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Posts Tagged ‘rustic’

Martha Stewart at deedsdesign

Posted in Design Projects, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 7, 2014| 2 Comments »

I took this photo a while back when I installed my blue powdercoated steel Ikea cart in its spot. I was very excited because it was a perfect fit and made use of an underutilized space in my kitchen. It was also very affordable. You can also see my nifty reuse of sailboat rigging (cleat, block, and line) to make an adjustable countertop. The diamond cabinet is also from Ikea but the drawer faces were custom made by me out of fir plywood and white paint. The coordinated geometric pattern dish towel was also from Ikea, but hand dyed with tea, coffee, and beets to get rid of the bright white background. The mini wedgewood range is at least 50 years old and works great with style.

kitchen

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A Few Architectural Highlights of Yosemite National Park

Posted in Found Objects, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 5, 2012| 1 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 kitschy pine cone chandeliers in the dining room.

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Seattle Architecture Tour, The Whidbey Institute, and Clam and Mussel Digging

Posted in Found Objects, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I just returned from a field trip to Seattle, Washington.  We visited one of my favorite buildings of all time,   The Seattle Main Public Library by Rem Koolhas,  to see how it is holding up.  It is now 7 years old and still looks great. Very raw and utilitarian…but nicely detailed to be comfortable and functional too.  This building makes me realize that it is sometimes worth the effort  to stick to your guns and convince the client to do something really different.  There is nothing conventional about this building.

We also visited Ellie Sherman at the Whidbey Institute.

She lives in a tiny cabin – about 7’x8′.

It is very cozy inside. I wish I had a photo.  There is something really nice about bedrooms just barely big enough for a bed, some clothes, and some books.

The Sanctuary is another nice building at the Whidbey Institute:

Also, on Whidbey Island, we collected a feast of clams and mussels.

We had a good local guide who shared his secret mussel patch with us.

When we returned, I took a nap in my friend Jason’s tiny retreat on wheels, only slightly bigger than Ellie’s cabin, but it contains a bed, and table for two, and a kitchenette. (you can see it here in the background behind Jason and Rosalina)

And then we cooked clams in Tofty’s  yellow kitchen

John sips wine while Jody and Vina tend to the clam sauce

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Charles and Tim Heppner Passive House in Chicago

Posted in Found Objects, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

In the fall of 2009 I visited this Passive House on the south side of  Chicago, Illinois.  I didn’t really know much about Passive houses at the time, but I was impressed by one thing in particular.  The homeowner opened a window on the first floor and there was no rush of cold air. In fact there was no perceptible air movement at all. This was because The house is very “tight” The air didn’t rush in because there wasn’t anywhere for it to go.  I won’t go rambling on about what a passive house is here. Follow the link to my article on the topic, or just Google “passive house” or passivhaus.”

More information about this particular house:

Green Building Advisor

Interview with one of the owners

I need some more information about how it has been performing since commissioning. Perhaps the owner will make a comment on this post.

Beyond its Passive house status, the house has many fine recycled details such as these vent covers made from 100 year old soffit:




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The Diner: 85 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Posted in Found Objects, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 21, 2010| 2 Comments »

I just ate dinner at this cool restaurant in Brooklyn. It was dark outside the whole time I was there. I am sure the place would feel pretty different for breakfast.

The building is an old diner train car with all the inherent architectural charm that you might imagine….. cozy narrow space, curved ceiling, lots of windows.

Instead of accentuating the 50s style, this restaurant has a different, edgier and classier sort of atmosphere.

It easily could have been overly trendy with its “derelict” finishes (ala Zoolander)

The old tile floor is patched with no attempt to hide that fact that it has been patched.

but some how it just works.


Once again the lighting is key. In this case the general lighting is dimmed, and warm flickery candlelight creates the mood.   Mirrors, shiny ceiling  and glass tiles add to the sparkle.

Lara Kaufman, who took most of these photos for me, is pictured on the right and Elissa Steglich, the local friend who took us here is on the left

Photo from Lara K showing some artful floor patches

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