DESIGN FOR MEN

Beyond pairing two disparate styles to sound cool…I am really inspired by spaces that draw from the rich hues of Renaissance and Neoclassical paintings. I gasped when I saw the Dark Side advertorial in Elle Decoration UK shot in the Salvatori Showroom in Milan. The dark gray walls allow colorfully rich furniture and accessories to pop much like the dark backgrounds and colorful figures in the paintings of Jacques-Louis David and El Greco. My next place will take cues from this rich environment. I particularly love the office with the Vincenzo di Costis and modern trestle table by Cassina.

Images: Elle Decoration UK

Special thanks to Lori Dennis, blogger and interior designer for letting us know about the release of her book, GREEN INTERIOR DESIGN.

The book features over 100 color photos of projects and furnishings and aims to be a great resource for creating sophisticated eco-friendly interiors.    The user friendly manual geared toward homeowners, interior designers, architects, and contractors, includes design tips as well as extensive resources and vendors.  GREEN INTERIOR DESIGN .

GREEN INTERIOR DESIGN includes every aspect of residential interior design—furniture and accessories, window treatments, fabrics, surface materials, appliances, plumbing fixtures, plants, gardens, maintenance and more—discussed from a green perspective in terms of reducing waste, avoiding pollution, and protecting the occupant’s health.

Already digging the sneak preview on Amazon.  The section Antique, Vintage, and Used Sources caught my eye.  Reusing and repurposing vintage furniture and even salvage architectural materials is a great way to recycle and reduce waste…not to mention save money.  I am sucker for a mid-century modern or industrial finds but often people don’t consider that new is not always better.  Check out sites like Ebay, 1stDibs, and Craigslist to find vintage pieces.

Click here to purchase your copy.  At$24.95, the book is a great gift for the environmentally conscious designer on your list.

I stumbled upon these tables from Brandner Design and was immediately blown away.  The company creates furniture incorporating structural elements including trusses, beams, and reclaimed materials.  I especially love their tables which elegantly blend the industrial with contemporary style.  Brandner also accepts custom orders.  So, I would love to adapt the above “Great Northern” Console table for a desk in my office.  I am thinking walnut slab top with same base.   The following are some of my other favorites.

“Great Northern” Console table

Truss Desk with Oak top

Renaissance Console Table with Concrete top

Mini Truss Coffee Table with Red Oak with Steel Inlays

I-Beam Table Desk with polished Concrete top

Turnbuckle Rail Car Dining or Conference Table Base (adjustable height) – Just awesome!

Images from Brandner Design

I have realized lately that I am absolutely obsessed with white spaces.  I happened on an image of the Anemi Hotel designed by Stavros Papayiannis in Folegandos, Greece, while searching for inspiration images for an article on Curbly.  Simply stunning and timeless.  I love the juxtaposition of white as canvas spatially and the accents of large scale contextual artwork and colorful accents.  The use of epoxy flooring seamlessly connects the floor to the walls and celings.  Check out my article by clicking here where I explore 5 great flooring solutions.

_

I love the transition from white walls to charcoal gray in the restaurant/lounge.  While the floor remains white fluidly tying in the different areas.

Greece, here I come!

Images from Yatzer

Vital Steel NYC is a design studio formed by Benno Schoberth, a Film Editor and Robbin Brosterman, a Design Director. The couple initially created the single panel “apartment jewel” to enhance their own small studio  in Manhattan.  Vital Steel offers modern steel and hand-blown glass room dividers & screens. Their collection elegantly unites Mid-century modern with Art Deco.  ANDRA, pictured above, is a graceful three panel free-standing room divider.  And UNA is a uniquely adaptable one panel laser cut divider which appears in the picture below in their New York apartment.  Check out the Vital Steel website for more info and pricing by clicking here.

_

IMAGE CREDITS: Image 1 courtesy of Vital Steel NYC, Image two by Susan Farley for The New York Times

Big Bambú, an installation of 5,000 interlocking 30- and 40-foot-long fresh-cut bamboo poles, designed for the Roof Garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The exhibit was created by twin brothers Mike and Doug Starn.  Telgraph.co.uk describes the monumental structure best as, “bamboo scaffolding mangled by a hurricane .”  The construction of the structure continues through the fall when the exhibit closes until the end of October.  You can purchase tickets to take guided tours to walk through the structure.  Without venturing up on to the paths, the bamboo poles creates a feeling of a forest through which roof garden visitors wind through.  The experience is fantastic and there are stunning views of the city.

For more information about the installation, click here.

IMAGE CREDITS: Image 1 from Telgraph.co.uk, Remaining Images by Design For Men

Over the memorial day holiday, I had ambitious plans to catch up on work but I was quite distracted by the pool opening at my building.   My obsession with swimming is the inspiration for this article featuring some of my favorite pools.

1. LOHA: Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects, Jai House, Calabasas, CA, 2004.

I had to rely on my oddly photographic memory for this one…I recalled seeing this stunning home featured in Men’s Health Living Magazine, a men’s home magazine that I was sad to see dropped in 2008.  Richard Roll, a former corporate attorney turned entrepreneur/entertainment lawyer who transformed his career and his lifestyle to be more focused around his passions.  His home is an inspiration, perfectly designed to incorporate his love for his family, the outdoors, and swimming. Limited on space, the one-lane lap pool was the perfect solution for this competitive swimmer.  To read the full article click here.

2. Rem Koolhaas, Private Residence in Paris, France, 1991
Loving the rooftop lap pool (yes this is a trend) but these pools are  efficiently sized for exercise and relaxation.

3. Humberto Herbeto, Vila Castela in Nova Lima, Brazil, 2005

I am a sucker for an infinity edge pool.  Infinity edge pools appear to to go on forever, an allusion created by running off the edge – typically found in areas with cliffs or architectural cantilevers.   In this home, the pool works perfectly with the horizon and the location of the pool next to the stair creates wonderful mystery when people descend the stair.

4. Richard Neutra, Kauffman Desert House, Palm Springs, CA, 1946.

I had to include one of my all time favorite homes which also includes a fabulous pool.  Check out this recent D4M article for more info on the home, by clicking here.

5. Eddy François and Caroline De Wolf, Private Residence, Belgium

This article needed an  indoor pool and this one is a serene beauty in a stunning home in the forest.  For more photos and info, click here.

IMAGE CREDITS: In order of appearance, Image 1-4 from LOHA, Image 5 from OMA, Image 6 & 7 from Trendir, Image 8 from New York Times, Imag 9 & 10 from NothingLiving

Strolling about in Dupont Circle, I came across Kulturas Secondhand Books. By the by, vintage bookstores are my new favorite thing…the key is to find one with an Architecture section – I could have been there for hours. While perusing the book, From: New Houses in Old Buildings, I happened upon this project by Mark Guard Architects.   The firm converted a car repair workshop into a two-bedroom home in Deptford, London.  The design element that initially caught my attention was the use of the copper plaster  floating wall in the master bedroom (shown above).   I love the relationship of the way the copper subtly mixes with the steel and concrete structural elements found in the renovation.

The renovation incorporated removing old roofs, adding a new entrance, and new enclosed garden.  Sensitivity towards views and daylight throughout the house was the main objective of the designers.  The living room and kitchen are on the first floor to take advantage of the views of St. Paul’s Church and Greenwich.  The bedrooms on the ground floor open out to the walled in garden.  The overall architectural design is so timelessly modern making it hard to believe that the project was completed in 1996.

For more images and information on this project, check out the website by clicking here.

IMAGE CREDITS: All Images from Guard Tillman Pollock

Wallpaper* is wild about Brazil after moving operations there for several weeks for their Born in Brazil issue. Rather than simply taking a snapshot of the country in the issue, Wallpaper.com will be updated for the coming weeks with more news, video coverage, interviews and more.  After checking out the directory of architects, I can see why they want to continue this story.  I have included some of my favorites fromthe directory of architects.

Architect:  Mareines + Patalano
Project: GLEM Offices

Architect: Humberto Hermeto
Project: Casa JE, Vale dos Cristais

Architect: SPBR
Project: Ubatuba

To check out the directory of Brazilian architects on Wallpaper.com, by clicking here.

IMAGE CREDITS: Image one from Mareines + Patalano; All other images from Wallpaper

While reading this  old issue of Dwell, I found this gem, Hoagie’s Heroes.  Best friends since middle school, Casey Patten and David Mazza opened Taylor Gourmet, a Philadelphia style deli in 2008.   In September 2009, Dwell featured their first location on H Street NE between North Capitol and 15th Street NE in Washington, DC.  Their goal is to make the best “damn” sandwich in the district.  Due to the popularity of their first store, they recently opened a second deli on K Street NW nestled into the City Vista development in Downtown D.C.  The friends and now business partners moved to the DC area after graduating from Penn State and worked in real estate and construction for several years before buying the building in 2007.  The two decided to place the deli on the ground floor and live in two  850-square-foot, bachelor pads on the second and third floor.

Patten and Mazza hired local architecture and interior design firm, Grupo 7 to realize their space.  They were up front with their vision for a blending of industrial and rustic style and of course achieve their goals  on a limited budget.  The pair challenged the architecture firm to design using cheap materials in innovative ways.   Wood from salvaged shipping pallets are used throughout the deli on walls and cladding the cash wrap.  Chain-link fence poles serve as vertical supports for the shelving in the market.  Another charming and cost-effective solution comes in the bouquet of incandescent lights creating a chandelier in the rear of the deli.  The roll-up doors on the facade at Taylor Gourmet is perhaps the most eye-cathcing feature that differentiates this hot spot from other stores in the area.  The design of the facade and the interior  of the H street store is mimicked in the City Vista location.

A similar palette and sensitivity to rustic and industrial elements carries into the bachelor pad apartments above.  The demolition of the existing apartments revealed brick walls which they choose to expose.

The two one-bedroom apartments are basically identical.  The two also chose to create similar kitchens created by customizing IKEA kitchen cabinets.  The missing element from the homes is a defined dining area which hits home for me.  I really have no need for a dining table and chairs at the moment – particularly because I tend to eat while perched on the sofa in front of my flat screen TV.  So, I totally understand the omission.

The similar layouts will be certainly help with resale and the NE  neighborhood is on the rise.  As their business grows, the two can find others to take over their homes.

I must say that I am a bit jealous – it has always been my dream to own a small store and live above it…and I am thrilled to see that their decisions despite having a tight budget were driven by  sustainable design and enhancing the neighborhood.

IMAGE CREDITS: Dwell