Category: Architecture & Design
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A Modern Man’s Opinion
I like a good debate. Not the lunkenhead talk radio scream-a-rama sort, but the interesting, informed, progressive kind. I not only want to hear about the flip side of an issue, I actually want to be convinced by the opposing argument in order to shed my current belief around a topic or at least see… Read more
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We Are What We Sit On
Between birthday party pickups, Husband and I popped into our favourite used bookstore this weekend, walking out with full arms and empty wallets. The store is literally crammed floor to ceiling and floor to floor with untamed stacks of fascinating, and often very unique, books. I fantasize about one day walking in and asking Mr.… Read more
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House Porn
Hey buddy, can you spare $90 million dollars? The housing industry in the U.S. may have imploded but it doesn’t mean that the uber-luxe houses have simply gone away. They’re still there waiting for the buyer with pocket change equal to the GDP of a small African nation. There have always been super-sized houses (they… Read more
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Putting the Urban in Suburban
Okay, I admit it: I grew up in Surrey. Go ahead and take your pot shots and be done with it. Here’s an article by Frances Bula for The Globe and Mail on the work of Canada’s largest municipalities, including Surrey, to add some urban freshness to their typically strip mall-lined main streets. It’s about… Read more
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Pimp My IKEA
Most people that know me know, that with a few exceptions, I don’t like to shop. It physically and mentally drains me, leaving me peevish and dissatisfied. Plus I resent spending time on an activity that most often yields poor results. What can I say? I want what I want. The problem is I don’t… Read more
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The Irony of Knowledge & Skill Development
For the past few weeks I’ve been fashioning a built in wall-to-wall headboard/storage frame in our master bedroom. It has been a zero cost project as I’ve used leftover framing and reclaimed finish materials from other projects around the house. It’s good to see these piles shrink and to see my creation near completion. It’s… Read more
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Road Trip!
Drove. Photographed. Gawked. Book shopped. Looked at architecture. Ate. Sat next to Bruce. Talked about God, income tax and Libertarianism. Ate chocolate. Met Robin. Amazing tile samples migrated to the trunk of my car. Met Tedd Benson. Met some of Tedd’s fantastic team. Talked. Toured. Talked some more. Exchanged books. This one too. Left buzzing… Read more
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101 Things I Learned in Architecture School
I stumbled upon the intriguing little book 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School by Matthew Frederick (MIT Press) in the New Museum in New York. Read more
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Dipping a Toe in Urban Waters
New York has a trip-hammer vitality which drives you insane with restlessness if you have no inner stabilizer. – Henry Miller Husband and I spent an extended weekend in NYC, compliments of our friends Dan and Shaleen at Magellan Vacations. They flew us down and put us up in a gorgeous corner suite at the… Read more
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Black is the New Rural
I am a faithful follower of the website ArchDaily which offers up an array of architectural projects ranging from forward-looking conceptual pieces to culture-influencing past projects from around the world. It is truly a potluck; you never know what will be placed before you. I can say that form certainly does NOT follow function in… Read more