This cafe in Brooklyn, NY has done a good job of turning what would usually be considered a highly undesirable feature into what almost might be considered an asset. (Sorry that all I have are quick snap shots with my phone.)
Plumbing waste line painted and wrapped in rope ala Alvar Aalto’s Villa Mairea
Plumbing wasteline continues
more pipes
Cheerful blue pipes
Posted in Found Objects | Tagged Alvar Aalto, Brooklyn, color, exposed pipes, industrial chic, interiors, New York, painted pipes, pipes, plumbing, restaurant, utilitarian, value, whimsy | Leave a Comment »
I finally had a chance to take a few photos of one of our most recent treasure chests. We made this one for Kavi out of maple and a painted poplar top. The hinges are special soft close hinges to protect his small fingers. The paint is my favorite Bioshield Aqua Resin Trim Enamel. I had to use a bit of a different paint for the dark brown part.
Here is a picture of Kavi and his box
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged boxes, furniture, green, paint, patterns, wood | Leave a Comment »
I was doing research in the neighborhood of a new second floor addition project (looking at details on similar houses) and I encountered this gem. It reminded me of an earlier post Dormer Extravaganza in Berkeley.
Posted in Found Objects | Tagged Albany, curiosities, dormers, houses, humor, roof, roof design | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged Berkeley, garden, small buildings | Leave a Comment »
I just returned from a weekend at Yosemite National Park. We enjoyed the fall colors and the stunning natural beauty, but there are also some nice architectural details in the park. The Ahwahnee Hotel is full of decoration and geometric designs. Painted decoration, upholstery, and patterns made of wood and steel are everywhere. The Wawona Hotel, at the other end of the park is a timepiece from the early 1900s with simple white-painted buildings and cute pine cone chandeliers in the dining room.
Posted in Found Objects | Tagged ahwahnee, furniture, historical styles, interiors, kitch, lighting, lighting design, national park architecture, paint, patterns, rustic, Wawona, whimsey, yosemite | 1 Comment »
I just stopped by to have a peek at this almost finished project near Tilden Park. The owner still needs to finish moving in, but you can get an idea despite the blank walls.
Canivet Construction is the builder.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged bathroom, Berkeley, houses, lighting design | 2 Comments »
If you haven’t used up all of your NYT articles for the week, take a look at this article about a very slender house in Warsaw. I would love to go inside and see how it feels to be in such a tall, narrow space. (4′ at the widest)
Posted in Found Objects | Tagged houses, small buildings | Leave a Comment »
Sometimes when you tear off the sheetrock you discover unusual framing details and problems that need to be resolved. This project had a second roof framed over the first to increase the slope and eliminate built-in gutters. There was a lot of bracing in the attic that added to the load on the ceiling joists. It was hard to tell how much of it was really necessary.
discussing framing details with collaborator Steve Shada of Pika Woodworking
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged houses, remodelling, Richmond | Leave a Comment »
We did a bit of rearranging in our apartment this summer. The chimney and hearth have been screaming replace me since I moved in. The closet behind them was also not very functional – very deep with a small door, so not very efficient storage. Now the closet is very efficiently laid out to store the vacuum and brooms and other cleaning tools, and the litter box fits nicely behind the stove with a private cat door at the back. The stove is now recessed into the wall leaving room for a generous raised hearth and a clear pathway to the kitchen beyond. I took pictures of most of the steps.
Posted in Design Projects | Tagged Berkeley, interiors, patterns, tile, wood stove | Leave a Comment »
My friend Andy sent this picture from his parents’ kitchen remodel a while back. They are sailors and the inspiration is a sailboat’s chart table. It seems like a great place to store the laptop and some pencils and paper and keep them safe from countertop spills, although you need enough counter space to have room to spare.
Posted in Found Objects | Tagged chart table, kitchen, kitchen desk, nautical | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Found Objects | Tagged arbor, Berkeley, curves, fence, garden, gate, Maybeck, pergola, railing, railings, trellis, wood | 3 Comments »
I stopped by this jobsite in West Berkeley today (these are offices in a larger research and testing facility) The stair railing is being welded on site and windows and doors are going in
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