Land+Living
Land+Living
L.A. Oasis
Nondescript cottage becomes L.A. oasis
"The big challenge facing many homeowners is how to make more out of less space, an issue that has been beautifully resolved in this house. Michael Collins and Daniel Banchik purchased what was a nondescript cottage on a small lot in West Hollywood, California, because they loved its location near art galleries. But they wanted a more functional, contemporary interior that connected easily to the outdoors, and, according to architect Patrick Tighe, the home's construction was substandard."

Firm: Tighe Architecture
Via: Sunset


FLEXXIBILE
Adjustable hanging light fixture
You can not only adjust the height of this clever little light fixture by Swiss designers Caroline Felix and Valentin Brun, but also the length as well.

It's like one of those old adjustable coat racks from your grandmother's house, but the application of this common expanding system is just cool.

Link: Gopf Furniture


Prefab Modern
The new prefab.
"For many, the idea of prefab may bring to mind trailers and other less desirable images of housing. Instead, the new prefab is becoming the inevitable next step to 'cool' housing as home buyers look for distinctive yet reasonably priced first and second homes. One in six new houses today is a prefab and 400,000 units are now produced in the U.S. each year. More than 50% of all homes are constructed in whole or in part by using building systems -- modular, panelized components produced in quality controlled environments. This exploration of the best prefabricated houses on the market today, from all over the world, along with a resource directory on how you can purchase them, is an invaluable reference for those interested in this alternative."

Author: Jill Herbers
Link: Amazon


Emma Gardner Designs
Handmade Rugs
"Based on original copyrighted designs, Emma Gardner's rugs are handmade using two different techniques according to their characteristics and best expression: hand-knotting and hand-tufting. Most of the designs are hand-drawn. Some are then painted in gouache, while others are enhanced or colored on the computer. Once a line of designs has been created, several color ways are developed for each rug using the harmonious color palette created for the overall line giving multiple dimensions to each of the design concepts."

Link: Emma Gardner Design


Green Gets Real With Affordable Housing and Affordable Bills
New York Times article by Motoko Rich
Energy-efficient materials and appliances start to show up in affordable housing.
"Until recently, green design was a preoccupation of those who could afford to tinker with geothermal wells, air-filtration systems and solar panels. But green features are now appearing in places like Harlem and the Bronx, as energy-efficient materials and appliances, and the resulting economies, start to show up in affordable housing."
Link: NY Times

In gardens, patients find a calm place for healing
Baltimore Sun article by Erika Hobbs
"Healing gardens" are flourishing at hospitals, hospices and specialty clinics nationwide.
"We've definitely seen the trend grow over the last 10 years or so," says Catherine Mahan, president of Mahan Rykiel Associates, a Baltimore landscape architecture firm that designed several area healing gardens.

A growing body of research shows that people feel better when they see gardens, and there are specific biological responses that account for that sense of wellbeing.
Link: Baltimore Sun

Acme Made
Minimal in design, big on style.
"The 'Slim' is Acme Made's new bag/sleeve hybrid designed specifically for Apple PowerBooks, iBooks and other high end laptops including Sony, Dell, Toshiba, HP and Gateway. The streamlined design allows the Slim to be inserted into another bag or carried with or without its removable shoulder strap."

Link: Acme Bags


Contemporary Japanese Houses
Modernist residential design in Japan.
"Inspiring look at contemporary (1968) post war modernist residential design in Japan. Unsurpassed reference for the integration of Japanese and Western design sensibilities. Masters at indoor-outdoor architecture, these modernist Japanese architects show great attention to these relationships. The result is an invaluable reference for both architects and landscape architects. Includes the following chapters: Skylights and Inner Gardens, House and Atelier for a Painter, House Near the Fields, One Room Houses, In the Old Tradition, House on the Bluff, Town Dwelling, House for Actors, House for Actors, House with a Closed Front, House of Brick and Chestnut, Concrete Box for the City, House with Laminated Beams, Suburban House, Weekend House, House with Fir Trees, On Stilts in the Mountains, The House Called Moby Dick, Variation on the Classic Style, Split-Level Country House, Cliff House by the Sea. There are 2 books in this series. This is Volume 2."

1968
Hardcover
Volume 2
1 x 9 x 12

Author: Charles S. Terry
Link: DigModern


Farnsworth House now open to the public
Mid-century glass, steel and landscape
The Farnsworth House, built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1951 and located near Plano, Illinois, is one of the most famous examples of modernist domestic architecture and was considered unprecedented in its day.

Now it is open to the public with tours available... Illinois, here I come!

Link: Farnsworth House

Groovy art on your tube
Turn your television into a disco light show? Where can I get one?!
The Groovetube is simply a translucent plastic box that suction cups to the screen of your television. It has a grid of dividers inside it that diffuse the colors from your T.V. producing an amazing colorful abstraction of anything you watch.

Link: groovetube

Inspiration at your Feet
Refreshing ideas for your floor.
"New from InterfaceFLOR comes a refreshing idea for your floors. It’s called FLOR™. A modular carpet flooring system, that is uniquely versatile, practical, and beautiful. With Flor you can create your own rugs of any size, install it wall-to-wall, or mix and match FLOR for endless possibilities."

Link: InterfaceFLOR