Displaying posts from June, 2009

Last October I posted the minimalist Amsterdam apartment(s) of James Webb. He wrote to tell us about some exciting news: “a funny thing happened that I was contacted by a dutch fashion house (the fashion guy Jan Clemens Hoek mentioned that he had seen the apartment on your blog) and they wanted to use my place for a fashion shoot. it was very exciting and my glimpse into a very different world. they used a top dutch model nimue smit and the photographer was viviane sassen (also a big name in dutch photography circles)”. How cool!! Here’s a photo from the shoot…

James was given a print from the shoot and it now proudly displays as the first completely non-functional addition to his apartment.

After this the national newspaper called James and he was featured in their magazine about his style (a friend of Jan Clemens Hoek is the fashion editor of the paper).

!!!! I’ve got to say a BIG congratulations to James for all these exciting events and his new-found fame!

What I didn’t realize is that James is an uber-talented architect and he wanted to share a villa near Amsterdam that his firm Gabriels Webb recently completed. It’s modern, spacious and spectacular. Here is some info of this project:

This freestanding villa on the new island of IJburg provides for a family to live both independently or together. A lowered childrens level with kitchenette and bathroom can be accessed from the street, while the raised ground floor provides the communal living zones that proceed to the canal side garden. The upper level contains the parents’ studio space, bedroom and bathroom. The internal levels are demarcated in the facade with white bands and horizontally laid western red cedar boards further striate the volume.

project credits are as follows

commission:
private residence: IJburg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
architects: Kirsten Gabriëls James Webb
project architect: Kirsten Gabriëls
artist façade panel: Yvonne Kroese
contractor: Bouwbedrijf Stadswerk BV, Hoofddorp
design: 2006
completion: 2009
gross floor area: 285m²
photography: Marcel Van der Burg

May I introduce you to the Ijburg house.

Simple clean lines, minimalism with a human touch. It’s difficult to live this lean and stylish but sometimes I crave it. Architect West Chin and his team including wife Roseann Repetti are like sculptors. Their rooms are dramatic yet functional, light filled and spacious. A place for everything and everything is its place. Yes disciplined but definitely dramatic.

Jonamor Décor was founded a couple years ago by Jonona Lambert, Principal Designer and Senor Amor, Project Manager. Before beginning the firm, these retro-crazed folks opened a vintage furniture shop called Retropia. I applaud their bold design schemes and their love of vintage. I think with their décor you either love it or hate it. I think the spaces are too quirky and fun not to love. 🙂 (And no, the following photos were not scanned out of one of Jo’s vintage design books.)

I love photographer Lisa Cohen’s work. (Was it really back in 2007 when I first posted about her?) Navigating my way through her rep’s site I found more of her portfolio and I’m sooooo glad I did. You see I have had several of Lisa’s photos saved as tear sheets and now I’ve found them online. Love the postcards around the door and the the last two photos…. is that my next house? Beautiful beautiful shots.

I stumbled upon the website of New York based interior designer Amanda Nisbet the other day and was awed by the supply of gorgeous photos of her work. “Untethered by design rules, Amanda brings a fresh energetic approach to a traditional sense of luxury. Color, texture and form blend to create her trademark comfortable elegance. Her work seamlessly balances function and style, Classicism and Modernism, in surprising ways.” Since it’s been over a year since Jo posted some photos from her portfolio, I was eager to do a follow-up post.