Modern meets Historic

I stumbled upon this fabulous modern addition to a typical residential house in an historic area near downtown Atlanta and was mesmerized by the shapes and the light. Designed by architects Brian Bell and David Yocum of the modern architecture firm bldgs, the Ansley Park Glass House is a stunning space that neatly juxtaposes the 20th and the 21st centuries.

There's a cool pool to beat the Atlanta heat - its shape echoes the square lines of the new addition - and the original 1910 building.

The living space is open inside, while walls of glass flood the rooms with light. I love the soft grey-blue tones of the MCM furniture that contrast with the dark fireplace/bookshelf.

A view from the suspended staircase: Dark woods on the walls and floor give a solid feel to the space - how fabulous is the Nakashima-inspired table paired with the Saarinen Executive Side Chairs?

Possibly my favorite part of the renovation, the kitchen balances cool stainless steel cabinetry with warm wood countertops, where the staircase floats behind like a transparent sculpture - awesome.

The square roofline of the original house seen through the rectangular wall of glass: the harmonious synergy of historic and modern.

It's Friday so hop on over to Julia's Hooked on Houses Friday fest

Events on Long Island: Making Music*

Music. You hear it, you play it, hum it and sing along to it but have you ever asked yourself: How does it happen? How does a tune get paired with lyrics and made into a song that becomes a hit?

On Thursday September 3rd at 1:00 PM Young Rebel Goombas (and friends of The Cool House) Richie Saccente and S. Cosmo Mallardi will be explaining just how it's done

Joining them for the event will be legendary sax player Richie Cannata

They'll be demonstrating the art with a few rocking tunes from their album Young Rebel Goombas

Emmy award winning documentary film-maker Jake Gorst will be there, too - so there just might be some filming going on.

There's a bit of a bonus attending the lecture - it's held at Hutton House, formerly Lorber Hall, a fully restored Gold Coast mansion. Architecture and music all in the course of one lunch-time lecture, what could be more fun?

*The skinny:

The Art of Musical Composition and Production

When: Thursday September 3rd 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Venue: Hutton House, C.W.Post Long Island University in Brookville, New York.Entry fee: $15.00Early registration is highly recommended. The registration form can be downloaded here.

See you there!

Steelcase and Frank Lloyd Wright

I posted yesterday about seeing Steelcase office furniture everywhere after I received the two MCM chairs. Last week I came across the name while viewing one of the more interesting sections of the Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward exhibition at The Guggenheim Museum: the SC Johnson Building in Racine, Wisconsin.

In 1936 Wright worked with Steelcase to produce modular steel and formica desks and chairs in his signature Cherokee Red for the SC Johnson Wax Administration Building that Life Magazine called the "most inspirational office building of the twentieth century".

If you fall in love with the sensuous curves of the furniture you can purchase your very own Frank Lloyd Wright Johnson Wax 1 Writing Desk and Johnson Wax 2 Chair, although today they are no longer produced by Steelcase but by Italian furniture maker Cassina.

In 2001 Frédéric Compain made a fascinating documentary about the Johnson Wax Building as part of the Architects series. Part 1/3 above, click the links for part 2/3 and part 3/3. It not only shows employees at their work stations but explores Wright's belief that efficiency is affected by the surrounding office environment. (Note: the documentary is in French and although there is an English voice-over they haven't translated the written quotes. It would appear they spoke French in Wisconsin in the 1930s!)

The Steelhouse company has furthered their association with the architect, away from the industrial to the residential, by supporting the restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park Illinois

and, in the 1980s, purchasing and fully restoring the Meyer May House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Take the online tour here.

Steelcase is also sponsoring a Symposium on September 10 2009 to explore the relevance of Frank Lloyd Wright to 21st century architecture and design.

Steelcase

Since I got my sinfully scarlet Steelcase chairs last week I've been coming across the American manufacturer's modernist office furniture everywhere.

Founded in 1912 as the Metal Office Furniture Company, Steelcase got its new name at the height of the mid-century modern movement. Their website doesn't have much information about the designs from the 1950s, 60 and 70s but a few evocative photos can be found at the milestones section.

There's better luck searching for images of catalogs from that era: A selection of red office chairs with a contrasting yellow desk from a Steelcase catalog

or this yellow chrome armchair, from the early 1960s. (If you are hungry for more MCM images the Mid-Century Modernist has a post here).

Of course actual examples of Steelcase MCM furniture often come up for auction, on ebay, or at 1stdibs. Prices vary widely - as does the condition of the furniture.

And if you prefer your work space modern rather than modernist, The Steelcase Design Studio is still producing solid, ergodynamic office furniture. For more info on new products visit their blog.

Scarlet Seat

Around the middle of last week I got a call from the Awesome Designer to say she was on her way over with a couple of things she thought might fit in The Cool House. Full of eager anticipation I danced around in the driveway until she pulled in but nothing prepared me for the treasure she had stashed on the backseat of her car. Luckily The Guy was home to help because these two 1970s Steelcase chrome and wood armchairs probably each weigh more than she does. They are unbelievably solid and so comfortable that I've been sitting in one pretty much non-stop while Jefke the cat has taken over the other.


I've seen them before in black leather but the scarlet fabric seats and backs really add something special to the design and they fit in so well with the overall color scheme in the den that either the design gods were waiting for this moment to bestow a smack of style on the room or it demonstrates once again that you should always befriend a designer who has impeccable taste and knows how to persuade you to add another jolt of color to a room.

The Upside-down Cupcake

The upside-down cupcake, a hot-cross bun, a ball of mud - some of the descriptive names given to the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum during the planning and construction phases of the building in the 1940s and 50s. It took a while for New Yorkers to accept the Frank Lloyd Wright design, but once it was opened in 1959 it was quickly embraced as a NYC landmark, and became the iconic symbol it is today. The white concrete building remains a testament to Wright's vision and is the most interesting exhibit in a repititous and occasionally boring show Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward.
All his major works are represented here: plans, blueprints and architectural drawings in abundance; but also too small scale models, too little information, too many renderings of the same building. It looked like the first stage of planning the project rather than a polished exhibition. More deconstructed models, like the Herbert Jacobs House, built on a greater scale would have held my attention, as would bigger artists' representations of projects that were never realised, like the Plan for Greater Baghdad. The show felt flat, and without any wow factor this visitor would have left disappointed except for the saving grace of the fabulous exhibition space, within


- and without.

Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward runs at The Guggenheim New York until August 23 2009; I found I got all I needed from the museum website. I can also highly recommend the book Frank Lloyd Wright Interactive Portfolio by Margo Stipe: it's detailed, informative and celebratory in a way the Guggenheim show should have been.

Dwell Table Linens

A little earlier this summer I entered a Design Public contest and won these dramatic DwellStudio Table Gate cocktail napkins and coasters. Made from 100% linen, they are soft and strong and in this dark brown Java colourway fit perfectly with the rest of the decor at The Cool House.

I've bought a couple of things from Design Public and have been very impressed with both their prices and their customer service - it's more like buying something from a trusted friend with great taste than a big anonymous corporation. They have a stylish blog, Hatch that's full of interesting links, and if you are the twittering type follow @designpublic to learn all about their design ethos, products, sales and deals. Check them out, I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

Georges Briard réchauffé

A knock at the door, and despite the barking dogs slavering to get near him, a smiling postal worker happily handed me a large parcel that I opened straightaway. Inside, carefully packed with protective bags and newspaper this Georges Briard Chafing Dish - a gift from the very generous Priscilla, who reads this blog and knows about my Georges Briard obsession. I wonder if she knows that someone else on Long Island also loves the gold leaf and crisp nature-inspired mid-century patterns of this iconic home furnishing designer?
Many, many thanks Priscilla!

Lurking Above

Alien life form? Back view of a Great Owl? Chewbacca headpiece? Monstrous apparition?
Alerted by a thwick, thwick noise, the sound of something dropping from the 40' pine tree, I looked up expecting to see a squirrel stripping pine cones and casting the debris to the ground. Instead I spied this huge (12"-18") nest. At first I thought it was a tree burl or that it might be a wasp or hornets' nest, but on closer inspection, with the aid of a zoom lens, I think it has more to do with Aves than Vespa.


But what kind of bird would build such an elaborate nest? I've spent as much free time as possible with the long lens trained on that small hole and I can proudly say I have identified the residents as birds: a pair of small, fast, brown birds. That's the best I can do. A humungous nest and two tiny brown birds. Maybe Jennifer can help? She correctly identified the giant moth from yesterday's post.
Birds, giant moths, spiders, flowers, a kitty and a week full of beachy posts - this seems to have become a blog on the flora and fauna of Long Island. Are we ever going to get back to the uniquely modern, I hear you cry. The answer is yes. Starting tomorrow, posts about the wonderful mid-century modern pieces that have been coming my way this week. Stay tuned!

Big Brown Butterfly

Caught on the big blue spruce and brought to me by The Grey Knight (formerly known as The Guy) who thought I'd appreciate it and maybe like to share it with the interwebs - does this man know me at all? I don't like dead Lepidoptera any more than I like them live, so I had him place it on the patio table where I could photograph it from a safe distance (I would have preferred he left it in the tree and called me to shoot it there but apparently that wasn't an option).
I have no idea what the species is, whether it's a moth or a butterfly but it's big, brown and bound to be one of these. It's about 6" from wingtip to wingtip, so if it had flown near me I would have screamed like a girl yet I'm sad that something that was so pretty is now lifeless. Anyone out there have a clue to its common or scientific name? (Click to embiggen).

Disorderly Webs

I've gotten used to the thick, white cobwebs that form lacy patterns under the windows on the exterior of The Cool House. They appear sometime in late July or early August and are a pretty gingerbread decoration for the rest of the summer. Then winter comes, they are gone and I forget all about them. I've never seen the spider responsible; the ones I usually see spin straightforward Charlotte's Web-type gossamer circles.
This morning I was shocked to find this spider INSIDE the house; it had a plume of white billowing behind it, a horizontal will-o'-the-wisp that I could clearly see. It reminded me of the vapor trail of an aircraft against a cloudless blue sky - except the pristine sky had been replaced by a slightly grubby baseboard.
Now, normally I would just pick this baby up and put it outside where it belongs but a cursory googling of spiders in New York has led me to believe that this might be a Brown Recluse Spider. They are known for building shelters from "disorderly threads" and being a tad poisonous. Let me quote from Wikipedia:
A minority of brown recluse spider bites form a necrotizing ulcer that destroys soft tissue and may take months to heal, leaving deep scars. The damaged tissue will become gangrenous and eventually slough away. The initial bite frequently cannot be felt and there may be no pain, but over time the wound may grow to as large as 25 cm (10 inches) in extreme cases. Bites usually become painful and itchy within 2 to 8 hours; pain and other local effects worsen 12 to 36 hours after the bite with the necrosis developing over the next few days.
Sounds delightful, doesn't it? So I'm respectfully keeping my distance until someone can assure me the spider is safe to handle... or until a knight arrives in a full suit of shining armour and disposes of it for me. Either. Or.

It's not the heat, it's the humidity

After a morning spent shuttling Sadie the Dog to the vet for what feels like the fifteenth time in the last month and an afternoon at my desk working, I threw myself into the warm pool and sat in the early evening heat to dry off. It was probably the most pleasant hour I've spent in the yard (weather-wise) all summer. After yesterday's oppressive humidity it felt comfortable: hot in a Southern California outdoor living way rather than Florida's sweaty tropical summer that Long Island usually emulates in August.
I thought it would be a great evening to take the camera, go for a walk and see what interesting shots fell my way. And I got maybe 20' from the front door when I noticed that the air was becoming thicker and the lens of the camera had completely steamed up.


This is the shot I took BEFORE I wiped the lens - same angle, same exposure - just taken through a damp curtain of humidity. I swear there must be a 30% difference in humidity from the back of the house to the front. The south-west house elevation is protected by a 45' cedar and the pool area is enclosed by maples and beeches, oaks and conifers, while the front of the property is open to the mid-day sun. This accounts for the difference in temperature and moisture content in the air. We notice this in winter when it will often rain on one side of the house and not on the other (torrential downpours excepted).
Today it fooled me again into thinking that maybe we could do without air-conditioning and open the windows wide. But only for an instant.

Sad Kitty Needs a Home

Found in the hood of a car (just like Hermes) this adorable kitty cannot live with his rescuers (there's a no-animal policy in their apartment) and the local shelters are full of similar fluffy bundles. (Though obviously none are as cute as Sad Kitty).
We would foster him/her but we're already known as the crazy people who take a train of kitties out with them when they walk the dogs... and I've found there's a three cat happiness metric that we are already exceeding. I don't think it would be good to add an extra bundle of cuteness to the dynamic!
Look at those beseeching eyes... that expression that says "I just want to love and be loved".... Won't someone take Sad Kitty to his/her forever home?

Lean On Me

Just a few terns and gulls snoozing on the jetty -a pretty good way to spend a Friday afternoon in summer

Grooming Time

Cormorants, or shags as they are also called, and a random gull grooming themselves on the pontoon at the beach. The big brown seabird hogging the limelight front and centre is an immature shag.


In the middle of the day it's quiet down at the beach so the diving platform is where they like to hang and dry off their wings. It's hard to believe, looking at the number here, that DDT decimated the cormorant population in the 1960s. The recovery over the last thirty years has been so great that "management actions" (that's culling to the less euphemistically-inclined) have been championed. You can read more about that here. They are extremely poopy birds but they're graceful when skimming the water and fun to watch diving and catching fish in the Sound.

Crab Flip

Either you find beauty in the washed up remains of shellfish or you don't. I do, I love the carapaces of crustaceans - especially when they are intact, but if you found the Dead Man's Fingers gross I guess these won't find favor. But if you stay just a moment longer, maybe I can persuade you that the Horseshoe Crab is an extraordinary animal?


A living fossil, older than the dinosaurs, they shed their hard shells and can regenerate lost limbs; they have ten eyes and spawn at the new and full moon and they just might be reincarnated Samurai warriors. But perhaps you're a quibbler who needs to remind me that the Horseshoe crab isn't really a crab at all, it's an Arthropod - a relative of spiders, scorpions and ticks.


Maybe you'd feel more comfortable if we stuck to true crabs, the ones we like to eat as soft shell crabs after they molt and leave behind the empty exoskeleton? Like the Lady Crab or


the Blue Crab or


perhaps the aggressive invader - the Japanese Shore Crab?

Just a few of the species on the Long Island shore providing dinner for the gulls.

Beach Letters: S is for...

SEAGULLS swooping low at sunset


SAND marked by the ebbing tide


SEAWEED - red, green and brown


SHELLS and smooth, shiny STONES on the Long Island Sound.

Seaweed

Seaweed. Much maligned, especially at low tide when it can stink and attract hordes of beach flies, but lovely and lively when shot as the tide recedes. Here are just a few examples of red, brown and green algae I spotted today with a very amateur attempt at identification...


There are thousands and thousands of red algae. Could this be Porphyra ? Behind in the surf is a green algae, Monostroma.


More of the Porphyra with another red algae, the dark purple Chondrus crispus or Irish moss


Norwegian kelp also known as egg wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum), a relative of the ubiquitous bladderwrack I used to love to pop as a child, and a type of brown algae. The knotty Norwegian kelp is lying poetically on a bed of Mermaid's Hair


The all-too realistic Dead Man's Fingers (Codium fragile)and more Monostroma.

Six distinct types of seaweed found in 15 minutes on a 10' stretch of Long Island Sound on a warm and sunny summer day = perfect beach life.

Coiled

Rough, grey rope coiled and waiting...

Tomorrow

Maybe tomorrow we'll see Connecticut but today we just have to believe it's there.