My Oakland correspondent saw this curious tower addition on an Oakland bungalow. I’d love to see it from the inside.
Tower addition on Oakland bungalow
Archive for the ‘Found Objects’ Category
Another Peculiar Addition
Posted in Found Objects, tagged additions, curiosities, houses, humor, Oakland, small addition, small buildings, tower, whimsy on December 4, 2013| 1 Comment »
Scouting Materials Today
Posted in Found Objects, tagged countertops, details, kitchen, metal, utilitarian, zinc on November 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Quarton Lake Estates
Posted in Found Objects on October 11, 2013| 5 Comments »
I recently visited the town where I grew up outside of Detroit, Michigan. The economy must be looking up because there were big construction projects all over town, mostly tearing down houses and building new, much bigger ones. I can’t say I was very impressed by a majority of the new houses in my parents neighborhood.
This mid-century house caught my eye. The house recedes into the landscape and the beautiful tree is more prominent than the house. Whenever I go home to Michigan it is the glorious trees that impress me most about the place. It makes sense for the architecture to pay homage to the beauty of the trees.
It must really have been upsetting to the owners of this quiet house when the big one went up next door
McMansion next door to a “modern” house
Cut-out Pulls
Posted in Design Projects, Found Objects, Information, tagged bathroom, cabinets, cut-out pulls, details, holes, interiors, kitchen, patterns, utilitarian, value on September 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I have always liked this simple and affordable way to open cabinet drawers. This is a bathroom cabinet for a project here in Berkeley, CA.
Remodelista just posted a collection of some other nice examples (follow the link)
Creative Solution to the Inside and Outside Window Problem
Posted in Found Objects, tagged patterns, windows on September 19, 2013| 2 Comments »
I was recently in Bend, Oregon where they are building a lot of new houses. This one is part of a large housing development with a variety of builders and architects. It shows an interesting way to resolve the age old problem of making the windows work for the rooms on the inside and also look good from the outside. The pattern of windows, siding, and trim, kind of reminds me of a Piet Mondrian painting (minus the primary colors and black and white….maybe thats coming next.) What an unusual solution for this style of house!
Nicely Restored and Updated Victorian in Berkeley
Posted in Found Objects, tagged Berkeley, details, historical styles, houses, paint, patterns, porch railings, railings, redwood, victorian, whimsy, wood on September 2, 2013| 2 Comments »
This old house near my office caught my eye this afternoon. I am curious how they maintain that beautiful wood. Is it original? It looks like high quality material. I bet they restain it frequently. The combination of stained wood and painted wood details is nicely done. I particularly like the gable end details.
Strange Details for July
Posted in Found Objects, tagged Albany, columns, corbels, curiosities, details, east bay, historical styles, houses, humor, wood on July 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I was sorting through some pictures I took of exterior architectural details and I thought these two were amusing. I’m not sure these need any comment, but feel free to offer your opinions.
Light Affair 2013 at the Pacific Energy Center San Francisco
Posted in Found Objects, Information, tagged energy efficiency, LED, lighting design on June 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday I attended this lighting showcase at the Pacific Energy Center. Most of the lights on display were LED technology. Here are a few highlights:
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- Alva: a Berkeley company making affordable and elegant LED Wall Sconces with fabric or resin shades
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- Shaper Lighting’s (Richmond, CA) new LED sconce comes in a variety of finishes
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- Philips InteGrade LED Systems (cove/ under cabinet lighting)
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- NUD Collection (Sweden) colorful fabric covered cords
http://www.nudnorthamerica.com
http://www.usa.lighting.philips.com/connect/LED_modules/inteGrade-LED-systems.wpd
http://www.cooperindustries.com/content/public/en/lighting/brands/shaper.html
Beautiful Wallpaper and Fabrics from Brooklyn
Posted in Found Objects, tagged patterns. interiors, wallpaper on June 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Cabin in Oakland thought to be by Julia Morgan
Posted in Found Objects, tagged details, historical styles, Julia Morgan, lighting, lighting design, tile, whimsy on June 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »
A while back I visited this cute little cottage in Oakland. The couple living there had been told by the landlord that it was designed by Julia Morgan. I couldn’t find any proof of this, so I delayed publishing my photos in hopes that I could find the proof. Now I just want to share some of the pictures regardless of who designed it.
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- looking down from the hallway overlook to the living room
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- Before 3-way switches! (upper hallway light is switched by a pull cord that goes through the floor ) The wall studs also protrude through the floor in a crafty detail.
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- Close-up of light with “3-way switch”
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- stairs with one tread protruding to become a shelf. You can also see one of the wall studs protruding between the floor joists
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- assorted tile floor
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- from the upstairs deck
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- Unique stair attached to back of victorian house
A Few Photos from Comanche, Texas
Posted in Found Objects, tagged houses, paint, Painted decoration on May 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »
The old part of the town of Comanche has traditional layout with a central square and the government building in the middle. Unfortunately, around the central building is a parking lot rather than a park, which would be much nicer.
All the old buildings around the square are falling into disrepair while the newer buildings and businesses on the less pedestrian friendly fast roads through town are doing better. It almost seems like it could be a movie set old west town…except that it feels authentic, and not very many tourists to be found. I captured some of the many creative touches of the locals.
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- A hand painted sign is a nice touch
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- Shadows of the cowboys of the past
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- The rooftop horse makes a great sign
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- I am curious where this door leads…and I like the brick planter
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- Interesting how the trim details on the two buildings intersect
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- I like how the white wood window frames are set into the brick
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- The hipped awning doesn’t look so great with the shed awning next door. You can see part of the huge empty center of town parking lot in this photo
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- Most of the concrete in Comanche is a nice warm sandy color rather than the cold grey that is standard in the Bay Area
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- Many of the bricks come with black speckles
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- Public Project in Small Town Texas
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- This is the only picture I have of the mid century modern library – a very nice oasis on a hot day
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- A sweet little stone house – I like the red brick arch, and the stone is very pretty. The curves are nice, as is the white stone on the lower wall
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- I took this picture last time I was in Comanche a few years ago
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- My favorite black and white house is for sale!
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- The red painted bench looks like part of the house. Nice touch
228 SF Tiny House Built by Students Has Some Nice Ideas
Posted in Found Objects, tagged compost heating system, green, small buildings on April 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I’d like to try the charred cedar, especially if it is truly durable/weather-resistant. The composting heating system is cool… might not work for everyone. The place looks great!
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