked out of Beverly Hills, no? As does this house below which could have been the house of an aging Norma Desmond. And straight out of Carmel, California were a number of cute storybook cottages! The one above could use a little curbside enhancement but the form is basically there. In contrast, this house is clean and tidy and lets the irregular roofline speak. This large Tudor style house could have been in Connecticut except for the palm trees and yellowed grass. Last but not least, Marcel DuChamp eat your heart out! A condo development featured this statue of a woman holding a urinal -doesn't this just scream 'welcome home'? Hope you enjoyed seeing these small houses and maybe even got some inspiration; Bigger isn't always (and infrequently is) better!
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Well, "smallish" plan. This charming brick house looks pretty similar to a lot of the building stock of the 1920s and I can see why so much was built similarly-whats not to like? I should mention that I got off on this small house kick because I spent 4 days this past weekend in Seaside, Florida. Seaside, as many of you probably know, is the famous new urbanist town designed by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk in the 1980s in the Florida Panhandle. More recently, the film "the Truman Show" with Jim Carrey was filmed there and you may recognize it from that. The houses in Seaside are small, charming and in a cohesive atmosphere that many people have called 'Disneyesque' or overly-designed but I love. I mean, how can you have TOO MUCH design or thought put into a neighborhood? Lamest arguement ever. Generally the opposite is the problem, as evidenced driving along the highway to Seaside and the other new urbanist communities that have sprung up nearby. I'll be posting more on Seaside shortly when I get my photos organized but I was not disappointed.Getting back to the subject at hand, I don't believe this house is actually all that small but could use some updating to the plan. While one is tempted to make an addition to help create 'more space' -the entire purpose of this exercise (or at least these posts) is to try to think creatively and use what you have; Think outside of the box by staying within it! Better living through smarter planning and less waste is my goal. Clearing out the warren of pantry and small side entry in order to create a larger kitchen would help, as would creating a master suite from the 2 bedrooms on the right of the 2nd floor. Hopefully a bathroom could be added to the attic floor without too much expense, maybe in place of the storage above the master suite below. Of course, I would not be changing the numerous outdoor porches and charming exterior shown in the rendering. Stay tuned for some beautiful photos from Florida!
While I often write about large houses, mansions even, long time readers know that I have always had a preference for well designed small houses (it has been over 7 years now so I think that constitutes a long time!). The golden era of this was the 1920s in my opinion when many high-quality, small houses were built in varied styles. Just north of downtown Phoenix are a host of 'historic' neighborhoods which are small lots with even smaller houses from this era in a plethora of styles. One of the things I enjoyed most was seeing these lovely small houses as they were meant to be - STILL SMALL! The problem here in Washington, DC is that small houses quickly get 2nd stories, enormous additions, and become mcmansions in their own right spoiling their jewel-box qualities. Size vs quality? The other aspect of checking out these neighborhoods was enjoying the lovely gardens people have created here in this arid climate. While some are native desert landscapes (which I enjoyed the most I must admit as they felt 'exotic' to my eastern eyes) others are as lush and green as a house in Maine. Just check out this bungalow above which looks straight out of a California suburb. One of the oddest houses I came upon wasn't actually very small at 6,000 SF and looked like it was dropped out of the English countryside. Built in 1930 by Carter Gibbes with builder Neil Gates the house appears to be hundreds of years old. Perhaps they used some reclaimed materials from England like the Virginia House or Agecroft Hall in Richmond. The shrubbery and grass was also a bit of jolly old England in the desert of Arizona. While hands down my favorite house it does seem a tad inappropriate for the climate and location? More fitted to the environment was this recently remodeled bungalow. It's easy to forget how much work it is to have such green grass in Phoenix! This charming little bungalow also caught my eye although I wish they hadn't planted the tree directly in the middle of the house! While the photograph is hard to see notice the wonky Cotswold cottage style roofline on this house -can't you see it being thatched? I'm sure it wouldn't last long though in the Phoenix summer heat. This house also was charming and cozy looking; Loved the front porch. Nearby was an art deco church with this very Hollywood Regency looking entry canopy. England to France to California and now Italy -have you ever seen an Italian style ranch complete with Della Robbia plaque? This seems very appropriate to the climate and I love the clay tile roof. This house was renovated to be modern but retains the compact size. I loved the entry courtyard. The cactus garden above is really fun and I loved these wispy green trees seen to the left and in all of my favorite gardens -does anyone know what they are? Of course most houses were either Spanish mission style or a modified Pueblo design like these two. This 2 story house looks to be plucked out of Beverly Hills, no? As does this house below which could have been the house of an aging Norma Desmond. And straight out of Carmel, California were a number of cute storybook cottages! The one above could use a little curbside enhancement but the form is basically there. In contrast, this house is clean and tidy and lets the irregular roofline speak. This large Tudor style house could have been in Connecticut except for the palm trees and yellowed grass. Last but not least, Marcel DuChamp eat your heart out! A condo development featured this statue of a woman holding a urinal -doesn't this just scream 'welcome home'? Hope you enjoyed seeing these small houses and maybe even got some inspiration; Bigger isn't always (and infrequently is) better!
While I often write about large houses, mansions even, long time readers know that I have always had a preference for well designed small houses (it has been over 7 years now so I think that constitutes a long time!). The golden era of this was the 1920s in my opinion when many high-quality, small houses were built in varied styles. Just north of downtown Phoenix are a host of 'historic' neighborhoods which are small lots with even smaller houses from this era in a plethora of styles. One of the things I enjoyed most was seeing these lovely small houses as they were meant to be - STILL SMALL! The problem here in Washington, DC is that small houses quickly get 2nd stories, enormous additions, and become mcmansions in their own right spoiling their jewel-box qualities. Size vs quality? The other aspect of checking out these neighborhoods was enjoying the lovely gardens people have created here in this arid climate. While some are native desert landscapes (which I enjoyed the most I must admit as they felt 'exotic' to my eastern eyes) others are as lush and green as a house in Maine. Just check out this bungalow above which looks straight out of a California suburb. One of the oddest houses I came upon wasn't actually very small at 6,000 SF and looked like it was dropped out of the English countryside. Built in 1930 by Carter Gibbes with builder Neil Gates the house appears to be hundreds of years old. Perhaps they used some reclaimed materials from England like the Virginia House or Agecroft Hall in Richmond. The shrubbery and grass was also a bit of jolly old England in the desert of Arizona. While hands down my favorite house it does seem a tad inappropriate for the climate and location? More fitted to the environment was this recently remodeled bungalow. It's easy to forget how much work it is to have such green grass in Phoenix! This charming little bungalow also caught my eye although I wish they hadn't planted the tree directly in the middle of the house! While the photograph is hard to see notice the wonky Cotswold cottage style roofline on this house -can't you see it being thatched? I'm sure it wouldn't last long though in the Phoenix summer heat. This house also was charming and cozy looking; Loved the front porch. Nearby was an art deco church with this very Hollywood Regency looking entry canopy. England to France to California and now Italy -have you ever seen an Italian style ranch complete with Della Robbia plaque? This seems very appropriate to the climate and I love the clay tile roof. This house was renovated to be modern but retains the compact size. I loved the entry courtyard. The cactus garden above is really fun and I loved these wispy green trees seen to the left and in all of my favorite gardens -does anyone know what they are? Of course most houses were either Spanish mission style or a modified Pueblo design like these two. This 2 story house looks to be plucked out of Beverly Hills, no? As does this house below which could have been the house of an aging Norma Desmond. And straight out of Carmel, California were a number of cute storybook cottages! The one above could use a little curbside enhancement but the form is basically there. In contrast, this house is clean and tidy and lets the irregular roofline speak. This large Tudor style house could have been in Connecticut except for the palm trees and yellowed grass. Last but not least, Marcel DuChamp eat your heart out! A condo development featured this statue of a woman holding a urinal -doesn't this just scream 'welcome home'? Hope you enjoyed seeing these small houses and maybe even got some inspiration; Bigger isn't always (and infrequently is) better!
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While flipping through World of Interiors from March 2004, I came across an article about a castle in Monferrato in Piedmont overlooked by the Alps with amazing frescos. The frescos were originally done by Vittorio Accornero (who was famous for his designs for Gucci and Hermes) in the 1930s and were later reworked by architect Gianni Ricci from nearby Turin in the 40s. The owner 'strove for gaiety in her surroundings, a sophisticated yet informal atmosphere in which American eccentricity merged with European antiquity.'. I think this was achieved, don't you? Although I am not sure I've heard of American eccentricity, but rather British eccentricity; I guess in a British magazine though........... In the dining room, seen in the picture above, the dumb-waitor is painted to look like a birdpage. 'the blue bedroom' - probably the most perfect shade of blue I've come across for a bedroom! Not too soft, not too bright - bold but not insane. The master bedroom, above, has wallpaper by Zuber and not frescos. I love the yelow with the blue/gray. This shows some of the frescos completed in the 40s by Ricci. The owner wanted to replicate painted baroque trompe-l'oeil details similar to other piedmontese palaces. The crumbling of the walls only adds to their charms; I never would have expected these to have been painted in the 20th century!
For Citi Wealth Hub in Singapore, Ministry of Design merges banking and biophilia to create an office environment that mirrors a soothing greenhouse.
From the closet to the back porch, this 1-light flush mount brightens up your space in sleek style. It showcases a simple square design, surrounded by a wide metal band. A flat resin shade diffuses the light downwards over your home, helping you pick out your outfit for the day or take out the trash. An integrated LED light is included, with a lifespan of 35,000 hours. Plus, this energy-efficient flush mount is rated for wet locations, so it's safe to live outdoors as well as in. What's Included? Canopy Built-in LED Light Features Bulb type: PCB integrated LED See More
Give your favourite plants a home of their own with this planter. Crafted from ceramic with a glossy finish, this piece strikes a cylindrical silhouette that pairs well with a variety of decor styles. Drainage holes keep your plant from being over-watered, so you can easily bring a bit of greenery to nearly any part of your home – no green thumb required. This essential item is available in multiple sizes. Product Details Material: Ceramic Capacity (8" H x 8" W x 8" D Size): 222.66oz. Capacity (13" H x 13.25" W x 13.25" D Size): 955.45oz. Capacity (7.5" H x 6.25" W x 6.25" D Size): 109.59oz. Capacity (8.75" H x 10" W x 10" D Size): 391.4oz. Capacity (5.5" H x 4.75" W x 4.75" D Size): 65.23oz. Drainage Holes: Yes
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of hearing Charlotte Moss speak for the Mid-Atlantic ICAA in Georgetown at the historic Dumbarton House. The Federal styled house, built in 1800, has been a museum since 1928 when it was bought the the Colonial Dames of America. The house is kept accurate to the time of its building and is a hidden gem here in Georgetown. Not to be missed are the beautiful gardens which are somewhat eclipsed by their famous neighbor up the street, Dumbarton Oaks. Moss spoke about her latest book, her 9th, Garden Inspirations. Her lecture was so witty, inspiring, and surprisingly down-to-earth that everyone left if not ready to garden, ready to travel and see some of the sights she shared with us! She said time and again that the book isn't a gardening how-to; you won't find planting lists or how deep to plant seeds. Rather you will find inspirational photographs of beautiful gardens and how to use their blooms both inside and outside of your own home. She believes that everyone may not have a garden, but they can still be influenced by them. Moss's appreciation of gardens has changed over the years. She started loving the classic English Garden, which is so influential here in the USA because of our climate. She loves their beautiful flowers but found the style to be high maintenance; difficult for a city dweller who only visits her garden on the weekends. Even with help in the garden she prefers to be very hands on. After giving up on her dreams of a English styled garden, she moved onto the more formal French gardens, famous for their symmetry. She was also drawn to the style for their love of the sculptural tree, 'No one can shape a tree like a Frenchman' - except perhaps Bunny Mellon whom Moss spoke about at length. The third favorite garden type she spoke about was the Italian, rare in the USA where our climate is not hospitable to the plants, but if one learns abundance from the French, one can learn ease from an Italian garden. Collaboration in her gardens in East Hampton are important and Charlotte designed hers with professionals -namely Lisa Stamm and her architect husband Dale Booher. Garden festivals are one of Moss's passions and she travels the world exploring these functions. She may not be able to bring the plants home but she can talk to the gardeners and pick up tips and ideas. They're also generally hosted in some of the most beautiful gardens in the world. Charlotte spoke personally about her love of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, which she visited first as a 4th grader in Richmond, Virginia, and fell in love with the house and gardens. That love continues to this day as she is on their board of directors and helps in the care of this important site. She believes in historic preservation as one of the most important cultural institutions we have, as do I, because it preserves how people have lived through different times. We can always learn from the past, and as it turns out, from gardens. One can also learn from Charlotte, who encourages us all to ' Do something mad... you can do anything you like with your own house, who cares what anyone else thinks'! I highly encourage you to grow your collection of Charlotte's inspirational tomes, with the addition of Garden Inspirations and go out there and do something MAD! Images from Garden Inspirations by Charlotte Moss.
One of my favorite local projects is an addition to a 1920s tudor house here in the city.The original house, as many tudors are, was rather dark with a small original kitchen. The architects, BarnesVanze, came up with the solution of adding a sunroom onto the back of the house housing a kitchen above other needed spaces along a stone terrace.The interior of the kitchen is made even lighter by eliminating overhead cabinets and instead going with open glass shelving.Who wouldn't want to spend time in this bright and cheery Sunroom?
Image 3 of 12 from gallery of Strategic Green Spaces: How to Make the Most of their Cooling Effects. Hyperlane Linear Sky Park by ASPECT Studios. Image © Bing Lu
Well, "smallish" plan. This charming brick house looks pretty similar to a lot of the building stock of the 1920s and I can see why so much was built similarly-whats not to like? I should mention that I got off on this small house kick because I spent 4 days this past weekend in Seaside, Florida. Seaside, as many of you probably know, is the famous new urbanist town designed by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk in the 1980s in the Florida Panhandle. More recently, the film "the Truman Show" with Jim Carrey was filmed there and you may recognize it from that. The houses in Seaside are small, charming and in a cohesive atmosphere that many people have called 'Disneyesque' or overly-designed but I love. I mean, how can you have TOO MUCH design or thought put into a neighborhood? Lamest arguement ever. Generally the opposite is the problem, as evidenced driving along the highway to Seaside and the other new urbanist communities that have sprung up nearby. I'll be posting more on Seaside shortly when I get my photos organized but I was not disappointed.Getting back to the subject at hand, I don't believe this house is actually all that small but could use some updating to the plan. While one is tempted to make an addition to help create 'more space' -the entire purpose of this exercise (or at least these posts) is to try to think creatively and use what you have; Think outside of the box by staying within it! Better living through smarter planning and less waste is my goal. Clearing out the warren of pantry and small side entry in order to create a larger kitchen would help, as would creating a master suite from the 2 bedrooms on the right of the 2nd floor. Hopefully a bathroom could be added to the attic floor without too much expense, maybe in place of the storage above the master suite below. Of course, I would not be changing the numerous outdoor porches and charming exterior shown in the rendering. Stay tuned for some beautiful photos from Florida!
Steven Gambrel is one of the biggest talents around these days, and everyone can bring some of him into their own bathrooms now with Drummonds! The newly launched Colvin collection is an eight-piece family of bathroom storage and accessories, designed by Gambrel and handcrafted at the Drummonds brassware foundry. Gambrel comments, “The materials we celebrate throughout the house - heavy plaster walls, marble mantels, antique brassware – these are the perfect elements to build a bathroom. We’ve moved far beyond the white sanitary box of previous eras." “I’ve always loved hardware – doorknobs, hinges, brackets - anything really. I often use it as a grounding element across a series of rooms. I see it like jewelry. And if I’m matching hardware to high walls and large heavy doors, I need it to look strong and architectural. I wanted to continue that into the bathroom as well.”
While I often write about large houses, mansions even, long time readers know that I have always had a preference for well designed small houses (it has been over 7 years now so I think that constitutes a long time!). The golden era of this was the 1920s in my opinion when many high-quality, small houses were built in varied styles. Just north of downtown Phoenix are a host of 'historic' neighborhoods which are small lots with even smaller houses from this era in a plethora of styles. One of the things I enjoyed most was seeing these lovely small houses as they were meant to be - STILL SMALL! The problem here in Washington, DC is that small houses quickly get 2nd stories, enormous additions, and become mcmansions in their own right spoiling their jewel-box qualities. Size vs quality? The other aspect of checking out these neighborhoods was enjoying the lovely gardens people have created here in this arid climate. While some are native desert landscapes (which I enjoyed the most I must admit as they felt 'exotic' to my eastern eyes) others are as lush and green as a house in Maine. Just check out this bungalow above which looks straight out of a California suburb. One of the oddest houses I came upon wasn't actually very small at 6,000 SF and looked like it was dropped out of the English countryside. Built in 1930 by Carter Gibbes with builder Neil Gates the house appears to be hundreds of years old. Perhaps they used some reclaimed materials from England like the Virginia House or Agecroft Hall in Richmond. The shrubbery and grass was also a bit of jolly old England in the desert of Arizona. While hands down my favorite house it does seem a tad inappropriate for the climate and location? More fitted to the environment was this recently remodeled bungalow. It's easy to forget how much work it is to have such green grass in Phoenix! This charming little bungalow also caught my eye although I wish they hadn't planted the tree directly in the middle of the house! While the photograph is hard to see notice the wonky Cotswold cottage style roofline on this house -can't you see it being thatched? I'm sure it wouldn't last long though in the Phoenix summer heat. This house also was charming and cozy looking; Loved the front porch. Nearby was an art deco church with this very Hollywood Regency looking entry canopy. England to France to California and now Italy -have you ever seen an Italian style ranch complete with Della Robbia plaque? This seems very appropriate to the climate and I love the clay tile roof. This house was renovated to be modern but retains the compact size. I loved the entry courtyard. The cactus garden above is really fun and I loved these wispy green trees seen to the left and in all of my favorite gardens -does anyone know what they are? Of course most houses were either Spanish mission style or a modified Pueblo design like these two. This 2 story house looks to be plucked out of Beverly Hills, no? As does this house below which could have been the house of an aging Norma Desmond. And straight out of Carmel, California were a number of cute storybook cottages! The one above could use a little curbside enhancement but the form is basically there. In contrast, this house is clean and tidy and lets the irregular roofline speak. This large Tudor style house could have been in Connecticut except for the palm trees and yellowed grass. Last but not least, Marcel DuChamp eat your heart out! A condo development featured this statue of a woman holding a urinal -doesn't this just scream 'welcome home'? Hope you enjoyed seeing these small houses and maybe even got some inspiration; Bigger isn't always (and infrequently is) better!
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