August 2009
7 posts
2 tags
The End of (What Feels Like) an Era
We can finally say we’ve hit a significant milestone. After months of work, the core design of the house is now complete. There are still a ton of little details to decide upon (like lighting placement, door patterns, and such), but the heavy lifting is behind us.
Posted below is a set of the key plans and sections. Let us know your thoughts.
We now have to take the next (scary) step and...
1 tag
Clouds of Discontent
It hasn’t been raining much. Most afternoons clouds roll in, promise rain, but never deliver. It’s like they have performance anxiety or something.
Finally after a week of repeated failures, it happened. Two days in a row no less! Since then, nothing. We return to lives of lowered expectations.
4 tags
Ensuring You Want It Enough
On one side of our eat in kitchen, we have a large 3x3m opening that looks out into the rear garden. Our plan is to transform this gap into a key “money shot” moment in our design. But how?
Looking around for inspiration, we found the pavilion at the Kampong Gardens in Coconut Grove, Florida.
Between brick columns, the architect has decided to erect wooden frames with no glass...
Did we mention we moved? Yes, our pioneer spirit died and we decided enough was enough. After scraping our wilted bodies off the dust-covered floors, we have traded up to a rental house near the Fiesta Americana. With luxuries like windows that open, doors that close and a roof that doesn’t leak, we are almost restored to our former selves.
La Cucaracha?
La cucaracha, la cucaracha…utter nonsense. In our house, they never arrive in the singular.
We are taking the inititive and have layed out poison traps. Do they work? Short of bombing the house, does anyone have any other tips?
2 tags
Curing a Craving for Deli Meats
One thing we miss from our former lives in San Francisco is good deli meat. What we wouldn’t give at times for a few slices of top-quality speck or sopressata. This craving led us to buy this book and embark upon some meat-curing projects. Pictured above is our first attempt at pancetta.
It started out simply enough - just cover some pork belly (thank you Mercado Municipal) in a curing...
4 tags
Staging a Vista
While walking along Collins Avenue in South Beach, Miami, we passed by an alcove running alongside a hotel.
We were inspired by the way this space is carved with long paths that accentuate the depth of the site. We also liked how the bodega sits nestled within the greenery, framing the line of umbrellas and drawing the eye toward the mystery beyond.
Like many properties in Mérida, our property...