The AIA has awarded 20 small structures for their Small Projects Award. There’s a lot of words and only two images – rather lame. The image above is lovely but unlabeled on their site. If anyone knows whose work it is let me know!
art: xavier veilhan
Selby does it again. Another amazing collection of images – this time of Xavier Veilhan‘s show at Versailles. What an amazing setting for a contemporary take on sculpture. Really lush.
house: green
We’ve seen a lot of vertical gardens lately – walls clad in luscious foliage. Here’s an entire cube done up in green. It’s a residence in Venice, CA that Bricault Design did in 2008. Just lovely.
garden: the high line
We spent the afternoon exploring the High Line in New York’s Meatpacking district a few weeks ago. I’d blogged about it before and was keen to see it in the flesh. The elevated rail line, built in the 1930s, has been turned it into a really charming city park – complete with wooden sun lounges that slide together over the old rail. I was impressed with the plantings – for a new garden they were very well established. James Corner Field Operations, with the consultation of planting designer Piet Oudolf, worked on the design and planting actually began last fall. I took a tonne of pics…check them out on Flickr.
house: home away from home
Some hotels resonate more than others. Casa Angelina is one of those that gets it right. Contemporary hotels seem to have become places where designers can express themselves in a way that is impossible in a residential project. Creativity can run wild….really wild. I was looking at Remodelista this morning and came across Casa Angelina. It clings to cliffs of the Amalfi coast. It’s not wild. It is extraordinarily restrained. The aesthetic is simple, elegant – a sophisticated white palette that embraces the beauty of the area rather than competing with it. And look what you can do with a large white planter…I do love an olive tree. Via the always wonderful Remodelista.
furniture: sale
Modernica is having their huge annual sale tomorrow. We bought quite a few pieces from them – including a Case Study couch that has weathered two children beautifully. We always missed the sale but tomorrow I will be there! For all of you who aren’t in Los Angeles this year the sale also happens online- it starts at 7am tomorrow morning. The planters below are on sale…we do need a planter, or two.
garden: greening cities
What a great story – the greening of a stream that runs through the heart of Seoul. It’s called ‘daylighting’. It’s a strong model for Los Angeles and it’s awful concrete ‘river’ system. Via NYTs.
garden: wooly pockets
Everywhere you turned there seemed to be fuzzy-looking plant holders at Dwell on Design. Turns out one company was behind the lot – Wooly Pockets. Not a particularly sexy name but the product is great. You can line a wall, create a meadow, a raised vege patch or a tiny micro garden. According to the website the pockets are made from recycled plastic bottles. Check out their blog for lots of ideas.
garden: take the highroad
We are heading back to New York in August for my cousin’s wedding. This time I will have the kids with me. There’s so much I want to do with them while we’re there. One of the things will be a visit to the High Line…the park that just opened on the old elevated railway line that runs through the meatpacking district. It’s designed by Piet Oudulf - I came across his wonderful work when we ran one of his gardens in Belle. His work treads an interesting line between reigning in nature with tightly clipped forms and wild meadows that play on texture and colour. The image below is from a house he landscaped in Haamstede.
