Full Exposure/Part 3

Rebellious roots

This London house overlooks the Victorian-era Highgate Cemetery. Philosopher and economist Karl Marx and punk impresario Malcom McLaren are just two of the famous figures buried in the backyard. 

The windows are almost entirely frameless on the cemetery side, while the street side is a curtain wall of honed black granite, steel panels and opaque glass, for privacy. The house is listed for $7.97 million.



Talk about a skylight!!!!

See-through courtyard

Inside, you'll be dazzled by 4,225 square feet of living space with four bedrooms and bathrooms. The kitchen has a retractable skylight that transforms the space into an open-air courtyard.

Staying cool

Designed by architect Eldridge Smerin, the house replaced a 1970s structure by John Winter. The idea was to design a building with significantly lower energy consumption than the original but with a greater floor area. The home has a green sedum roof, and its temperature is moderated by its stone and glass construction.

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Full Exposure/Part 2

I designed one house in the woods like this, it felt like the ultimate tree house! There is something soooo serene about looking into the sites of nature that bring  a true sense of calm and meditation to your life.

Cameron's house

Remember the Highland Park, Ill., house of Ferris Bueller's uptight buddy, Cameron Frye, in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off? Well, the iconic house is on the market for $1.65 million — crashed Ferrari not included.

The Ben Rose Home

Cameron's house is known as the Ben Rose Home, after the noted photographer who owned it. It was designed by A. James Speyer and David Haid and built in 1953.

Into the woods

The ultraswank house is dramatically cantilevered over a ravine. It's also set on more than an acre of gorgeous wooded property.

Star-worthy style

Here, you'll find 5,400 square feet of living space, thanks to the enormous dining room, bedrooms and living rooms. Surrounded by glass, this exquisite home has Hollywood style to spare.

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Real Estate Luxury

Las Vegas

1 Hughes Center Drive, No. 1901

• List price: $11.7 million
• Previous list price: $20 million in January 2008
• Reduced: $8.3 million
• Price cut: 41.5%

This two-story penthouse in the Park Towers was listed by Prudential at $20 million in 2008 before being relisted for $15 million in 2009, according to Zillow.com. The price was cut to $13.2 million in February 2010 and then to $11.7 million in September, according to Zillow.com.

The penthouse measures 6,799 square feet and has four bedrooms, six bathrooms, a home theater and views of the Las Vegas Strip, according to Prudential. Park Towers, built by casino owner Steve Wynn and developer Irwin Molasky, opened in 2001.

Las Vegas

2777 Paradise Road, No. 3801/3901

• List price: $10 million
• Previous list price: $16 million in January 2009
• Reduced: $6 million
• Price cut: 37.5%

This penthouse offers more than 12,000 square feet of living space, including more than 3,000 square feet of wraparound terraces that provide a view of the Las Vegas Strip. The unit has five bedrooms and nine bathrooms and a dining room with a vaulted ceiling, according to Prudential. Florida-based developer Thurnberry Associates built the property.

Miami Beach, Fla.

800 S. Pointe Drive, PH-A

• List price: $16 million
• Previous list price: $22 million in 2008
• Reduced: $6 million
• Price cut: 27.3%

This new luxury condo development, named Apogee, was built by Miami-based developer The Related Group in 2008. The penthouse, which first listed for $22 million in 2008, occupies the top two floors of the building, with 11,000 square feet of terrace and balcony. The rooftop has a private pool and built-in kitchen.

"If (it were) listed for $16 million in 2008, it most likely would have sold by now," says Bryan Sereny, a co-broker for the listing who also represents other sales at Apogee.

New York

812 Park Ave., penthouse

• List price: $15.9 million
• Previous list price: $36.5 million in November 2007
• Reduced: $20.6 million
• Price cut: 56.4%

This 6,500-square-foot triplex penthouse is on the 13th, 14th and 15th floors of a pre-World War II cooperative on Park Avenue. Sotheby's International Realty listed it for $36.5 million in November 2007, and Brown Harris Stevens listed it in June 2009 for $22 million.

Architect James Carpenter won an award from the American Institute of Architects' New York chapter for his work on this building in 1927, according to Corcoran.

OK, back to earth!!!! I call this my dream tour!!!!

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Dump to Dream

From dump to dream: A 1903 country cottage’s stunning rebirth

By Vesta Fort of Southern Living

Moving the structure

Stephen and Suzie Winston’s love for architecture and good renovation projects has made for many moves. But this time, they were hoping to create a cozy and relaxing weekend getaway where they could make lifelong memories. They stumbled across a lot on the Magnolia River near their permanent home in Fairhope, Ala., and knew they had found a spot for the restful retreat they sought. All that was left was the house.
One day, on an ordinary drive down an often-traveled country road, Suzie Winston spied a house that spoke to her.

“I’d seen this old, dilapidated house sitting in the middle of a field a hundred times,” she says.

Although the house was filled to the brim with junk, was crowned with a gaping hole in the ceiling and had no stairs, she saw potential. The Winstons decided to move the cottage, circa 1903, the 30 miles or so to their riverfront lot and begin the restoration.
There was only one rule: If it came with the house, it stayed with the house.

Nostalgic living room


A painting of the house, before restoration, hangs on a galvanized-metal track above the mantel to hide the television. Artist Linda Colclough, the Winstons’ close friend, became inspired by all they had done and gave them the painting of the cottage on its original site as a housewarming gift.

Style secret: Try hints of red with a pretty blue backdrop. Here, Suzie Winston used Covington Blue by Benjamin Moore.

Multifunctional entry


The center entry hall serves double duty as the dining room.

Mixing old with new


In the kitchen, corbels from an old house nearby support the corner shelves. Suzie Winston left one wall of paneling just as she found it, with evidence of years of layered paint.

Style secrets: Cheap chic


Vintage-style fixtures pair with a claw-foot tub that’s original to the house.

A porch with a large sink is a great place to water plants and wash off dirty shoes and outdoor equipment outside the house.

What a fun and creative project for this lakehouse revival. via

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Pool Houses

Pool House

The concept was the idea of creating a walled garden; a container for a building that could create a special place within what is an exposed garden at the top of a ridge in Surrey. A dark yew tree offered an immediate presence of nature and the idea of counter-pointing this with a man-made garden took root. The walled garden became a courtyard, a spiritually rich, calm place that abstracts nature- stone, water, sun, shadows and sky in the tradition of the Zen garden. The building is enclosed by a zinc clad, folded plane, cedar lined internally that wraps over limestone walls – the floor in English limestone and the pool in Bisazza mosaics. An oak clad ‘box’ containing a study projects through the frame less glass wall.

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Serenity In Design "No Doubt"!!!!!

No more grass mowing, just the serene sounds of flowing water???

House On The River - wow, it's actually in the river ...

The modern Hind House design by UK’s award-winning John Pardy Architects is one of the firm’s unique “one-off” residential designs that truly is one of a kind. Located near Wargrave on the banks of the River Loddon, the house is based on three parts: public living spaces, private sleeping spaces, and guest accommodations (because a contemporary house like this was meant to entertain in!). Each function occupies a wing of the house, radiating outward in what the architects have described as a “pinwheel form.” Stilts support the house, while allowing the river waters to freely flow underneath when running high. A set of industrial-style stairs leads up to a zinc-clad entrance at the front of the house. Beyond, the unusual house of glass, timber and steel unfolds. A main living space boasts large windows and a wonderful view of nature – trees, water and wildlife – and opens onto a timber outdoor deck for enjoyment of the surroundings, first-hand. John Pardy Architects

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Glass Houses

Talk about a room with a view!!!!!!!!!!

A home with an open atrium is such a focal statement, talk about serenity!!!


Don and Jeanine Cooksey worked with architectural designer Wallace Cunningham to conceive a house for their La Jolla, California, land—a lot that was thought to be unbuildable. The structure, which has four bedrooms and six baths and is done in white concrete, stainless steel and glass, straddles a dramatic coastal canyon. Above: The master suite’s lounge overlooks the courtyard near the center of the building. Cunningham situated it in an enclosed bridge, giving the outdoor room an open sightline to the horizon. Embedded in the courtyard-terrace floor is a line of glazed blocks that light an underground parking area.
I've always been a frustrated architect at heart and designed two homes which consisted of mostly glass but nothing like this architectural dream. I hope you enjoyed the glass house tour. This was found on the architectural digest website. Nothing less than breathtaking with a view from every room. Adopted from the Frank Lloyd Wright style of design, where every room must have a focal point and an extraordinary view, I do believe they achieved that goal in these spectacular designs.

Talk about architecture....view this slide show from Egypt!!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30210655/displaymode/1247/

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