'metal shutter houses' shigeru ban architects

"two predominant facades are formed from a series of large square openings, each one representing an individual home. the voids are treated with motorized shutters which visually respond to the ubiquitous presence of retractable gates within the urban context. as dwellers open and close their personal portals, the arrangement of cubes frequently shifts and alters the outward appearance."

designboom.com

dream saver

"arne quinze was looking to use the emotive capacity of swarovski crystal to absorb and then help release the energy and dreams of people with his dream saver"

swarovskicrystalpalace.com

The changing skies

Pelican flying high

The ever changing skies fascinate me, there is so much movement above me and
dance like the clouds change positions...

I love the sky here in the morning, the light wakes slowly over the east facing sea. From darkest night-bluish gray still fringed with stars to beginning streaks of lighter tones, slightly graying above the horizon, first deep orange red beams, slowly slowly filling the sky until a red hazy sun emerges on the horizon.

Not every morning rises like that. Some days a gray light emerges and the clouds hide the sun completely. Changes come fast!

Two days ago stormy winds brought rain and more rain, drenching the small island until

small rivers of water run down the streets. Once in between the sun broke through and magically lit the storm.

Later in the evening the heavy clouds were swept away, leaving nothing but a blue firmament, laced with feathery white wisps high above me.

I wish I could show you the glorious night sky! Imagine it dark, blackest blue, but oh-so star filled. I hear nothing but the brandishing sound of the never-ending waves, far out I can see a few lights of fishing vessels and behind me the stretching strip of land, with it's houses, which become smaller with every step I take. My feet feel the warm waters...
But above me stretches the universe, the awe-inspiring summer night sky of the northern hemisphere. I see the Milky Way, the Great Wagon  and his small brother, countless constellations and the moving dots of airplanes and satellites. I open my arms wide and let the wind fill me with happiness.
Looking up I see more then one shooting star flickering through the sky and I send my wishes out there, for us to be kept safe by the great embracing spirit of all!




Victoria




All pictures by V. Zlotkowski. All rights reserved.

metropol parasol by j. mayer h. architects. spain

"the form of this building was inspired by the vaults of seville's expansive cathedral – i wanted to create a cathedral without walls that would be democratic – and also by the handsome trees already in the square."

huhmagazine.co.uk

squareone renovates the shade club

"squareone’s latest renovation...was once home to some of the most successful and downright sexy clubs of the 90s...after 5 years of vacancy, the shade club has opened its doors to reveal a sultry modern design that reflects the scandalous history of the venue."


yankodesign.com

stuart weitzman fall 2011 ad campaign

fashionising.com

haute macabre

"high gloss"
photo © txema yeste

hautemacabre.com

Sunrise

Pink golden sunrise, the early rays glide
liquid like over the gentle morning waves.
Facing the light the moon pales 
and sparkling sand melts into the edge of the water.
My soul reaches the clouds.

  

Images and poem by V.Zlotkowski. All rights reserved 2011.

Lighting Bling!

The two lights above the kitchen bench need to be changed into something BLING!

When we first built (it has been over 2 years now, there were a few decorating decisions that just had to wait. The ceiling lights above the bench was one of them. i just couldn't focus on what lights we wanted so the decision got postponed until now. I want something that is unique, something that is the WOW factor...a bit of bling. It doesn't matter if it's modern or older style, as long as 'it works' overall.

Cape Cod Designs

I love this french light with a passion but would it work in a kitchen? I don't think the dimensions are big enough for my space but I can still sigh and look!

Bell Chain Pendant...Cape Cod Designs

Maybe something more like this? Modern style lighting is not working for me at the moment. Any comments about the lights above my kitchen bench will be greatly appreciated. Mrs B xxo

Impressions from the South

The gate to our house on Hilton Head 2011

When I was a child the closest to the ocean I could get was the Baltic Sea at the East German coast line, with one large island - Ruegen - and several small ones, almost entirely reserved for the communist elite. Our quarters at the sea "resorts" were usually cramped and rather primitive.
The waters were cold, but the beaches pristine and often undisturbed.

Many people living up there made an extra income by renting out their garage, converted for summer rental for whole families.

Usedom 1965

If you were lucky the company you worked for would send you and your family at little cost to an organized vacation spot, a large place with dorm like living and central eating places, were you would get food stamps for your daily allowance. There were hardly any shops, smallest island traders with nothing but the bare necessities like soap, dry goods, milk, butter and bread. A bakery sold fresh rolls, that was all. People had hardly any kitchens and I remember my mother at times cooking on a two flame propane gas stove on top of a sideboard for a family of five...There was of course no air condition and summer nights were often unbearably hot.
Don't get me wrong, we children loved it and the circumstances were such, that we did not wonder about it. We did not know any better. My parents must have surely felt different about it.
My grandmother told me of wonderful beach vacations, when they rented a villa for the season, lovely beach restaurants providing fresh seafood...
It all ended with the beginning of WWII.

Zempin, ca 1925

Fast forward more then forty years at Hilton Head Island: I am sitting under the slow moving fan at a wonderfully screened in second story porch, an Carolina peach ice tea in front of me, the soft breeze caressing me. I am looking through palms towards the sea, a minute away from the beach, pelicans overhead and nothing disturbing the summer peace but the cries of the sea gulls or the occasional sounds of children nearby splashing in the pool next door.

The house we've rented for the summer is large, my in-laws spending the summer with us, our teenage children having ample space for themselves and apart from a fully functionally home away from home - actually better - since I enjoy a lovely walk - in closet (!) we miss nothing. 

Thinking back to these days many years ago, when all we had as children was a shovel and sand bucket and perhaps a beach ball it still amazes me and I am so in awe of these summer perfect days we can enjoy now. I guess these memories and impressions are strong. Every time we find ourselves in these lovely circumstances I have to think about the summers of my youth. Of course it's me and my husband, since we both experienced similar upbringings, our children basically seeing it as perfectly normal....

Hilton Head is charming, we rented bikes for the weeks we are here and getting my morning coffee at a small cafe some minutes away by bike is a lovely ritual I have established by now. There is a different rhythm at the island. 

Lively activities very early in the mornings, when the heat is still bearable and joggers, bikers and dog owners share the beach or the perfectly laid out paths through lush vegetation. There are countless spots to eat small meals, breakfasts or dinners, markets sell the freshest produce: sweet juicy peaches, cool watermelons, ripe tomatoes, plums and apricots. I hardly ever get these kind of tasty fruits in New York.
The slow days are wonderful, no extensive planing is required, we sail through them casually and lazy, from beach to pool to riding our bikes along the backwaters through the Lowcountry...

I watch the birds. I am fascinated by the prehistoric feeling of the flying pelicans. They glide effortless, hardly ever flapping their wings, but instead getting carried by the warm currents and only occasionally diving into the sea to hunt for fish.
They look like bands of hooligans, a little rough, but I love them.
I see gulls, egrets, herons, South Carolina cardinals everywhere. It is simply a paradise.
The area around Hilton Head is also one of the largest breeding grounds for dolphins. They can be seen often. 

The island has a rich history reaching back to the days of slavery, plantations, cotton picking, rice planting and the Gullah culture is still witness to those long gone days.
Savannah is nearby, the wonderfully preserved city of the old South, were I have been walking for hours already under the live oak shaded streets and dreaming my way into living in one of these beautiful houses, the old French living culture alive all around me.

People are so welcoming and the Southern drawl is incredibly charming, the slowness of living so enticing.


Perhaps my yearning for beauty and colors, great homes and design stems from those years of missing it, longing for things I only could imagine or heard from stories my grandmother told me so many years ago.


I am deeply grateful.


Greetings from the Southern coast!
Victoria






Pictures by V.Zlotkowski and via google image.

new york by gehry

"at 265 meters (870 feet) high it joins the iconic manhattan skyline as the 8th highest tower in new york and the highest residential tower in the americas. the building’s exterior is covered with twirly stainless steel sheets looking like a fabric, that reflect a glare of changing light giving the “8 spruce st.” tower different appearances throughout the day."

urbanpeek.com