Clearhouse in Shelter Island by Stuart Parr Design

Posted by Alex Tintea

Clearhouse is a modern one story residence,  suspended over the ground level. The lack of regular walls favours surprising views. The lush surroundings are the perfect place to go for a walk and rediscover the simple things in life. The lovely, emerald green environment helps you feel rejuvenated and clear your mind. Its unusual walls exhales transparency and it makes it look that there is no border between the nature, the enviorment, and the habitable place. The suspended fireplace creates a truly amazing atmosphere and the clear, crisp and spacious interior transform this living space into a dream home.






http://smokingdesigners.com/clearhouse-shelter-island-stuart-parr-design/

Stalking warehouses with cute little courtyards

by midcenturyjo 

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE a warehouse conversion. I love the space and the industrial remnants, the soaring ceilings and the often inner city location. It's gritty luxury and oh so hip but ... sometimes, just sometimes you need a little green space, an outdoor area to sit and see the sky and smell the smog fresh air. Now this warehouse has the perfect courtyard. I'd like to see this one in person. I have a feeling that its limited colour palette is a lot more serene and elegant than the photos suggest. But maybe, just maybe I'd throw a little dash of colour here or there. Link here while it lasts.
 

http://www.desiretoinspire.net/blog/2012/3/23/stalking-warehouses-with-cute-little-courtyards.html

Bathroom Ideas from Home Design Board

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Chuck, a flexible bookshelf

A creative shelf that adapts to the books you put in it, created by Hafriko.

http://www.designer-daily.com/chuck-a-flexible-bookshelf-34804

England’s Abandoned Rock Houses

I don’t watch Downton Abbey, but if it were set inside houses like these, I think I probably would! Welcome to Holy Austin Rock in Staffordshire, England. These medieval cave houses carved from sandstone were abandoned by the last residents in the 1960s, but people were living happily inside them for over three centuries before that, possibly even earlier.

(c) Gethin Thomas

Today the National Trust has faithfully restored the houses belonging to the last near dozen families that lived in the community, using early photographs, postcards and records to re-create what the houses would have been like in the late Victorian-era.

Kinver Edge Holy Austin Rock, around the 1890s via here

The first official records of the Rock Houses appears in an 18th century book with a very long-winded tite, ‘Letters on the Beauties of Hagley, Envil and The Leasowes with critical remarks and Observations on the Modern Taste in Gardening‘ by Joseph Healey. In the book, Joseph gets caught in a thunderstorm when he finds the cave homes and asks to take shelter. He describes the homes as well-furnished,  ”curious, warm and commodious and the garden extremely pretty”.  Joseph also notes that the residents had access to water and were extremely welcoming, and proud of their homes, delighted even to recount the stories of their ancestors who had built them.

(c) Nick Garrod

With stunning views over the woodland from the rosy sandstone ridge, these white-washed houses are something out of a storybook. In fact, the Britain Explorer website believes they might just be part of a vert well-known storybook published in 1937, The Hobbit.

Britain Explorer recalls the opening line of Tolkein’s book:

“The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats – the hobbit was fond of visitors.”

(c) El Bingle
The English author “was famously reluctant to name the places that inspired his stories”, notes Britain Explorer, “There are so many similarities between the 18th Century Holy Austin Rock Houses and Tolkien’s description of the Hobbit holes that it becomes an obvious assumption that he must have seen or read about these remarkable dwellings.”

Being the last occupied troglodyte dwellings in Britain, Holy Austin rock has been an off-beat tourist attraction since Edwardian times. Residents would welcome visitors and serve refreshments like an unofficial café, right in their living room or in their front gardens with views of the English countryside.

(c) Beautiful England

Sadly, there are no cave dwellers to welcome tourists today. A single cafe remained open until 1967, by which time all other families had moved away and their homes had already begun to decay. The majority of residents left their homes between 1900 and 1935 to find work in cities following several years of an economic crises in the area which halted the local ironworks production.

Graffiti taggers and local teenagers made their mark on the empty caves until 1968, when they were sealed off, deemed a safety hazard and a seemingly forgotten by England. Over 20 years later, funds were made available by the National Trust to embark on an ambition restoration project as the caves were declared a national treasure.

There is one resident however who never left the caves of holy austin rock: the Lesser Horshoe Bat. According to Britain Explorer, some of the caves have been colonised by the rare species which has been declining in recent years but found a new home in the sandstone dwellings. But fear not (unless of course you have a deathly fear of bats), because their habitat is being carefully protected alongside continued restoration of the nearby houses.

(c) Andrew Boxall

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/06/25/downton-abbey-meets-the-flintstones-englands-abandoned-rock-houses/

Look No Further! Imagine Living In The Heart Of Toronto

Check out this website I found at homesite.obeo.com

Winterfolk Performances

Winterfolk showcases

Date: February 15, 2013

Venue: Delta Chelsea Inn- 33 Gerrard St W, Toronto

Two performances on Feb 15, 7 pm and 11 pm

The early performance is a workshop with the fabulous Quique Escamilla, exploring our Spanish songs, the second a very special presentation blending Latin and adult contemporary songwriting with south Indian classical motifs and ragas, world music at it’s finest. Exotic and mysterious, my very special guest will be Subhadra Vijaykumar

Subhadra  is the Founder and Artistic Director of Radha Academy of Carnatic Violin, an institute founded with a view to imparting quality training in the finest traditions of Carnatic violin playing.

She comes from a family with strong musical traditions and holds a first-class diploma in violin from the prestigious Bharatiya Music and Arts Society’s Music College in Mumbai, India. She has trained under the internationally renowned soloist and maestro Professor T.N. Krishnan. She has accompanied many great artists, participated in orchestras for Bharatanatyam dance performances, has given lecture-demonstrations, as well as given solo recitals. These have been for noted organizations and at major venues across Canada, the far East, and England.

She is currently a faculty member at the Royal Conservatory of Music. I am truly honoured to be colaborating with Subhadra!

The Winterfolk festival is a free festival and features 150 artists in 4 stages within the Delta Chelsea hotel.

Come support quality music, Roots, Blues, Jazz Folk, and World music!

 

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via laurafernandezmusic.com