A while back my pal David John of the uberfantastic blog You Have Been Here Sometime casually informed me that he had worked for Jamie Bush, architect and designer extraordinaire. I shouldn’t have been the least bit surprised because David John is ultra talented, super educated, and lots of other important stuff. And then I started stalking Jamie Bush… dude has some genius solutions for odd spaces, and he knows how to work materials like nobody’s business.

Just when I think I’m over Mid Mod, this comes along to remind me that I’m only over erstatz Mid Mod — the ugly lovechild of fleabitten avocado green upholstery and big box espresso veneer.

I would happily sell my soul to live in a place like this — half baked neotrad aspirations be damned.

I never said I wasn’t a fickle beast.

[Pics via Remodelista]

Sometimes when we post extraordinarily designed homes (like this one) I play make-believe-fantasy-party that I’m in the market for a new home and, oh, what is this?  suddenly this interesting home shows up in my MLS listing and (gasp!) it’s in my price range.  I imagine whether or not I would chose to throw down my cash to live somewhere so extreme (hint: the answer is always yes).  The home in today’s post is no exception. In fact, it’s so damn amazing it’s the very first house ever in the history of Design Crisis to be shown completely unfurnished.  Just full frontal architecture for you to drool over.  Who have I become?

Seriously, could you imagine opening up your MLS search to see this puppy?  Do you think you would hyperventilate or just have a heart attack?  This Toranto home was custom built (with no budget, time line or design restrictions) for a cool 24 million, so don’t expect to tour it with your realtor anytime soon.

How would you dudes feel if I told you this 18,000 square foot home was owned by a math professor?  Ok, a math professor who also wrote a slue of successful calculus books, but a matt teacher non-the-less.  Pretty bitchin, right?

Ok math students, quick problem for you:  if train A leaves the station at 1:00 pm traveling 100 mph and train B leaves the station at 4:30 am traveling 60  miles per hour, how quickly would Karly move the F into this house?

Yes to the yes.  I love that the treated wood gives the house a mid-century feel.  Not that I’m all mid century crazy these days (I’m not) it’s just nice to see a modern home that still feels warm and livable.

And the gold on these stairs drives it home

More stairs, more curves, more wood and concrete.  Ok, yes, fine, I’ll take it.

PS. this joint was designed by Shim Sutcliffe

This morning I woke up to a precious gift in my inbox:  Erin sent me a link to one of my new dream houses.  This is a sign of several things 1.  Erin knows me pretty dang well 2.  Erin is slowly making her way back to the interwebs which means that 3.  Hopefully she’ll be taking over for me soon and 4.  You get to see great pictures today.  Let’s do this:

Designed and occupied by Guilherme Torres, this living room fulfills my every last fantasy.  The only thing I would change is the chandelier.  I would replace it with this one.

Hello ceiling!

(ps, what’s up with the tiny fan up there?  It will go the way of the light as soon as I move in, promise)

Chair: stays

G:  replaced with either a K or an M or one other letter that I can’t reveal to you just yet

No to the toys, yes to the texture created by the conduit.  I will also be replacing that spread with something a bit more cheerful.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still loving this place

I displayed this one XXL so you could get a full frontal of those walls.  I think I need to make this happen somewhere… you know I have my own kitchen to remodel.

I would let Erin stay here when she visits, just for being so kind as to send me this link.

Thanks Erin!  And happy weekend bros!!

xo, K

I have always always loved tree houses.   I especially love children’s tree homes in suburban neighborhoods.  I love the idea that something so primitive as  living in trees has found a niche in 21st century middle America.  Of course, I also really love a good design hotel, so OK, I probably love a tree house hotel for it’s sex appeal alone more so than your run-of-the-mill suburban kid’s club, which is why I would be willing to ignore my no-travel-35-weeks-into-pregnancy rule if only I had the cash money to fly to Sweden to stay in this joint:

Behold, the Tree Hotel.  With 7 distinct tree cabins, and a bunch of designy tree stuff, it almost makes the outdoorsy-only amenities worth suffering through.  (A 6 hour nature trek is their top summer excursion?  Maybe this place should get a tree pool and some tree cocktails)

Anyway, I’m never going to make it here so we’ll fantasize about the rooms only

This is what the inside of the mirrored cabin (above above) looks like.  Apparently you can climb up a ladder to look out that window.  This is where the tree cocktails may not be the best idea.

Leave it to the Swedes to call this cabin the blue cone.  Whateves, there’s still a good chance I would pick this one.

The UFO cabin

And the Birds Nest, which has a lovely Tim-Burton-meets-Burning-Man quality.  But I dig it.

So, which one would you dudes stay in?

Long ago, in a far away time, I bought my acid washed, peg legged pants from Esprit. Now I buy them at Urban Outfitters. In case you haven’t noticed, the crazy 80s are back in a big way. Of course the wide world of interior design isn’t immune to the vagaries of trends, which seem to progress through the art-fashion-pillow life cycle until they die a gasping, lonely death on the clearance shelves of TJ Maxx. Short lived though they may be, I like following trends — although I have to say I felt a little green at the gills when I first saw the new slew of statement making brights and strong shapes. The 80s were not kind to me, with its broccoli bangs and crop topped warfare, and those linebacker sized shoulder pads that required nothing less than an absolutely unwavering sense of self confidence. Should I admit that confidence was not a quality I was born with? I still have to work for it. Every day.

Studio Toogood

Maybe my hard work is paying off, because I’m starting to move beyond my own crippled sense of nostalgia as I approach this second wave of 80s inspired wares. I’m even setting my jaw and looking deep into the neon heart of the past, to primary sources like Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, who is looking more and more like a straight up genius when viewed through my new confidence goggles.

Ettore Sottsass

One part Beetlejuice, one part Bauhaus, and one part boozy good time, Sottsass set the tone to angular and primary as founding member of the Memphis design movement. Though his work should never be confused with the current, flimsy iterations of post modern furnishings typically found at Eurway, they do take up some majormajor visual space. As even Sottsass acknowledged, a little goes a long way.

Though I can finally look at his high Memphis work without enduring painful flashbacks, I was still jazzed — and relieved — to see this house he designed near the end of his long life:

OWI

Working into his 80s, Sottssass’ mellowed out architectural effort looks to the past while also giving me something to look forward to. Within it, I see the seeds of a more mature Memphis inspired design aesthetic. And I like it. A lot.

Spare but warm, angular but not wildly so, this house is eminently livable. And of course the acres of glass, stunning reflecting pools, and luxe finishes don’t hurt. It’s obviously the refinement of a life’s work.

Sottsass died at the tail end of 2007. I suspect that the scope of his influence is only beginning to surface, but don’t think that other designers haven’t already begun mining. Kelly Wearstler’s beach house and Avalon Hotel have obvious smart references to Sottsass’ late work. Expect to see a lot more of the Memphis master, but not the kind that demands confidence.

The kind that inspires it.

We love peeping into the homes of others — in a legal way, of course. Well, a week ago Launch787 presented their third annual Austin Modern Home Tour, and where were Karly and I? Uh, not there. As K-Dawg herself would say: lametron. Thankfully, our good friend and awesome photographer Cory Ryan was Johnny on the spot with her trusty camera in tow. Cory was kind enough to let us use her fabulous images to wow you with some highlights from this year’s tour. So, bust out your coffee and donuts because this is one long, mouthwatering post, and we can’t have you drooling on your keyboards, now can we?

Concrete and steel get the sexy treatment with acres of gorgeous glass windows.

Wild horses couldn’t stop me from moving into that snazzy house on the left, but the affordability index probably will. Too bad, because those limestone and gently pitched roofs set me a tingle.

Did I already mention gorgeous glass? Add in a fabulous indoor/outdoor living space and I’m sold. Also, after seeing this, I am never ever showing you people what my own backyard looks like. Its shame shall remain secret until the day we move.

Don’t know about you guys, but I am all about the kitchen and bathroom pics. Bathrooms first.

I love, love, love, the clean lines and wide range of materials used in these homes. It’s so hard to pick a favorite, but the skylit shower and double travertine showers are making me want to rip out my own perfectly serviceable, but snoozy bathrooms.

The kitchens ain’t too shabby, either. Look — even the rich and famous use Ikea cabinets (bottom image). Of course, they also use carrera marble counters and back splashes, as well as custom wood cabinets. Marble backsplash, you are a fancy bitch for making me love you.

Have I already mentioned that Cory is an awesome photographress? Check out this shot.

I have to admit that I find some of the living spaces to be kind of boring — a little too cleaned up and soulless. But these dining areas have some nice pieces in them, especially the wooden trestle table and artwork in the right image.

I also dig the painting in this bedroom.

And this wall/curtain treatment is interesting. How long do you think it took them to match up the stripes? I guess you hang the curtains first, then tape and paint the wall, then rehang the curtains. It would be awesome if there were 10 million stripes that matched…

Some cute details of furnishings for your viewing pleasure.

Honestly, though, it is all about the windows. If we didn’t have limestone exterior walls, I would totally get crafty with a jigsaw and start cutting.

Ok, ok, ok, I’m about to pee in my pants with excitement over these last images. Did you get your donuts ready, like I told you to? Because you’re going to need to bite down on something to keep from screaming…

THAT IS A MOTHERBLEEPING CANTILEVERED POOL.

With a view of lake Travis, of course. Do you think I got a little carried away with the images? Neither do I.

One last view from the pool. Hey, guess what? This little honey is for sale. Situated on Mt. Bonnell, she is 3.5 million dollars worth of awesomeness, and worth every penny that I don’t have. Actually, the tour was presented by my old buddy David’s marketing and PR firm Wyatt Brand, and I’m a little concerned that he didn’t feel the need to ring me up and offer this gem at a deep discount (like, free). Dude, we’ve known each other since high school. It’s the least you could have done.

So, how excellent was that tour? Don’t you feel like you were there in person? Thanks so much to Cory Ryan and her magnificent camera skills for inviting us along! You can check out the rest of the modern home tour on her Flickr set. Also, Cory is truly a multi talented lady, so be sure to take a look at her online portfolios and services here and here. Lucky Austinites can view her Holga photography until February 28th at Thunderbird Coffee on Manor. Not in Austin? Buy her Holga prints here.

Whew, all that lust has exhausted me. My head is spinning and I’ve broken a sweat.

Wish I were floating in that pool right now.

It seems that the whole world has gone electric: The Yellow Pages, Google Books, Kindel, and now Lonny. Whither our friend paper? For those of us with an old  timey bent, paper holds a special, tactile quality that the internet cannot replace. One is compactly informational, and one is sensory and dimensional. So today’s post celebrates a quality often taken for granted but inherent to paper itself — volume. And speaking of volume, I’m feeling pretty deflated, so this is going to be short on words and long on pictures. Enjoy!

Ingrid Siliakus

Simon Schubert

Johan Hybschmann

Peter Callesen

That’s about all the awesomeness I can rustle up for today, friends. I’m going to rest up and hopefully I’ll be back tomorrow in full force.

Until then, Baises!

Last summer I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Ajeto Glassworks in the Northern Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. This region, specifically Novy Bor, is world-famous for its glassworks. Ajeto officially opened in 1994 by the world-renowned trio of Borek Sipek, Petr Novotny and Libor Fafala. Their current location is housed in the remnants of an old German textile factory in the city of Lindava.

If you can’t take the heat of the studio, get into the kitchen. The facility includes a restaurant that allows visitors to dine while viewing a team of artists at work. The Ajeto restaurant was a ridiculously awesome feature to the facility, in my opinion and the food was some of the best I had while in the Czech Republic.

Although Borek Sipek was not present during my visit (I wish), it was his work I was most impressed with. His resume leaves me green with envy. It’s not just anyone who can add Royal Court Architect in Prague by Presidential appointment to their list of accomplishments. Than again, it’s not that hard to believe. His postmodernist furniture, tableware and chandeliers are hard to overlook. Most impressive however, are his laundry list of architectural achievements. Whether it’s his work on Prague Castle, the Kyoto Opera House or Karl Lagerfeld’s boutique in Paris (pictured below), the man is a multi-aesthetic genius of the first degree.

I have endlessly related the saga of our kitchen remodel, so let me just continue the epic arc by saying we spent the entire weekend working our collective arse off, trying to get the kitchen ready before the stork drops his B bomb. I promise to do a big reveal sometime this week, but in the meantime I’ve been wondering if we made a huge mistake. After reading this article in the NY Times, I realized that we could have saved ourselves a bundle by simply living with the pukey trifecta of 80′s builder grade oak cabinets, almond formica countertops, and screenprinted ceramic tile, and waiting for it to come back in style. So what if it didn’t match our 60′s ranch house at all? Wouldn’t it have been fun to just hang out in a “design time capsule,” as the NY Times puts it? Check out the homes of folks who decided to do exactly that.

Jason Reitzin is the doppelganger for photographer Larry Sultan’s dad, and I think he lives in his house, too. Apparently, he has lovingly maintained the original 70′s decor, right down to the salon style hangings of needlepoint sunflowers.

All is not lost, though. Those lucite base tusks are everywhere, and the glass and chrome furnishings would be at home in many designer spaces. Personally, I’ll be ganking the pair of ottomans.

Maybe my grandmother was having an affair with Mr. Reitzin? Because I could swear she had those comforter sets… oh, but she would have insisted on pink carpet. Nevermind. Can we talk about that lamp and nightstand, though? Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler would mud wrestle for that set.

Moving on the 80s, I can get into some minimalist decor, but this does not do it for me. Maybe it’s all the hair, maybe it’s the black leather, maybe if only that poster said, “What Would Michael Do?”

A very 80s dining area, complete with the light fixture that came with Karly’s house (Karly, perhaps you should rethink renovating your kitchen before it’s too late???). The uber straightbacked chairs would obviously maximize your posture, forcing you to put your best shoulder pads forward. All this room is missing is a Longo print of a stockbroker hanging himself.

My favorite part is the kitchen, though. If this doesn’t make you rethink putting black granite countertops in, I don’t know what will. On the other hand, I would not kick those black lacquer cabinets out of bed. I think Miles Redd must have visited this pad before he designed his own kitchen:

I would not kick Miles Redd or his kitchen out of bed.

It’s probably because I live in a 60′s house, but I feel altogether more comfortable in this home designed by the Atkins family in conjunction with an architect. Knock all that crap off the awesome two tiered, white coffee table and I am ready to move in, as is. I might even give up my firstborn child for that wall of brass, but before I sign the papers with Satan, let me get back to you after the stork drop. Although I hear that brass doesn’t cry or poop…

I think Ikea is busy at work knocking off those chairs, and I will take the light fixture, please. Really, the only problem I see with this space is over-Tchotchkeification, and let’s face it — old people hate to throw away stuff.

And you wouldn’t begrudge these cute old people their precious stuff, would you?

I’m starting to think old people have really good taste… Our last house on the tour was built by architect Donald Olsen in 1954. He and his wife have lived in the home ever since, keeping many of the original furnishings intact.

Cantilevered lamps, Breuer chairs, books and mod paintings — this room encapsulates what almost every designer in America is currently tryng to recreate. It’s pretty amazing to consider the kind of taste that still looks current over 50 years later.

Hello gorgeous van der Rohe chairs! And are window walls ever a bad thing?

So, what do you think — in 40-50 years, would my 80′s kitchen be the height of fashion? Or does it take true foresight to design for generations to come?

How well do you think your current decor would age if you had to leave it all — as is — for a few decades?

Guess what faithful readers?!  It’s that time again!  I’m out of town at my bestest (non-bloggy) friend’s wedding and you dudes get to guess where I am.  What do I have for prizes this time?  Well, operating under the assumption that Erin was sick of carrying that baby around in her tummy,  I was going to offer up her unborn child (after birth, of course) but, surprisingly, she’s not into it.  My cats are also off limits, so you’ll have to settle for something totally badass, sorry.  The winning guesser gets THIS AWESOME BRACELET from NAUGHTY SECRETARY CLUB.  Hooray!

So, here’s the deal, I’m posting pictures of houses by a certain architect that has designed homes throughout this city.  His designs have been sprinkled across a couple of states, but the majority of them are in the same city as lil ole me.  This one’s a tricky one, but anyone who has passed through this bizarro town (that I love!) has seen these bizarro houses:

I’ve never seen the inside of these homes, so I was delighted to find this interior shot of the home pictured above (too bad about that furniture, though):

Above is the architect’s personal studio, below is an interior shot (yes, we are still in the same city):

And, just for fun, here are a couple of interior shots from some of his other homes, these may not be within the winning city limits, but they’re pretty, so, whateves:

I know, right!

And, just to tempt your tummies one last time, here’s a shot of la grand prize from Naughty Secretary Club:

Happy guessing, homies.  Winner will be announced on Monday afternoon in the comments section of this post.  First person to guess the CITY (not just the state) correctly wins.  If you can name the architect, you get extra love, but that’s all.

PS. While you’re racking you brains trying to guess where I am, might I suggest checking out the prize giver’s blog HERE