The Perfect Desert Storm... house

This is so magically beautiful.

Marmol Radziner, a Los Angeles based architecture, landscape, and interior design and construction firm, are responsible for this gorgeous desert gem. I first saw images from an old issue of Dwell and searched for the genius minds behind the design. 

I absolutely love this prefab, L-shaped home (of a good 2,000 sq. ft.) that overlooks San Jacinto peak in California. The architecture frames the pool and fire pit in the back "yard" beautifully. I could definitely live here.

 

Marmol Radziner designed this desert house as a prefab prototype for Marmol, his wife, and their daughter as a vacation home in the prestigious Desert Hot Springs, a subdivision of Palm Springs, CA, known for it's waters and winds.

 

While the fabulous pre-fab model is not necessarily classifiable as affordable housing (this one cost just under a million dollars), Marmol Radziner prefab is a less expensive option than some custom architects/builders. They estimate around $240 to $280 per square foot instead of $350 to $600 per square foot for custom.

  

The floor plan consists of the main wing, housing the master bedroom and dining/living area and then the smaller leg of the L-shape that has a guest room and studio. Between the two legs, lies the sparkling pool, surrounded by decks and plenty of seating and outdoor living area.

The use of materials, steel, concrete, and glass are beautiful and create such volume and light that make the space mesmerizing. I'm in love. 

xoxo,

House Love

I would love to live in this gorgeous L.A. home. It looks like one of those container homes that I love so much. At only 1500 square feet, this two story industrial chic phenomenon makes metal and wood livable.

night view of the back

The super functional exterior lighting also creates a warm inviting glow.

street view

The horizontal wood is perfect for the first floor since it's visually heavier than the light colored second floor. To be picky, I think the street view could use a palm tree or two in the front yard to add a little height.

view of the garage and back porch

bedrooom

The cool white interiors are clean and beautiful, but I think I would have added a little color. The low bed is perfect for the window. I think I would add a few pieces of artwork, a pair of colorful lamps for the bedside tables, and a multi-colored/patterned bedspread.

kitchen/entry

LOVE the Nelson lamps and Eames chairs in the kitchen/eating area. The grey-blue tile is a great echo of the cool color scheme throughout. I wish the gorgeous horizontal wood paneling, shown on the entryway exterior could bleed into the kitchen and warm it up a bit.

living room

I'm just as obsessed with the Cole and Sons birch tree wallpaper as everyone else. I love that this guy used it in a large area, which I don't see very often! I also love the stove.

here's the floorplan

the room labels are really hard to read, but you get the idea.

Quirky Quonset Hut

This World War II Quonset Hut is featured in the May 2009 Southern Living as the Best Before and After House. Located in Beaufort, South Carolina, the old barrack house was renovated by owners and architects Michael and Jane Frederick into a home with eclectic industrial charm. See their blog here.

Shot of the exterior.

Love the red color they chose!

open dining/kitchen area
I love the metal table with Ghost chairs- what a great contrast!
Also, what great cabinets with the corrugated metal fronts (see photo below)



This is the entryway, which was also an addition.
The cantilevered concrete stairs are amazing! Love the red banister and red
cushions in the Tulip chairs.

Whimsical front door. Great texture!

To read more about this house click here.

Gorgeous San Diego Home

Do you love this Apartment Therapy post about a STUNNING house near San Diego!?

This is my favorite photo of the entire house! The wood grain ad white plastic make my heart flutter. So clean, yet warm!

The living room is amazing. The warmth of the wood mixed, indirect lighting, and mid century modern furniture create an incredibly laid back and pulled together room.

This is the back courtyard area. LOVE the stretched canopy over head.

entrance to the front door

The back yard and pool
 

the back of the house at night

Find the photo gallery here. and the AT post here. Jora, the home owner's blog here.

Embracing the Heat

Brett Zamore is a genius! This architect took the southern architectural design staples, the shotgun home and the dogtrot home and created a hybrid that is perfectly suited to the humid climate of Houston. He's selling his creation, the "shot-trot" as an energy efficient all-inclusive home kit. And the stuff is good lookin'! I mean, really good lookin'! The kits range in sizes from 500 square feet to 2400 square feet.

Read more about Brett Zamore from this article.

Drool worthy Architecture

WOWZA! Design to Inspire has a good lookin' blog about David Baker and Partners. Those images make me salivate! Really! Mmm! This is a low income housing project they designed. Cool!

Chaos in your soul

"You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star." -Fredrich Nietzche

Although I'm not a fan of everything Nietzche, I do love this quote. Isn't it true? Creativity and growth is spawned from chaos, from limitations, from fears, and even problems. Sometimes coming to the point of finally embracing that frustrating thing can make all the difference!

Read this great article from Metropolis magazine for some different inspiration! These California architects took an old strip mall and redesigned it for their office head quarters. Here's a sneak peak at some of their beautiful photos! Wouldn't you love to work in a place like that?! That environment could breed some serious creativity-birthing chaos!

From: Metropolis Magazine, June 2008, Photos by Tom Bonner

I love the black, white and wood. The tackable wall space for hanging projects and drawings is great for brainstorming.

Twombly

Here are a few photos we took over the weekend, that I just love right now.  We visited the Menil, Rothko Chapel and Discovery Green in Houston.

Cy Twombly Gallery