Displaying posts labeled "Outdoors"

Still hot. Stinking hot and humid. Ah summer how I love thee! But this image by Aussie Petrina Tinslay, I can feel the breeze, the wonderful breeze. A perfect shot by a great photographer.

It was over 40°C here today. That’s actual not apparent. Hot. Needless to say my heat addled brain turned to day dreams of water. Beach, shower, pool. Cool water and shade, a hint of a breeze. My body may have sat here sweating but my mind flew away to this beautiful pool and pavillion by Lake/Flato Architects. I need little more. Perhaps just a ceiling fan turning softly and a cold drink… or several.

… you’re in for a big surprise. Sometimes mother nature wraps you up in her beauty and takes your breath away. Sometimes architects get this. Sometimes they wrap you up in the beauty they create,  in buildings that address the wonder of the site in which they are placed. I think I am in love with this Dutchess County, New York guesthouse by Allied Works Architecture. Located in a mature deciduous forest of oak, hickory, and birch.  A continuous structural steel frame blurs the boundary between forest and house. It seems to meander, to wind in and out capturing views of the changing seasons.

The holidays have got to me. I admit defeat. My house won’t be decorated, my turkey won’t be, my champagne won’t be French and my christmas cracker hats appear to be plastic… quel horreur (the bad French bit was to cheer up Kim as she approaches her test). The stress. The torture that is the local shopping centre! Do I really need to go back to pick up fresh vegetables a day or so before Christmas? Can we just eat cold ham and roasted potatoes? Dear Santa I need a teahouse at the end of the garden. Somewhere to go to relax, to contemplate, to meditate. Something just like these by Czech designers A1 Architects. Go away holidays! You’ll find me here for the next week or two.

Like a cave, rock on rock with primordial forest and majestic mountains. Luxuriously monastic and elegant in its simplicity. Serene yet strong. Raw and masculine. Scree, rock and gravel. Warmth, shelter and style. High country with Lake Wakatipu as view. The Mountain Retreat, Central Otago, Queenstown by New Zealand architectural firm Fearon Hay. Edgy and awe-inspiring.

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