The Saarinen House

November 1, 2014

A view of the house in fall. Commercial construction material were specified and cost significantly more to build than an comparable 4 bedroom brick house of regular residential materials.Slideshow

A number of years ago I was fortunate enough to take a tour of the Saarinen House at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI. It was one of those extraordinary experiences in visual imagery that, even to this day, continues to factor into my design thinking. Actually, I wanted to move in to the house so that I could study the countless rich details, the palette, materials and texture of the house Saarinen built for himself and his family on the campus of Cranbrook. It is quite possibly one of the most significant houses built during the 1920s.

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New Year's Greeting

October 31, 2014

Slideshow

2014 whizzed by in a blur. The year was marked  personally and professionally by a number of achievements both big and small; a milestone birthday celebrated with a high tea (cucumber sandwiches and all), a graduation, a great trip to Paris with 10 friends and an extraordinary trip to Israel with family, 50 blog posts and a contract with Rizzoli to write a book!

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The Lace Skirt

November 30, 2013

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The only word I can think of to describe this delightful interpretation of a sink skirt is “confection”. It is both a fanciful and imaginative way to cover the bottom of a marble slab, create some invisible storage and make a design statement. The skirt follows the shape of the top, a lovely detail, and the lace is an inspired choice as a material in this setting. While the marble feels solid and heavy, the lace is ethereal and would blow in a breeze.

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Halloween: Pumpkin Color in the Bath

November 30, 2013

A traditional black and white bath with one little splash of orange. Slideshow

In the spirit of the Halloween, I thought some orange baths–or at least orange accents in baths–would be a fun post. Actually, not only were the images I found fun, they were sophisticated, rich and neutral. Orange is a happy color with the drama of red and good humor of yellow.

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