Posted in Architecture, Details, Materials on September 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Left: Original fir plank floors (more durable the pine, typically found in houses of the period); stripped wood surfaces treated with iron sulphate, a chemical process (as opposed to a stain), creating a variegated surface. Below: Zinc patches cover damaged areas.
Posted in Bath, Design, Kitchen on September 27, 2011| 2 Comments »
Above, left: The farm-house sink is a refreshing alternative to the ubiquitous double, stainless-steel sink. Source: Shaws of Darwen sinks from England. Right: Kitchen by Tim Barber on Houzz.
Top left: Lacava’s 5074 Aquamedia Washbasin in white porcelain measures 10.25 by 19.75 by 7 inches; the wall-mounted version includes a towel bar; $390 at Faucet Farm.
Bottom left: Duravit Cassia Kitchen sink 751311 built-in version Cassia 80 countertop basin, with overflow, with tap platform, cable-driven waste chrome, included, reversible
Right: The Whitehaus Wall-Mounted Basin measures approximately 20 by 10 by 5 inches and is available with a chrome towel bar; $258.75 at eFaucets.
The Showerbasin by Roca is a smart, space-efficient bathroom essential which combines shower and sink into one. Ideal for small bathrooms in compact homes or condos, the shower-basin combo only takes up half the space of traditional bathroom suites, but delivers double the function. A Maxiclean shower enclosure comes in the choice of a central or corner design, with its entrance positioned either on the left- of right-hand side to suit your bathroom layout. Inside you’ll find the shower tray, and a shower column with fixtures on the interior and a mirror on the exterior. On the other side of the glass is the stylish wash basin, and vanity mirror above it comes equipped with a demister and integrated light. A furniture storage unit below the washbasin puts towels and toiletries within easy reach. The clean and contemporary look combined with compact convenience make shower-basin combo a must. For details visit Roca.
This trendy stainless steel Totem FO2000 shower is equally suitable for hot and cold water. It stands tall like any ordinary shower but you can equip it with a sink, mirror, towel holder, sink and towel accessories holder, iroko wood anti slip footboard and a footstall. On request, the taps can be customized accordingly. The product is available at a price of $5.300. Source: Living-With-Style
Posted in Electronics on September 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Smart phone–controlled thermostat. The Nest Learning Thermostat does a lot of neat tricks, and the ability to be controlled from a smart phone is just one of them.
The beautiful, futuristic-looking round Nest replaces your old thermostat. It’s a little computer that connects through your home network via Wi-Fi. It downloads its own software updates, for example. So when the company improves the software, your thermostat automatically improves, too.
The best thing the Nest does is learn. Here’s how it works. You just set the temperature as you normally would, either at the device, on the web or on your phone. The thermostat keeps track of the temperature and humidity conditions that exist when you change the temperature, as well as the time of day and other variables. $250 from Amazon.
CNET: Changes that Nest introduced today make Nest’s iOS and Android apps informative, too. WIRED: Brave New Thermostat: How the iPod’s Creator Is Making Home Heating Sexy.
Posted in Architecture, Bath, Details, Images + Videos, Materials, tagged Corian, Evans & Paul on September 1, 2011| 1 Comment »
Vodpod videos no longer available.
“Husband-and-wife architecture team Yoshiko Sato and Michael Morris open the doors to their newly constructed home on Shelter Island in New York. The pair teamed up with Evans+Paul to fabricate a custom bathtub and vanity using Corian and LED technology, creating a quiet and contemplative weekend retreat.”—DWELL
NOTE: I worked with Evans + Paul on several occasions and visited their shop out in Queens. They do great work with Corian. We may want to have them customized something in the pool house.—SH
New York-based architectural firm has designed the Morris Sato Studio YN-13 House, located at 55 Gardiners Bay Drive, Hay Beach, Shelter Island. The 6,000 square-foot house was held at the site as three independent volumes (main, guest house, and garage) enclose a swimming pool and a courtyard, is understood as a floating mass and inspired by the historic residential structures of Japan in Kyoto and Kanazawa, leather finished in bleached cedar wood and vertical board siding stainless steel roof joined to form an integrated textured appearance between the walls and roof. Understood as a floating mass and inspired by the historic residential structures of Japan in Kyoto and Kanazawa, the siding and vertical wood boards joined with a layer of standing from terne coated stainless steel roof to visually unify the walls and roof surfaces.
The architects specified Follansbee’s TCS Satin for roofing on the main house, guest house and two car garage. The striking two-storied, six-bedroom main house features a pitched roof with a biased cut and protruding corners. TCS Satin is a stainless steel substrate that is plated with Follansbee’s patented ZT (zinc/tin) Alloy® and is micro-embossed with a low-sheen, gray, patina finish. The material does not require painting and is fully solderable, providing long-lasting joints and durability. The advanced qualities of this product include a non-reflective, textured finish, greater formability, competitive pricing and unprecedented corrosion resistance compared to most roofing materials.
Posted in Architecture, Details, Materials on September 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Bridgehampton House (below) by Stelle Architects
“A garage and a two-story house is clad in horizontal slats of Alaskan yellow cedar and anodized aluminum windows. The natural dunescape was restored with beach grass, bayberry and other native plants. The remodeled house and guesthouse are equipped with geothermal heating/cooling and photovoltaic electric panels.”
Vale House (below) by Australian architects Choi Ropiha Fighera
Narrabeen House by Choi Ropiha Fighera
Northwest Peach Farm, East Hampton, by Bates Masi Architects
“The copper siding and roofing will slowly turn green as the weathering limestone becomes darker. However, the window system will stand the test of time unchanged. An English company has manufactured the same industrial steel windows for over 150 years and many early examples are still in tact.”
See also:
YN-13 House, Shelter Island, by Morris Sato Studio
Hildreth Lane, Bridgehampton 