The most wonderful time of the year

Fall is my favorite season or as Luke would say "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" It always makes me feel rejuvinated to list all of the things about fall and all of the traditions that take place during the season, there is a lot to give thanks for.... we all know that it is also a crazy time of year as well!

 without further adu..

I love that the humidity is gone and the breeze gains a sort of cripsness, the amazing colors associated with the season - the color of the leaves against a blue sky while driving down a country road, MUMS! the colors of these fall flowers closely matches the leaves, of course boots of all shapes and sizes, sweaters, hoodies & sweatpants, open windows letting the smell of the season into the house and not having to use air or heat but being able to cuddle up under a warm blanket, Football, Oktoberfest beer, homemade applesauce and thick soup, Ham Pot Pie  Thanksgiving giving way to 4 wheeling in the mud but if for nothing else the getting together of everyone for that reason alone... to get together, pumpkin pie, camping - it has been too long since I have seen Beaver damn and been to the water tower!, Halloween with all the trimmings of haunted houses scary stories around a fire and apple cider spiked with captain morgan..... or not. hay rides, and of course birthdays ;)

Love Triangle

I know I said I was in love before...but is there anything really wrong about having one house in SIngapore and one in Kona, Hawaii? I love to travel.  I have never been either place, but am in love.

The Kona Residence presented by Contemporist architect: Belzberg Architects  Who else?

It's a little crazy and fun with lots of detail and love of materials.  I will say my favorite is the bedroom, but the patio area is amazing too.  ahhhh Hawaii.....

Description by architects:
Nestled between cooled lava flows, the Kona residence situates its axis not with the linearity of the property but rather with the axiality of predominant views available to the site. Within the dichotomy of natural elements and geometric hardscape the residence attempts to integrate both the surrounding views of volcanic mountain ranges to the east and ocean horizons westward. The program is arranged as a series of pods distributed throughout the property, each having its own unique features and view opportunities. The pods are programmatically assigned as two sleeping pods with common areas, media, master suite and main living space. A central axis becomes the organizational and focal feature for the entire house, connecting each of the pods through an exterior gallery corridor. To help maintain the environmental sensitivity of the house, 2 separate arrays of roof mounted photovoltaic panels offset the residence energy usage while the choice of darker lava stone help heat the pool water via solar radiation. Rain water collection and redirection to 3 drywells that replenish the aquifer are implemented throughout the property. Reclaimed teak timber from older barns and train tracks are recycled for the exterior of the home. Together with stacked and cut lava rock, the two materials form a historically driven medium embedded in Hawaiian tradition. 3-D modeling and digital fabrication through CNC machinery was incorporated to further enhance traditional elements in a contemporary arrangement. Local basket weaving culture was the inspiration for the entry pavilion which reenacts the traditional gift upon arrival ceremony. CNC milled ceilings and screens throughout the house continue the abstract approach to traditional Hawaiian wood carving.

some favorite phrases

Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one.


~ E. B. White



You must have chaos within yourself to give birth to a dancing star.

~Friedrich Nietzsche



Anyone who lives within their means suffers from lack of imagination.

~Oscar Wilde



He allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers give birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves.

~Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Tim Walker mi amour

Zipping steel

architecture mon amour......

Heatherwick Studio's Longchamp space

The most inventive retail space. Handcrafted French leather purses deserved to be shown...

Concrete Fashion

Architecturally designed jewelry is always intriguing. Frank Gehry has had a collection at Tiffany & Co. for a few years now. The various themes are; fish (images 1&2) torque, morph (image 3), orchid, flux, etc.

Frank Gehry's jewelry for Tiffany & Co.

The shapes are very reminiscent of his exterior architectural aesthetic. The skin his buildings stretch and ooze leaving to the imagination the interior program. These whimsical stylings are very intriguing, but what if architectural/building elements become adornments?

Frank Gehry's Dancing Building and Music Pavillion.

Canadian jewelry designer Karen Konzuk uses architectural and design elements as actual personal accessories. She has embraced her vision of simple and clean accessories where the materials speak for themselves without the need of overly complicated ornamentation. “Konzuk jewelry, with its highly personal elements such as a subtle use of color and an innovative use of materials, is faithful to the clean, minimalist aesthetic of contemporary industrial design and architecture,” is how the fashion is explained on the Konzuk website. Not only are building materials such as concrete, steel, and powder coated enamel celebrated for aesthetic purposes on this minute scale, but they also use design based mechanisms for production such as CNC machines, laser cutters and photoengraving. The themes that Karen Konzuk portrays effectively to buyers are that of individuality, durability, designed strength, color, and beauty.

Konzuk Jewelry Collections

I love the pieces for their simplistic and clean design and the celebration of strength and beauty of manmade materials. I also admire the truth in her design. The Konzuk blog features an inspiration section posted by Karen Konzuk that include mostly architectural images that sparked each of her collections.

weddings - retro

Faces have been covered to protect the innocent