All Houses
“Remarkable Folly” – The Dunmore Pineapple
This place has two things going for it, as far as I can see. One, it’s in Scotland, which is a heavenly place. Two, it’s really old, and you know how we love OLD stuff. One thing that is questionable, however, if the ginormous pineapple that sits atop its central tower. What is that thing for? Who thought that was a good idea? Apparently John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, thought... [Read more]
Who Needs Space? Tiny Apartments
My first apartment was an efficiency apartment with lovely 11 foot ceilings but a total of about 500 square feet. I thought it was tiny. The kitchen was part of the bedroom, and ran along one wall with a refrigerator, sink, stove and two cabinets. I couldn’t cook without making my sheets smell like whatever I was cooking. After doing a little research, I’ve discovered that plenty... [Read more]
Airplane Homes – A New Trend?
We’ve heard of people living in trees, people living in caves, and even more unconventional housing, but here is a new one that is really cool – but cramped. Airplane homes! We read about this on a website that is one of our faves. Airplane living would be a little restrictive – sure. The square footage is limited, the windows are small (but plentiful!) and the flow is a little... [Read more]
A Daimyo’s Home – Matsumoto Castle
A short train ride from Tokyo will take you to the city of Matsumoto, and to Matsumoto Castle. One of Japan’s most stunning castles, Matsumoto Castle (also called Matsumotojo) was built during the Sengoku peroid – which is dubbed the Warring States period. It was a time of conflict in Japan that stretched from the mid-15th century to the start of the 17th century. During this time,... [Read more]
Hundertwasser House – An Austrian Masterpiece
The Hundertwasserhaus (of Hundertwasserhaus) has become a cultural landmark not just in Vienna where it is located, but for the entire country of Austria. This is despite the property only being built in the early 1980’s. The building was the brainchild of academic architects, Professor Joseph Krawina and Peter Pelikan who conceived a property made of deliberately, uneven floors and living materials... [Read more]
Cincinnati’s Mushroom House
Obviously, we love it when an architect has an imagination. Terry Brown, a pretty famous architect, had a great big imagination – not just for the homes he designed for others, but for the home he made for himself. It’s called The Mushroom House (though some people call it The Tree House) and it’s located in the Hyde Park area of Cincinnati, Ohio. Lucky for Brown, Hyde Park is... [Read more]
Eliphante & Hippodome – Found Objects Into Art
In 1979, Michael Kahn and Leda Livant moved to a rural three-acre plot of land in Cornville, Arizona. Allowed to stay on the property rent-free, Kahn and Livant started building what would become Eliphante immediately, living in an 8′ x 10′ wooden shack that Michael had thrown up to keep them safe during the winter. It had no plumbing, no electricity, and Leda says it was the best... [Read more]
Camouflage: Hiding the House!
Home designers may focus on the setting for their designs but the ideal for ecologically sound development is simply minimizing or completely negating the impact of development. Making the house “disappear” by blending the development into the surrounding landscape is one design development finding a degree of credibility after a shaky start. Painting existing development can be used to... [Read more]
World’s Tallest Log Cabin – The Wooden Skyscraper
The World’s Tallest Log Cabin – The Wooden Skyscraper photo by the constant skeptic He is Nikolai Sutyagin. He is a man who has seen it all. Well, if not “all”, he’s seen quite a lot. He was born and raised in a lowly communal flat in Arkhangelsk, Russia. That’s in the northern part of European Russia, near the White Sea. He got in some trouble at the tender... [Read more]
Smith Tower – The Penthouse Suite
photo by by Dizzy Atmosphere Smith Tower was built in 1914, and named after the guy from Smith Corona - you know, typewriters and guns? His name was Lyman Cornelius Smith and he set out to build the tallest building in Seattle. That sort of went out the window when they built the Space Needle, but ol’ Lyman was long gone by then, so he didn’t care. In fact, he didn’t live... [Read more]
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