Home Owner Nut » bedrooms

Understated house exteriors: Life in the Florida dunes

Woodrow — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:08:15 +0000

I recently saw a $1.2 million listing for the 1,500-square-foot Dune House on Florida’s Atlantic Beach that really caught my eye. Actually, what gripped my imagination was how little of the house there was to see. The home is a duplex, built into the dunes and employing a grass roof-line as a natural part of its architecture. The house was built in 1975 from the designs of owner William Morgan, a celebrated architect of the Atlantic shores.

Looky-look architecture

Photo by William Morgan Architects

Gazing out like the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg in The Great Gatsby, the twin windows of the Dune Home peer out to the shore. The unique enclosure keeps the interiors at a lovely 70 degrees around the year. Morgan received honors from the American Institute of Architects in recognition of his lifelong research into architectural creativity. You can view his dazzling portfolio at William Morgan Architects.

Designs that get out of the way

Photo by Yahoo Real Estate

You have to love the unobstructed view of the sea from the home, currently rented out as twin 750-square-foot apartments, each with a two-story living area, single bedroom and bath. Morgan wants to get out of having to find suitable renters, so he’s selling the place. Yahoo Real Estate rounds up the details.

Splendor in the dunes

Photo by Yahoo Real Estate

Atlantic Beach comprises the northernmost line of unspoiled beaches heading out from Jacksonville. The Dutton Island Preserve offers residents a fishing pier, wending threads of hiking trails, and a floating dock for kayaks and canoes. The last U.S. Census reported that the community has 25,398 residents, with more women than men, and a higher level of post-secondary education than the national average.

If Mr. Morgan would like to donate the property for development of a very small writers’ colony, he can contact me here at the blog.

More nauseating rug designs to avoid

Woodrow — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:46:00 +0000

I get a lot of mileage from a well-made carpet. I like my tones warm, understated and cozy. I don’t get people who love rug designs taken from 1970s polyester sports coats. It’s over, people. My feet aren’t large enough to cover the carpet while I watch Sports Center or talk to a house guest. But, no matter how you try, some people just have to take it all the way to the edge.

Carpeting that absorbs spills

Photo by Colorado Guy

Steve, our Colorado Guy, was staying with chums in Delta when he dropped his open soda can on this rug. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find the wet spot in the midst of this mess.

Band on the runway

The House of Area Rugs is the repository of this animal print rug that completes a practice room “where you can let your funky side go wild”. Dazzling, boys. Pass the vomit bags.

Designs that cannot save Lauren’s heart (sigh)

Photo by Save Lauren's Heart

Lauren’s feet, pictured here on the doctor’s waiting room carpet where she’s come for appointments for eight years, show the complete futility of office design consultants. She’s the author of Save Lauren’s Heart blog, and our hearts go out to her.

A sea of confusion

Photo by Zydecocruiser

The author of the Zydecocruiser blog took a fancy to this atrocity of a carpet installed on a Carnival Dream Ship. It’s enough to send the passengers out to the deck for a healthy yurp at the rail.

Don’t gamble on these designs

Photo by We Waste Time

I recently blogged about Chris Maluszynski’s Las Vegas Carpet revue, but it’s worth a second look if it will spare you a few hours at the slots. You’d think rugs like this would keep gamblers away. Don’t bet on it!

Designer Cardin: Break out the bubbly

Woodrow — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:22:20 +0000

I love when I get tips to check out unusual architecture and designs. This time, I owe credit to Home Owner Nut Iris, who tipped me off on the ultimate of Haute couture house exteriors designed for — who else? – the Elvis of Haute couture, Pierre Cardin. If you’re ever on your way to Cannes (of course), drop in for a gander at the Palais Bulles. The Bubble Palace was completed in the town of Théoule-sur-Mer with its astounding Mediterranean views in 1989. It’s been the mecca for Cardin pilgrims ever since.

Beam me down

Photo by Palais Bulles

Seen through a porthole of an adjoining room, the palais house exteriors seem an invention of a 1950s Sci-Fi movie colorist. You’ve got to visit the Palais Bulles home page and wander around…virtually.

Bubble dress architecture

Photo by Dornob

And why wouldn’t the couterier to the stars who first designed the 1950’s bubble dress want anything less than fizzy pop for these interiors? It’s a pretty dreamy bedroom, don’t you think? Dornob has a good selection of Bubble Palace photos.

Room for all your trendy companions

Photo by Izismile

I found this room with a view at Izismile. The Bubble Palace has 28 round bedrooms, all cushioned by wall-to-wall fluff and lights that change the mood of the room as the world turns. The villa overlooks a 500-seat cliffside amphitheater that leans out over the Mediterranean.

Passage to plush

Photo by Izismile

The creator of Maxim’s loved circular shapes. The hallway resembles a passageway for the visionary race of Krel from Forbidden Planet.

Looking for your next place to “take a meeting”? Try this dandy of a room at the Palais.

Photo by Beautiful Life

Woozy yet?

Mobiles add motion and color in your home

Woodrow — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:33:57 +0000

Mobiles are hanging decorations or dynamic sculptures that give home interiors panache and sizzle. These kinetic pieces allow you to color your rooms while allowing for constant change. As early as in 1931, Marcel Duchamp coined the term “mobile” to describe the balanced, hanging representations of the spheres that make up our Solar System. Artist Alexander Calder is often credited with creating wire-frame mobiles supporting rotating shapes, colors, and designs.

Photo by Konrads

Mobiles, according to the folks at the MIT Media Lab, are typically constructed from the outside in, or the insides out. The mobile pictured above, Jonathan Clowes’ Soaring Spirits, hangs 20′ wide by 25′ deep by 50′ tall. The painted aluminum birds and stainless steel flock of birds can be made to any size. Contact Konrads for a quote..

Awesome, huge mobile designs

Photo by Hanging Mobile Gallery

Noah Li-Leger sells these hand-made, “At Sundown” mobiles, 25″ tall by 80″ wide, made out of painted sheet steel and steel rods. You can order your own for around $1,100. Contact The Hanging Mobile Gallery.

Modest prices, brilliant colors

Photo by Etsy

If you can’t afford a Li-Leger, think of ordering up a $130 blue and white Blue Ocean mobile at Etsy. Of course, it’s a wee smaller at 13 x 22 inches. Each mobile is made of recyclable polypropylene shapes, balanced on stainless steel wires.

Design your own mobile online

Photo by Atomic Mobiles

Atomic Mobiles invites customers to assemble their own shapes and sizes, choosing from 40 different colors. There are ten master patterns, each with pieces sized to keep things moving in the slightest air. Pieces come in flat hues, metallic glitter, or retro patterns. You’ll find small size mobiles for baby and children’s bedrooms.

Flowing Rhythm Red

Photo by Konrads

My current mobile favorite is the large Flowing Rhythm Red mobile sold at Konrads for $998. The plastic ball and fiberboard shapes stretch out at 60″ tall by 75″ wide.

I hate to leave you hangin’..;.

Unique, low-cost home designs for the future

Woodrow — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:23:01 +0000

Depending upon the person I talk with in the local café, the United States is rapidly approaching third-world status, or at least grinding the middle class into rubble. I usually don’t launch my ideas up with everyone else’s fear balloons, but when it comes to affording a comfortable life on our shores, I’m having fresh doubts. No wonder I like the idea of downsizing my plans to meet life’s terms and, with them, my own concepts of comfort.

Imagine my delight this week in stumbling across an article on BSB Design, a Midwest American firm that is pioneering pre-fab homes that can be assembled by four persons in a single day using a screwdriver. According to Trendmaster, the 10’x12’ home is built on model of the Catenary Arch. It sells for around $1,500 and has made a difference in South Africa in elevating living conditions among the poor.

The architecture of hope

Photo by Architecture Week

It’s named the Abod (pronounced “abode”), and this BSB dwelling is shipped in a single box. The arch shape allows for a second-floor sleeping loft and is built from non-combustible materials. Abod Shelters created the designs is response to United Nations’ predictions that 2 billion more people worldwide will be pushed into slums in the next 30 years.

Abod’s unique, winning design

Photo by Abod

In 2008, The American Institute of Architects awarded the Abod its Small Project Award for small dwellings. Read the details at Architecture Week.

Starting with basics

Photo by Trend Hunter

Doug Sharp is Chairman of the Board of Iowa’s BSB Design and brainchild and founder of Abod. The initial installation project was completed in Johannesburg, South Africa. Additional projects on the drawing board are planned in Venezuela and for the creation of the first AIDS orphanage in South Africa.

What this country needs is more big-hearted people who can think small.

Paint your child’s room as a blackboard jungle

Woodrow — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:30:24 +0000

It’s back to the drawing board for stylish home interiors. Of course, I mean blackboard paint. It comes in a range of colors – not just black or green – and allows you and your family members to constantly draw on the walls without consequence. You can leave shopping notes for your spouse, remainders for children (clean up your room!), or just announce your mood of the day. Considering the high emotional price I had to pay for drawing on the walls as a kid, I sure with this paint was around in the day.

Cool paint for the bedroom, kitchen or just about anywhere

Photo by Style Files

Benjamin Moore, Rust-Oleum, and Blick Art Materials are the leading American producers of blackboard paint. In The Netherlands, Flexa offers an extensive line of colors. Look for specialist latex paint that cleans up easily with water and will take both liquid chalk markers and chalk sticks. There’s even a variety of metallic chalkboard paint that will allow you to stick magnetic objects to your wall (say your teenager’s nose ring).

Choosing chalkboard paint for your design

Photo by Remodelista

Abacus Construction has a great online roundup on chalkboard paints and manufacturers. The paint goes on easily with metal, wood, sheet-rock tile and glass. It goes on with a roller, brush, or spray can (for application in small areas).

Paint as an entertaining kitchen tool

Photo by Style Files

Have trouble remembering recipes? Apply a rectangle of chalkboard paint over the stove to jot down ingredients or cooking times. You can even employ swatches of chalkboard paint as a decorative accent in a room where you can draw your own flowers or color splotches. See more examples at Style Files.

Color me happy!

Architecture of the clouds

Woodrow — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:12:53 +0000

Once more, a tip of the hat to interior-design pro Linda Mahler, who sent along notice of this dreamy piece of architecture from France. I’m a sucker for innovative design and especially for Le Nuage (the Cloud), tucked neatly into the shoreline of a lake in Lormont.

It’s part art-installation, part-hotel. If the exterior looks a little intimidating, wait until you take a look at the interiors!

Innovation and dream work

Photo by Herman Miller

I love the Herman Miller blog! That’s where you’ll get a detailed look at The Cloud, built by Le Bruit de Frigo and Zébra3/Buy. I have no misgivings that visitors must sleep in bunk beds. Here’s why:

Interiors: The Cloud’s silver lining

Photo by It's Hip, It's Here

The loft bunk beds are inviting even though the interior may be too cozy for some people. It’s right on a stunning lake, for crying out loud, so go stretch your legs. The wood and plexiglass cloud sleeps up to seven and is available for stays from June 20 to Halloween. Book it at the Lormont Tourist Office. And learn more about the architect- builders at Zébra3/Buy (if you speak French).

An oldie and a goodie

Photo by Tree Hugger

Tree Hugger, the blog that co-sponsored Herman Miller’s article, takes the daily pulse of green building. They’re where I discovered The Autonomous House, a forward-looking architectural innovation from way back in 1979 (if you were around then, you wore bell-bottomed jeans.) Michael Jantzen’s The Autonomous House was lightweight, powered off the grid with solar and rainwater collection capabilities.

It amazes me that people were thinking “green” while the rest of the world was driving giant steel muscle cars with four-barrel carburetors. Read more about the house at Tree Hugger.

Me, I’m on Cloud 9.

Decorating: Anywhere you hang your hat is home

Woodrow — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:23:13 +0000

If you can decorate your interior walls with apparel in a tasteful way, my hat’s off to you. If you browse the Web, you’ll find a greater number of poor and ugly examples in decorating than interiors you love. In college, we used to line the windowsills with empty libation bottles to mark the triumph of will over sanity, and we called it fashion. Later, we hung the garish ball caps of sports teams like so many pelts.

Everyone has a favorite hat and perhaps an associated memory that goes with it. According to The Hat Bible, images of hats on a wall go all the way back to tomb paintings in ancient Thebes. Greek and Roman slaves, when set free, were issued a ‘liberty cap’ that differentiated them from owned men and women. Today, we employ hats in interior decorating as a declaration of associations.

Put some vroom in the room

Photo by Ugly House Photos

You can always depend on Ugly House Photos to provide exquisite examples of the disturbing. What good is a home interior without a Dale Earnhardt Jr. poster and complementary hat décor? I particularly admire the #8 beer bottle on the floor beside the dresser, That way you don’t have to get off your knees to have a drink.

Shunning the ugly

Photo by Older Rose

On the distaff side of the gender line, this hat gallery from the blog at The Older Rose proves that hat walls can be tasteful (although I doubt the Earnhardt devotee would agree).

Decorating with hats — and bling!

Photo by The Borrowed Abode

The Borrowed Abode proves that bloggers have little gumption about posting photos of their quirky collections. Here, the hats are used as a tasteful border around an altar to the goddess of the earring.

Obsession and possession

Photo by Helen Collection's Blog

The Helen Collection’s Blog reports of Fulgencio, a man who has “a weak form of an obsessive compulsory disorder” that compels him to align, adjust, and maintain proper spacing between some 20 hats that he never wears on his crown. I totally get you, Fulgencio.

Remember, when it comes to the school of cap ornamentation there’s only one rule: No hats on the bed!

Get the skinny on narrow-home architecture

Woodrow — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:30:40 +0000

I read the Yahoo report on the world’s skinniest house with a smile on my face. It wasn’t because the new skinny architecture is green and almost insanely tiny. It’s that skinny houses – green designs or otherwise – are anything but new. In the United States, there are Greenwich Village townhouses from the 19^th Century that are skinnier than 10 feet wide. And in Europe, you’ll find skinny architecture galore, with narrow row-houses squeezed so tightly between neighbors that they look as if they’re part of the larger home.

Neo-skinny architecture

Photo by Yahoo

First, the home reported by Yahoo. Jakub Szczęsny of Warsaw has designed and constructed a home that is four-feet wide at the thickest end, narrowing to 28 inches. Originally among designs for an art installation, Szczęsny’s Keret House is likely the skinniest house in Poland, and perhaps the world.

Here’s what it looks like installed:

Photo by Arch Daily

Small enough for you? The astronauts may have more room in the space station privy. Read more about the Keret House at Arch Daily.

A narrow escape

Photo by Winkworth

The British property services firm Winkworth has sold this skinny house in Shepard’s Bush, a suburb west of London. A converted hat shop, the house is but five-and-a-half feet wide. There are soak tubs wider than that. But the home rises to five levels, providing 1,000 square-feet of living space. Read more about it at Winkworth.

The mother-lode of skinny

Photo by Two Feathers

Here in Brazil’s Madre de Deus, Helenita has fashioned a 3 x 9 foot, three-story home and wedged her way in. Actually, it’s pretty spacious. See interior photos as part of the skinny-home roundup at Web Urbanist.

(Bye for now: that’s all I could squeeze into the blog this week.)

San Francisco: Home to firehouse conversions

Woodrow — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:16:48 +0000

You know you’re just like Dan Aykroyd’s character Dr. Raymond Stantz, praying someday you’ll get to live in a firehouse and slide down the pole to your garage. Now, for a tidy sum, you can. Firehouse architecture has captured a niche market in home conversions. Designs from the early 20^th Century are the bomb, although I’d settle for any firehouse that predates today’s modern glass monstrosities.

For a long time, Boston and New York set trends in firehouse conversions, especially for their Gothic and Victorian designs. But don’t shortchange San Francisco!

Top of the hill

Located in the chic Pacific Heights neighborhood with panoramic views of the Bay, this firehouse conversion was once home to Governor Jerry Brown and novelist Danielle Steele. It has an elevator for people with acrophobia. In 2009, it was listed for $4.4 million. (Read more on Examiner.)

Bargain on 22^nd Street

With California home prices in tragic decline, this firehouse conversion was still on the market after a year and a half after dropping the asking price from $6.3 down to a scant $5.1 million. Make an offer.

Too late for Oak Street

Built in 1913, this Oak Street firehouse went for $1,412,500 in the now-trendy Hayes Valley neighborhood where Erich von Stroheim filmed Greed in 1924. Back then, it was part of the red light district. CNBC’s Colleen Kane has a great article on firehouse conversions, including the inside dirt on the four-story, 8,240 square-foot firehouse in New York’s Greenwich Village that Anderson Cooper bought for $4.3 million in 2009.

Who ya gonna call?

Soon you can own the Tribeca firehouse used for exteriors in Ghostbusters. Plan your pilgrimage from Bunny Ears. The firehouse is among 19 stations that are planned for abandonment due to NYC budget shortfalls. Wonder how much Hook and Ladder Company #8 will fetch!

(I’m priced out of the market, but at least I can buy a T-shirt.)