Photography by Gaile Guevara (except of course the ones of me)

Spend a day at the MOMA in New York and you’ll know why it’s my favorite place to be! On a recent visit with my good friend Michelle, we rediscovered how subtle design details go into creating maximum effects.

Not every passing eye may notice, but I * love, love * that every where I look, the “too complicated” or “too expensive” details are represented here seemingly effortlessly. From the flush drywall reveals to the spatial planning of transitioning from one space to another … subtle application of natural light and physical movement through a volume of space … striking white walls, over sized slab stone clad walls … a cantilevered bridge carefully finished on all exposed sides intersects with a vertical opening exposing the floor plates of each gallery level … the cut outs and view points all with frameless glazing … to the flush linear a/c vents and grills … It’s the beauty of minimalism that gives this simplistic yet stylized illusion.

Just observe and you’ll see that even the people within the space, passing through admiring the artworks on display… become art itself.

Site
The house is located on a flat, irregularly shaped lot at the end of a cul-de-sac. The neighbourhood contains a variety of styles and references to the preferred typical suburban desert subdivision architecture.



Program
Mew single-family residence including kitchen, dining area, living room, office, three bedrooms, and two-and-one-half bathrooms.



Design
The house is designed for a retired couple with the need for guest bedroom suites and a large communal space for the living, dining, and kitchen areas.

To achieve a feeling of "simplicity" within conventional means, it was decided that planning and construction must be straight-forward and the character of the house reflect a strategy of enclosure and openness focused towards the main outdoor space. Two simple volumes are connected together to define a corner with one wing containing the guest bedrooms, and the other containing the master suite. The two wings are connected at the main living, dining, and kitchen space.



Hallways are located along the east and south sides of the two wings and help to define the laterally spaced rooms, which can be closed off from the circulation zone with large sliding walls. The rooms all access the outdoor pool/courtyard space from large sliding glass walls.

Plans

Name of Project: Fritz Residence, Palm Desert, California
Architect: The Office of J.M. Reynolds Architects, Los Angeles
Jay M. Reynolds, AIA, principal
Built area: 2,600 square-feet
Completed: 2003
Budget: US$650,000
Materials: Exposed concrete block walls, natural stone veneer walls, plaster over wood framing, concrete floors, walnut cabinetry, Gascogne Blue limestone floors in bathrooms, translucent glass panels, Montauk Black marble counters in kitchen, Venetino White marble countertops in bathroom and on kitchen island.
Photos: Ciro Coelho

Information courtesy of: OJMR Architects and Taylor & Company (many thanks)

Overview
Huge boulders throughout the cliff side, would have made slapping a wooden prefab house on the top of the plot the easiest option. Choosing instead to hide the house well down the plot near the breaking shoreline, posed challenges, yet rewarded both the architect and owners with stunning results. It also appeased the planning officials and nearby residents.

"The linear site is divided midway by a massive rock face, defining two distinct levels. The natural, sheltered enclave at the base of the rock face is where we believed the building belonged."

Tucked into the hillside, the copper clad roof has set out to weather itself in the ocean green shade of the bay beyond, further minimising the impact of the building for neighbours above.

Combined with the weathered copper is the solid base of the house. The ground floor living structure, of textured off-form concrete made with horizontal board forms, gives the impression of weathered timber, which contrasts with the fresh browns of the Oregon sleeping quarters and gallery above.

Building on a series of staggered rock platforms, the logistics of site management for labour, plant & equipment was challenging. All materials had to be craned in or manhandled from the top of the site, or from the beach front below. The entry stairs and concrete bridges required innovative reinforcement and form work solutions to achieve both continuous spans and the appearance of thin concrete blades hovering above the site. These thin blades continue inside with kitchen bench tops and bathroom surfaces formed on site of ultra thin jet black concrete.

Layout
To reach the timber front door, you negotiate the rock face via timber steps that weave through the boulders. Crossing a bridge that leads to a discreet front door you push open an oversized panel to reveal the high stud gallery. Strategically orientated, the full height end window of the gallery frames a nearby palm. Everything is overscale, stretched vertically, to relate to the magnitude of the cliff face behind the building site. Here, the reused Oregon timber stands vertical, allowing the seams to disguise two door panels, behind which hide two of the three master bedrooms. Each with, en-suite, balconies and outstanding views across the bay.




Heading down the hillside, you arrive at the main living quarters, housed in that heavy masonry base of textured off-form concrete. As with the rest of the house, glass front windows bathe the room with light, yet here, in contrast, the kitchen area to the rear and cubbyhole rooms, are lined with dark black concrete floors and bench tops. The darkness providing refuge from the summer heat, and mimic the caves often found tucked into cliffs around the Australian coast.

Also taking notes from nature the orientation of each level shifts as you rise up the cliff face. Thus forming fronds like the nearby palms, and allowing the building to sit back, minimising it's visual impact from the shoreline.

Results
"The house sits with its toes touching the sea and with an exposed worn rock face at its back, both constant reminders of the power of wild storms blowing in from the north-east. And should the big seas come, this house is a safe haven, no question about it."

Slideshow


Architect Clinton Murray
Project team Polly Harbison (Project Architect), Tanja Klocker, Jeff Umansky
Project Gunyah Beach House
Location Bundeena, New South Wales
Google Location
Builder Bellavarde Constructions
Structural Engineer O’Hearn Consulting
Landscape Architect 360 degrees
Photographer Simon Kenny

Plans

via: Many thanks to Clinton Murray

From bridal showers to weddings, from modern minimal to gothic chic floral couture, a collaboration of working with a great venue and working with the bride and wedding planner. To view photos of the floral concepts we came up with see slide show.

I am honored to share special moments with amazing friends ... a year filled of weddings. In helping a few friends with planning and styling ... I discovered a new passion in the art of floral design. What an amazing experience to work with such a beautiful medium. With a background in residential development designing display suites to private homes, organizing special events to styling private parties. Stay tuned as I find a way to turn my new found passion into as an extension of my work for 2008.

Floral design by JEFF LEATHAM, to see more of his work see website

Floral design by OLIVIER GUIGNI to see more of their work see website

Floral design by OVANDO to see more of their work see website
I learn so much working with an amazing team and find inspiration from talented New York based florists Banchet, Ovando to Olivier Guigni and Jeff Leatham. I admire the sculptural arrangements of Singapore based Sakul Intakul & Devehastin na Ayudhya, London based floral designer John Carter and LA based Krislyn Design. Flowers transform a room while providing a lasting impression and creates a signature feature in a room. Applying the rule of "less is more" to a floral arrangement allows the natural beauty of a bloom to stand alone, with a skill full eye and attention to details, choosing one single floral type or combinations of monochromatic arrangements give much more impact to a room. I find myself in pure bliss when making an arrangement. More so, I love the design process of creating a focal point where light, water and air meet the stem and petals of a bloom. I also love fully submerged flowers love to breath in water ... and when lit in the right way, you can see the bubbles collect around each petal ...
I share with you the amazing talents of those who have inspired me and the work that unfolded.

One of my favorite flower shops to see in New York is Blanchet located in the meatpacking district. They always have amazing window displays and a beautifully designed floral shop.

Exciting news to see our local Solus decor share their new launch of modern outdoor concrete products. Perfect timing for it's already that time of year to start planning for the summer. Thanks to the team at Solus and to Lindsey & Khai for the update! I'm looking forward to using the firebowl for an outdoor installation this upcoming summer.

Solus Handcast Concrete Decor Goes “Outdoor” For Spring - (thanks Lindsey for the info!)
Solus Decor Inc, a Vancouver, Canada-based firm that designs and manufactures precast concrete home decor products, has been creating fireplace mantels, tiles, site furnishings and custom pieces since 1997. This spring, Solus is launching a new collection of planters, vessels and site furnishings under the banner “Solus Outdoor.” The line is highlighted by an outdoor fire feature called the Hemi Firebowl, and the Grate Bench, a 2007 selection for New York’s Haute Green, “the best in sustainable design for the contemporary home”.

Concrete "Hemi Bowl" - $1,800.00 CAD
The Outdoor line was created as a response to a dearth in modern four-season outdoor furnishings and is the result of four years of experimentation and refinement. All the pieces in the collection are cast in high performance concrete: formulations that are up to five times stronger and more durable than typical concrete. This state-of-the-art material gives the pieces their uniquely contemporary look and also allows them to withstand harsh Canadian winters without “weathering ugly.” Unlike other materials used for outdoor furniture, high-performance concrete requires no maintenance and is not adversely affected by UV rays and dampness.

The Litha - Plank Bench $1,800 CAD

The Litha - Grate Bench $2,200 CAD
The benches and planters in the collection utilize Solus’ Litho, an ultra high-performance concrete with a compressive strength in excess of 20,000 psi (140 MPa+). This has allowed the Solus design team to push the boundaries of what was previously possible, with pieces that are unexpectedly thin and detailing that is refined crispness. Further, all pieces in the Outdoor line employ post-industrial recycled content in their formulations which not only helps to reduce the environmental impact of the products, but also enhances the concrete’s performance characteristics.

The spring line-up includes the Hemi Firebowl, Box Planters in two sizes, the multi-use Hemi 36 vessel, and two modern garden benches. All are available in a range of architectural colours and can be shipped across North America. The Solus Outdoor collection will be displayed at IDS West at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, May 19-22, 2008, Booth 705.

Solus Decor was founded in 1997 in a small garage in North Vancouver by two Fine Arts graduates from the University of British Columbia. Solus continues to manufacture all of its products in Vancouver, but has grown into a 15,000 square foot facility and showroom with a dedicated 18-person staff.


The Box Planters:
Trough $1,100.00 CAD or Cube $400.00 CAD
Find out more at SOLUS DECOR. If you would like more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview with Khai Foo, please contact Solus at 604.255.2472, toll-free at 1.877.255.3146 or email: khai.foo@solusdecor.com

I've always dreamed of living in a concrete box highlighted by white walls and the simplicity of modern white furniture, an investment in creating a perfect environment to start creating, thinking, brainstorming and sharing what I love most about modern interiors

My 12" powerbook, black moleskin with notes for the day, a hot cup of lady gray tea in my favorite double walled glass and 3 books of inspiration on architecture details, an architectural firm I admire and an amazing topography book



BOOK #1 - TOPOGRAPHY23, The Annual of the Type Directors Club
This is when I know I am a total design geek when I judge a book by it's cover. I love the white glossy slightly transparent cover with minimal type. In reading more about the art of topography and finding inspiration for various projects this year, I highly recommend this book for those who have an appreciation for image, branding, packaging, and a fetish for fonts and layouts. My favorite quote "It has been said that typography is the architecture of the printed word because it makes thoughts visible and understandable. As there are manifold ways of laying out a building, there are - nowadays more than ever - varied ways of formulating the typo/graphics of a book, a brochure, a poster, or any media in which print is used" - Klaus Schmidt.

BOOK #2 - MAK ARCHITECTS
While I love white, I also love black! I love the matte black cover with black edged pages revealing full sized images bleeding off the page to examples of perspective sketches, concepts, and bubble diagrams.
We often refer to the design icons of our past when searching for inspiration. How great is it to see our present day design professionals have their work published and setting the tone for high caliber architecture and interiors. Multi-disciplinary firm Mak Architects shares with readers their process as a dynamic team who's synergy of a young talents give each client a unique solution vs. the traditional mind set of working with an architect for their "inhouse" style.
-"Working in architecture is characterised by participating in may processes: from planning to construction, from dream to reality from work to play. Throughout the process many things can influence and shape the intended goal. MAK Architects understand 'process' as fluid and open, their body of work cannot be defined as a monograph or a mere representation of process. Compiled in this book, the MAK approach comes across as both conventional and playful intone and is marked by a strong desire to engage with how environments can become meaningful for the user. MAK's body of work is reflective of how architecture is produced within the service economy of global city. Their unique position within the design world is evinced by the complex contemporary urban projects presented here. This book is a recording of the evolution of an architectural practice through the progression of many authors and users, and is essential to anyone interested in current architectural developments." - Phaidon Press
BOOK #3 - DETAILS IN CONTEMPORARY RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE by Virginia Mcleod, Laurence King Publications
An excellent book showcasing modern residential architecture with beautiful photography, floor plans, and the construction details that reflect the precision of quality in seamless transitions between materials.

With no book shelf yet, aligned against an exposed brick wall, I read though a collection of books we have from design, architecture, martial arts, photography, floral design, interior styling to programming ... the list goes on, as much as we use the internet daily, there is nothing like flipping though the pages of a good book. "turning a new page" ...

It's 2008 and there is so much to be excited for. While the last 8 years of working in the design industry have been an interesting collection of career paths and amazing opportunities of working with many great talents, I am grateful to look forward to sharing more of what I've learned is a passion of mine - sharing resources. Modern design and meeting the talents behind these great projects has become a great source of inspiration. It's hard to believe at times how designers have this bad wrap for being so hush hush when it comes to their resources, that for some reason this information is something owned. Reality is that the world of technology and speed at which information sharing is advancing far more quickly than what some might think. In a day where the internet has become the #1 source of information for not just saving time, increasing efficiency as well a source for learning. We are just at the beginning of what lies ahead. I learn that the more information I share with other liked minds, the more I learn through this process of corresponding and discussing modern concepts.


Closing thoughts:
This is the little guy who helped me through a few of the hardest years in my life, I am grateful to have shared these moments with him. 2008 marks a new beginning and I say good bye to Tyson knowing, that our time together was one I will always remember for the good things that have brought me here and have made me grow into the person I always want to be. Unconditional love and appreciation for all that is in my life today - I thank this little guy for always reminding me that learning to love yourself is the most important lesson we can all learn. That finding your passion for what makes you wake each morning thankful and excited ... I hope 2008 is a year we all make the changes to living our dreams.