An outtake from our first street style video. Photographed in the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Tom Ford’s New Mexico ranch by Tadao Ando
On Christmas Day give yourself the pleasure of viewing the riding complex of Tom Ford’s New Mexico ranch architected by amazing minimalist architect Tadao Ando. Want.
Photography by Guido Mocafico:
1111 Lincoln Road - A Parking Garage as Art
Unbelievable as it sounds (and trust me it gets even better), the most important new architectural landmark in Miami Beach is a parking garage. Designed by one of the leading architecture firms in the world, Herzog & de Meuron, the structure is humble compared to some of their most famous commissions: The Tate Modern and Beijing National Stadium (aka the birdcage).
The brainchild of developer Robert Wennett, the parking structure can also be rented for events - marriages have taken place there. On the fifth floor is Alchemist, the best clothing store in Miami, occupying one of the most amazing retail spaces anywhere. And one more thing, the developer built himself an apartment on the roof. You would struggle to find a more versatile, imaginative and dramatic solution to seemingly mundane usage requirements.
Visiting and photographing 1111 Lincoln Road was one of the most enjoyable moments of my Miami trip:
The gentle movement of vines in the breeze, growing from the railing of the apartment above:
The genius of using common building materials as art:
Alchemist, a must-visit store if you are in Miami Beach, like a fashion monastery:
The many setbacks and ceiling height changes:
The views of Miami Beach and beyond are spectacular:
Hints of the residence above:
Even the lighting embedded in the ceiling is artfully installed:
The stairs to the developer’s residence above:
How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?
Norman Foster is the Steve Jobs of architecture. His firm, Foster + Partners, employs 1,000 and is responsible for a body of work so massive, so influential and so technically accomplished it is hard to be believed.
His personal life would make a Bond villan jealous: Knighted and given the title of Baron Foster of Thames Bank, he is now referred to as Lord Foster. He owns an 18th-century chateau in Switzerland and a home on a cliff in the South of France (with a giant sliding glass wall). Some days he commutes to his architecture firm’s London offices by helicopter; he is a long-time licensed pilot.
His effect on Washington, DC is recent. Foster is responsible for the Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery (see our pictures HERE), one of the most spectacular spaces in the city. His firm also has a hand in the under construction CityCenterDC, one of the largest urban projects in the United States.
Not surprisingly, a documentary has been made about him; I cannot wait to see it.
The Fantasy World of Vizcaya
Just after a torrential rain storm, the gardens surrounding Villa Vizcaya in Miami, Florida are a dream world. The contrast of shadows and sunlight, the new discoveries around every corner; it feels like nowhere else in the world.
Built over the years 1914 to 1923 by James Deering, an heir to part of the International Harvester fortune, Vizcaya was an ambitious project. Designed in the Italian Renaissance style, the estate originally comprised 180 acres and required over 1,000 workers to complete. The house is spectacular though probably over-decorated and impractical. An open-air courtyard style house, preservation (ie Hurricanes) required that the courtyard be enclosed and storm windows placed over the original windows. No doubt the house and gardens require an enormous amount of money to maintain and the whole property feels a little like an ancient relic just discovered in the middle of a rain forest. No photos of the interior are allowed, but the gardens are the best part; the work of landscape architect Diego Suarez, the formal gardens cover 10 acres. They must have looked incredible at their peak, just before Deering’s death, in 1925.
James Deering’s yacht would pull right up to the back of the estate:
Looking out from the gazebo into Biscayne Bay:
Brilliant built-in planters:
This part of the garden looks 500 years old:
It feels like an Indiana Jones movie here:
Plenty of little lizards can be found sunning themselves:
My favorite shot:
They don’t make arches like this anymore:
A path, hidden by vegetation, contains surprise Sphinxes:
Superb Renovation
Desire to Inspire (one of my favorite interior design blogs) had a truly inspiring post yesterday: The many years long (since 2007) renovation of an enormous brownstone in Brooklyn. This is without a doubt one of the best renovation and decorating jobs I have seen in a long time. Like many of the most creative and exceptional homes, the house was not the work of a professional decorator (though she may be one soon). Jessica, the owner, directed the entire process herself. More information and pictures can be found HERE.
Before
After
A shot of the restored plaster moulding and parquet floor. I love the low-slung modern seating as a juxtaposition to that beautiful crystal chandelier.
It may be every interior design junkie’s dream to repurpose a bedroom as a master bathroom. I will always love de Gournay wallpaper.
Marcel Breuer
One of my favorite houses is for sale. I fell in love with its organic feel and manageable scale the moment I laid eyes upon it in the December 2008 issue of The World of Interiors.
Completed in 1966 and designed by Bauhaus luminary Marcel Breuer, the house is located in Litchfield, Connecticut (about 2 hours from NYC).
The house was purchased in 2007 and underwent a thorough restoration by an NYC based couple working in the fashion industry. I love the brick floors in this house because they are heated (perfect for those Connecticut winters)!
White stucco walls and fieldstone are the perfect contrast. The way the low-slung house hugs the hillside and blends with the surrounding lanscape is magic. Above is a shot of the guesthouse.
All photos are from The World of Interiors - December 2008
You can find the real estate listing and a .PDF of the WOI article HERE (yes $3.495m is premium money for a 2900 sq/ft house - but this is art!)
House found via this Curbed post
Who Knew Moby Was Such a Mess?
Hopefully he finds peace in the serenity of the 1920’s castle he just renovated in the Hollywood Hills.
Read the very interesting article in the New York Times HERE (but hurry before it goes behind the paywall).
Under Construction
Not all glass buildings are created equal. One of the more interesting glass buildings in DC is under construction down the street from my apartment. Instead of creating another glass rectangle that blends into the surrounding landscape, the architects - Cunningham and Quill - designed a crazy glass trapezoid which will eventually be supported by a rectangle. The smart design touches will be two above street level terraces on top of the rectangle and a semi-green roof.
My only criticisms are I wish the glass was not the same color as the glass on every other building (maybe some white smoke like Frank Gehry’s IAC) and I like the way it looks currently, on stilts.
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