New-Look Residential Architecture Crops Up in Rural Areas

Irwin Weiner ASID - I enjoy seeing new home architecture pop up in unlikely places. Rural, farm country is usually a bastion of older vernacular styles, but homeowners and architects are changing the landscape, dotting it with newer homes that fit in with the old, but provide sly twists that give them startling contemporary features.  

OFIS_Architects (Slovenia) designed their Alpine Hut to fit in with other rural buildings. They used local wood and timber. But there are energy- and water-saving features and clean, fresh lines and windows - not to mention a Dwell-like interior that's anything but "rural" - that make this project starkly modern. (And as you can see at top, Dwell magazine showcased a modern Missouri farmhouse style home on a recent cover.) Explore the Alpine Hut project from OFIS in today's featured video.

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Amazing French Sculptural Fireplaces from Focus Creation

Irwin Weiner ASID - Creative fireplace scuptor/designer Dominique Imbert has a talent for crafting suspended, telescoping, and otherwise gorgeous modern fireplaces.

The French company Focus Creation is now distributing its products here in North America through Canadian custom fireplace distributors CF + D. Click on each beautiful model for more product designs and specifications on their suspended, built-in, and wall mounted fireplaces. 

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House for Sale, Filled with Memories

Irwin Weiner ASID - This month's Design2Share banner is a shot of my master bedroom by the amazing architectural photographer Chris Cooper. The reason for this banner instead of our usual focus on home goods and furnishings? My partner and I decided three weeks ago to sell our Pennsylvania country house after ten years.

The reasons for not selling would fill a long list: 10 years of wonderful memories, a beautiful garden, a home that's fixed up just right and just the right size, wonderful neighbors, a sleepy Delaware River town close enough to every convenience but distant enough to be a peaceful and relaxing retreat. Overall, a perfect country retreat only an hour and a half from Manhattan, centrally located between NYC and Philadelphia.

But one "let's sell" reason outweighed the others: we've run out of projects and ways to fix up the house and property. Our D2S readers know how much Jay and I enjoy DIY and makeover projects for the home, and our list ran out.

We could spend much more on expanding the extensive gardens, but to what point? The Derek Sutphin designed master landscape plan, boasting two secret garden rooms, is a delight as it is.

It's time for someone else to enjoy this beautiful home. Which brings me to the ultimate reason for this post. I wanted to somehow formally say good-bye to a house that's filled with good memories. Dinners by candlelight with a roaring fire going in the fireplace.

The discovery during remodeling that the original structure was actually a "barge house," the framing made from decommissioned barge boards from the Delaware Canal. The thrill of having a totally renovated modern kitchen - there's nothing like cooking and entertaining!

The beautiful displays of flowers and leaves through the growing season, with meals out on the patio. Pool parties. Falling asleep on the porch swing.

We know we'll have regrets when we move, but we'll also have immense satisfaction in knowing that we were excellent stewards of our Bucks County PA home ... and that we'll have more real estate adventures (in the same area - we love it in Bucks) with a new fixer-upper home, filled to brim with projects to tackle. Click here or on any of the photos above for more information on our PA house and a 25-photo slideshow.

The Bright Future of Lighting: Charles Loomis

Irwin Weiner ASID - When home goods are created by true artists, we all have cause to celebrate. In a recent trip to The Bright Group showroom at the New York Design Center, I was struck by the incredible sculptural beauty of their Charles Loomis lighting line. First, let me say that it's smart for Bright to carry product lines with an ethos similar to their in-house Bright Chair line: lines created primarily in America that are manufactured with skilled craftsmanship, artistry, responsibility, and one-of-a-kind attention. 

Scala Sconce

The Organza Pendant in the top photo, is a great example of that ethos in action. Loomis is the artist and master craftsman of his own line. He based the overall design of this piece on his daughter's wedding gown, and his kiln-formed diffusers (in blue glass version above) mimic the diaphonous gown she wore when he gave her away. A father's love for his daughter became a craftsman's inspiration, and that is precisely the kind of story I want to tell a client who's looking for a new light fixture! The piece has passion and vision, and that will help me convey its ultimate value. Here are some other favorite pieces; click on the photos for more information, or visit one of The Bright Group showrooms to be dazzled by the bright future of lighting. 

Zaffiro Sconce

Dahlia PendantStix Pendant

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