CONTAINER HOMES – borrowed blog (sorta)

Ok, back to design and architecture…

I can’t CONTAIN myself, I just love these houses, just enough modern with a mid-century vibe and sustainable… I’m in! Smitten in fact.  Can you believe that with a $40,000 budget, Benjamin Garcia Saxe used two 40-foot long shipping containers to create this cozy 1,000 square feet space. The home is located in San Jose, Costa Rica, and proves you don’t need deep pockets to fund a shipping container home project.

The design team at Studio H:T thought a bit outside of the box with this one. Rather than build the entire home from shipping containers, they chose to add 2 storage containers to the outsides of a pre-existing structure. The residence is nestled on a ledge in Nederland, Colorado, and includes roof mounted solar panels, passive cooling, and much more.

Guest houses are typically small anyway, so why not build yours from a recycled shipping container? Designed by the team at Poteet Architects, this modern living space spans 360 square feet, and has everything one would need from a living room and study area, right down to the bathroom and patio.

Designed to be inexpensive and portable, the Port-A-Bach is the exact picture that comes to mind when we think of storage container dwellings. The tiny home was built back in 2007 by the team at Atelierworkshop, and features a double bed alongside 2 fold out bunk beds, providing sleeping quartes for up to 4 people. Unfolding the boxy home provides a nice deck to enjoy to enjoy everything the great outdoors has to offer.

Great aren’t they?  I’d love a piece of land, with a view to place one of these sustainable, unique and easily built structures.  To see these and more like them visit dailynewsdig.com that’s where I got these images and most of the copy.

 

Scrap Wood Wallpaper – Borrowed Blog

From the cool people at Dornob I give you the easy way to get that rustic wall of wood… The charming mismatched look of a weathered scrap wood wall can be achieved with a lot less time and effort using a wood-textured wallpaper series by Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek. The patterns range from rustic barn wood stripped of white paint to time-worn cottage-style wainscoting. It’s the designer’s second collaboration with Dutch wallpaper company NLXL; the first was based on ‘waste furniture’ and came in a soft palette of pastels and creamy off-white, with individual strips looking like the legs of dismantled tables and chairs. The new collection is even more convincing, with a matte finish that eliminates tell-tale glare. While it may not have the tactile benefits of real scrap wood, nor the sense of history, it’s a fun way to get a similar look.

 

Typography Cakes! – Borrowed Blog

This is too cool not to share… I found an image of this neat trick on Pinterest, it was originally blogged by asubtlerevelry.com and I’m dying to try it!  Boy or Girl, or a name or someones initials would be good words to use…don’t be afraid to try this!

The only thing better better than cake, is a cake that can talk! Why not surprise the guest of honor at your next party with this creative typography cake? It clearly expresses why you are celebrating, in a fun and festive way. These cakes are perfect for the slew of graduation and birthdays coming this month. HIP HIP HORRAY!

To make the cake you will need; 1 box cake mix, any flavor (we used white), edible dough (any color), mini alphabet cookie cutters (these will vary in size, make sure they are small enough that when your word is spelled out, it will fit in your pan), a 9×5 loaf pan (or any cake pan in which your message can fit; a bundt pan is a fun one to use), rolling pin, and confectioners sugar.

Take your edible dough and knead it into a workable, pliable consistency. Then sprinkle a little confectioners sugar on a clean surface and roll out the dough to your desired thickness. Cut out the shapes of the letters you want to use in your message. For the cake in this tutorial, I used a whole package of edible dough and cut out the letters Y and A to spell YAY.

Make cake batter according to instructions on box. Grease your pan and pour enough batter in the pan to cover the bottom. Take your cut-out letters and place them in the batter, spelling out your word or message. Repeat this until you have crossed the length of the pan. Make sure the letters are lined up and straight.

Place the rest of the cake batter into a measuring cup (or piping bag if you want to really be careful) and pour batter slowly over the top of the letters, until they are covered and you have used up all the batter.

Bake cake in a 350F oven for about 40 minutes; check for doneness with a toothpick. Allow to cool before using a sharp knife to slice into the cake and reveal the surprise message.

This cake is a part of our creative cake series. Produced and photographed by Athena Plichta under the creative direction of Victoria Hudgins for A Subtle Revelry.

 

the VICEROY Anguilla – Borrowed Blog

I had to “borrow” and re-post this blog from BAD (Blog About Design) because It’s so beautiful and you know I’m a big Kelly Wearstler fan!  AND, having just come back from Mexico… I’m an missing and “jones-ing” for more beach weather!!!  I give you the Viceroy Anguilla.

http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/anguilla

The Viceroy Anguilla is located in West End, Anguilla. The property features fantastic living spaces as well as beautifully manicured grounds and great places to eat, designed by Kelly Wearstler. (ABOVE) The architecture of the hotel is quite modern. It’s clean and smooth like that of the sand. With just a few short steps from the water, it’s the ideal location for the beach bum! (BELOW 1) The hotel features breezeways that one passes through to get to their suite. The tiling is modern, and gorgeous! I love the armchairs, they have that beach feel, but are very chic. (BELOW 2) The infinite pool is a phenomenal place to kick back and relax. It’s definitely a great place to swim laps or sip a drink and look at the views! (BELOW 3) One can relax on a lounge chair or one can have a seat at one of the seating areas and read a great book. The seating areas or wonderfully designed. (BELOW 4) Half Shell Bar is a great place to enjoy a drink or a quick meal. With fantastic views of the sea and cliffs, it’s a must visit while at the hotel. (BELOW 5) The Ocean Villa’s are detached large size homes. The Ocean Villa’s are three and four bedrooms. The Living Room of the villa is bright with floor to ceiling windows. The villa’s have an infinite pool! What do you think of the hotel?

http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/anguilla 1

http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/anguilla 2

http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/anguilla 3

http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/anguilla 4

http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/anguilla 5

Borrowed Blog – Beachbungalow8

ROMAN & WILLIAMS was featured on the Beachbungalow8 blog back in November, and some how I missed this beautiful spread.  I was intreged by the first image…

It quickly moved to crushing on the second and I knew it was a reblog by the third.  When you get to the vintage inspired bathrooms… Your welcome.  Beautiful!!!

 Their designs and color use, never feels regurgitated. (and I love the feel of this white kitchen)

There’s a sort of macabre thread that they masterfully weave into beautiful and cerebral design.

 This bathroom…is absolutely beautiful, in a haunting, 20s laboratory way. Gorgeous. (WANT)

 Their website has even more……Here

 photos by Grey Crawford. 

Custom Map Wall Paper – Borrowed Blog

Came across this great product the other day on Designmilk.com  It was posted on 11.05.12 by Caroline Williamson in Art, Interior Design on their website.  I  had to share…SO COOL.

Maps have always been a fun way to decorate your walls but have you ever wanted a more personal map, like one specifically for your town or zip code? Wallpapered creates just that – custom wallpaper maps for any spot on the globe that means something to you.

Punch in the location you desire, the radius you want covered, then you customize the size and colors to your liking, and you’ll have your very own, one-of-a-kind mural.

Read more at Design Milk:

http://design-milk.com/custom-map-wall-murals-by-wallpapered/#ixzz2BvGSE6eQ

Borrowed Blog – Wild Ones

Wild Ones: Gentler Pocket Knife Has Animals, Not Blades as found on dornob.com and it’s too cool not to share…

The Swiss Army knife is a beautiful example of simple but elegant design – but it isn’t exactly meant for play. This Animal Pocket Knife was a 3rd year design school project created by David Suhami as a lovely alternative to the classic knife.

Suhami’s goal was to invent a toy for adults who enjoy playing with small objects. The safari “knife” is completely harmless, yet still beautiful enough to be appealing to discerning adult minds. The object features interchangeable heads, legs and tails for three animals: a rhino, an antelope and a giraffe. The pieces fold out just like those of a Swiss Army knife, creating multiple animals which all share a torso.

According to Suhami it is also possible to mix and match the animal parts to create some fascinating new hybrid animals. The animal parts are made of stainless steel (to represent modern technology) and the knife’s body is made of Tabebuia wood (to represent traditional craftsmanship).

Bookcases, Shelves, and Cubbies… OH MY!

I love the look created in these shelves… perfectly organized, color coordinated, and balanced.  The art of arranging is a gift, you either have it or you don’t but getting the shelving right matters too and that’s a task for your architect, designer or you if know what you’re doing.  A favorite blogger of mine – Orlando at www.hommemaker.com – just posted a great blog on bookcases, shelves and cubbies… that’s where I found this image.  Today I’m going to ask that you click over to his blog and checkout the entire post, you’ll love him, his dry humor and wit and he posts some very interesting things.

http://hommemaker.com

 

When A House Is A Home – Nesting Tiles

Nesting Tiles: Red Roof Shingles with Built-In Birdhouses, who knew?  Saw these over on dornob.com and had to share.   I would love to have to have these on my house, but alas… my roof is slate, not tile…  Maybe they will invent a slate version.  Anyway, enjoy todays Borrowed Blog from dornob.com.

The last place you want creatures to nest is inside your roof, but the rooftop itself might make for a friendly compromise. These out-of-the-way compartments might make bird waste a wee bit harder to remove, but at least let fowl have free reign on that extra top ‘floor’ you do not use anyway.

These little bird homes were designed by Klass Kuiken to nest (no pun intended) within a standard system of rounded red tiles, overlapping on both sides, above, and below to fit into an existing system of modular rooftop elements and made of the same material.

While these examples show a here-or-there approach, a place with a great many birds passing through could really start to layer these on as an element within the overall design (as opposed to an aesthetic exception to the apparent rooftop rules). The big catch: can you get it to match your real vintage roof tiles? On the flip side, though, they might just be perfectly out-of-place replacements for hard-to-match antique shapes and colors.

Naturally Beautiful

This beautiful Nantucket home was featured in Architectural Digest and spotted on Cococozy’s webpage just a few days ago.  Too pretty to not repost!  It a little bit old fashioned, but a lot stylish.  I love the mix of the old victorian style wicker and the soft neutral palette.  I think this is a great look for a baby boomer , the perfect mix of pulled together but easy living, perfect for a summer house, beach home or second home.  Walk in, exhale and relax.

 And this is what a younger version of that neutral natural tonal vibe would look like.  herringbone floors, stump side table, and slightly more modern lines throughout.  Love the double mirrors.  This for me is very Sag Harbor, hampton-esque.

Talk about easy… wide board floors, simple window treatments and a view like that are all you really need, anywhere.  As most of my readers know they have me with the split bamboo roman shades – love!

Every beautiful house decorated in neutrals needs a wow bathroom… and this one would be prefect if we were building the perfect house with images for houses all over the world.  Loving this space because the masculine strength of the dark trimmed windows and the simple lines compliment the more lyrical lines of the tub.

Here’s a modern version of the natural beautiful house.  Strong, clean lined and bold but easy on the eyes because there are no jarring colors, patterns or flashy bits… rough-hewn, natural, earthy and cool… right? Traditional, modern, young, conservative, there are thousands of ways to execute natural and neutral but it always comes up a winner.

 

I’m A Little Bit Country!

The ONLY thing about this house that doesn’t “work” for me is that it’s in Australia.  Wow, what a beautiful setting, house and  interiors…
I first saw this listing on fellow blogger Justine Taylor’s site  birch&lily and I am totally smitten. Here’s the link to all the great images of this pretty country house www.realestate.com.au  and the description provided by the real estate agent…

The house is called Glen Athan and it is in Berry, AU ( Kangaroo Valley – how cute is that? )

Regarded as one of the South Coast’s most stylish and authentic country properties, Glen Athan is a private 105-acre retreat with a recently completed and stunning family farmhouse, a world-class resort-style swimming pool and the most spectacular of views encompassing 180-degrees of the quiet and unspoilt Wattamolla Valley.

Blending the best of Australian heritage design and contemporary luxuries, the home features rustic wide-board flooring; timber-lined walls and ceilings; South Australian slate hearths; craftsman-built windows, doors and cabinetry; recycled timbers; and 150-year-old convict-hewn sandstone.

With four superbly-sized double bedrooms and three enormous bathrooms – all with underfloor heating – the home is perfect for families or entertaining large groups at weekends and holidays.

There is a grand central living area with open fire; a stylish bespoke kitchen featuring marble bench-tops and double butler’s sink; an impressive walk-in pantry; a scullery; and a convenient tiled laundry and mud-room.

Off the generous entrance foyer is an inviting library with custom joinery and fireplace. The master bedroom also benefits from its own open fire, en-suite bathroom and room-sized private robe. Additionally, there is a large open study area; separate and quiet home-office; as well as a walk-in linen room; ample ancillary storage; and built-in robes for all bedrooms.

On the over-sized sandstone entertaining terrace there is a large barbecue and shower area adjacent to the breath-taking wet-edge pool; which is conveniently gas-heated to extend swimming times throughout the year and late into the summer evenings. To the rear of the property is a private and protected flagstone courtyard and rose terrace with a slate-roofed bread and pizza oven and a convenient and fully-irrigated kitchen herb garden. The wide wrap-around verandahs provide yet another venue for outdoor dining.

Both discreet and highly private, Glen Athan is elevated from the world below and blessed with cooling summer breezes and ever-changing views of the escarpment and valley to be enjoyed from every room in the house.

vineet kaur

vineetkaur.tumblr.com

A friend of mine posted a picture on Pintrest that she found on Vineet Kaur’s blog.  I was so happy to find the well-edited point of view the blog represents.  Beautiful images of fashion, home furnishings, architecture, landscapes, life-styles… you will be too.

UNDECORATED a borrowedish blog

How did I miss yesterday?  It was a busy day, but that’s no excuse…  Here are the pictures I found at plastolux.com that I mentioned on Thursday.  Cool space right?  it’s random and very undesigned but it’s edited and curated and each individual piece is worthy of being in the room.  Of course the room itself has serious “bones”, who wouldn’t want that big open space to hang out in (it almost doesn’t matter that there seems to be no windows).

Different home (I think) sameish look. I’m going to call it undecorated – even though it is decorated, and styled and tweeked to look just so – it’s stylish without feeling planned or “decorated”.  colors don’t match, stripes are mixed, but don’t be fooled, it’s high style.  And, speaking of high style…

no words need be written, aside from… YUMMY!

For Sale – Borrowed Blog

FOR SALE

– PINCHED FROM A FAVORITE FELLOW BLOGGER TRISHA TROUTZ –

102 Banyan Road Palm Beach, FL  $24,000,000  7 Bedrooms 9.1 Bathrooms

Listed by Paula Marie Wittmann via Fite Shavell & Associates

I Look At Porn

freecabinporn.com

Coastal Living

coastalliving.com

You all know that I’m happy to use color in my designs, but I do prefer to apply color sparingly.  These pictures of someone else’s work resonate with me because of the massive amounts of white that give the colors room and a place for the eye to rest.  Love, Love, Love these happy bright rooms.  I’d be proud to say I had designed them, and I’d happily visit them on a vacation or summer home… but I would need less “cheer” for my full-time residence.

Maybe the coolest thing ever… (borrowed blog)

Originally posted on beachbungalow8.blogspot.com on May 8th, I just saw this and had to re-post for my readers…  is this not Awesome!?!

San Francisco

Paris

New York

What a great idea for anyone celebrating their couple hood – an anniversary, or wedding. Is Paris where you met during your Semester Abroad? Or was it that summer in New York City when you fell madly in love as you ran around that place like you owned it? Cities, can hold for us, certain pivotal chapters in our lives and no matter how far we move or how suburbanized we become, we always hold that particular environ close to our hearts. Hand stitched by certified fair labor partners in India. Cray. Hand stitched, with some serious power eyesight. There are a lot more soft map blankets with other cities (even baby blankets) check it out at Haptic Lab. 

White Bathrooms Naturally

I started to look for and collect images of white bathrooms with natural roman shades and before I knew it I hit the white bathroom jackpot on a fellow bloggers site trishatroutz.blogspot.com. Trisha had done a blog on architect John B. Murray – his work is flawless – and there they were, not one, not two but three beautiful white bathrooms, none had natural roman shades but all are charming, perfectly appointed and not over done.  Here they are…

Traditional yes, nothing too “out of the box” but so comfortably livable and simply sweet.  I love them. The beautiful mosaic floor, the subway tiles, the built-in medicine cabinets, the old-fashioned light fixtures, the bead-board, and all the other charming details speak to me.  WANT!

More of the same, mosaic floors, footed vanities, white on white and they are warmed with natural roman shades made from bamboo, woven grasses and wood.  For me, a natural roman shade is a great choice for a bathroom, it reads clean and fresh, it warms up the room and stays crisp looking over time.  With or without a natural roman shade, a white bathroom with never look dated, keep your details classic and it won’t go out of style either.

Painted Stair Runner & Stenciled Floors

I love just about everything in this image.  The old staircase painted out white mixed with a modern hall table is chic and fresh… A classic, updated.  I love the pops of orange, “the” color of the moment because it’s so cheery and adds energy to the space AND most of all I love the painted stair runner.  So, so, cool that is narrow, and i love the tipped detail in that much darker grey.  This treatment reminds me of a racing stripe, sleek and cool.

Danika over at Gorgeous Shiny Things did this floor! amazing right?  I love the mix of geometric, there is a depth to the stencils and the wood that makes this floor rich look.  It’s not sweet like your typical stenciled floor.  Job well done, gimmie some of that!

late this morning – it was a morning spent with the trainer – so that’s all for today folks.  Have a great day!

Geometrics On Your Floors, Walls and…

This cool painted geometric is the backdrop in a Ralph Lauren print ad that I saw in Elle Decor recently…  I’m in love with the soft hand-done look and texture it has.  Raised panel-ish, it’s not really trying to be something it’s not – not a faux anything – just a beautiful texture with a three dementional quality.  So of course after I saw this ad  – I had been lounging poolside – I googled handpainted geometric walls and found this…

The smarty pants – and talent – behind this writes a blog called gorgeous shiny things and her name is Danika Herrick.  Needless to say I’m smitten and have a new favorite blog? Maybe. She’s crazy talented and just a wee bit crazy (who paints a fabric pattern on a sheet linoleum floor??!).  Danika does, and it looks great plus she makes a mean stencil too.  How awesome is the pretty little mudroom above?  The pattern was borrowed from a  Quadrille – China Seas pattern.

Danika also had these to offer…

You guessed it this is the linoleum floor she painted…

And these found via James Andrew ( WhatisJamesWearing.com )…

The trellis pattern below is attributed to the late great Albert Hadley… he put the old in “Old Guard” and the Glam in just about everything he touched.  

BOTTOM LINE: Everything old is new again & If it’s boring… paint it.  Heck, it’s only a can of paint and a weekend, ok maybe 3 weekends, 6 bottles of wine and a divorce BUT it’ll look great.  Go get a paint brush!