Preview: Block 90 Penthouse

Tucker loves his new home-  more photos soon!

Living Roofs

By Amanda Rickenbach

Chances are that you have either seen a green roof or have been inside a building that has one. They are growing in popularity both in residential and commercial design for a number of reasons, but I thought I would list just a few of the best ones.

-Living roofs help to lower urban air temperatures and combat the heat island effect.

-Living roofs help keep the interior of your home at a stable temperature. Plants and soil are really great insulators, which means you’ll save money on your heating and cooling costs.

-Living roofs filter rainwater. When the water falls on a typical roof, it’s often funneled off into storm water drains, collecting pollution along the way. When rain falls on a living roof, however, it’s filtered naturally just as it is in the wild. This means you can reuse this clean water in your home or garden.

-Living roofs attract native wildlife to your yard. And depending on what you plant, it can also be a food source for you, or your furry friends.

-Living roofs filter noise, keeping your home quiet.

Besides all the great stuff they do for the planet - they look fantastic.


photos: first - feldman architecture, second-fourth - ecoroofs everywhere

Concrete Fireplaces

By Amanda Rickenbach & Jenny Guggenheim

We've seen an uptick in requests for concrete used as a finish material-  and for good reason.  When done right, it has a uniquely warm, earthy quality while remaining fresh and modern in contemporary residences.  We particularly love it's use around the hearth:  Low maintenance, trend-proof, and adaptable.

The ones featured above are in ultra modern spaces - but imagine if you brought in some color, interesting textiles, and artwork? Concrete fireplaces are versatile because they are so simplistic. Would you put one in your home?

Concrete work should be done by a skilled professional-  getting that smooth as butter surface is no easy feat!  It can be an investment to sculpt a beautiful hearth, but the results are lasting and complimentary to a variety of architectural styles.

photos from top left: design sponge,  remodelista, Daniel Hertzell, Renaud De Poorter and Femke Holdrinet,  Messana O'Rorke's

Through a Lens and Milano

Travel photography is like a baby cheetah.  At first the collection is so cute and cuddly you can never imagine it would do you harm, and then the animal grows (and grows) so quickly it become dangerously close to disaster.   I often find that I take so many photographs so quickly that I never really have a chance to go back and weed out my favorites and discard the blurred, cutoff, or unflattering images from my trips.  When I travel, I often capture moments I'll never experience again, moments so fleeting that it's tough to hit "delete" even on what would be categorized as a poor photograph. 

A while back, an opportunity came along to enter an architectural photography competition.  Knowing that the majority of my travel photos end up focusing on architectural subjects, I decided to go back in my archives to search for a few potential candidates.  It allowed me to actually spend a little time processing each photo to it's greatest potential.  To my surprise, I learned today that one of my images was selected as an honorable mention, alongside a group of talented professional architectural photographers.  "What a feat!"  I thought, and now the world will know I used a dinky Cannon Elph to capture this image.  Take that expensive camera on my wishlist for the past three years!  It's not the paint, it's the artist, etc., etc....

Athens Olympic Village photo by Jenny Guggenheim

While the above photo was recognized by the jury, the photo below still wins my heart.  I'm sure that has nothing to do with the Cinque Terre's special white wine or pesto.  I may retire here.

Manarola, Cinque Terre photo by Jenny Guggenheim

 With that said, this is the perfect opportunity to officially announce to my readers that Fig Studio is traveling to the Salone Del Mobile 2012 (AKA, the Milan Furniture fair) this April to experience what can be labeled as Ground Zero for contemporary design.  Each year, the fair showcases the best (and sometimes worst) in the world of interiors.  My job is to look, listen, and document with scrutiny.  I'll bring back an enormous wealth of information to share with my clients and integrate into my work the rest of the year.  I had the pleasure of attending both Dwell on Design and IDS West in 2011-- what a great way to recharge my design batteries and amass inspiration for my clients.

Beyond Milan, my husband and I have plans to extend the trip to both Marrakech and Barcelona, two places I've been lusting after for years.  I can't wait to wind through the Medina and witness Gaudi first hand.  I'm pinning my travel to-do list like crazy over on Pinterest.  See you there?

Fritz Studio :: Giulietti/Schouten Architects

Last weekend was filled with wonderful design events, including the Portland Center for Architecture's AIA home tour (I was a docent at the King residence), the Lions Club Illumination Auction (more details to follow), and the grand opening party for Kristin Fritz's artist studio designed by Giulietti/Schouten Architects.  I've been watching this project take shape over the course of the last few months and was very excited to see the design come to life. 

Located in what was essentially an unusable area of Kristin's backyard, the studio gently responds to the existing home and landscape.  In fact, the architects designed the footprint to avoid the removal of any trees. 

The large sliding glass doors create a flexible space and were perfect for this party, allowing guests to easily meander in and out. 

I love how flexible this space can be- parties, long-term guests, or simply a gallery.  It's proven to be a huge asset to the existing home and I'm going to tuck this idea away for my future dream house.  One can dream, right?

The Third & The Seventh

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Celebrate Art and Architecture.  Film by Alex Roman via Material Girl

Serenity Now! Woodland Design Office

Selgas Cano Architecture Office by Iwan Baan

Amanda over @ FuCheese introduced me to this little gem. Working long hours in this office doesn't seem so bad!

Hollyhock House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

This Los Angeles gem was built in 1921 for Aline Barnsdall, an east-coat oil heiress and art lover. The home was Wright's first Los Angeles project and is currently operated by the City of Los Angeles. We enjoyed our tour of the property and were impressed with the well thoughtout details. Though it's definitelly not an engineering wonder (leaks, cracks, etc.) it is a great example of top to bottom design with no detail left to chance. The home has a perfect view of the city, including the Hollywood sign and another of Wright's homes in the Hollywood hills. Again, no interior shots, sorry!

Now you see it...

Now you don't!

While We're on the Subject...

Powers of Ten is one of my favorite Eames films!