building the inspiration

We visited the project we are working on in Brooklyn on Park Avenue-I thought I would divulge the source for the siding idea. The second picture is a warehouse here in Belfast and I looked at it alot last summer and when Erin and Owen (client/collaborators) were working on what the building should be clad in I thought of this image......I loved that the blue is tone on tone with the sky........The siding is meant to be a gentle envelope with all the action and life of the building going on inside.

Building Greek Revival

This is an interesting variant of Greek Revival. Unlike its southern counterparts the facade does not have to have the deep porches and balconies to shade from the sun. Here in Maine the facade wall is flat and probably super deep to create insulation for the colder months. But one fine building,built in 1840-The White House,1 Church Street Belfast-its said to be a terrific B&B.

building crush in depth

This is a video of my newest obsession Primrose Hill here in Belfast Maine. Them some big old columns....take that Natchez.

building connections

We are back in Maine after a week in NYC. I am going to try to post about things that stuck with me in NYc and not just talk about things that everyone sees. First in my mind is the Starn Brothers Big Bambu on the roof of the Met. On Roof of the Met has become the summer sensation but this is a different vibe than most. I initially missed the Rocky Paine elegance of last summer but these knotted and wipped together connections are staying with me. The Makers of the structure are climbers and there seems to be a language all there own for how the nylon ropes go together. Next time I am there I want to go during working hours and hear how they are thiking about these knots.

white building

The Brooklyn Museum's exhibition Kiki Smith Sojorn is a great way to drop out of the hot city for a couple of hours. All the work is in or on an ethereal Japanese paper with even light bulbs and chairs-yes chairs! enveloped in white.

Boat building............

I am pleased that I was exposed to the artist Yayoi Kusama via seeing one of her works rather than on the web. Kusama's body of work is epic and a purple row boat enveloped in soft sculpture tendrils is a powerful object in the very well done Matter of Abstraction show at MOMA.

idea building

Caleb and I sent a good long time at the Cooper Hewitt yesterday. The Triennial always leaves me with the "I got to get out of here and work" feeling...but I stayed and got some good thoughts running through my head. I liked the Margret and Christine Werthein's Coral Reef Project; mostly because of its none function-developed to create awareness and community. This crochet project is also plain beautiful.

Building business community

While really wandering around town (NYC) yesterday-I found this very interesting place,not just a shop, a place. The very funny idea of a yarn shop/boutique/community center-Wool and the Gang is a great addition to NYC's trend toward less retail more idea..think Andy Spade's place.
Knitting also seems to be the medium of choice for community activist-I just heard about artist friend Frida Gylfadottir's project knitting a giant scarf to celebrate the joining of her small town and the neighboring town. More on that later this year.....

Building gold

Last week we got a trip into Rockland, Maine and to the Farnsworth Museum. I rarely take pictures in Museums-lighting bad, can always find a better reproduction- but when I saw for the first time these chairs by Rockland native Louise Nevelson I got so excited I took a snap. I have not seen these before in any of the books. A great example of the gold period...

Red looks good on you..........belfast

There is something about the light in Maine that makes any hue of red, orange(think daylilies everywhere), rose look amazing-we could work with this idea in the interiors of Pearl Street?

Building friends

Remodelista included the humble Greensboro bath along with some very chic interiors-we are quite flattered.

Building crushes

Here are some current building crushes here in Belfast. The big white box with the Corinthian columns was built in 1812 and was a summer family residence until the 60's. Belfast has a great program
Museum in the Streets where you can go through the town and understand the origin of most buildings..

Pearl Street progress

Drum Roll please- these are snaps of Pearl Street-if the plumber arrives today then we will be in tonight! The sinks,tile fixtures,doors are all things within arms length...ie in the barn and left over from jobs-its looking pretty cool.

boat building

We arrived safely in Maine on Friday-lot's to do to get Pearl Street habitable for the month. Here is a structure on the farm-bennett's boat house-he refurbished his sail boat here and now houses it during the winter...I love the shape.

Some red building

The best thing at MassMoca was the sumptuous spaces made by Orly Genger. What a color red and what a way to make space. Interior Designers watch out this is how you make a room.

Library building......

Had a fine time at the Mass Moca book store this book is very inspiring- all sorts of ways to make drawings..... And Mad and I found a very fine bookstore in Williamstown.

Building New England

Mass Moca today and a nice afternoon at The Porches........Not much to say but enjoying New England.

building pretty

I realize this is a strange "decoratory" image for me but we stayed at the very lovely Keswick in Charlottesville. Most of the design is- design from your very elegant mother- but I do have a new goal of my flowers matching my Queen Anne chairs....

Country Building

This morning we made the epic pilgrimage to Thomas Jefferson's house. Perched up on a vast hill I could not help but think that the man much have been quite special as to have as many visitors- yet the house be so remote. Monticello is really for me the beginning of functionalism and maybe the first germ of modernism. Every corner has had an architectural thought and all to better the pursuit of happiness.........

building across America-starting point

This is my farewell note to Starkville for the summer. The back view from Little Building essentially is the rail yard of Starkville. I had no idea that the train stop running through the town just 5 years ago. I am of course transfixed by this condition after reading the one of my favorite history Books- The Promise of the New South, Life after Reconstruction by Edward L. Ayers These are not the prettiest parts of Starkville but I find them the most interesting.

building across America

First stop on cross country (the Short way) road trip is Chattanooga, Tn. Staying at the oh so goofy Chattanooga Choochoo-a hotel complex strung around the city's train station and dormant cars." A" for urban revitalizing effort but a bit cheesy....oh well its a road trip right.

"amateurs borrow,professionals steal"

I am not the only one looking at John Dickerson for ideas-see this rattan side table at Soane in London.

building shopping

I noticed a funny phenomena in the latest copy of World of Interiors( yes, I buy a copy every six months and MINE it of ideas)The London Antique shops are illustrating there wares by showing upholstery as deconstructed- Note this image from Christopher Howes Web site. I love this stuff of course and artist like duo James Plumb and J.Morgan Puett have lead the way but will it sell in the shop? Fascinating...

Building Independence-oh yea.......

The big road trip starts this weekend - next week I will share the sights we will see....here is a Happy Independence shot from Little Building- Orange, White and Blue-we're different....Happy Holidays. Annie

Building a story

I know everyone raises an eyebrow when I swoon over the work of Garouste and Bonetti-its so eighties of me-but I remember it as the moment I understood that furniture could tell a story. The closing of Christian Lacroix studio in Paris brought about the disassembling of one of there" total works". The Sotheby's catalog will lead you through the components of their work as can a terrific article in World of Interiors June 2010.

Building your space

I came upon these images from Julian Schnabel's latest endeavor. Series of Polaroids of his life-I have been fascinated and tried to grapple with Schnabel's relationship to space before. Auteur of the Gramercy Hotel and a certain pink abode in the West Village; Schnabel and architecture are synonymous...for better or worst. The thing that interests me is all space for him is a backdrop for himself? Not the first man to do that.....