


Cranbrook House Dining room light that can shine up and down or both. (Probably a custom design by Eliel Saarinen) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Posted in Found Objects, Information, tagged Cranbrook, Eliel Saarinen, green building, lantern, lighting design, living architecture, plants, vines, W.T. Kirkman on June 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »



Cranbrook House Dining room light that can shine up and down or both. (Probably a custom design by Eliel Saarinen) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Posted in Design Projects, tagged green building, landscape, orderly nature, plants on December 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Design Projects, tagged garden, gray water, green, grey water, plants on September 15, 2013| 2 Comments »
Yes, my Bougainvillea looks pretty sad, but hopefully soon Ill have some good “after” shots for you. I just installed a bathtub greywater system! (See the green hose attached to the drain line?)
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, doorways, houses, integral color stucco, patterns, plants, process on June 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I was biking past to see how the revised stucco color looked on this almost finished project and caught some nice shadows. A good side benefit of a subtle stucco color.
I am loving the new hobbit door!
Posted in Found Objects, Information, tagged garden, landscape, New York, plants on February 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »
The High Line in Manhattan is credited with generating over $2Billion of new investment and the creation of 20,000 jobs.
Posted in Design Projects, Found Objects, tagged garden, green, landscape, Northern California seasons, passive solar, plants, trees on December 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »
In honor of the Northern California Fall I am posting a few photos of the glorious trees that might be the most important architectural feature of my apartment. Without this pair of venerable deciduous Zelcova trees I would have much less privacy in my bedroom and the house and yard would be much hotter and sunnier in the summer months. The beauty of a deciduous tree smack on the south side of the house is that in the winter the sun streams into the south-facing windows. warming and cheering the rooms. Of course the fall foliage is a nice side benefit.
The seasons in Northern California have always seemed a bit confused to this native of Detroit. I recently realized why: When the fall foliage begins, it is usually also the beginning of the rainy season. This means that simultaneously some trees are turning red, orange, yellow and brown, and most other plants and trees are turning bright green from all of the rain. In the spring the reverse is true. The deciduous trees are sprouting little green leaves and buds….and most other things are turning brown as the water supply diminishes.
I painted the burgee on my art studio new colors for the fall. This building also has the benefits of a deciduous tree to the south. This time it is the spectacular California Buckeye. 

Posted in Found Objects, tagged color, garden, landscape, New York, plants on November 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Also in New York City, I revisited the wonderful High Line to see how all the plants are doing. The are doing great! In late October the High Line is alive with fall colors:
Posted in Found Objects, tagged acoustics, garden, New York, plants on November 2, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center is a very quiet and peaceful retreat from the clamor of Manhattan.
Instead of more mundane and technical solutions, they chose to achieve the desired quiet by commissioning a textile artist to weave giant tapestries and growing plants on other parts of the walls. A subtle water feature completes the effect perfectly.
Posted in Found Objects, tagged Berkeley, dog, fence, garden, holes, isba, landscape, plants, whimsy on September 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The peep holes let a bit of light through the fence and rhythmically break up the wall of redwood boards

The boards are on the otherside for one section of fence. The neat row of cactuses along it reminded me of Frida Kahlo’s cactus fence in Mexico City