The Undiscovered Bedrooms of Manhattan

I stumbled upon a fantastic blog entry today that appealed to my dreamy, whimsical side. Here's a snippet:

"A friend of mine once told me about the "typical dream of a New Yorker," as he described it, wherein a homeowner pushes aside some coats and sweaters in the upstairs closet... only to reveal a door, and, behind that, another room, and, beyond that, perhaps even a whole new wing secretly attached to the back of the house..."

I found the entry very inspiring. Read the rest here.

Michael Wolf - Architecture of Density

I remember stumbling upon these pictures a while back, but have since realized that they've left a large impression on me. I find myself in certain situations, (perhaps breezy outdoor adventures, or wide open buildings,) and my mind drifts back to these cramped quarters that people experience everyday of their lives. These blow my mind; they truly honestly make me appreciate the fact that I can drive half an hour in almost any direction and encounter openness, fresh air, the absence of laundry and people and steel:










Taken from the Press Release on this series from Michael Wolf's site:

"One of the most densely populated metropolitan areas in the world, Hong Kong
has an overall density of nearly 6,700 people per square kilometer. The majority of its citizens live in flats in high-rise buildings. In Architecture of Density, Wolf investigates these vibrant city blocks, finding a mesmerizing abstraction in the buildings' facades.

Some of the structures in the series are photographed without reference to the context of sky or ground, and many buildings are seen in a state of repair or construction: their walls covered with a grid of scaffolding or the soft colored curtains that protect the streets below from falling debris. From a distance, such elements become a part of the photograph's intricate design.

Upon closer inspection of each photograph, the anonymous public face of the city is full of rewarding detail- suddenly public space is private space, and large swatches of color give way to smaller pieces of people's lives. The trappings of the people are still visible here: their days inform the detail of these buildings. Bits of laundry and hanging plants pepper the tiny rectangles of windows- the only irregularities in this orderly design."

Robb Report Ultimate Home 2009

Last week I saw an old Robb Report magazine that featured a crazy custom-designed home in Palm Desert, California. I had to search high and low for the images online, (because God forbid the site feature anything remotely similar to the article,) but I finally found a few. To read the text that I chopped out, check out the PDF here.














Click on the last picture to see some specs on the size and magnitude of this place. The Aquarium holds 100 fish, and weighs 43,000 pounds when filled!

The Vine Hotel

Of course, this would have to be in Madeira! See more at the hotel's official website.

Notary office by Corona y P. Amaral

I love the wood floors in this last picture; they look so warm and inviting. Actually, they almost look like the kind we've been installing in our house the past two years, (almost done!)

(Taken from Dezeen.)

Berlin's Propeller Island City Lodge

When I see places like this, I become overwhelmed by my desire to see the world:

The Blue Room

Space-Cube

Upside Down

Two Lions

Nightlight

Grandma's (complete with a toilet in the wardrobe)

Reception Area

Nightlight

From the hotels website:

"Everything is different! The Propeller Island City Lodge is a - truly - very extraordinary location. All rooms and objects were created by the German artist Lars Stroschen. Much more appropriate than "hotel" is the designation "living in a work of art". 30 rooms with an absolutely unique and personal ambience. "Unique" is meant literally, for the entirety of all furnishings and other objects you will discover here are custom-made, individual handiwork. None can be found anywhere else on this planet - one could consider the City Lodge to be a museum with guest accomodations or a stay-in work of sculpture."