Walls, screens and the in between....

I've been researching brick construction lately, as I'm responsible for building an addition on to a historic brick courthouse.   Seeing the myriad sizes available, the countless installation options and the color range made me appreciate brick as a building material in a new light. So many of the brick buildings that our firm builds rely on the traditional red, although there's such a range to choose from. I'm a fan of both spectrums: the white and the charred black. In this climate I guess the darker is going to hold up better with the rain and possible moss, but I love the mod look of white brick. In fact my home is white brick, ok painted white brick...

Via ArchDaily, I came across this Latvian house built as an addition onto a traditional brick building on a tight infill site. Several things struck me about this brick building, the first being it's color palette a mix varying from a burgundy to a charcoal grey. The task of tying into the existing building forces one to experience this building in context with the historical fabric of the street, rather than a floating oddity. The layout of the bricks changes depending on what face you view. The main street face allows a simple running bond with the deep set windows being the focus. As you turn the corner, though a hulking brick clad form looms over the parking looking very much like the texture of weathered silver grey shingles. 

The most delicate approach is the brick screen wall that allows one to peek into the veil of activity within. I love screens; the added mystery, the textured layers and calculated views. In my opinion it's unfortunate that the decorative screen block walls prevalent in mid-century homes are rarely seen these days and the blocks hard to source. The idea of the screen is not dead, in fact you see iterations done all the time with wood slats, metal cut outs and vertical green walls to name a few, but those retro screen block walls are truly ghosts of a different era. That is why this house and this screen brick wall was such an epiphany: a modern interpretation of an old friend. 

 

 

 

 

10 Insights into the Design Mind of Philippe Starck

Initially posted on the blog freshome, this list of insights from household design icon Philippe Starck was intriguing simply because it seemed so honest and humbling. For someone who has produced an amazing of amount of creative and inovative products and spaces, to continually find new ideas but never be satisfied with what he's completed was surprising. His methods are obsessive, compulsive and, no doubt, unhealthy.

Not really ever having read much about the man himself I would've assumed someone with a larger than life ego, but this doesn't appear to be the case. He sounds like a true artist trying to keep himself as genuine as he can, while things build up around him. What I get most out of this is the sense of grounding, a place to go that's familiar, a person that will put up with your creative insanity, a proven method of producing a product/space/idea that you can call upon again and again with proven results. Although the end results are continually different the routine seems to mainain and that is what I found the most enlightening and educational.

Caitlin Wilson Design

I initially stumbled upon Caitlin Wilson via Design*Sponge, which offered a sneak peak of her home. She is an interior designer and textile designer out of Philly who is obviously inspired by her global travels but retains a bright, modern aesthetic. Based on the sneak peak photos, her home features prominently in her textile web site, Caitlin Wilson Textiles, where many of her patterns can be seen on pillows, chairs, headboards, etc..

What I found most intriguing and beneficial, though, was the way she organized her interior design web site: Caitlin Wilson Design. Here styles have been quantified via general terms: traditional, contemporary, vintage, eclectic, transitional, modern, minimalistic, etc.. It's not easy to visualize what a certain style is comprised of, especially when there are alot of similarities between them. What does one mean when describing transitional versus eclectic? Caitlin's web site is definitely a good resource, plus her interior spaces are beautiful and well documented. The photos of the overall room intersperced with small details really evoke the feeling their theme describes and illustrates how layering is really what makes an interior space truly successful. 

Work by SWATT MIERS out of California. Beautiful examples of a wood, glass, stone pallette that melds into the site and topography of the project. The use of old school models is very inspiring and would be wonderful for a client to understand the concept and progress.