Beautiful spirals

Here

To clear up the confusion

Mid-century modern chair flowchart

Architect Bill Krisel

We had no idea who designed our home in the San Fernando Valley when we bought it. It was a tract home and it never occurred to us that it actually had a designer - although in time, we've come to appreciate our home's simple structure and airy spaces. It was designed in the early 1950s by two architects, Bill Krisel and Dan Palmer. They became well known for their mid-century modern designs in Palm Springs and other areas of Southern California. Krisel is still working and his designs are seeing a revival. More here and here.

Stairway to Napoleon

via deputydog.

A roof to live under

A collection of shelters from From Materialicious. Where would you choose to rest your head?

The Broken Column House

The Broken Column House is so named because it takes the form of a ruined classical column.

Truncated nearer to the base than the capital, jagged and riven with fissures, it was created by the aristocrat François Nicolas Henri Racine de Monville who made it his main residence during the years immediately before the French Revolution . . . more.

Final garage daze

The floor is sealed, the cabinets wait to be filled, and then, there's the final weight test. A good 50 lbs., just in case.

Cabinets of Dr. Caligari

or, Professor Melamine.

Let there be drywall

And it came to pass

that new folk settled into this Valley amid the Jacarandas and tire outlets. These simple folk sought to return the sad little garage to its former glory. It all began with the floor . . .

Once upon a time

. . . there was a 50 year old 400 sq. foot garage in the San Fernando Valley. It was sad and lonely because its walls were bare, it's foundation was illogically constructed and its floor was uneven and sweaty. The little garage had once shone in its shiny new suburban development. But, now, it was a has-been. A sham of storage. An empty void of garage-ness with no soul . . . or, something like that . . .

To be continued . . .

Pool Au Natural

A natural swimming pool is one which is designed to harness the processes of nature to produce clean, clear water. These types of pools have been available in Europe for a while, but have yet to catch on in the United States, unfortunately. More.

Spite Houses

"When I lived in Washington in the 1940s, there was a house called the "Spite House." It was only one room wide and was supposedly separated from a full-size house after a family quarrel. Do you have any information on it? I've never been able to find anything in any of the books about Washington oddities." Answer.

Reversible Destiny Lofts

Most people, in choosing a new home, look for comfort: a serene atmosphere, smooth walls and floors, a logical layout. Nonsense, says Shusaku Arakawa, a Japanese artist based in New York. He and his creative partner, poet Madeline Gins, recently unveiled a small apartment complex in the Tokyo suburb of Mitaka that is anything but comfortable and calming. "People, particularly old people, shouldn't relax and sit back to help them decline," he insists. "They should be in an environment that stimulates their senses and invigorates their lives." Continues . . .

Lagoon Cocoon

Inspired by such diverse sources as origami and jellyfish, this remarkable ‘floating’ structure caught the judges' imagination. Here the practice has created a kind of urban folly/cocoon that glows icy blue in the dark, like a giant, beached, phosphorescent jellyfish. Architectural Review Awards.

Woodland home

"You are looking at pictures of our family home in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60/sq m excluding labour)." More . . .

Russian skyscraper

This 12 story tower is located in northwestern Russia, via Neatorama.

Camp Heidi

Imagine the pride you'll feel while popping this open next to that monolithic Winnebago next door. Yodel - eh - ee - hoo! Kind of cool.

Tree House

Constructed during spring 2004 on an estate in Fife, Scotland, this fantasy TreeHouse has three verandas and two circular tower rooms with stain glass windows. More.

Vertical gardening

Patrick Blanc overgrows the vertical surfaces of buildings in the most beautiful way. What he creates is far away from any fancy horticultural show, his Vertical Garden could rather be called eco-art, or greener architecture consisting of a variety of plants trailing gently up any interior or outside wall. Imagine the Hanging Gardens of ancient Babylon but this time on modern concrete buildings. Read on.