An Elegant Decay

1., 3., 5. Numi Thorvarsson's series on Icelandic abandoned homes

2., 6. Chairs at our New Hampshire home

4. Kelly McGuill for Yankee Magazine

17th Century Modern

The Spanish House from the last blog, with its Brutalist inspiration, inspires us for its spare, elegant lines, so too does the oldest house in Nantucket. The Jethro Coffin House shares the same spare elegance and economy of line, only (almost) 500 years earlier! Circa 1686, we truly believe that the palatte and beams, play of scale and lovely patinas are very bit as captivating and perhaps a bit more intimate.

1., 3., 5., 6. The Jethro Coffin House, Nantucket

2. Charlton Hall Ladderback Chair Lot

4. Stoneware Jug from Keystone Auctions

7. Rope Bed we purchased at William Bunch

8. Pair of Stoneware Jugs sold at William Bunch

So Close, Yet So Far Away

There is something astounding about the aesthetic relationship between the architecture of Ensamble Studio and the artist Adriaan Berend Wagemaker. Although there is 45 years between the creation of the artwork and the building of this house, it seems as if one was constructed for the other- material, palette and geometries that soften as they interact with the organic forms around them.

1., 3., 5., 7. Hemeroscopium House by Ensamble Studios circa 2005

2. Adriaan Berend (Jaap) Wagemaker, Le Clous, Mixed Media Circa 1960

4. Adriaan Berend (Jaap) Wagemaker, Structure En Gris Et Bleu, Mixed Media Circa 1960

6. Adriaan Berend (Jaap) Wagemaker, Forme De L'Espace, Mixed Media Circa 1960

A Dark Secret Passion: Design of the '80's

The Standard, NYC

A fantastic knife set I won at Housing Works (auction)

Hartford, CT

While one of us is asleep early with a headache, the other will indulge a secret passion that has been hiding just under the surface for quite sometime--Memphis and 1980's design! Fun, color-saturated and very relevant today, Memphis and 80's design means movement and experimentation. Influenced by Bauhaus, Constructivism, Primitivism and Art Deco, the designs (and unfortunately the worst) of the decade are almost instantly recognizable, as are those inspired by the time...see for yourself:

Forrest Myers, The Wall, 1973. Though early for Memphis and the 80's, I think it epitomizes the colors and geometry of the decade. Broadway and Houston, NYC.

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George Sowden clocks for Memphis

Marco Zanini Colorado teapot for Memphis, 1983

Lacoste sheets currently in the Macy's Herald Square window

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Nathalie Du Pasquier (a favorite!) lamp, Objects of the Electronics Age

Scholastic Building on Broadway, NYC

Peter Shire table via Manishtama

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Ingas Sempe for Ligne Roset in the Soho showroom

Playgound on Houston

Du Pasquier for Objects of the Electronics Age

Houston and Wooster, NYC....I wish they'd try to keep this up! Great building.

Pretty Fab

Prefab homes have come a long way since the Quonset Huts of the 1940's. While they still mean mass-produced, they can also mean high design--and the units can be pieced together in unique ways to suit different lifestyles and locations. Here are some of our desert favorites (inspired by the cacti we found in the flower district this weekend).

The Desert House Prototype by Marmol Radzinger employs four house modules and six deck modules to suit the wide desert landscape.

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The itHouse by Taalman Koch Architects came to us by way of inhabitat. Just outside of Joshua Tree National Park, the home is completely off-grid, powered by soley by photovoltaic andsolar thermal technology.

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Taliesin Mod.Fab is a 600 one bedroom designed by students at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. While set in the desert, the structure is designed to be transported on any highway.

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