Haunted House

In the spirit of Halloween, I thought I'd show this crazy 'haunted house'. This is the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. It was constructed by Sarah Winchester, the wife of William Winchester, heir to a rifle fortune. Legend has it that when Sarah's infant died, she became depressed. This depression got worse when her husband passed years later. She saw a medium who said that she and her family had been haunted by the spirits of the dead who died from the rifles her family made. The medium told her the only way to get rid of the spirits was to build a house for them and never stop building it. As long as she kept building, her life would be saved.

She moved to San Jose and for the next 38 years, never stopped building the Winchester House. The place is enormous. The house is built with mazes, dead ends and secret passageways. It was designed this way as a means for the spirits to get lost. When she died, the house was spread out over six acres and included 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 staircases, 47 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms and kitchens. Are you kidding me? The house is a tourist destination now and is supposedly haunted. Such a crazy story.

(pictures via Winchester Mystery House)

Corrugated Metal

Here is a cool application for a covered porch if you want something a little different. Corrugated metal roofing with the exposed rafters. It could turn into a love/hate thing too depending on where you live and how you use it. I'm referring to rain. It can get loud so get ready. It comes new but you can easily find some great salvaged materials if you want a little more of a rustic look. They also did a nice custom job with the gutters in this photo. It's a nice touch, but not necessary. Again, it's about making it work for you and how you want to utilize the space.

photo via Design Studio Modern

Building & Architecture in the Utah Desert

This is Design Build Bluff and it was started by Hank Louis at the University of Utah School of Architecture. It's about designing and building sustainable, low maintenance, cost effective houses in the Navajo Nation in Southern Utah. I love it and think it's brilliant. It started as a project to promote hands-on experience in building and architecture back in 2000 and totally took off.
The program involves 22 grad students (they built the model in the photo above) who live out in Bluff, Utah for a semester and build a home for a member of the Navajo Nation. So crazy. I think it sounds amazing. Now before they head out to the desert to build, they spend the entire previous semester selecting a family in need of a home and then work closely with them to customize it to fit their specific needs. It's such a cool program and the stories behind the families are so good. It's worth checking out.


Design Build Bluff


Hank Louis


photos via Design Build Bluff

Italian Restaurant Remodel

This is the Santa Marta Restaurant in Mazze, Italy. It's a historic chapel dating back to the 18th century that they restored and converted into this restaurant and bar. I like the contemporary, edgy feel to the space. The brickwork and the vaulting of the original ceilings, however, are what make the space. So crazy, yet so normal for that location and time period. I'm sure the food is amazing too. Italian food. Italian architecture. So good.

photos via Arch Daily

Custom and Efficient

Is it about quality of life or is it about square footage? I feel as though people are starting to really evaluate that question more and more. There has been a ton of talk lately about the demise of the McMansion. I agree. It's dead. Don't get me wrong, people will still build large, bad ass homes - no doubt. And I'll gladly help you do it. However, I feel the mind set it totally different. When I think of building for the quality of life, I immediately considered it a custom home. It makes no difference how big or small. It's about how you will use the space, and being efficient in how the contractor and designer will bring it all together.

If you're interested, the New York Times has a unique article about the smaller more efficient home.

photo by Tim Capaldi

Corktown

This is Slows. It's this sweet BBQ place in Corktown, just outside of downtown Detroit. I read this article yesterday in the New York Times and immediately was inspired. If you're not from the area, you should still check out the article.

This is the Michigan Central Station. It's also in Corktown, almost right across the street from Slows. I posted about abandoned buildings in Detroit and I probably will again sometime soon. It's not because it's an easy target. It's just because I believe in this city.

photos via Metromode (Peter Schottenfels) and Big American Night

Local and European Farmhouse

This is a sweet little weekend/vacation farmhouse in Vermont by the Boston-based architectural firm Albert, Righter & Tittmann (AR&T). It's actually not that little but I think the character of this place is so cool. The owner wanted the house to feel like it belonged in Vermont yet also wanted to give some love to his German heritage. As you approach the house you have that farmhouse feel with the white clapboard siding, the pair of green shutters, the square porch posts and the eaves without flat soffits.

On the rear of the house they brought in some of the European elements with the bracketed overhangs and the tall french doors.

Then you throw in this red barn that is linked to the main house with locally hand hewn, rustic cedar columns. So well done. They really did an amazing job linking the history and tradition from the owner to the architectural styles. Very cool.

photos via Period Homes, Robert Benson Photography