CLEARLY AMAZING DESIGN

I'm actually taking the day off today...happy 11-11-11!!  Does anyone else think this day is just too cool to pass up the chance to celebrate?  The fact that it falls on Fri. just makes it irresistible. 

But, I didn't want to leave you high and dry so....I found some rather random, yet inspiring, transparent design.   Let's begin with conservatories/greenhouses.....

A room with glass walls and a glass roof, the conservatory originated in the 16th century when wealthy landowners wished to grow citrus fruits, such as lemons and oranges, after returning from visits to warmer climates where such fruits grew naturally.

The 19th century was the golden age of the conservatory in England.  With the English love of gardening, and new technologies in glass and heating, the greenhouse became ubiquitous in the English countryside.



Okay, so this is actually a poolhouse not a greenhouse, but clearly the inspiration is there.



Moving on the aquariums.   I've never been a big fan of fish tanks/aquariums in private homes, something about seeing those fish swimming back and forth, back and forth, just seems sad.  The following aquariums, however, are more like fancy resort hotels....for fish.

On to ice hotels....made of snow, sculpted blocks of ice, and steel framing, ice hotels are indeed temporary.

In this Swedish Ice Hotel even the glassware in the bar is made from ice.

Sub-freezing temperatures are required during construction and operation of ice hotels.  For obvious reasons each hotel must be reconstructed every year of it's operation.

This is actually an ice chapel.  Notice the fur throws on the seating.

Just for fun, just because it's Friday.....beautiful ice sculptures!   Man, people are truly amazing.

My favorite thing I've seen all week.  Charming!!

Braxton and I have had a thing for multiple 1's ever since college...not sure why, but we always take them as a good sign.  What could be a better sign than 11-11-11?

Have a beautiful weekend.
YANCEY

HERE COMES THE RAIN

 Let's take our transparent rain gear for a walk in the ....rain.

 "And when it rains on your parade look up rather than down.  Without the rain, there would be no rainbow"
Gilbert Chesterton

 "Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky"
Rabindranath Tagore

 "I can see clearly now, the rain has gone.  I can see all obstacles in my way"
Johnny Nash

 "I love the rain.  I want the feeling of it on my face"
Katherine Mansfield

"Into each life some rain must fall"
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby"
Langston Hughes

When I was in Jr. High School I had a clear plastic bubble umbrella....have you ever had transparent rain gear? 

Have a beautiful day.
YANCEY

PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES.....

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a very private person, strange for a blogger I know.  Yet, I do have a fascination with glass houses.  Pretty certain I wouldn't be comfortable living in one, but oh my God are these houses beautiful.   Let's look...

I love the roof line on this one, and the indoor/outdoor feel thanks to the pond and garden just beyond the glass.

 The following glass house, which is an example of one of the earliest uses of industrial materials such as glass and steel in home design, was designed my Philip Johnson in 1949 in New Canaan Connecticut.  The house, located behind a stone wall and mostly hidden from public view, was the weekend retreat of Mr. Johnson for 58 years.

The following four pictures are of a concept house built by Carlo Santambrogio and Ennio Arosio designed to showcase a line of modern glass furniture by the Italian Company Santambrogiomilano.  Obviously not intended to actually be lived in, this house is a work of art and shows what can happen when art and architecture collide.  Practical? No. Beautiful? Oh hell yes.

 I'm  pretty certain there are not enough fur blankets and pots of hot tea in the world to keep me warm in this house.  On the flip side can you imagine how hot this would be in the summer?

 All this glass seems beautifully disorienting to me... like a dream.

The dream house in my head looks a lot like this one.

This mountain home in Boulder Colorado was designed by architect Matthew McMullen, and is actually currently on the market.

 "People who live in glass houses don't have much of a sex life"  Tom Best

This is the Santambrogio house from the outside.

 "People who live in glass houses have to answer the bell"  Bruce Patterson

What do you think?  Could you live in a glass house?  These pictures conjure up so many questions....where do you hang your art?....How do you heat/cool a glass house?...Where would the cat hide when visitors come?
Have a beautiful day.
YANCEY