Full Exposure/Part 1

Here I go again, if you follow my blog, I love, love, love glass houses!!!!!!
People who live in glass houses …

A modernist statement — the use of industrial materials such as glass and steel for domestic home construction .

These homes blur the line between indoor and outdoor spaces and are studies in transparency and reflection.
The saying that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones predates the building of the first glass home, but it certainly is good advice for anyone looking to live in one.
Glass homes continue to make statements in residential design, though it does take a certain kind of person to feel comfortable with all that exposure. Life in a modernist fishbowl requires either a lot of chutzpah or plenty of private acreage — not to mention some tight security to keep those gawkers away.
For now, take a look at the best see-through homes on the market.



This is MY choice, love the white and clean lines, I'm ready to move in!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Glass Pavilion

This Montecito, Calif., home was designed by Phillip Steve Hermann, who also designed homes for singer Christina Aquilera and comedian Lenny Bruce. It's going for a cool $35 million.

The Glass Pavilion is set within a 3.5-acre estate of oak groves in one of the wealthiest communities in the U.S. Inside – if you can call it that – is more than 14,000 square feet of living space.


WOW, WOW, I LOVE this room!!!!!!!!!!! Takes my breath away!!!!

The foundation

The home is almost entirely constructed of glass, with massive structural steel beams, and took six years to build. The large glass panels are Star Fire Glass, an incredibly clear glass often used for jewelry displays. The multiple fireplaces are made of statuary marble.

Extra space

The home has five bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, a grand hallway and a large wine room. It also includes an art gallery where the architect, who designed the home for himself, displays his vintage car collection. The space accommodates more than 30 cars within its walnut-lined walls.



First of all you will need a lot of acreage for privacy, but I could do this...talk about serenity!!!!!

The view

Bathe within full view of the outdoors in an Antonio Lupi free-standing tub. Fortunately, there is plenty of security to keep the peeping toms at bay. The home is in a gated estate at the end of a long driveway and comes equipped with a high-tech security system.

Slide show:  10 superexclusive gated

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Glass Walls

About NanaWall®

Perceiving an unmet need for flexible solutions to large architectural openings, the founders of Nana Wall Systems delivered their first wood-framed, opening glass wall in 1986. Three years later, Nana Wall Systems, Inc. was incorporated, with the mission of finding, creating, and delivering an ever-broadening array of flexible design solutions. In 1996, Nana Wall Systems entered into partnership with Solarlux of Germany, the world leader in operable glass wall technology. Today, with manufacturer's representatives throughout the continent, Nana Wall Systems is the dominant provider of opening glass walls in North America.

A Diverse and Distinguished Clientele.

For nearly twenty years, the NanaWall® — vanishing glass wall system has re-defined interior and exterior space — and the boundary between them—in thousands of commercial and residential buildings throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Nana Wall Systems' architectural customer base includes such esteemed names as HOK, Gensler, WATG, and SOM; projects have ranged from press-boxes and suites at the new Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Mariners stadiums to luxury pool houses in private residences. NanaWall® vanishing glass walls can be found providing innovative and versatile design solutions for offices such as Starbucks' headquarters; restaurant and resort patio areas (including the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Spa); community hubs such as the Skirball Cultural Center; as well as a multitude of libraries, car dealerships, and churches.

If you can imagine it, you can create it... with NanaWall®.

At first glance, the NanaWall® looks like a wall of floor-to-ceiling glass windows, but that's where the similarity ends. Each panel is articulated on a hidden overhead track, and the panels themselves can quickly and easily open and stow away out of sight, creating breathtaking open-air vistas. With straight or curved layouts, along with hundreds of colors, finishes, and configurations at your disposal, there are virtually no limits when it comes to designing with the NanaWall®. Folding and individual panel sliding systems are available: among other virtues, folding systems create opening widths of up to 36 feet, while individual panel sliding systems offer a virtually unlimited opening-size.

 Frames are available in aluminum, wood, or aluminum-clad wood. And to make the completion of your project even easier, Nana Wall Systems maintains a complete network of independent, factory-trained installers throughout North America.

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Architectural Design

Fish House Built on Water Takes Eco-friendliness to the Max

If you love water and nature in general then you'll love the Fish House in the pictures below. Designed by Guz Architects in Singapore, this spacious house seems to be built on water and it's definitely fun to live in.

Besides the impressive pool that seems to endlessly revolve around the Fish House, you also have a spectacular view of the ocean that's just outside. Moving on we find a great interior dominated by wood finishing and plenty of natural light that comes in through those impressive windows. And yes, that's a green patch of grass on top of the Fish House that will let you enjoy some time outdoors without actually leaving this ingeniously designed house. So if you live in Singapore and you're looking for a great house idea then I think this Fish House on the beach is just what the doctor ordered.

 

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Edible Living Wall

Restaurants love the idea of growing their own vegetables. But in an urban environment where space is tight, the typical garden has to be rediscovered to operate in a small footprint. Tournesol Siteworks is a commercial-grade sitework company that manufacturers irrigation systems, site furnishings and planter systems. A recent example of their work can be seen in Los Angeles, at Pizzeria Mozza. The living wall grows lettuce, peppermint, celery, parsley, sage, and other edible plants. The area of the wall is 10’ by 12’ and protrudes roughly 15 inches from the surface. Apparently the staff is enjoying the wall so much, they have picked some of the plants clean.

Tournesol VGM Modular Living Wall consists of recycled plastic planting modules and powder-coated hanging rails. The wall comes pre-grown to provide instant coverage for any vertical surface, and can be used with a variety of plants suited to any climate or situation. Each VGM module has a possible depth of 4.5” or 8.5” of soil which promotes healthy plant life. The modular planting boxes take from one to three month to grow prior to installation.

The concept of having active plan life integrated into architecture and design is common. Tournesol’s edible living wall is exciting for its ability to provide not only aesthetic value, but also healthy sustenance.

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Minimalist Kitchen

What are you looking for in your kitchen? The sublime new shapes and styles of La Cucina Alessi? The eco-durability of new materials as in Silestone’s Countertops and Kitchen Surfaces? Or perhaps you prefer the modular disappearing trick of the Logica Kitchen System? If, however, you’re after a subtler kind of prestidigitation (as in shrinking costs), you should have a look at Pedini’s Magika. This kitchen was conceived with an eye to the easy balance between a buyer’s bottom line and the demanding aesthetic imperatives of what some might rightfully claim as the birthplace of the modern kitchen.

Magika is handsome minimalism on a budget. The kitchen combines the sleek lines and handcrafted finishes of Italian cabinetry with economical production and fast delivery times, thus making the divine and desirable touch of designers like Domenico Paolucci more accessible to the masses. We last saw the work of Paolucci back in October with the extraordinarily colorful and highly-textural Outline Kitchen. That scheme—with its dashing touches of rich green and deep wood striations—spoke to me of autumn change. Magika, to the contrary, is light and lithe like a summer breeze. It’s so efficiently arranged as to be all but invisible. Because Magika knows that, in the kitchen, negative space means room to roam—room to coordinate the particular choreography of your culinary magic.

Optional features for Magika include vertical handle or hand-less channel openings with an aluminum profile. Choose your finish from textured melamine (white, red, cream, or dark grey); wood (grey oak, dark brown pine, or teak); or glossy white lacquer. Cabinetry plinths come in white, gray, black, and matte silver. These attractive options enable a great degree of personalization, but the bottom line with Magika is its admirable fusion of affordability and aesthetics: “featuring simplicity with a high degree of practicality and quality, Magika combines innovative features with conventional uses, representing a synthesis of inspiring form and rational layout solutions.”

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High Rise Architecture

The well-guarded little secret of recently built New York apartments at swank addresses is that the interiors are often banal and the construction iffy, the result of developers designing buildings with their calculators. The apartments coast on drop-dead views. Here on the Upper West Side, a hop, skip and a jump from Lincoln Center, the clients wanted to reset the equation so that the interiors matched the views in quality and drama as they achieved a higher environmental IQ. An energy-consuming Manhattan apartment could go green.


New Yorkers called on Hariri & Hariri Architecture to design a Modernist apartment on the 45th floor of a Manhattan tower, the clients asked for environmental intelligence. Collectors and travelers, the couple brought a sophisticated eye to the commission, matched by elevated environmental expectations. They had stayed in many hotels wired to optimize comfort and minimize energy consumption.

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Talk about, "Feng Shui"

This Singapore home remodeling project was submitted by Ong & Ong Architects showcasing their work on the 55 Blair Road property. The design team consisted of Diego Molina, Maria Arango and Camilo Peleaz. In the example they provided wonderful pictures taken by Derek Swalwell to provide details from each room. My two favorite areas in the home are the pool section and the staircase section. The pool is integrated into the home design and features a Century Frangipani tree native to Singapore which brings a sense of peace and reflection to the area. The spiral staircase is set off beautifully with windows on either side creating a visual experience enhanced by the overall white design of the room. Via.

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Glass Wall Cottage

This cottage just has SERENITY written all over it!!!! I would add more decor to the interiors, but this totally captures my mentor, Frank Lloyd Wright, basis for design, "Every Room With A View".

This gorgeous cottage home design located in the resort setting of Mar Azul, on the shore of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was developed for low maintenance, low cost and low environmental impact with an eco friendly cottage appeal. Designed by Argentina’s BAK Architects, this cottage home is surrounded by forest, offering a private, peaceful setting for relaxation and rejuvenation. The concrete and glass house offers a great view of the outdoors, with an understated look that suits its natural surroundings. The glass wall house boasts a walkout to a wood patio and thus, a deep connection to the environment. Inside, two main living areas are designed for public and private life. The public spaces are housed in the glass-enclosed main floor, including a kitchen, dining and living room, which open to the terrace. The private living areas such as bedrooms and bathrooms are in a more closed-off style. Regardless of public or private, all interiors are finished with pine in this rustic cabin home. BAK Architects-via

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Sophistication and Serenity

Feature Architect/Designer/Real Estate DeveloperJANNA BULLOCK
NY


Janna Bullock is the Founder and Chief Executive of RIGroup, a real estate development company that focuses on residential, commercial, and hotel properties in the United States, Europe, and Russia.



Bullock arranged the “Russian House,” which displays modern Russian art and 19th-century furniture loaned by the Hermitage Museum. And the “Eco-House” by Alhadeff showcases river-stone walls in the bathrooms and cork dining chairs by the French designer Martin Szekely.



“Janna introduces a different concept of luxury, “Right now, luxury means a pompous style with a lot of gilt, bronze and decoration. We think being environment friendly is the most important: building with wood and stone, using recycled water and trying to use alternative energy sources even though it’s not easy in our climate.”



Ms. Bullock completed graduate work in comparative philosophy at St. Petersburg State University and received an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

A native of Moscow, Bullock founded her company in 2003 and has become an advocate for sustainable design and energy-efficient technologies in her building projects. Bullock is known for her commitment to excellence in the preservation and restoration of landmark architecture. One of few female real estate developers in New York City, Bullock has restored a number of historic townhouses in the City’s Upper East Side and the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, an important Russian monastery located outside Moscow and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Bullock is also recognized for her support of contemporary design, both as an avid collector and committed patron of the arts, but also for innovative projects like the 2007 Russian Design Show at Ecoestate Pavlovskaya sloboda, a sustainable community in Russia featuring exemplary homes furnished with objects designed by David Adjaye, Frank Gehry, Gio Ponti, the Campana Brothers, Aranda & Lasch and others.

A passionate art collector, Ms. Bullock has assembled more than 4000 works by Russian artists from the late 19th century to the present day. Additionally, her collection includes 400 works by Western contemporary artists.
Affiliations/Honors/Awards

"Name Dropping"

December 6, 2007 -- THE Art Basel convention in Miami has drawn planeloads of hard-partying New Yorkers. Condé Nast and jeans company 7 for All Mankind co-host an event at the Ice House, while Cartier serves dinner at the Botanical Gardens and Jimmy Choo pours for the fashionistas at the Raleigh. Dennis Hopper will be at the Russia Miami exhibit organized by Jana Bullock and Hugo Boss. Tomorrow, Vanity Fair and MoMA hold a bash at the Shore Club, while Linda Evangelista hosts a dance party with Visionaire at the Florida Room. On Saturday, the event's closing night, Russell Simmons and Allison Weiss Brady throw a benefit for the Rush Philanthropic Organization at Intermix, as Adidas stages a Y3 event in the design district. But the big invites are the private dinners at Paul Wilmot's home and the soiree for Julian Schnabel and Lou Reed's flick "Berlin" at Set.

Recipient, 2008 Design Commendation, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards
Trustee, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Chairwoman, Jaze Art Foundation
International Leadership Chairwoman, Russian National Orchestra�s New York gala

Sophistication and Serenity is Janna's signature style for design, how appropriate for me to introduce her to you on my design site.

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La Concha Revival

Designed by architects Osvaldo Toro and Miguel Ferrer, the hotel was completed in 1958. Marchand and Rosselló created an atrium to open up the lobby to the pool deck.

Rosselló designed handblown Murano glass lamps for the iconic restaurant, which was conceived by Mario Salvatori.

In the presidential suite, Rosselló, who designed furniture for all of the guest rooms, used modern pieces in the same palette of white found throughout the hotel.

The penthouse terrace.

Windows of the guest rooms were enlarged, and the small balconies were eliminated. “We put that space back into the room,” says Rosselló. “Now it is all about the air, the light, the water, the view.” Donghia throw fabric.

Recessed, colored lighting and Amanece, made with strands of silk by artist Sandra Golbert, lend the reception area a sense of playfulness.

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, architect José R. Marchand and interior designer Jorge Rosselló restored and updated historic La Concha hotel. Inspired by the original design, colorful bridges connect the shell-shaped restaurant to the hotel.

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