Concrete Building Blocks

Images of the Pentimento House by architects David Barragán and Jose María Sáez.  This house is built out of standardized concrete building blocks that can be adapted to fit together and be used in a variety of ways to suit different functions.  You can read more about the building block system over at Dwell.

Images from Dwell December/January 2012.  Photos by João Canziani.

Edited Living in a Wooden Box

This is a super teeny tiny (180 s.f.) studio apartment in the Upper West Side, renovated by design-build architect Tim Seggerman.  Love all of the nooks and crannies - no wasted space here.  The sleeping loft, above the kitchen, even has a tiny, sitting room only "library."

More photos at Dwell and on the architect's site.

So cool - Staircase House in Tokyo

Definitely check out this home, featured in Dwell, November 2012.  It is basically one giant winding staircase with larger "steps" serving as rooms.  The material contrast between the steps and the walls really highlights the staircase.  I love how the Dwell article bills it as a "921-square-foot, 44-level house."  Amazing.

Project: Coil House, by architect Akihisa Hirata.  More photos can be seen on Dwell and on the architect's site.

Instant Attraction: Ole Sondresen Architect / The Castello Plan

Photo from http://olesondresen.com/

Over the weekend I had the chance to revisit The Castello Plan, a small wine bar/restaurant in Ditmas Park in Brooklyn.  I'd been before for a drink, and really enjoyed sitting at the bar and watching the cook miraculously on just a few small hot plates.  So we went back for brunch and I'm really glad we did.  We got to try the excellent food and then were easily convinced to try the AMAZING homemade ice creams.  My favorite was the rosemary olive oil sea salt.  OHMYGOSHWASITGOOD!  Go there, and get it.

Amazing as the ice cream was, the real treat for me was the space, designed by architect Ole Sondresen.  The palette of painted wood, rustic wood boards, cork tile floors, red brick and dark metals is lovely.  The travertine (I think?) bar top was really special and beautifully crafted with a black metal edge.  Then there were the layered on details, like the simply striped cloth napkins, coffee served in clear glass mugs, and brightly colored artwork that served as a great counterpoint to the muted and natural palette.  Sondresen's other work is also very nice and well worth a look on his site.  My other faves of his are Bird Boutique, Stuart & Wright, and the Sohn Residence. 

Some more pics of the space after the jump...

Good Idea: Killer Lighting by iCrave

Super, super cool lighting system designed by ICRAVE for Carte Blanche at the Gansevoort Hotel in the Meatpacking district.  Here's what the designers have to say about it:

Leather cables – gathered on some nights and hanging loose on others – create a seductive filter for the building, reminding guests that they are in a distinctly branded environment but part of a larger hotel beyond. The counterweight at the end of each cable is a custom glazed ceramic light fixture finished in bronze and handcrafted by a local potter.

Images and text from www.icrave.com. 

Materials File

I love the blackened steel cladding on the wall surrounding the fireplace.

Project featured in Architectural Digest, Dec 2011.  Design by Atelier AM, photography by Pieter Estersohn.

Tham & Videgård Arkitekter

How amazing is that mirrored Treehotel??

I also love the use of one material for walls and ceiling of the Archipelago house.