The reinvented longhouse

You will soon discover that I kind of have a thing for long narrow homes. This 1700 sqft longhouse on the coast of California is no exception. Maybe I am so fond of them because they are reminiscent of the longhouses you find here in NW, I even remember building them with sticks in the backyard when I was young, I suppose it's safe to say that's where my obsession began. Both are long simple cedar buildings connected to nature but I suppose that's where the similarities end. This reinvented longhouse is built by the talented architecture/design group Turnbull Griffen Haesloop. They are well known for building sustainable and site sensitive homes as well as wineries, churches, libraries and independent schools. I could see myself living in so many of their beautiful eco conscious homes.

On a completely unrelated subject I just realized that I started this blog just 32 days ago! I am enjoying it very much and hope you are too ; )

Keeping it real

Sometimes finding products that are not only good for you but good for the environment can be tougher than you think. But Jack and Joe from the windy city figured out how to make a kick ass product while kicking carbons ass. I love that they'll hop on their bike and deliver to your local Chicago shop and check out those re-purposed and reusable wood boxes, pretty dandy!
Here's what this dedicated duo have to say about their low impact company:

"At Chicago's own Ethically Engineered our goal is to produce products with a complete ecological rotation perspective. From the construction of our products, to the ingredients, to the packaging that is discarded after it's use, this company works to ensure a viable and sustainable product with little to no impact on the bio-sphere."
Save 10% off by using coupon code BIKE2WORK (through March 31st)

All the right moves

Standing high above the floodplain this 1000 sqft weekend home by Architects Olson Kundig has all the right moves. The 18 foot tall steel shutters on the exterior can slide open when the owners are there and then slide shut when they head back to their weekday home hours away. The ritual of opening and closing the home is a lovely way to say hello or goodbye to your weekend.

Home Spa

via here

I am not one to go soak in the tub to relax, I'm more of a shower kind of gal. But if I was ever tempted to go for a dip, this is the bathroom I would do it in! I love the simple natural lines of both the soaking tub and the wood tub as well as the bathrooms seamless connection to nature. Our dream is to someday live off the grid and have either a Japanese soaking tub or one of the lovely cedar tubs shown above(they are heated with a small wood stove). I bet they even smell nice.

get the look:
chair, soap cozy, candle, towel, stool, pillow, shaving kit, hanging pod, bench

Dreaming about living on a modern farm....

 

via remodelista , landscape here

via wim goes

via birdseye

via buro

via building green in Vermont

all this talk about getting chickens got me dreaming about farm living again. we actually almost moved out to the "country" last year, okay really it was just a small island a ferry boat away from the "big" city of seattle but there are farms and rolling hills over there, so we'll call it the country. i kept dreaming about moving into an old farmhouse and completely remodeling it to be my version of the modern day farmhouse, but alas we did not move and my dreams would have to be on hold for a while. but if we had moved into a farmhouse it would have looked something like the ones above.... or close to it.

new shoes = new must haves

i have been looking for the perfect pair of vintage Sperry shoes and finally found them for an awesome price! and because they are vintage the leather will already be yummy and worn. but now i'm left day dreaming about all the cute stuff i could get to go with them. unfortunately it'll just be window shopping until my "gotta have it" budget goes up a few bucks.

my perfect by the sea Spring look(clockwise from top left corner):

sweater , bracelet, gingham blouse, seagull necklace, whale necklace, stripe sweater, bag, 
signet ring (ps mine would have an anchor or a narwhal stamped on it), chunky signet ring, souk stripe shirt

DIY day!

diy geometric necklace from dismount creative via design crush

diy dream catcher from modish via design crush

diy chandelier from lindsey adelman via the brick house

diy friendship necklace via honestly WTF

diy firewood carrier via a foothill home companion. PS i want those chickens!

Haunted

where are his shoes?

I am completely haunted by these photos of "crooks" from the 1920's. It's hard to believe that the police captured such provoking photos just to document "individuals they thought were, or were likely to become, professional criminals." Do you think they sent out a lovely invitation to each one cordially inviting them to dress in their finest and come down to the station for a professional portrait? Can you imagine Lindsay Lohans mug shot looking this evocative, I can't. The last photo reminds me of Twin Peaks for some reason.
The book Crooks like us. Photos via here and more info here.