August 30, 2009 - Cool lamps

Sorry for my infrequent posts but things have been quite busy. But it's Sunday morning and I have finally found some time to get around to a posting. I'll have more of my favorite home designs in the future. As I said, a perfect home may not exist and until you live in a place for awhile, perhaps many years, you just won't really know. So the homes I show are simply my idea of what looks to be a great place to live. But I've also found that if I actually get to visit one of these homes I may have a completely different view of them. Pictures just can't capture a true sense of the place.

I have become a bit of a fan of 20th Century homes and furnishings. It could be because these homes were the hot style, or at least I think they were, when I was growing up. Now and then I pick up the magazine Modernism. Throughout the magazine there are ads for cool lamps and furnishings. The lamps I'm featuring here grabbed my attention. Now granted, I don't know that I would actually buy one of these lamps and I can assure you they cost a fortune but they are beautiful objects, at least to me. The lamps are from Terry Tynan. Take a look. No prices are listed. If anyone knows what one of these beauties cost let me know. Have a great week. m

August 16, 2009-My favorite houses, Part I

When I was a kid, I would sit and design houses, usually in the form of floor plans. I'm not exactly sure where this came from. I do remember a house that my parent's wanted to build. They actually sent to the magazine House & Gardens to get the plans. The house is actually a series of small pavilions and rather Asian in character. The rooms all surround a central garden space. I remember lots of wood and wall to wall windows. I can picture it in my head to this day.

Since then I have collected books on home design and architecture. I actually wanted to be an architect at one point but realized the math requirements were a little too much for me. I'm sure that's not the first time you've heard that. About twice a year I get the urge to start looking through my books and create the perfect house for myself. What I have learned is that the homes and apartments I've lived in have all influenced the designs I choose. In fact, there are rooms or spaces I've lived in that I would seek to duplicate in my own home design.

Over the next month or so I'm going to show you some of the homes that have inspired me. Most of these homes are considered second homes or cottages. I aspire to build a small home. And cottage homes seem to add many touches of character and detail that you don't find in today's main residences, not to mention a little bit of whimsy.

The first house is a post and beam vacation home set in the San Juan hills in Washington state. I have always loved post and beam structures. I like seeing the structure, the copious amounts of wood and the regular intervals of beams can be used to break up the space into functional areas. The house is a 16x60 ft rectangle surrounded by sundecks and a covered sleeping porch with it's own fire place. Inside, is a large central living space with a fireplace at one end and a kitchen at the other. All interior and exterior spaces open directly into the central space. Three sets of French doors open onto the deck. There are 3 main sleeping areas, two lofts on opposite ends of the second floor and a sleeping porch. Features I really like are the window seat, the large indoor/outdoor fireplaces as well as the wood burning stove. I also like the arrangement of the casual, eclectic and very comfortable furniture. There's also a full basement for expansion and storage.

I love combining the living, dining, and kitchen areas into one functional space.

August 10, 2009 - Ah Vanity

First of all the yard sale is done. I made some money and got rid of a lot of stuff, not necessarily by selling it. Now there's some clean up to do but in ninety degree weather I tend to find excuses.

When one writes a blog, one can write about anything that one takes a fancy to. So this week I'm focusing on the art of the Combover. Since I'm a baldy and gave up long ago on trying to cover up the dome—which did go on for awhile—I feel justified in showing you some of the true diehards. Now I just continued to part my hair the way I always had and there was some hair on top to play with, but there was a point when it got silly. And once I made the decision to go nude on top it was a nice relief. So here's some real masters at the coverup, not that they're fooling anyone but themselves.

Now this last one is actually a patented technique by Donald J. Smith and his father, Frank J. Smith, of Orlanda, Florida. Basically you comb the long hairs if three different directions. Wat to go guys. I'm sure the money is pouring in for this one. Have a good week. m

August 1, 2009 - Prepping for the Yard Sale

Thought you might like a preview of my fabulous yard sale next Saturday, August 8th.

My antique billiard ball collection. Wow. Can't believe this is going.

One of two fabulous Harry Potter games. Can you believe it.

A hand carved wooden lady. A rare find.

My one and only Tickle Bee game. A game of immense skill and daring.

A remote control rat. Great in the office. Scare your coworkers. The eyes light up red.

There's much much more. Art books. Audio books. Tools. Lamps. Exercise equipment. Music CDs. Fluorescent light fixtures. Art. Portable whirlpool bath gadget.Humidifier. Ceramics. Rugs. Stuff and more stuff. Have a great week. m