The Built Environment

A Cure for the Design Sweet Tooth

Valentine’s Day Design Inspiration

Grand pink architecture and interiors, romantic fashion, and an adorable pink Figaro that leave us high on sugary sweet design and perfect shades of pink.

Schloss Benrath

Schloss Benrath Palace located in Dusseldorf was designed by French architect Nicolas de Pigage. The pink Baroque style building proves that pink is an appropriate and acceptable color for the grandest and oldest of buildings and is simply gorgeous. You can actually rent out a few of the halls for your private event.

Craigievar Castle

Craigievar Castle, completed in 1626, is a pink harled castle in Scotland. If those turrets spark fairy tale images for you, well they did for Disney also, and it’s reported to be the inspiration for the Disney castle.

A Cure for the Design Sweet Tooth 3

Photo Bei.Bei.Wei

 

Peggy Porschen

Peggy Porschen Cakes has been on my radar lately, as much for the design and their Instagram account, as for their sweets. They are topping A-list celebrity events for people such as Kate Moss, Elton John and Stella McCartney to name a few. Their pink building, floral installations and adorable pastry creations are truly one-of-a-kind. I always admire, and try to incorporate, a creative concept that runs throughout, and you can see that here with the mushroom pastries and the mushroom installation. Just look at the different floral arrangements they install on their building below via their Instagram page.

Photos: Peggy Porschen Instagram

Sketch London

Part gallery, part restaurant, this 18th century townhouse tea room turns into a cocktail lounge in the evening, and I’m pretty sure it’s the place to be on Valentine’s Day. I love the mix of the glamorous, Hollywood interiors with the graphic, line drawing art.

Photos: Civilian Global

Elie Saab

When it comes to romantic, elegant and feminine fashion, Ellie Saab always get it right with the most beautiful lace, beading, embroidery and the extraordinary details expressed throughout the garments. Every sleeve is perfection and it’s hard to imagine that many options. The dusty pink, white, and nude colors are so soft and romantic. I need one of these gowns from the Haute Couture Spring Summer 2020 Show to wear while I roam around Benrath palace above.

Photos: Elie Saab World Instagram

Le Pink Figaro

And what better way to arrive than a pink Figaro. Did you know this car was made by Nissan? I had no idea. And if you love this little car, you can follow all of its adventures on Instagram below.

Photos: Le Pink Figaro Instagram

Hope you have a sweet and romantic Valentine’s Day full of love.

xo,

Cassandra

Design Destination ~The Eliza Jane, Nola

Not Too Pretty | Not Too Gritty

Design lovers headed to New Orleans have to make a stop at newly opened The Eliza Jane. Easily one of my new favorites. Located away from Bourbon St. in the Central Business District, for those who prefer a little something other than that scene, yet it’s still walking distance to the French Quarter. The hotel takes up several historic renovated warehouses and occupies what was previously Gulf Baking Soda, Paychaud Bitters Factory, and The Daily Picayune, and takes its namesake from the previous publisher of the newspaper, Eliza Jane. Jane was the country’s first female publisher, turning a small newspaper into a nationally recognized one. Next door you’ll find this old architectural treasure sharing similar round details on the columns as the the hotel itself but remains as just a facade today.

Original historic details were preserved when possible, exposing and restoring much of the brick archways and metal structural components, while opening up the multiple, adjacent warehouse spaces as much as possible. Upon arrival guests are greeted with red doors, mosaic tile floors and an original fireplace that remains behind the front desk painted the perfect blue with a calming seafoam color on the walls.

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Jekyll Island Club

Slow Living

Just recently we returned from a lovely week at the Jekyll Island Club on the coast of Georgia. Not our first time, but each time I am struck. It is a course of study in architecture, design and fine living. Such an easy getaway from Atlanta, and it’s as if time slows at the Jekyll Club – a place where croquet is played on the front lawn, porches overlook the gardens and beautiful historic trees, and architectural masterpieces line the street to the Jekyll Island Club Resort – a once seasonal destination for the wealthiest people in the world.

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Pineapple Porch

Space Planning | Designing the Floor Plan

In its last iteration, this space was a Palm Beach Tan chopped into about 25 small rooms for individual tanning beds. There were two ADA compliant restrooms in the back corner of the space and a small storage room running along the back wall, both we knew we wanted to keep.  In the case of the storage room, we would need to possibly expand it to accommodate larger items like furniture being temporarily stored. Everything else needed to be gutted.

Below is a copy the landlord gave us of the as-built plans from the tanning salon. This was the space we walked into. You can see the individual rooms where the tanning beds were, along with key spaces I’ve notated. The pictures below were taken prior to construction from the front of the store at the point of sale where you paid for your tan.  You can see from the plan and pictures, there were two hallways on either side of the point of sale running almost the length of the space that met at the back of the space and created a small back hallway.

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Alys Beach

Those unmistakable Bermuda butteries form the entrance gates and visual markers to Alys Beach. Rooted in architecture from Bermuda, Antigua, and Central America, Alys Beach adheres to strict design guidelines and construction principles, which gives it a cohesive, distinctive look and design vocabulary throughout.

Originally, butteries in Bermuda were constructed to store perishable food like butter and milk. Made completely of stone, with a wooden door, these structures were detached from the main house, just a few stone steps away. The stepped minaret roof shape was made of limestone and many have found new use on the island as studios, tool sheds, etc. Since Bermuda has no fresh water source, the stepped roof had other functional reasons, too, like collecting rain water. Below is a picture of one from Bermuda and the ones at Alys Beach.

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Key West

Island Heart

Vernacular architecture, charming colorful cottages, narrow streets, warm weather, tropical flora and fauna and tough people who deal with mother nature’s constant threat by land or sea, my favorite places are islands.

This isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about Key West, there is just so much to love on this tiny island.

And so many historic homes desperately needing to be restored. I need one of these to restore and preserve, either as a personal home or as a design project. The ceramic star on the outside of homes and businesses in Key West is given to properties that have displayed excellence in restoration and preservation. The designer, architect, contractors and craftsman who’ve worked on the project are given a certificate showing their involvement in the success of the project. Hoping one day to have a star myself.

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John Hardy ~ Bali

Luxury and Sustainability

Usually these two words aren’t used in the same sentence, especially when describing high-end goods. So often, it seems things are either sustainable and lack the quality, beauty and durability we expect, or they are luxurious and seem wasteful, expensive and extravagant.  I was blown away by the mindful presence of both at John Hardy’s workshop in Bali. Follow me down the bamboo lined path to the creative world of John Hardy.

Like Jim Thompson in Thailand, John Hardy has made a profound, legendary impact in Bali, while creating a luxury brand known worldwide. Canadian born John Hardy established his workshop in Bali in 1975 after visiting the island and being inspired by the Balinese culture and tradition of jewelry-making. He spent time learning the methods and techniques and applied a new approach to those age-old traditions.

The John Hardy complex, including the workshop, showroom and outdoor dining room, was built in 1996 and is a beautiful testament to his mission and philosophy and stands as a model for conscious living and working. If the company were to ever fold, the buildings could easily be removed, recycled and consciously disposed of, and the land could continue to provide food for the people without damage to the environment. Set amidst farms and rice paddies, thought has gone into everything from the jewelry, to the buildings, to the environment, to the people. It is hard to wrap your head around how much intention and inspiration has gone into creating this superior brand, building this low-impact business, caring about the people who create and buy the jewelry and conserving the land. I have never seen a more earth conscious, quality conscious, people conscious brand.

Everything is made by hand from design through final production. The eight-step process begins in the design studio where artists and designers create design sketches for new pieces. Not a single computer is used. The final designs are even painted by hand with gouache or watercolor.  Wax molds are made and then carved by hand, absolutely no machinery is involved at John Hardy. It’s an example and display of the cultivation, protection and beauty of pure human talent and skill at work, and it’s surprising they have held to this model with the amount of volume that comes from the workshop. And yes, it is so hard to believe, every single piece comes from this humble looking workshop in the rice paddies. In fact, when we pulled up, aside from the security guards protecting the property, I thought, is this it? They haven’t compromised or cut corners to shave time off the process to speed up production, and it was refreshing to see humans creating with their hands, instead of computers or machines. For this reason, each piece is essentially a one of a kind, with tiny differences created by the human hands that have made them, while maintaining the brand consistency.

There are no goals for the artisans to meet at John Hardy, except pure quality, and there aren’t a set number of pieces they must turn out each month, no deadlines, etc. John Hardy doesn’t want the process rushed. Each piece takes however long it takes for the artisans to make, to insure the quality isn’t rushed. Each piece is painstakingly critiqued by individuals in quality control who look for imperfections before the piece is ready to be sold. The entire workshop is a testament to John Hardy’s belief in the quality and craftsmanship of each piece by the artisans. The company believes in the transfer of creative energy from the artisans during design and creation passed down to the wearer. All the silver used is reclaimed and comes mostly from the inside of discarded electronics. All the gemstones are ethically sourced and are set by expert gemologists in Thailand. The creative process and production are simply mesmerizing. Photo credit: John Hardy

 

Steeped in history and ancient cultural beliefs, each piece reflects life in Bali from the spiritual to the everyday. The classic chain, which you have most likely seen, is 100% woven, recycled metal, inspired by the art of weaving seen all over Bali as decoration for celebrations, baskets, etc. It takes one hour to make one inch of chain by hand. You can see below, the bamboo column is decorated with woven strips of leaves like the bracelets they make, spiraling up like a serpent (there is also a serpent collection at John Hardy). One of the artists wove the palm leaf greenery around that column pictured with our host we spent the morning touring the property with. The Balinese dress is so beautiful. Below is one the design sketches of the classic chain weave.

 

The Legends of the Naga collection is inspired by the Naga, the mythical water dragon, that lives in the mountains of Bali and descends the mountain to find his love the pearl. The Naga represents love, protection and prosperity in Bali. Watch this video with adorable illustrations depicting the story of the Naga. If you’ve been anywhere in Asia, you know the Naga, or some story of the dragon, is a positive, powerful creature in many Asian cultures. Below is a design sketch for a Naga piece with sapphire eyes and a special bracelet with a golden pearl from Lombok, an island off Bali. A love story expressed in jewelry, the Naga pieces that include pearls are very special, as this completes the entire story of the Naga and his love the pearl. It is said if you wear the Naga facing you, it will attract love. If you wear the Naga facing away from you, it serves to protect you. I even love the Naga Dome Ring which looks like the texture of the scales of the dragon’s skin. The black piece below is highly-prized, black mother of pearl.

One of my other favorite collections is the bamboo collection. Not only is it the main building material used around the property, for each piece sold, the company plants a certain number of bamboo seedlings. If you look very closely inside each bamboo piece, the company has etched how many seedlings were planted from the purchase of that piece. You can clearly see the bamboo seedling stamp inside the silver piece. I almost bought the yellow gold bangle below but decided on the classic chain in the picture above in a silver and yellow gold combination. Because I love the design sketches so much, I’ve included a couple from the bamboo collection.

One of the other details that makes a John Hardy piece so special is the Ukian etching or carving on the inside of many of his pieces. These depict secret mythical stories that only the wearer sees and knows. Ukian is a traditional carving method in Bali, and you can see a similar method was used on the wall in the entrance hall picture below.

Upon arriving at John Hardy, one is greeted by the beautiful Balinese people and a refreshing lemongrass cooler in a bamboo cup with a lemongrass straw. Whenever possible, everything is natural at John Hardy.

Design Studio

This building was also reclaimed and brought to the property. The designers work here in this light-filled space surrounded by rice and lemongrass. Pictures were not allowed inside the design studio to protect the designs they were currently working on. Each designer sits at a communal type work space, drawing and sketching new concepts.

Lunch Pavillion

Each day the company provides lunch for all the employees in this outdoor bamboo dining room and has a kitchen onsite where they prepare rice and food from the land surrounding the workshop. They eat in two shifts, and guests are invited to dine on traditional Balinese fare with the designers and artisans.

Workshop

You are not allowed to take pictures in the workshop to protect the production process, but having heard so many horrible stories about the treatment of people in workshops in Southeast Asia, we asked every question regarding their welfare. They work a standard 8-hour day, are paid a fair wage, get an hour for lunch, which the company provides, and so many people enjoy working there. We met two generations, a mother and daughter, currently working there together. Most are skilled in one step of the process and are masters at it, so that’s all they do, all day long. Seemed really tough to me. In the workshop, you have the opportunity to stand by the artisans, looking over their shoulders, while they work. The attention to detail is astonishing really. Later in the trip, we were told this is considered an excellent job for Balinese people, and they are treated very well here. I found this picture on DestinAsian of the inside of the workshop.

Showroom

The showroom, called the Kapal Bambu, is located in the building below. It’s highly sculptural and inspired by bamboo ships. The floor is open on each side and rice grows under the building inside the showroom. You can hear the trickle sound of water softly flowing all around the property, irrigating the rice and other plants.  All the cases are built of bamboo and glass, and the bamboo roof shingles in the shape of a turtle shell were really interesting. With the light pouring in from the glass, the entire building had a spiritual quality to it. Love that bamboo bubble chair. too.

Temple

There is also a Hindu temple on the property for daily prayers and offerings, which is usually done three times a day. Marigolds are one of the most used flowers around Bali. You can see them on the table at lunch and arranged in a cone shape flanking the temple steps.

Because of the philosophy of this brand, the quality and craftsmanship of the product, and the amount of love, detail and beautiful, conscious, human energy that goes into each piece, John Hardy has won me over.

If you’re in Bali, you have to put this on your list. It was on of the best experiences we had.

xo,

Cassandra

The Island of the Gods

Hanging Gardens Bali

The road to our hotel was as black as the night sky. There were no lights, no streets signs, no nothing. Just thick palm leaves, greenery on all sides and a canopy of hanging vines and flowers hitting the windshield from time to time. With just a few feet in front of the car visible by the headlights, and the constant, grinding, engine sound, indicating our bus might not make it up the next hill, this was turning out to be more of an adventure than I had expected or desired after such a long flight.

When our guide said, “They don’t send drivers to your hotel alone at night because of the road,” that made the limited visibility even worse. None of us said anything out loud, but by the look on our faces, it was obvious we all thought the same thing. What? What do you mean? Why not? “It’s too dangerous,” he replied. Instantly my mind flashed to all the stories I’d heard of tourists being carjacked, taken off back roads, robbed, raped and murdered, or their bus falling off a steep cliff on a single lane road, high in the jungle mountains at night. And since I have such a vivid imagination, I took that story a step further by envisioning we would be stuck at the bottom of a ravine in the jungle all night, possibly hurt, no lights, with the sound of jungle animals all around, and either no one would know we were there, or no one could get to us until morning.

I have friends who have visited Bali and raved about it, but that didn’t stop my mind from going to the darkest possible places. Every now and then, the trees broke, and with what little light illuminated the night sky and the thick, lush landscape, you could see the road dropped off on either side of the car. Exactly how far down it dropped off we couldn’t see, but we knew we were going higher and higher up into the jungle with every turn. We nervously laughed and joked to ease the silence. The first time I saw car lights coming at us on the road, I felt relieved we weren’t alone. I thought, “Oh good, there are other people out here.” And then the following conversation ran in my head:

Were they dropping off tourists they had murdered or were going to murder? Surely they were coming from our hotel. It’s fine. You’re being silly. You’ve checked out the hotel, all the reviews, all the pictures, read every blog post written about it. You’re overacting. Maybe so, but do you really know where you’re going?

The answer to that was, no. I had no idea where we were going. So much of travel is trusting reputable companies in foreign countries to help you get around, and that’s what we were doing now.

Then I realized the road at its widest part was at most, only one and a half lane widths wide, and we’d have to make room for the oncoming car. I went into a complete panic. There was no room for them to pass, and the road dropped off on the side we were on. Once I realized they were barely even going to slow down, and instead, planned on passing us at full speed, I ducked my head down in my arms, and almost as if we were in unison, we yelled out some sort of curse word together as they passed. Once again we all nervously (and thankfully) laughed, realizing we were still alive and somehow managed not to get knocked off the road and fall off the cliff, and questioned why the hell they didn’t slow down. It was a long, tense, nerve wracking drive up the mountain in the jungle that night, and each time a car passed there were audible gasps followed by heavy sighs of relief and nervous laughter. I thought we’d never get there.

As we came to a clearing in the trees, we could see lights flickering up and down the mountainside across a deep valley from the mountain we were on. “OMG, what’s that over there?” we said. That’s your hotel, our guide said. Eyes widened, jaws dropped and we knew then, we weren’t going to become dead tourist statistics. Instead, we were headed to the jungle paradise I had seen in the pictures. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the hotel from that vantage point, but there was no way we were stopping on that road. We would find out later, the hotel puts candles around the pool and property every night, and that’s what we saw lit up across the valley.

We saw our first sign for the hotel and turned, drove through a very small, very poor village, and then the lobby appeared. Bathed in a soft glow of light, with no walls, the lobby was visible from all sides and the car drove right under the roof. We all looked around in amazement at the integrated design of the driveway and the lobby. Lightly scented hand towels, refreshing lemongrass drinks, beautiful flowers and candles were everywhere. Bali smells like a combination of sandalwood incense, lemongrass and sweet frangipani flower. If I ever go back, I hope I arrive at night again. It was sensory paradise. The two story, centrally located, nautilus shell chandelier in the restaurant lit up at night was a stunning sight as we descended in the cable car from the lobby.

To get up and down the mountainside, there are a series of cable cars, starting at the top of the mountain where the lobby is, then another one down to the restaurant and bar, followed by a final one to get to the villas.

The main dining room and bar overlook the jungle and pool, and similar to other parts of Asia, flowers are everywhere. These orange ones reminded me of hollowed out pine cones.

The walkways to our villa were lined with moss covered everything: vases, statues, and walls and monkeys roam freely around the property.

Our room was the traditional Balinese style design with wood trim and details, thatch roof, and a private infinity pool overlooking the jungle. I could have stayed in our villa for the duration of our stay, but I knew I’d miss so much if I did that. The air in the jungle was soft, moist and cool. I needed a light scarf or something on my shoulders in the morning at breakfast, but by midday the weather was perfect. August is the best time to visit Bali weather wise, but for that very reason, it is also the busiest. Thankfully, there are sarongs everywhere in Bali, so if you get out and get chilly, there is always a sarong nearby. Each room has it’s own temple outside the front door with a statue of a Hindu god, and the staff make offerings and decorate them with marigolds each day, another flower commonly seen in Bali. Every detail in the architecture and design of the villas and hotel was thoroughly considered.

Treatment rooms, massage rooms and massage tables are all over the property. If you don’t like one room, just keep looking. There are several to choose from. All are open air and many massage tables are situated under open-air pavilions near the river that flows down through the valley. There are small outdoor platforms for yoga, and the entire property is about resting, relaxing and being away from everything. Now I know why it was so hard to get here. All the fears I had on the nighttime drive getting here about falling off the cliff and no one finding me, were all put to rest, because the no one finding me part was a huge plus at this point. The frangipani flower is all over Bali. It grows in parts of the Caribbean, too, but something about being in a new place makes us aware of things we never noticed before. Maybe it was the abundance of these flowers that brought them to the forefront, but I’ve never noticed or smelled them in the Caribbean like I did in Bali. Not only are the trees everywhere, but the Balinese use them to decorate everything. They also spread them out to dry in the sun, grind them into a fine powder and make a massage oil (among many other things) with them.

Across the valley and over the river is the temple. This Hindu temple has a relationship with the hotel and offers guests the opportunity to dine at the temple after a private Hindu blessing with the priest. We all sat on the ground in the temple with the priest and were led through the Hindu ritual. Each person has an individual ceremonial offerings basket, which contains flowers of different significance, rice, and other organic items. Some you put your head, behind your ears or hold in the tip of your fingers while you pray. Incense are used to cleanse you spiritually and burn all around in the ceremony. They are believed to send our prayers up to God and remove harmful spirits. Bali is the most culturally rich place I have ever been, and I learned so much that it’s hard to put to words. After the prayer, we had a candlelight dinner at the temple, under the light of the Moon, surrounded by flowers.

A gecko decided to join us at dinner (somewhere in the thatched roof above), and if you’ve been to Bali or Southeast Asia, you know how loud that critter can be. I swear they are nocturnal, too. The gecko is all over Bali, and I think his favorite pastime is to make as much noise as possible. Even the littlest ones are insanely loud for their size. If you ever wondered why they are called geckos, YouTube a gecko sound and you’ll understand. It sounds like they are saying GEC-KO or UH-OH repeatedly! Our first morning in Bali, I heard a strange noise outside our villa and went to breakfast and asked the staff what that noise was in the wee hours. They said, “It’s probably a gecko.” Thankfully, their second favorite pastime is eating mosquitoes, so aside from that annoyingly loud noise, they are harmless, and since mosquitoes love me, the gecko can stay. They are also seen as good luck in Southeast Asia and are believed to be descended from dragons. Later there was one in our room (again up in the thatch ceiling) in Amed, and that thing called out like clockwork at midnight every single night. I took this picture of the priest before we sat down for the ritual and blessing with him at the temple. Through the smoky incense and temple lighting, it looks like a column of God-light is shining on him. Pretty much how this entire experience seemed-surrounded by God-light. Now we know why Bali is called the Island of the Gods. The last picture I took from our hotel looking across at the temple.

The first picture I saw of Hanging Gardens in my research was the pool. It was the single most memorable image I saw while trying to figure out where to stay. It’s what initially sparked the desire to want to stay here. Bali has the most incredibly designed hotels I have ever seen in one destination. It’s as if each hotel is trying to outdo the other one. Consistently one of the top-rated pools in the world, it looks as if it was inspired by the undulating shape of the rice terraces found all over Bali-giving this design a sense of place. Every morning there was an enchanting layer of mist slowly rising from the treetops like a veil lifting away to reveal the jungle before our eyes, and the pool was like a mirror reflecting the clouds. It was magic.

Having been all over the world, it has always been hard to pick an absolute favorite place, that one specific hotel that has it all for me. Hanging Gardens is it, and surprisingly, it doesn’t have a beach. I love the secluded feel, the private villas with infinite pools, the food, fresh juices in the morning, the service, the quiet, exotic natural location. I love how close you feel to nature and how far away you feel from civilization. I don’t know if it’s called Hanging Gardens because of the flowers on vines that hang from the jungle trees, or if it’s because it’s literally hanging on the edge of the jungle, cantilevered out over the treetops. I found this aerial image on the internet, and unfortunately couldn’t find the photographer to give photo credit to, but you can see how it looks like it’s hanging on the edge of the mountain.

Hope you enjoyed it. I can’t wait to share more about Bali with you in the next blog.

xo,

Cassandra

Neocon Design Conference Chicago

Functionality|Artistry|Creativity|Innovation

Between the classes and the products, it takes a bit to digest everything at Neocon. There is so much to take in, see, do and remember. Below are pictures of installations, tile work, trim details, furniture, rooms, and new trends in design I saw and thought were noteworthy or loved, for one reason or another, in both residential and commercial design.

Artistic Tile’s fashion inspired mosaic tile jacket and dress were works of art. I can’t imagine the painstaking process of making that dress and capturing the draping of the fabric around the curves of the body. Mosaics usually come on a mesh material to make it easier to tile in large squares, but these had to take a great deal of both planning and patience.

 

Devon and Devon’s updated version of the hot and cold faucet were my favorite faucets.

 

Luum Textile’s vertical, suspended, fiber installation was a huge hit and had everyone walking through it, touching it and feeling it. They had several stations set up so you could interact with the fibers, weave a small carpet while you were there, and basically play with their materials. Isn’t that what everything in an interior should be about, the ability to touch, feel and use all of our senses to experience it?

 

Mannington Commercial‘s back-lit and up-lit, cut and torn paper scene gives me all sorts of ideas, specifically about something wintry for Christmas.

 

Unfortunately, I don’t recall where this was when I saw it, because after multiple floors, showrooms and booths, you tend to lose track, but I love the idea of creating an art installation as a visual barrier to define and divide space, instead of using walls. This installation was made of rope and what looked to be printed paper with the molecular structure of something. The installation was shaped like a V, and inside the V were tables and chairs which provided an envelope for those wanting to rest and be away from the noisy crowds.

 

The most innovative product I saw was Sedia Systems’ Jumpseat. This seat is pure genius, can support a full size adult, mounts on the wall or floor and flips up like theater seats when not in use. When folded up, the seat is only 4″ thick, making it the perfect solution for tight spaces. The first picture was their display at Neocon and even their imagery was clever showing a man mid-air as if he was jumping.

 

Samuel and Sons’ trim showroom, much like Artistic Tile, went down as my favorite for using their products in non-conventional ways. Although Samuel and Sons is carried here in Atlanta by Ainsworth Noah, there isn’t a showroom dedicated specifically to trim. Samuel and Sons is a passementerie lover’s dream. It was their creative use of fringe trimmings on paint brushes and tape trim to make the fabric for the outdoor sling chairs in their beach display that I loved. Samuel and Sons is a library of every trim imaginable arranged by color and grouped by style, making it easy to find the trim you need.

 

West Elm Workspace won the Best of Neocon Award in three categories, one of which was the furniture systems category. As people are now discovering, the open work environment is actually more prohibitive to working efficiently and productively. Really? I was wondering when that was coming. I’ve never understood the open working environment to begin with because who can concentrate? West Elm has come up with a new way to tackle the privacy issues in the open environment with their Haus concept. Haus is designed for individuals or small groups to work away from the busy, noisy open office without the need for walls, while providing both visual and acoustical privacy in three different configurations. And as you can see, it looks like a tiny house, thus making it seem less like an office and more like a social place for collaboration. I’m so thankful I don’t work in a traditional office setting. If I did, I would need one of these for sure. This is such a great solution for the office without having to put up walls and take them down based on how the team changes, grows and/or diminishes over the years.

 

There are some gorgeous kitchen showrooms at The Mart that will make you drool and rethink your current kitchen at least a couple of times. de Giulio  is one of them. If these kitchens resemble Siematic at all to you, it’s because Mick de Giulio has designed several of their collections including their New York showroom. There aren’t enough accolades for this man. The finishes are luxurious, and the solutions for problems we face in the kitchen are brilliant. I need that built-in, hanging pot storage.  On a side note, have you seen one of these Elektra Italian Espresso Machine? It’s the real deal and definitely deserves it own special task light along with that arched, tiled niche to give it pride of place. I’m pretty sure I recall seeing one in Venice while we were there.

 

But by far, my single favorite thing at Neocon was Atelier Gary Lee’s Lady Stinger Chair. Highly sculptural and displayed in American walnut matte finish, this chair, with its combination classic, 18th century cabriole legs, bee stinger vertical back, and modern sensibility, is to die for in my book. I have the perfect place in my home for it, too. It nets at $9K, though. Eek!

 

Whether it’s commercial or residential design, I take inspiration from all aspects of this industry. So often you see a small detail that leads you to something else, or points you down a different path. Exposure to all forms of art, design and creativity inform my work on all levels.

Looking forward to Neocon 2018!

xo,

Cassandra

 

 

 

 

Atlanta Contemporary Architecture Tour

Atlanta Design Festival | Contemporary Architecture and Design

Last weekend we did the Contemporary Architecture Tour here in Atlanta. The tour is an annual event in conjunction with the Atlanta Design Festival and gives tour-goers the opportunity to view some of Atlanta’s private contemporary homes. There were also public spaces on tour, as well. We had one day and just a few hours, so we decided to focus on the private homes, as we knew they would probably never be open again. We did four houses (and stumbled upon an art gallery in one) and focused mainly on the ones closest together for driving purposes.

Unfortunately, there were a ton of people touring the homes, so I snapped the best pictures I could. I skipped over spaces that were crowded with people, as you couldn’t see anything anyway.

 

This first house is probably my favorite from the outside (well, except the brick one, but you can’t beat that one for history). The huge windows and combination of glass, wood and cementitious panels is such a great textural combination. This was probably my least favorite regarding the interior finishes, but this staircase is perfection.

880 Kings Court

Architecture: Brian Ahern
Construction: Darby Construction

The idea for the house is to create a masonry “frame” that allows the siding to figuratively become more than just a means to enclose the building envelope. Both the house and landscape emphasize pattern of materials. For example, two types of cementitious panels are used to create a collage on both the East and West elevations of the house.

 

 

The second house was in walking distance from the first. They had a car parked in the driveway, so a great exterior shot wasn’t possible.

908 Kings Court

Architecture: Kirkman Architects
General Contractor: Cablik Enterprises LLC

This home is an example of Cubist modern architecture located in the heart of Morningside. The home is primarily stick framed with engineered lumber trusses and beams. The exterior is a mix of cementitious panels, haricot stucco, and concrete. Some of the notable design features include: 12 foot ceilings in a recessed living room overlooking the wooded ravine below, large Pella Windows and double sliding doors throughout, full length floating private deck off of the master suite, wet room, shower and tub configurations, ensuite bathrooms for each bedroom.

 

 

The third house we toured was the one I could see myself living in. It’s a great example of adaptive reuse.

Mifflin Hood

Renovation Architect: BLDGS

Mifflin Hood, BLDGS’ renovation of a 100 year old brick building that formerly was the headquarters and showroom of the B. Mifflin Hood Brick Company was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The B. Mifflin Hood Brick Company building served as a showroom and offices for the company from 1921 to 1947. The first portion of the building was built in 1909 and consists of four bays that create a square shaped building. In 1921, when the company bought the building, they constructed a seven bay addition to the east of the original building. In the 1930s, a small rear addition was added to the property. A simple brick cornice, several pilasters, and four 25-light metal windows with keystones comprise the decorative features of the façade. The sloped topography of the site means that the 1909 portion of the building is lower than the later addition. The building has recently been rehabilitated into a single-family residence with an office and studio space. B. Mifflin Hood was an important voice in the Progressive Era movement as he did not use convict labor and fought to overturn the convict labor system —making this property a good example of the City’s social and industrial history.

 

 

The owners of this home also own Brickworks Gallery attached to the building with a separate entrance on the side and one internally. The gallery was named best new gallery in 2016 by Atlanta Magazine. The owner, an artist herself, was onsite that day in her studio. I love to see studios where artists work. I enjoy seeing all the media and tools they use to create. Paper is her main media and when I first walked in, I thought these were fabrics. She has brought these papers back from all over the world, and from the looks of the textiles on their beds, I would say those probably came from her trips, as well.

 

 

The last house was also a favorite inside and out.

Ashley

Architecture: TaC Studios
General Contractor: Principle Builders Group
Landscape: TaC Studios, Install by GardenHood

Ashley was designed for jewelry designers. Located 1 block from the Atlanta Beltline, the clients desired to maintain the large tree in the front yard, as it retains a connection to the original neighborhood’s landscape plan of trees that line the block. The bronzed screen at the front of the house relays the plan for the city blocks of the old 4th ward and screens the setting west sun.

The brick is a material that relates to the surrounding homes. The home has; 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, roof terrace, a garage designed for car lifts, a living level that allows for direct connection to the pool terrace, retractable screen….. The clients had a long wish list. A challenging site, 55’ wide x 146’ deep, the front and rear yard setbacks limited the location of the pool and residence. The grade change of 4 feet from the front door to the rear lounging terrace, presented the opportunity to step the procession through the home and transition the experience from the front door to main entertaining space. Large 12’ tall sliding doors open to the terrace, which can be enclosed by the retractable screens. Each area was planned for seating a minimum of six from the pool area to the roof terrace and media room. Custom millwork throughout the home was TaC studios designed and built locally by McMeubel/ Michael Courtz.

 

 

I find so often that people are either in the historic design and preservation camp or they are in the contemporary design camp. Having studied both in design school, I have developed an appreciation for both and believe both are appropriate, valuable, relevant and have their place.

I hope through this post, you can learn to appreciate this style as a viewer, even if it’s not something you would personally choose to live with.

xo,

Cassandra