Here’s a look at some houses and house designs that I would kill to have. See? I told you envy was deadly.
This over the top tree house looks like way more fun than the makeshift one we scraped together as children. Of course, I’ve always been told it’s the thought that counts.
I wonder what the inside looks like….
Should we take the speed boat or the cruiser into town today, dear?
The grass is always greener, the grass is always greener, the grass is always greener…
Jeff Lewis has been a fixation of mine since his series, Flipping Out, premiered on Bravo in 2007. Lewis and his quirky staff flip houses and generate profits, laughs, and awkward silences. The self proclaimed OCD narcissist is often times placing himself in the middle of conflicts that I love to watch unfold. Last season (in a less dramatic scenario) Lewis was honored by House Beautiful when he was asked to design and create their Kitchen of the Year. The kitchen Jeff designed was modern, clean, and beautiful. Using dark, rich tones throughout the kitchen Jeff created a room that has become the envy of every housewife and Martha Stewart wannabe in America. Take a look at Mr. Lewis’ masterpiece.
In his House Beautiful interview Jeff Lewis states, “The kitchen is number one. It’s what really sells the house. It doesn’t matter how nice your living room is, or your dining room. Don’t spend the money, because people are going to end up in the kitchen.” His logic certainly rings true in my experiences. People seem to constantly gravitate towards the food!
Here we see Jeff using a wine rack as a divider to break up the room. This creates not only a beautiful aesthetic look, but also a talking point for guests at dinner parties. If you look in bottom right of the photograph you can see that the microwave in this kitchen is placed in an unconventional location – under the counter! At the push of a button this Jenn-Air microwave opens like a drawer for easy access and a less cluttered look.
Lewis also included specific touches like these customized drawers. These pegs can be removed and reorganized if you were to update your kitchenware.
The kitchen table was by far my favorite part of the room. With one end of the table resting on the counter top, the table became more dramatic. The large slab that is used as the table is very masculine and strong and serves as a great contrast to the rest of the kitchen. I was also struck by the intricacies and fantastical design of the light fixtures throughout Lewis’ kitchen. Jeff leaves the readers of House Beautiful with one tip to a quick, cheap, and easy kitchen remodel. Lewis advises that a simple change of your cabinet hardware can completely change the look and feel of any kitchen. Guess it’s time to head to the hardware store!
The Franco Albini Desk, our favorite piece of desk design.
Howard Finster is my favorite American artist. I was introduced to him by my Dad when I was younger; at first I just loved that he wrote all over his “canvases” and seemed a bit nuts. That he lived and worked in my homestate of Georgia only grew my affection. But, as I’ve grown up, the paintings, carvings and sculptures have come to mean more.
Finster was a deeply religious man convinced in a vision from the lord that he should paint. He created thousands of folk art pieces over his life, including his home, Paradise Gardens, which became an ever-changing permanent exhibit of carving, painting, paint-penning, chalk-drawing, sculpture, agriculture, and architecture. When he died the place fell into disrepair, but it has since been put under the protection of the state, and volunteers are working now to restore it to it’s former glory.
Finster’s un-precious, un-precocious, un-pretentious works of art are the mad, wonderful scatterings of a brilliantly fractured mind and talent. They’re so much fun, they look so good, they’re so honest and American. See them in the Smithsonian or in Northwest Georgia; they’re folk art at it’s purest and least complicated.
Here’s some pics of the soon-to-be-famous Brent Knoll House, built in Melbourne Australia. Cool Hunter featured the house, and the pictures are from them:
One of the outdoor spaces gracing the newest and slickest in condo-living; 40 Bond in New York City.
The ultimate in design and art living luxury, and a living space with a possible destiny as one of the defining buildings in New York living space architecture.
If you follow this blog for any length of time, you’ll very soon become acquainted with my extreme obsession with everything Jefferson. There are a lot of things you can say about the man; Great Writer, Great Scientist, Great Inventor, Great Philosopher, Great Statesman, Great President, Great Naturalist, Great Musician, etc. But one thing you can say about him that resonates particularly well with us here at Basis is Great Architect, Great Designer, and Great Decorator. Behold Monticello, the greatest private home built in America. (Note to haterz: I said Fallingwater was the most beautiful, not the greatest).
It took Jefferson decades to build Monticello. He kept changing his plans, re-working them to incorporate new duties, new family, and new architectural models and ideas imported from his travels and extensive reading all over the western world (fun Jefferson fact; Jefferson’s personal library, donated to the government, was the foundation of the Library of Congress. The man was well-read) . He especially loved the dome in conjunction with Georgian symmetry.
He would use the dome again in his design for the world famous Rotunda at the University of Virginia, the “House that Jefferson built.” He also designed the original classrooms, grounds, and housing. The man was a stud.
This is Jefferson’s bedroom. He cut out a space in the wall for his actual bed, neatly bisecting the room into two spheres; his office and living quarters. Visible is his magnificent desk, itself featuring some extremely cool design. (That’s another post. Oh, you think this is all the Jefferson you’re getting this week? Please.)
Another gorgeous room. The furniture, the french doors, the busts and views; really breathtaking in person. A trip to Monticello is never a wasted trip, btw.
Here, finally, an aerial view of this part of the property:
Monticello, a regal and lyrical name, means “Little Mountain” in Italian. The man spoke languages.
Tune in on Monday for more Jefferson fetish objects! See you then! Oh, and just because we’re such pals, here’s some UVA architecture titillation!
