architecture category

Tham & Videg?rd Architecture: Tree hotel

Practically invisible amongst the trees, this brilliant and beautiful tree house is a concept thought up by Tham & Videg?rd Architecture.  It would be so fun to spend a night up there, don’t you think?

tham & videgard, architecture, sweden, treehouse, camoflage, thelooksee

tham & videgard, architecture, sweden, treehouse, camoflage, thelooksee

(via here)

Heather & Ivan Morison

I think this is some of the best sculptural work I’ve laid my eyes on in a while.  Their work is quite architectural in nature; even their kite sculptures appear to be futuristic buildings floating in the sky.  I spent so much time on their site looking at the animated gifs they made for each piece.  You should look at their site for more.

heather and ivan morison, sculpture, installation, architecture, art, thelooksee

heather and ivan morison, sculpture, installation, architecture, art, thelooksee

heather and ivan morison, sculpture, installation, architecture, art, thelooksee


heather and ivan morison, sculpture, installation, architecture, art, thelooksee

heather and ivan morison, sculpture, installation, architecture, art, thelooksee

(via here)

Jeannie Thib

How nice would it be to have this as a tile pattern somewhere in your house?  And by “your” I mean “my”.

jeannie thib, interior, art, installation, thelooksee

(via here)

Stalactites and stalagmites in an unlikely place

These lovely photos were taken in Russian sewage tunnels.  The colours, like the structures themselves, are caused by the build up of various types of minerals over time.  Unfortunately I’m not sure who actually took the photos, but look here to see more.

russian sewers, stalactite, stalagmite, geology, thelooksee

russian sewers, stalactite, stalagmite, geology, thelooksee

Leo Fabrizio: Swiss Bunkers

Absolutely fantastic.

bunkers, switzerland, leo fabrizio, architecture, war, thelooksee

bunkers, switzerland, leo fabrizio, architecture, war, thelooksee

bunkers, switzerland, leo fabrizio, architecture, war, thelooksee

(via here)

Machine Project: Christy McCaffrey and Sara Newey

Machine Project is a small, local not-for-profit gallery in Los Angeles…  my husband used to do design for them from time to time, and we still keep up on their goings on.  This most recent installation is pretty awesome.  Christy McCaffrey and Sara Newey turned the Machine Project space into a mini forest.  Can’t wait to check it out…

They turned this:

machine project, magic forest, christy mccaffrey, sara newey, gallery, exhibit, the looksee

Into this:

machine project, magic forest, christy mccaffrey, sara newey, gallery, exhibit, the looksee

Check out the Machine Project flickr set for more photos…  (btw, how lame is it that when I look at this, aside from thinking “Awesome!” my second thought is, “Have fun cleaning it up!”).

Weekend getaway: Ace Hotel and Swim Club

Sorry for the lack of posts- the hubby and I went out of town for our 3rd anniversary this weekend.  We headed out on Friday morning and got back yesterday.  It was a leisurely weekend at the newly opened Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs, mostly spent in the pool.  One day we ventured out into downtown Palm Springs, but I can’t really say that I felt there was much to report.  It’s one of those places that requires a local to show you the good stuff.   Anyway, we made good use of the Amigo Room and Kings Highway restaurant which are part of the Ace Hotel.

ace hotel, kings highway, swim club, amigo room, palm springs, the looksee

The Kings Highway Restaurant is very tasty… everything is presented in mason jars or glass bottles, which is lovely.  It has the atmosphere of old diner which has been revamped into a more cleanly-modern establishment.  My favourite meal was their ricotta pancakes with maple crunch butter.  When you order their coffee, you pay about $4 for a french press full of rich and delicious Stumptown coffee, perfect for a table of two.  Seth ordered their brisket burger and fries, which was apparently amazing.

ace hotel, kings highway, swim club, amigo room, palm springs, the looksee

ace hotel, kings highway, swim club, amigo room, palm springs, the looksee

ace hotel, kings highway, swim club, amigo room, palm springs, the looksee

Out by the pool we ordered boozy snowcones and beer.  Pretty awesome.  The Amigo Room bar had what seemed to be great drink specials on their menu like: “Whiskey Ginger”- Jameson Irish whiskey, honey, ginger juice & cinnamon tincture or “Dark and Stormy”- Appleton rum, Gosling rum, ginger beer & lime; sounds great right?  I came with the memory of my amazing Whiskey Ginger from Clyde Common in Portland (part of the Ace Hotel up there).  Unfortunately they were mixed poorly and were super sweet.  I suspect that the bartender had never actually sampled and of the drinks on their special menu.  I will cut them some slack since they just opened and are probably still training staff to make their special elixirs!

ace hotel, kings highway, swim club, amigo room, palm springs, the looksee

ace hotel, kings highway, swim club, amigo room, palm springs, the looksee

Anyway, it was a lovely place and we had a very relaxing time.  I totally recommend it if you need a little weekend away and you don’t want to do much but swim, drink, eat, and enjoy the company of your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse!

Next month’s reservations

I’m very excited.  My husband just booked us into the newly opened Ace Hotel in Palm Springs for our 3rd anniversary.  It looks like it will be beautiful.  Any specific suggestions as to what there is to do and see in Palm Springs?  I haven’t been there since I was a child, and all I remember are a lot of date stands where you can get things like “date shakes” (I guess that dates are something you can grow successfully in a desert).   Anyway, I’m totally looking forward to it!

ace hotel, patio_w_fireplace, palm springs, thelooksee

ace hotel, room, palm springs, thelooksee

Munro Eden Installation

I wish I were here…  I mean, how beautiful and intriguing is this installation!?

munro_eden-installation.jpg

Go here for the original article.

I love you, Buckminster Fuller

buckminster fuller, geodesic, flickr, dome

(from this great Flickr photostream by Nequest)