You Must Chill

I don't think it'd be too difficult to get into my zone if I had access to such a fine example of sleek modernism with all it's clean lines and seaside vistas and oh hello, yes, that poooooool. But sometimes when I think of the phrase "chill out," one of my favorite lines from Say Anything comes to mind. And then I giggle. I love you John Cusack.

Images from Elle Decor Italia via iiiinspired // Layout by NS

Solitary Landscapes

I have this thing for moody, minimalist landscapes. I like how lonely and sad they can be. Weird, right? Anyway, I was Instagramming like crazy this past week while Jim and I were up in Michigan. Here are two of my favorites.

Photos and layout by NS.

The Geometry of It

A very brief explanation of the brilliance of the Twins: Houses in Five Parts project by William O'Brien Jr.: there are two houses sitting in relation to each other, each one made out of five shapes and in direct relation to the landscape. There's a strong mathematical configuration to them, which is why my brain maxes out shortly after reading "the adjacencies between the five shapes are different within each of the regular polygons, as are their orientations relative to the outer perimeters of the polygons." 

Er, yeah. 

Also, they are awesome. And minimal, pure, clean...all those wonderful adjectives. Can you imagine sitting with a hot mug of tea gazing out the massive picture windows?! In all four seasons?! I totally can. Which is why I'm sending out this message into the blogosphere/world wide webbage to anyone listening who knows someone who knows someone and feels like having me and my husband up as house guests for a weekend. We're very tidy people. We do our own dishes. And we really love kickass architecture. 

Photos by Peter Guthrie. Layout + type by NS.

Glass Houses

Jim and I took a scenic drive out to Plano, Illinois this weekend to visit Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House. It was a sunny day in every sense. And those proportions Mies was so famous for perfecting? It's real. And it feels like nothing else I've ever experienced. If you live even somewhat nearby, you don't want to miss it.

Photos by NS.

Li'l bit country, li'l bit rough

I like things that are weathered...textured. Those flaws always seems to draw me nearer. Maybe I'm looking for the stories that hide in those scuff marks. There must be so many.

Swedish country house // Coat hooks // Sink // Al fresco dining