The most colorful architecture yet!

Just cannot get over the colors that I saw in Alsace…in par with India! Do you think I can stick to the neutral color palette that I love? stay tuned…..

Parisian Hardware

I seem to have acquired a taste for Parisian Hardware, always going to the flea market to get a few more remnants of old brass.

What is it about the Hardware? Incredible detail, wonderful color of the brass, and it screams craftsmanship of an era that has passed by in most trades. The most interesting one being the Cremone:

Crémone or "Crémone Bolt" is a type of decorative hardware used as a locking device to fasten a pair of swinging windows or casement window.[1] A knob or lever handle is linked by a rack and pinion gearto a pair of half-round rods or "surface bolts" which slide over the outside surface of the door or window and extend into sockets at the head and sill of the opening. The gear mechanism operates the two vertical rods at the same time; one rod extends up into the door head, and the other extends down into the door sill. It is similar in appearance to an "espagnolette" lock, but uses a half-round rod.

Happy Birthday to my MOM who suspiciously could be the basis of my design talent....

It was the days of Flower Power!

Flower power was a slogan used during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of passive resistance and non-violence ideology. It is rooted in the opposition movement to the Vietnam War. The expression was coined by the American beat poet Allen Ginsberg in 1965 as a means to transform war protests into peaceful affirmative spectacle.

Growing up in the 60’s, design was a large part of our existence. I grew up in Manhattan,NYC, surrounded by blue and white polka dot wallpaper, accented with red pillows and other random items!

My parent’s room had leopard carpet, and bedding and drapes in the ““ticking material”.

The lasting effect was incredible, far better than it would seem…..and I do remember having very visual dreams!

Now don’t get me wrong, my Mom was very sophisticated professional women of the 60’s….not something everyone can boast at this time.

She lived the “life”! Our apartment was always impeccable, with all of the matching fabrics and best quality that could be found. Not sure how that all happened, as Mom worked in a travel agency down the street. It was only later that my Mom’s business prospered into being the sole travel agent for all of the hot Ballet companies in NYC.

I searched my old photo boxes to reveal some of the amazing spaces my Mom put together…

Here she is in “her” environment, “home”.

Here are some examples of the Interior Designers in the 60’s. Lots of color, bold fabric designs… David Hicks’ book was one I can remember on the bookshelf. The Arne Jacobsen chairs were hip as ever then.

Seems evident that my career as an Architect, making sure everyone’s home is all organized, with things, in place, along with a touch of color…(I don’t prefer red or polka dots), but not opposed to leopard or ticking material,…and all this might have come from my Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom,……..of 87 years and still lookin’ the “part”!

I thought I went to Alsace for wine...but my oh my the flowers!

France is the only nation that holds formal competitions to pick its best-flowered towns. Winners proudly post "Ville Fleurie" signs at entrances, adding one to four painted flowers as awarded by national juries. Four-flower towns are tops, and the Alsace region has 11 of these, making it the nation's best-flowered region.

All of the towns use some of the tax money to plant in public areas. Additionally each homeowner will spend $500-$1,000 dollars on their own home and participate to plant even on the vacant homes!

Between the flowers and the colorful architecture….you can’t help to be incredibly cheerful here…and the Reisling just added to that!

Zurich, home of Le Corbusier

Zurich is the “New Paris” . Zurich is amazingly clean and has beautiful Architecture, Flowers in all the public spaces, and transit runs like a well wound watch!

First of all, Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930.

Truly the father of Modern Architecture, his last project is in Zurich.

The Pavillon Le Corbusier on Lake Zurich is considered an architectural jewel. The building was initiated by Heidi Weber, who commissioned Le Corbusier and oversaw its completion in 1967. It is the last building designed by the important architect and his only building made of steel and glass. After extensive renovation, the structure now shines in new splendor and invites visitors to take a unique “architectural promenade” through its various floors. Since 2019, the pavilion is run as a public museum by the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich on behalf of the City of Zurich

The Pavillon Le Corbusier

Other works by Le Corbusier that you could view.

As you can see, very modern, yet designed years ago! Le Corbusier believed that architecture was a comprised of function, form and light! somethings never change. The only thing I would add to that is texture and color!

The Glass House's glass.....

The Glass House by Philip Johnson is an iconic home of his in New Canaan Connecticut. Even before he began designing buildings, Philip Johnson (1906–2005) was influencing architecture. At age 26, the Cleveland native and Harvard graduate became the first director of the department of architecture at the Museum of Modern Art. During his tenure at MoMA, Johnson promoted the work of modern architects including Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius, and along with Henry-Russell Hitchcock, he curated the controversial 1932 show “Modern Architecture: International Exhibition,” which introduced America to European modernism.

The Glass House

What was particularly impressive about Philip Johnson was the size of glass that was used back in the 40’s. I’m curious about what type of glass was available then, as only recently have glass manufacturers offered large format glass. Current Glass manufacturer’s I have dealt with have 70 square feet as their largest offering, yet the glass in the Glass House is larger than that!

Here are at least three common glass types.

• Tempered Glass

• Reflective Glass

• Insulating Glass

I was informed during our visit to The Glass house that the glass is not tempered. Tempered means that the glass is made in such a many that it will break in tiny pieces as opposed to breaking in half, for the purpose of safety.

The glass was certainly not reflective from the outside, or no one would be able to see in. However, interestingly enough, there was reflectivity inside, at night, which was disturbing to Philip Johnson, and in order to eliminate that, down lights were installed on the outside, and evidently that eliminated the condition!

At that time, insulated glass was not made.

Therefore, the glass was a common plate glass, very large and thus must have been a huge expense, not a surprise. Johnson had all of the funding needed to build such an iconic house.

The mullions that are in between the glass are steel, and are also the fabric and structure of the home.

While we were there, we noticed some breakage in the glass which will certainly be repaired, if it has not already. Would love to know the price per square foot on that!

More research will continue to find that actual source and cost of the Glass House’ glass.

At that time, 1940’s more common glass types were perfume bottles, coke, cookware, doorknobs, pitchers, dinnerware……

So the fact that the Glass House’ glass was so expansive and used on each of the four exterior surfaces was Modern in of itself!

Detail of large glass

Reconsider your workspace......

Ordinarily like most people working at home, you have an office type chair, a computer on a desk, and various pencils, pens, scissors etc.

But as an Architect, Designer, and one that has “projects”, this space really doesn’t work at all. I was constantly changing locations in my home, moving to the dining room table when working on sketching, reviewing floor plans, and moving to another flat surface area to look at materials, in different light, and moving a gain to the comfort of a couch for e mailing, and talking on the phone.

I wanted to change out our “study” or “office” as it was getting that tired and messy look about it.

• First thing I did was move out a dark rug.

In order to make this change, you would first determine where that special spot is in your home where you ordinarily do your work, while sitting comfortably.

Then after you pick your surface…the larger the better…you can add:

• a tray

• flowers

• stacks of books

• reference magazines

• paper

• pencils

• …with a place for everything.

Is this similar to your couch?

So kick him off and take ownership!

Now you need a large coffee table or ottoman.

The ottoman will be your new cozy workspace.

Add a laptop, hide the plugs…put one for your phone too.

make sure you hide the outlets under your sofa

Add a decorative tray, one you would like to look at a lot!

organize your tools by color

add some foliage for inspiration.

Organize the ottoman top like you would an office desk, but be more casual and playful with it! Walk around your home and pull different favorite containers for pencils, or special notebooks that you might not be using, and establish your home desk on the ottoman.

And there you have it! A new spot to work with your feet up!

My New Architectural Project

A Featherweight Singer Sewing Machine!

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It’s well proportioned, the color is is basic, the texture is smooth…it reflects light, has accessories, i.e the emblem on the front, and it’s Vintage. Made in 1947, this newly acquired machine is a work of art! Not only does it have form, but it functions like it was made yesterday!

Much of my architectural work requires spacial thinking. Working with planning of a home, heights, materials and virtually moving about the home. Many times, I’m managing decisions, assisting in selecting materials, and advising clients. Most recently I have been working spreadsheets for budgetary purposes. And as always the end result is a piece of Architecture…many months later.

In the case of sewing, there are the similar aspects of proportion, measurements, texture of materials, selection of materials, selection of project, and then just drilling into it and creating something!

So last week, between my normal Architectural activities I was busy running down to the Garment district and creating a couple of tablecloths, placemats and napkins.

One of the amazing areas in NYC is the garment district! Dirty and disgusting on the outside, each store is a dream of feathers, buttons, zippers and fabrics that just doesn’t stop. I walked into a zipper store, only to be in a fabric area, that turned into a vinyl area, that ended with every accessory you can imagine. Similar to the food markets in Chinatown, where you enter for bok choy and end up in the nuts and basket area!

Lace in every form….

Fabrics in every color and texture

This is old world Garment district probably when my machine was used!

so many choices

My project

With all of the choices, whether it be fabric, accessories or thread….the process is actually so similar to creating good architecture.

This week’s Inspiration for Yoga center….more materials!

Inspiration for Yoga Center

Here’s the steps:

1. You have to stay focused

2. You have to stick to a palette and make it intentional.

That could be the material, the lines of the design, the texture, the color, the cut, it goes on and on….….of all the different parts of Architecture, as in Sewing…there has to be a focused thought that runs through the design process………very difficult with all of the choices out there!

So patience! Give it a try, and another try……….Or find “your” design guru to help you through the process! (that can also be an answer)!

Cheers, till next time!

Palm Springs and Mid Century Modernism

Palm Springs is the home of midcentury style. And the pinnacle of Mid century modern style is in fact an English country estate, reimagined for the American desert….what I am referring to is the home called Sunnylands. Designed by Quincy A Jones, and interiors by William Haines, this masterpiece is a have to see!

It is impeccably restored, and tells the story of design of that era. The furnishings, the colors celadon and peachy peach, the indoor outdoor feel and basically teaches a good lesson on how to live right in the desert.

I particularly was entranced with how the Architecture of this home is as Contemporary as todays homes. In fact, it is where true Modernism started in many ways.

The furnishings are are very Mid Century Modern.

Sunnylands Center

Palm Springs in its Glory!

Sunnylands back yard

Sunnylands Visitor center

How to Design Your Home on Your Land

So you bought a piece of land. Now what?
Or should we say so what!....or rather so what now?

It’s difficult to understand how you see a property with curves, dips, rocks and figure out how you are going to know where the bast place to put your home is. An Architect can help.

There are many factors to consider:
Of course you don’t want to spend more money than you have to. You don’t want to miss any potential views
You want to be in the most peaceful part of the lot.

But to an Architect, its a fun puzzle that we can’t put down till all the pieces are in place!

...............away from water, proper drainage
getting just the right amount of sunshine, sunshine in the right place at the right time of the day....the list continues and can be terrifying! But to an Architect, its a fun puzzle that we can’t put down till all the pieces are in place!

So how do we do it? One small bite at a time...”just as you would eat an elephant,” quoting from an old boss when managing School construction in Newark, NJ. You just can’t expect to get the whole thing done in a day!

First order of business, you must go to the lot and walk it, sit on it, visit it time and again, listen to the birds, just get comfortable with it, as its going to go from terrifying to being your best friend. By best friend I mean when the home is in the right spot the land will sing back to you and you will enjoy every square foot as though it was always yours....like I said just as a best friend you make you feel!

So after gaining the feel for the lot, we move on to some research....just as you would if you met a new fine friend!

1. We make sure we understand our construction boundaries

2. Make sure you know the regulatory agencies that will give you approval

3. Make sure you know where and which utilities are available

Then comes the juicy part....The Land’s Contours
We look at all of the contour maps available to understand the dips and swales of the lot. A few resources are available: Certified Survey

With this information, we start to understand the lay of the land. Where is the latest area? Where to enter the lot. Which direction are the views in? Based on your location, which direction do you want to have with glazing vs not?

Again, too much to really answer at this time, but you may be able to take a few bits got this Elephant bu knowing clearly where the views are...or that there is a ravine you must avoid, or you know where the limited access is.....so take a few bites.

While we are holding that thought, we look not at the lot, but inwards to you and your needs for this new dreamy home. How large of a home do you want? What is your Budget? How many people or pets will be living here? What seasons....it’s called “Programming”, and its what Architect’s do to gain a Program for their Design, just as you would get a program when you sit don to a show.....sorta tells you what is coming up.

Next step is we figure out which rooms want to be adjacent to which, what are your habits and how will you “live” in this home.

Many people jump right into knowing the size of their room requirements, but I find it is particularly helpful to know what you are doing in a room rather than what size it should be.

So then we create a “Bubble Diagram”

This is where you draw a circle or bubble and when they are attached it represents that the two labeled room bubble is adjacent to the one it touches.

The bubbles are moved around, then moved onto the survey or photo of the land, and then you start getting a sense of which rooms will go where on your lot! Amazing.

Then we start changing the bubbles to straight lines and start creating Architecture, with the Floor Plan as the front runner. Again, looking at the boundaries and the contours as we do this.

Bubble/preliminary plan

And finally, .........it becomes a play of going back and forth to the first exercise, answering some of the questions relating to the lot like where do want to look out to the view? Then back to the Bubble and Floor plan, like when you look at that view do you see yourself having coffee at your kitchen, or sitting by your Fireplace.

Back and forth from Land to Plan, Plan to Land....until you have a rough idea on paper.

Then, you begin the “reality check”, and check your size and complexity of your design of your home to your budget. This should include getting a Contractor on board, or at least as an advisor, to let you know current local costs, and what might be expected when you a=start the build out, 6-8 months from now, as that is what a good design, execution of the drawings and permits take.

Now you are on your way.....you would engage with a professional to take you through the process and remember, you must have fun with it and let it flow. Keep the ideas loose at the beginning to make sure you do not have any dreams that you did not even consider....

Stay tuned for my next Blog Schematic Design.

So wait...was that easier than what was done for the design of Petra???

What do you think?