"Hotel chic" spacesaver appartment

From time to time, though not a minimalist in any way, I like a clean slate.

 That's what I see in this apartment in South Africa.

Look at the kitchen under the stairs

The breakfast nook cum isle.

Bookshelves double as Art by themselves.

Not bad, waking to that view.

And there is still space for a desk.

What do you think?

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El Greco's House in Toledo

All images via here.

Bob Hope's space age Palm Springs home

It looks like a home from the future.

And now Bob Hope's legendary Palm Springs mansion has gone on the market for an eye-watering $50m.
It is the most famous property owned by the legendary comic, who was extremely passionate about architecture.

Boldly go where noone has gone before: Bob Hope's famed Palm Springs home is up for sale for $50m

The California home was designed by renowned Modern architect John Lautner especially for the funnyman and his beloved wife Dolores.
The concrete, steel and glass house was built in 1979 and has about 22,000 square feet of living space, and its unique design is somewhat reminiscent of the USS Enterprise.
Buyer's will get to boldly go where no-one except the Hope family has gone before, as this is the first time it has gone on the market.
It was sited on San Jacinto mountain to have a spectacular view overlooking the Coachella Valley, and its curving copper ' mushroom' roof plays off the shape of the nearby mountains.

 

Futuristic: The home owes is space age look to a design by famed modernist architect John Lautner

Stunning: The property was specially designed to take advantage of the glorious natural landscape

Not pooling your leg: The swimming facility was actually made in the shape of Bob¿s famous profile

According to public records the home has six bedrooms, and Bob apparently did not like being caught short as there are also 12 bathrooms.
It also has the unique distinction of having a massive boulder jutting out the living room floor.
The English-born entertainer obviously had expensive tastes, as the murals on the first floor and the pool area are by Garth Benton, whose work is also featured at the Malibu Getty.
As well as the Hollywood standard swimming pool, which is in the shape of Hope’s famous profile, other outdoor features include a pond, tennis court and an outdoor fireplace.
Bob died in 2003 at 100 and his long-running career saw him meet presidents, star in films and tour the world firing his famous one-liners.

No wonder he was so cheerful: Bob was often cited as the biggest private landowner in California

Stream of consciousness: The funnyman will have found this a relaxing place to think up new gags

Telescopic view: The comedian had the perfect place to indulge his love of stargazing here

His second wife Dolores, who he married back in 1934, died in 2011 at 102.
The entertainer was often cited as the biggest private landowner in California.
Last year his daughter Linda sold her late parents’ Toluca Lake estate, near Los Angeles, along with some of its contents, in a well-publicised garage sale.
Despite being designed by one of the world's most famous architects, Lautner was said to have been infuriated at what he deemed to much interference by the Hopes.
It is said he thought the house inappropriately furnished, and distanced himself from the property in later years.
To find out more about the fascinating property click here

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2288168/Its-world-Bob-Hopes-space-age-Palm-Springs-home-goes-market-50m.html#ixzz2MgbXcoDR

Google Offices in Athens

So Google opened an office in Athens.

Is it good? I am not all that happy with foreign magnates coming in Greece. It means they have something in their plans for us, and I am not sure their plans are good, no, not so far.

Anyway. What interests me in this post is the way a global company and the architects it chooses incorporates in its design the trends we see in blogs all over the web.

Is it avant-garde or is it passe?

The offices do look modern and different.

It is obvious that the company embraces the conclusion of researches stating that peple are more productive if they finf themselves in a homey environment, where they are made to believe they are at home, and they can relax or play for a while if they want, then get back to their cubicles.

On the other hand, having been involved with a company who uses such design, I do feel that thw company;s interest is rather phoney. Yes, companies want you to keep longer hours that you should, they want to suck the last drop of your imagination and energy and they want you to do it all right there, under their eyes, under their control.

As for the design as such.

In my opinion the architects do read quite a few major design blogs. Their paletts-as-furniture idea and the vegetable crates as shelving idea are well documented internet wise (including in this blog). Tolix stools have been everywhere on the net for the past four years. And so have blackboards, knit pouffe and hanging colour lights. All in all, the designers are selling staff the idea of belonging to a global avant guarde community, that is, if you are ignorant enough not to know better.

There certainly is an olde Athens atmosphere, to add some couleur local, and please visiting managers and staff, the old registering as a contrast with the company's new age profile. There are also old film posters to account for culture, and traditional kiosques that are actually phone booths.

Good try, if not phoney, Google guys.

Design: Fluid Architects

All images:Studio Paterakis

First seen here. Images via here.

Greek Architecture: La Fondation Hellenique in Paris

Last weekend we watched a documentary on TV about La Fondation Hellénique, the Greek Student Union at the International University Campus of the University of Paris. 

I had heard a lot about La Fondation through a friend who had lived in Paris in the 1970s and 1980s and had a lot of stories to tell about the works and days of the Greek students there, stories that I did not like at all.

I have a certain idea about the way a Greek person should behave, knowing that he or she carries in him the lives of such great people from Leonidas to Plato, and the way some Greek students behaved even in my times as a student did not make me proud.

Anyhow, I love the architecture of this building and seeing its details, especially after the restauration works funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

 I felt so much for its founders, wanting to offer a shelter for Greek students often of modest means, who wanted to further their education.

The Greek Foundation was created on the initiative of Nikolaos Politis, ambassador of Greece in Paris. The building was designed by the Greek architect Nikolaos Zahos.

It was financed by a collection of Greeks together with the financial support provided by the Greeks of Diaspora. The remainder was provided by the Greek government. Inaugurated on December 23, 1932, it was given to the University of Paris for lodging Greek students persuing higher education.

Other nations also have their lodgings:

Sweden, 1931

Denmark, 1932

U.S.A. 1930

Japan, 1929

I love the way every building is honouring the architectural styles of every nation.

This is true cultural diversity.

As for the Greek building, there is something noble, something peaceful about Greek architecture, something that uplifts my soul from the ordinary, something almost divine.

For more information visit the Fondation Hellénique website and The Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

A dream all natural house

I have long been a fan of Karen Kingston. I was glad to discover Apartment Therapy, a blog that embraces her principles.
Featured is a Low Impact Woodland home, self constructed by Simon Dale and his family. Definitively worth visiting.
Look at that Hobbit-like house. Oh my Goodness!

It's just the perfect dream house. Obviously the family has worked hard, but the result is so harmonious and happy, that it was definitively worth the effort. Simon says:

"This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverence and a mate or two to give a lift now and again".

Wow! I'd love to believe that!


Some of the eco features include:
a skylight to let in natural light
solar panels to fuel lights and electronics like a cd player and computer
a refrigerator cooled by air coming underground through the foundation
water supplied by gravity from a nearby spring
collection of roof water for use in the garden
a compost toilet

A lovely family, living in a beautiful, healthy house.