Beautiful images of beautiful rooms. Strangely calm, restrained and elegant in their simplicity these photographs are by British photographer Ray Main. People often ask why we go on and on about the photographer and not the designer or owner. Besides the fact that we will always acknowledge the site where we find the images we use, it is the photographer that captures the beauty of the room for us to see and fall in love with. I’m sure that if we all traipsed through these rooms we’d love what we saw (after several thousand of us had trampled through) but because we can’t artists like Ray transport us there, we gasp and mentally note all we love and Ray’s job is done. He has captured all that inspires us. He has communicated the beauty.
Retro time! This week we’re taking it outside and way back to the 60s. From potting sheds to pavilions, trees in tables to houses in trees. I used to dream of having a fabulous hideaway just like the A-frame when I was a tike. Still do. Images this week are scanned from The Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement, Vol 13 OUT to PAR, Greystone Press, New York, 1971.
Melissa of CCS Architecture emailed the other day with some photos of an INCREDIBLE retreat in Aptos, California designed for a couple with 6 children. Located on 20 acres, the property (with ocean and mountain views) includes 2 primary buildings. The first is a 2800-square-foot main house that is composed of a ‘live building’ and a ‘sleep building’ that overlap at their roofs to create a linkage and sheltered outdoor space. The second is the Barn, a 1600-square-foot, rusted steel warehouse outfitted for use as the property’s “clubhouse.” The first floor is set up for ping pong and large-screen TV watching, and houses surfboards and other recreational beach equipment. The loft level is set up with a billiard table and sofa beds all around for additional slumber party needs. Folks, this sounds an awful lot like my dream home. And after devouring the photos below, this looks like my dream home. Brace yourselves…..