Sketching Out A New Course For Architects

/ October 12, 2011
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On Monday, October 3rd The Wall Street Journal featured an article on a project close to my heart that I want to share:

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Wall Mount Faucets

/ October 5, 2011
This beautiful Easton faucet in brass (with a soapstone utility sink) is configured for wall mounting with wall unions. A dramatic and functional mudroom is the end result.

This beautiful Easton faucet in brass (with a soapstone utility sink) is configured for wall mounting with wall unions. A dramatic and functional mudroom is the end result.Slideshow

The Etoile faucet with curved spout and dew drop cross handles adds soft lines and historic detail to the room.
Clean concrete countertop and backsplash allows the wall mount faucets to stand out in this industrial modern design.
The antique brass finish on the faucet looks interesting against the Dark Emperador marble to create a beautiful tonal effect.
This chrome faucet and sink create a dramatic modern statement with the pewter color ceramic tile and dark counter.
This Julia faucet is quintessential 1920’s French country style. Also notice the beautiful spout design and detailing.
Furniture (such as this Harewood Vanity) that has a vintage feel can bring a dynamic point of view to your bathroom. The wall mount faucet and ceramic vessel sink are a natural fit on this piece.
Don’t forget to check the faucet spout length (before the installation begins) to make sure it will reach the sink. Use line drawings and math to sketch out your plan for the installer, then recheck both vertical and horizontal measurements.
A vessel sink is a popular option with a wall mount faucet, although it can reduce useable counter space. A classic Carrara marble sink is shown here with an architectural bronze finish.

Once again Eric Rexrode, our Waterworks Outside Sales Consultant in Philadelphia, has kindly written this post. Thanks, Eric: We often get requests for fittings that can be mounted on the wall above the sink. I love this idea because it’s a great solution to gain more counter space as well as to use that often forgotten vertical layer in the bathroom. The wall above the sink is most commonly used for medicine cabinets, mirrors, lighting or a small shelf. But moving your faucet to this space can create an additional design element. This is the perfect solution when there is insufficient depth to properly mount a fitting in the counter. (A counter with a stone top and undermount oval sink should be no less than 23″.)

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Inspiration: Mosaics in Berlin Museums

/ September 28, 2011
Neues Museum. A complicated organic border in bright greens.

Neues Museum. A complicated organic border in bright greens.Slideshow

Neues Museum.
Neues Museum.
Neues Museum. An elaborate Greek key in bright colors. It appears that this border is set in the restoration of the cement floor.
Neues Museum. An elaborate maze floor set off with narrow borders and inset with a simple installation of mosaics highlighted with dark dots.
Pergamon Museum. Note the irregular and somewhat crude cuts in this floor.
Pergamon Museum. These are micro mosaics with the smallest pieces imaginable. Thie small scale of each piece of stone requires the most skilled artisan for effective installation.
Pergamon Musuem. More micro mosaics. Note the perfect proportions of the pattern.
Pergamon Musuem. I loved the bead and barrel border that sets off a diamond floor.
Pergamon Museum.
Pergamon Museum. This is an elaborate layering of borders, each one an inspiration.

Last spring Robert and I went to Berlin on our way to Copenhagen. It was a convenient stop over and a wonderful place to explore museums. Several museums are conveniently located together on an island in the Spree River, within walking distance of other architecturally interesting buildings and our hotel in West Berlin. I had forgotten to write about my experience until I read Thomas Jayne’s blog Ancient and Modern Decoration where he wrote about his recent trip to the Neues Museum and his infatuation with Nefertiti.

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Chromophobia—An American Epidemic?

/ September 21, 2011
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Eric Mandil, AIA, RA a friend and Denver based architect and interior designer has been creating award winning interior and exterior spaces for 25 years. His transformational work is known for stimulating the eye, enlivening the human spirit, and shaping perceptual experience. He infuses his environments with aliveness, character and freshness to create much loved spaces where people can live, work, connect and play with ease.

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