July 28, 2011
Summer feels like it’s almost here – minus a few degrees. Anybody been to Byron Bay, Australia? In my mind’s eye, it’s perpetual summer. This house for sale in Byron Bay has the inside/outside, light/bright, modern/lush appeal that’s perfect for a summer’s day.
More info here www.realestate.com.au
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, Furniture, home, inspiration, travel
June 7, 2011
When looking at houses, one of my most frequent comments is, “where are the windows??”. This home featured on Dwell’s website does not have that problem. Relying on local materials and local craftspeople, this home takes simplicity and function to a refreshing level. I love how the slabs of limestone for the house’s front steps were rested on a layer of ice cubes, creating just enough clearance for the nylon straps to be pulled free. The slabs settled into place as the ice melted.
More here.

via www.dwell.com
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, Design, home
April 19, 2011
Outdoor furniture designer Gandia Blasco can stop by my place with a little present any old time. Check out the last image here – perfect for west coast weather. When the sun comes out, sometimes I wish I can a greenhouse to sit in. They call it a Cristal Box , an outdoor pergola system made of anodized or thermo-lacquered aluminium profiles. The inside flooring is technical wood made using plant and plastic fibres – requiring little or no maintenance.

via www.gandiablasco.com

via www.gandiablasco.com

via www.gandiablasco.com

via www.gandiablasco.com
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, Design, home, inspiration
February 10, 2011
If you have to work, work at home. If you’re at home, it might as well be pretty.

via www.lonnymag

via www.lonnymag

via www.smallplacestyle.blogspot.com

http://www.houseofturquoise.com/

via www.designismine.blogspot.com

via www.design-muse.blogspot.com

via www.design-muse.blogspot.com
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, Design, home, inspiration
January 17, 2011
Who want’s to go in on the house from the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” with me?? A mere $2.3 million for this 1953 looker.
The iconic modern house tucked away in the woods of Chicago was the site of the Ferrari incident – where it is sent crashing through the glass garage wall.
Architects A. James Speyer and David Haid built the structures on steel beams, creating a Jetson-like pod above the ground. The home also has stunning panoramic views, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls spanning 5,300 square feet.
Check out more details at Sotheby’s.
This brings me to my next topic, has anybody seen the film “Searching for John Hughes”? More on this later.
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture
December 8, 2010

via www.marieclairemaison.com
Reinvented and renovated, this church was transformed into cozy, chic and serene abode by architect Perry Harrison-Hyde. Who knows what stories this church has to tell, but it was given a second chance with the marriage of contemporary architecture and history. Love that painting and check out the window screen separating kitchen from dining.

via www.marieclairemaison.com
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, Art, Design, france, home, magazines, Print Media
November 22, 2010

I was so excited to see this projection on the Johnson Street bridge. Is somebody thinking outside the box? Design, impact, interaction??!!
The unofficial results from the November 20 referendum to borrow $49.2 million to replace the Johnson Street Bridge are:
YES 10,020 (60.6%)
NO 6,522 (39.4%)
Did you vote? How do you feel about saying good bye to our big blue friend? Check out www.johnsonstreetbridge.com and www.johnsonstreetbridge.org for more info.
Categories: locals only.
Tags: architecture, victoria bc
November 12, 2010
Exceptionally modern, inquisitively rustic.

via www.nytimes.com
Designed by Tom Kundig, of the Seattle firm Olson Kundig Architects.
15-acre site in the San Juan Islands off Washington State
2,200-square-foot box with a sod roof and tall steel-framed windows
Master bathroom sink water runs through a series of small bowls that were cut into the rock and polished smooth
The living-dining room is a mixture of simple upholstered furniture, antiques and the contemporary art
More details here.
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, Design, environment, green design, home
November 5, 2010
As they say, the party is always in the kitchen…

via email foward | unknown origin
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, Design, trends
September 20, 2010

Dan's Feet, Sayward Building, Victoria BC | re-touched iPhone image
Categories: artsy.
Tags: architecture, photography, victoria bc
September 14, 2010
As projects go, this one is a designer’s dream. Imagery of gorgeous home design and inspirational text are currently coming together for the first Boulevard Home and Design Annual. Boulevard Magazine has a long standing reputation for “capturing the personality, culture and vitality that is Victoria by focusing on the Arts, People, Trends, Food, Architecture and Design.”
The hard cover book is coming together as 100 pages of smart advice and exciting looks from Victoria’s top home industry experts. A unique local perspective for all things home. Equally as exciting is the Boulevard Home Contest:
WHO: A lucky Boulevard Home reader
WHAT: $20,000 spending spree at one or more Boulevard Home advertising clients, courtesy of Boulevard Lifestyles Inc.
WHEN: Draw January, 2011
HOW: Enter by purchasing your copy of Boulevard Home (one entry per book) or drop by their offices at 1845B Fort Street, Victoria to enter in person.
Click here to enter. Pick up the latest copy of the magazine or read online to find out more. Pre-order your copy here.

Boulevard Home & Design Annual coming SOON!
Categories: portfolio.
Tags: architecture, books, Design, graphic design, home, inspiration, magazines, Print Media, victoria bc
September 1, 2010
When September is looking you straight in the eye, it’s time to take a last minute camping trip. Kopachuck State Park was a random choice – I think I heard something good about Gig Harbor once? It’s about a leisurely 3 hour drive from Port Angeles. A lunch stop in Port Townsend was worth it for the pizza and architecture. Kopachuck is about 15 mins outside of Gig Harbor, Washington where the view downhill of a long harbor filled with boats and Mt. Rainier climbing from the edge of the sea makes for exciting arrival. Gig Harbor is a serene place with a history in boat building and commercial fishing. Today there are farmers markets, docks to wander, a decent choice of restaurants, shops geared towards boaters and 10 mins outside of town…. Target. Kopachuck is winner of a campsite, private and quiet, with a boat launch and a beach where the water is warm enough for swimming. Perfect place to recharge your creativity.
Back to the blogroll.
Categories: on the road.
Tags: architecture, boats, photography, travel
August 4, 2010
This time of year you can’t spend enough time outside or near the water. Add fine dining, an elegant room floating on recycled plastic bottles and cuisine from C Restaurant and you have what I would call a summer trifecta of perfection.
Read more about the floating dining room and make a reservation at inhabitat’s website or at C Restaurant’s site.

from www.inhabitat.com
Categories: eye candy.
Tags: architecture, boats, Design, environment, food, green design, restaurant
July 12, 2010
The weather has finally perked up – although we seem to have some 30knot winds at the moment…
Now is the time to think about maxing out on fresh air.

Top to bottom: from www.emmas.blogg.se, www.lonnymag.com, www.richardpowers.co.uk, www.bartmichiels.com
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, Design, home, inspiration
July 6, 2010
Today the sun is out and we’re going to *gasp* push past 20 degrees today. I’d like to be on the water on my way to a secluded destination. Have a peek at this 100′ yacht which had an interior overhaul by renowned architects Claesson Koivisto Rune from Stockholm as featured in the July/August edition of Azure magazine. Sleek, minimal and a little retro with walnut and white.

from www.ckr.se
Categories: eye candy.
Tags: architecture, boats, Design, magazines
June 21, 2010
Happy first day of SUMMER! Time to start making your to-do list. Ready when you are Mother Nature. Glamping (glamorous camping) is on mine.

from www.thegak.com, near Hope in Treasure Mountain

from www.soulecreeklodge.com, Port Renfrew BC

from www.outathewoods.com, near Cranbrook BC

from www.sakinawlakelodge.com, Pender Harbour BC

from www.rockwatersecretcoveresort.com, Halfmoon Bay BC
Categories: on the road.
Tags: architecture, environment, green design, holidays, travel
June 1, 2010

from www.patkau.ca
Exciting news for our Vancouver neighbours at Patkau Architects. It was announced last week that Patkau‘s winning designs for collection of cottages to accompany Frank Lloyd Wright‘s historic Fallingwater will become a reality.
Six small, on-site residences will snuggle right in next to the iconic Fallingwater, which caused a stir when it was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1938.
Imagine living on top of a 30′ waterfall?

from http://www.fallingwater.org/
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, environment, home
May 13, 2010

from www.richardpowers.co.uk
Taken with these images from photographer Richard Powers. Powers is a self taught photographer, specializing in architecture and interiors. When asked what the most important thing is for good photography, he says, “balance is key – what and what not to include is as equally important as the shadows and highlights”. Loads more inspiration on his website.
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, colour, home, inspiration, photography
April 9, 2010

spotted in vancouver bc
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was staying at the Woodwards development on the cusp of Vancouver’s East Side. Built on the spot of a former department store, the new building includes a mix of housing, the SFU Contemporary Arts Campus and a community media arts space. In the handy plaza beneath is a London Drugs, Nester’s Market and coffee shop. A gastro-pub and dentist’s office are under construction. You can live, sleep, go to the gym on the 42nd floor, see a play and get groceries all in one swoop.
The photo mural by Stan Douglas (his first public piece *exciting* studied him in university) is a reconstruction of the 1971 Gastown Riots, also known as The Battle of Maple Tree Square. To recreate the scene, Douglas mined public archives, newspapers, and videotape. He interviewed merchants, residents, police, and protesters. Initially, he planned to shoot on location, but “it became so complicated and expensive, we thought, ‘We might as well just build the thing ourselves.’” So Douglas and his hundred-person crew constructed a set in the parking lot of the Pacific National Exhibition, laying down blacktop and weathering the building facades. Fixated on historical accuracy, the artist tracked down the window dresser of the corner sporting goods store, crafted riot sticks, and littered his streets with replicas of the day’s Vancouver Sun. To get the “right period faces,” he cast actors, eventually using eighty. He blocked out the action with three-dimensional models, and wrote nine scenes for the cast to mime.
The shoot itself took three nights, two with the actors, and one with just the set. Douglas required so much illumination to get the proper, crisp focus that he used seven generators to power the lights, transforming the Vancouver night into day. Keeping his camera lens motionless throughout, he captured about fifty different views of the riot, later layering the digital elements into a coherent composition. In advance of the installation, he is printing the photograph on ten-millimetre-thick panels of glass, with the reverse image on the back. Technicians will fuse the layers, leaving the artist with what amounts to a massive piece of coloured windshield glass. Stretching eight by thirteen metres, it will form the dividing wall between a public plaza and an atrium linking the development’s four buildings. (from
Walrus Magazine).
Art and community efforts have come together to offer multiple services for community development, arts and education. It’s a controversial space, but invigorating nonetheless.
Categories: on the road.
Tags: architecture, Art, photography, travel
March 22, 2010

view from the condo - the old Woodwards W
I’ve been working on a project with Century Services in Vancouver for the past 2 weeks. I’m based at the new Woodwards building and have been taking in everything the neighbourhood has to offer – in daylight anyway. It’s an interesting development and is just nearing full completion.
Question. Elevator etiquette? Is it unusual to think eye contact and a smile is the norm? Or am I that annoying Eager-Elevator-Rider?
More to come on Vancouver…
Categories: on the road.
Tags: architecture, photography, travel
March 17, 2010

Inspiration from the Moana Surfrider, Waikiki
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, Design, home, inspiration, travel
March 16, 2010
This 900sqft 1930′s house was deemed a teardown, but the new owners decided to work with what they had instead of starting over. Inspired by the possibilities.






All images from www.sunset.com
Categories: in the house.
Tags: architecture, before & after, Design, home, inspiration
March 12, 2010
A couple of weeks ago I was basking in the sunshine on the lawn at Shangri La in Honolulu, home of Doris Duke. Built in 1937, Shangri La houses an impressive collection of Islamic art and is considered one of Hawaii’s most architecturally significant homes. Shangri La is open to the public for tours a few days a week, you need to schedule at least a week in advance. You can view the rooms (including some that are not part of the tour) and view the art collection on the website. Tours are reserved through the Honolulu Academy of Arts, worth a visit in its own right.
Unfortunately photography is not permitted inside, but I did take some photos of the grounds. It’s centered around an interior courtyard and is packed with artistic influences from around the world. Tile, wood, plaster, chenille drapery and a massive window that drops down into the floor. I think it’s safe to say that Doris Duke was eccentric, and ahead of her time. Duke was the only child of tobacco and electric energy tycoon James Buchanan Duke. Her father died in 1925 when Doris was twelve, leaving approximately half of his estate to The Duke Endowment with the remainder, estimated at $100 million, going to Doris. She married (for the first time) in 1935 and embarked on a year long honeymoon which ended in Hawaii. A 2 week stay turned into 3 months, they acquired property and built Shangri La from the ground up. Worth a visit, kudos to our guide, a wealth of information.
Categories: on the road.
Tags: architecture, Art, hawaii, home, inspiration, photography, travel