I love new construction. There is just something so exciting about starting with an empty lot and making a home out of it. While I have followed quite a few blogs, none remind me of our last build as much as Tai and Kerstens blog SLC202. Before we bought the house we are in now I even looked at the lot that their home is now built on. Not only do they have a fantastic home, but they have done a great job documenting the ups and downs of the whole project. Faithful GRM readers may notice some similarities between the SLC202 house and the Lucy Ave house that we featured here on GRM. Both were designed by Architectural Nexus, If you love what you see, you should also check out Tai and Kerstens condo which is currently for sale.

SLC202, modern architecture in Salt Lake City.

4055 Jupiter Drive is in Olympus Cove just a couple blocks from my house, in fact I pass it every day on my way to work. A month or two ago I noticed this wonderful teak rainscreen going up, and just last week I found out the house is now for sale. It turns out one of my friends Geoff Tice has been remodeling this wonderful little 1955 mid-century home, and he has done a great job!

  

I had a chance to walk through it a couple days before Christmas and I was seriously impressed. Nothing is over the top, but the quality of the work and the attention to detail are bang on. The kitchen has custom cabinetry with Blum hardware, Hanstone countertops, nice Bosch refrigerator and Wolf (I think) Thermador Pro stove.

Both bathrooms are equally decked out with dual flush toilets etc. The thing that really got me the most excited was the $325,000 price. That not much more than what we paid for our house, and 4055 Jupiter Drive is completely done. Geoff did an great job of pulling off a truly affordable modern restoration on a mid century home in a great neighborhood. Did I mention you could be my neighbor if you bought this house?

Check out 4055 Jupiter Drive on Utah Realestate or see a virtual tour on Obeo.

More pics after the jump.

If you are looking for one last thing to wrap up and put under your Christmas tree, look no further. I recently received this book "Julius Shulman Modernism Rediscovered" from a friend, and it has absolutely blown my mind. Starting in the late 30's and continuing all the way through the mid 70's, this Taschen book has some of Shulman greatest work. It has been said the Shulman is single-handedly responsible for America's love affair with modern architecture, and after reading this book I can see why. The best part of all is the incredibly affordable price, a mere $20.
Available from Amazon for $20.
SLC fans rejoice, there are even a few pages dedicated to the beehive state.

Here's another great modern home for sale in Salt Lake City with some amazing interior elements and a great neighborhood. Located in the 9th and 9th area, this home was built with the environment in mind. It has an ICF foundation and SIP construction with R40 in the walls and an amazing R80 to top it off. It even has one of my favorite things, radiant heat. The price tag is set at $685,000 which is a little steep for my blood, but for all the green construction that has gone into this thing it's probably a good deal. For more details and lots more pictures, check out Utahmodern.org or the Realtor Andrew Stones' blog.

A friend of mine recently bought this beautiful inverted butterfly home a couple of blocks away from me. Not only does he have great taste in architecture, he also has some mad skills when it comes to gingerbread houses. This little gem is an exact replica of his home, with a couple tasty adornments added. Great work Luke!

Check out more photo's of his beautiful MCM home on Flikr.

Here is a great home for sale that has been completely redone by my friend. The location is absolutely amazing, just three miles up Emmigration canyon, nice and secluded but still close to the city. It has been completely remodeled, taken down to the studs and built back up. The stark white interior and concrete floors make a beautiful contrast to the canyon setting.

It is currently listed for $392,000 by Mony Ty. You can see more photo's and information on Utahmodern.org. Let me know what you think!

The arts and architecture have always been heavily connected, and this Saturday that tradition continues. As part of the DOCOMOMO's US Tour day Salt Lake Modern is hosting an evening of Arts and Architecture in this beautiful home designed by John Sugden. John Bell, the current owner of the howe will be displaying his art and will be talking about how living in a mid-century home has changed the way he paints.

If you are looking for something to do tomorrow, make sure you check DOCOMOMO's website to see if there are any local chapters next to you.

For the Utah crowd, see Utahmodern.org or the SLModern Facebook page for more details.

Last week my lovely wife and I went out to eat at Tipica, a new local restaurant. The food was of course amazing, but we also found ourselves quite smitten with our salt and pepper grinders. Made by Vic Firth, these attractive and clever little grinders make grinding salt or pepper one handed a synch. The build quality was very high and the design is simple enough I imagine the grinder would last a long time. The overall size is much smaller than a typical salt or pepper grinder, but I actually liked it a lot. The price is a little on the high side at $20 each, but it would be that last grinder you would need to buy for a very long time.

Available from Target for $20.

This weeks way back when is a mix of the old with the new...

This house is just down the street from mine, and I have been slowly watching it transform as Tyler works on it. He has done an amazing job making a fairly typical 50's home look good. I didn't know just how good until Tyler sent me some pictures of the interior and then I was literally speechless. I'm usually a fan of preserving mid century architecture in it's original form, but this is one update that is both respectful of the original structure, and so much better than it ever was. The house has been completely gutted and redone on the inside, and the pool area in the back yard makes me feel like I am in Palm Springs again. This is a wonderful example of breathing new life into an old house. Ohh and did I mention it's for sale? Anyone have $749,000 they want to give to me?

3602 Apollo

All photo's by Tyler, cast concrete by Future Form Designs.

Last week Capree blogged about the new modern homes that are being built in the Utah super suburb Daybreak. The $206K price tag sounded too good to be true, so I had to go check it out for my self. I admit that I was pleasantly impressed. The homes themselves were well built and the majority of the interior details were well done. Interior surfaces were fairly high end, including nice glass tiles in the kitchens and bathrooms. The ikea interiors made me feel right at home. Overall they are an amazing feat for $140 a square foot land. Sure the .10 acres you get isn't a ton of land, but at the price point you really can't beat these house. As much as it might pain me to say it, these homes are probably the best example of affordable modern in Utah, maybe in the whole country. The biggest downside to the whole thing is the location. Besides feeling like you lived in a movie set (which really didn't bother me to much) the rather extreme south west location may be a deal breaker. To me it would mean an extra hour of commuting every day. To see lots more pictures and get more details head over to Utahmodern.org.

Solaris Collection

More pictures on Utahmodern.org

If you remember my video where I tore all the siding off the front of my house last month, you will remember that my front door is pretty drab. My friend is trying out a couple new door designs that he has and asked if he could come put one on my house to see what it would look like "in the wild". I was amazed a what a difference it made on how our house looks! The pictures really don't do the door justice (especially the bad photoshop work!). The door itself is made of solid core walnut with 1/2" structural glass. The fit was perfect, it's just too bad it was only a test and we had to send it home at the end of the day.

While this one was a sort of prototype, he is working on a production model. Pricing should be very affordable, especially when compared to Neoport and all other "Modern" door manufactures. I'd love to know what people think of the door, do you love it, hate it, what would you change about it?

If you want any more info about it, feel free to drop me a line via the contact form.

A quick note for the locals. I already mentioned that Modern Materials Design is closing their doors. They are clearing out all their inventory and are having a promotion this weekend where you can get a free pendant light with purchases over $100. All the juicy details after the jump. See you there!

This weekend ONLY....BUY $100 in MERCHANDISE and receive a FREE PENDANT LIGHT!!!   LIMIT 1 FREE LIGHT PER FAMILY OUR FURNITURE STORE IS CLOSING AND WE HAVE TONS OF GREAT HOME DECOR ITEMS AT CLEARANCE PRICES 40-80% OFF. HURRY AND COME SEE BEFORE THE GOOD STUFF IS GONE. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE THE LAST OF SOMETHING. THE GOOD STUFF IS GOING FAST......MAKE SURE YOU COME IN THIS WEEKEND!!! BRING SOME FRIENDS AND HAVE FUN. WITH PRICES THIS CHEAP, YOU CAN DECORATE YOUR HOME, APARTMENT, OR CONDO FOR SO MUCH LESS.

50% off most PILLOWS
40% off FUN, DECORATIVE CERAMICS
50% off PLACEMATS & TABLERUNNERS
80% off all WALL ART
50-85% off SELECTED CLEARANCE LAMPS & PENDANTS
50% off ALL BEDDING
70% off our GLASS/METAL ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
75% OFF ALL OUTDOOR PLANTERS
60% off GLASS VASES
$700 OFF our LEATHER SECTIONAL SOFA

70-80% off lighting fixtures
30%-70% off lamps (floor lamps as low as $19)

1297 Miller Avenue (3130 South)
East of Harmons, TJMaxx and Wells Fargo
10-6 Mon-Fri 10-5 Sat
Visa, MC, ACCEPTED
Our leather sectional is on SALE!!

Many items are 50-80% off...wow

If you live in Utah, you've probably heard of the massive planned community way out west - Daybreak. It's suburbia gone so...right? Wrong? Old school? However you feel about it, it represents the old suburban dream of our parents and grandparents, among other things. It has that same eerie charm of a perceived perfection - Pleasantville type quality. Up to this point, I've mostly avoided it (it's creepy!) and its targeted marketing. But earlier this week I received a very 'hip looking' mailer with a very modern looking home printed on 100% recycled paper boasting about "3 new ways to live in Utah": Ultra-modern single family homes, row homes, and lofts - unlike anything you've ever seen in the Salt Lake Valley. And it was right - I've never seen anything like it in Utah, let alone Salt Lake. I was intrigued. (About that targeted marketing...)

So I checked out these new ways of living in the Beehive State and I liked what I saw, or at least I liked that people were starting to embrace a new kind of aesthetic in Utah. It was almost enough to buff out the "creepy" from Daybreak's perfect patina.   See it for yourself and share your thoughts. Would you live there? Why or why not?

Pictured: Style A / Style B from the Solaris Collection by Garbett Homes. Style A starting at $206,900. Style B starting at $239,900.
Award-winning builder Garbett Homes introduces the solar-powered Solaris Collection at Daybreak. These homes demonstrate that a first-time homebuyer can now afford a contemporary modern-style, solar-powered single-family home. Garbett Homes has teamed up with internationally renowned, California-based KTGY Architects to design and build Utah’s first truly affordable solar-powered home.

Go to www.daybreakutah.com/themix then click on "It's a mod, mod world" or "Home Gallery" for more. Be sure to watch the sweet flyover video for the lofts. It's almost enough to make me want to live there.

Th Big Boy Room from Creede on Vimeo.

With the birth of our daughter two months ago, we needed to move our 2 year old out of the nursery and into his own "big boy room" downstairs. We decided to have a little fun with the room and had my good friend Tony paint a mural of "Where the Wild Things Are" on the wall. We finished it off by gluing down some Flor carpet tiles. The "video" is really a series of photographs, one taken every 30 seconds and played back at 24 photo's a second. A total of 6,357 photo's were taken, representing over 54 hours of work. A huge thank you goes out to Tony who did an amazing job. The video doesn't really do the mural justice. You can see some close up pictures of the mural on my flicker account.

SLC local store Modern Materials Design has gone through a lot of changes over the years. They started out as a brick and mortar store in Sugarhouse, then moved down the road on highland, and eventually closed shop to go online only. Over the last year they have had some great warehouse sales, and in the past couple months they even opened up another retail location in the Brickyard area. Unfortunately things aren't working out for them there and they are closing up shop, which means a huge sale. There are ton's of great deals to be had so go check it out before they are gone again. Prices are 25%-85% off, all the details and pictures after the jump.

50% off most PILLOWS 25% off FUN, DECORATIVE CERAMICS 50% off PLACEMATS & TABLERUNNERS 70-80% off all WALL ART 50-85% off SELECTED CLEARANCE LAMPS & PENDANTS 50% off ALL BEDDING 70% off our GLASS/METAL ENTERTAINMENT CENTER 75% OFF ALL OUTDOOR PLANTERS 60% off GLASS VASES $700 OFF our LEATHER SECTIONAL SOFA $250 OFF our FABRIC SOFA 70-80% off lighting fixtures 50%-70% off lamps 1297 Miller Avenue (3130 South) East of Harmons, TJMaxx and Wells Fargo 10-6 Mon-Fri 10-5 Sat CLOSED ON 24TH OF JULY Visa, MC, and AMEX accepted

When we first moved into our house, there were a lot of things that needed updating. The berber carpet and yellow paint were the first things to go. After that we knocked down a wall in our kitchen and added some new cabinetry. We've been here for over a year now, and the inside if finally looking fairly nice. The outside has been a different story. Our whole house is made of atlas block, a structural brick. Sometime between now and 1956 when it was built somebody thought it would be a nice idea to wrap the whole house in blue aluminum siding. It's been an eyesore to us ever since we bought it, but we were afraid to start tearing it down because we didn't know what kind of condition the exterior walls would be in. Last night a good friend stopped by to measure for a new door we are putting in (more on that later) and in the process we needed to peek behind the siding to be able to plan for the larger door. Once I started pulling that ugly blue down, I just couldn't stop. The result is refreshing and wonderful. The original atlas block has never been painted and is in fairly good shape. The gabled section has some old wood lap siding that is painted a great dark pea green. It will need to be replaced eventually, but for now it looks wonderful compared to how it was. Best part about it is that it was absolutely free (in fact I'm sure we'll make some money off the aluminum) and it is taking the house back to the way it was originally designed.

This week for our "Way Back When" spotlight goes to the Utah Heritage Foundation. While many people think of historic preservation as saving a bunch of victorian pioneer houses, Utah Heritage Foundation has set out to prove that they are interested in preserving and promoting education on all historically significant buildings, including MCM ones. UHF has recently added profiles on their website of prominent MCM architects like Dee Wilson and John Sugden who studies under Mies. Head over to their website for some great articles and photo's. Also make sure you join the Salt Lake Modern facebook page if you want to stay up to date on local events and learn more about MCM homes in Utah.

Every now and again IKEA hosts a "Seize the Days" event, where for one or two or three days only, some popular item is on sale for a ridiculously low price. This weekend, the ever popular POÄNG chair is on sale for a mere $40, over 50% off the original (and already scant) price tag. Not bad at all. Other highlights includeEXPEDIT bookcases for $50, RITVA curtains for $10, and free breakfast all weekend long. Sale starts Saturday, May 23rd and goes through Monday, May 25th. [The POÄNG chair deal is only good on Saturday, the 23rd]

Click here for more info!

This one if for the locals only....

Modern Materials Design has been having a blowout warehouse sale for the last couple of weeks. They are forced to move out of their current location so absolutely everything must go. Today is the last day of the sale, and prices are guaranteed to be crazy low. Here are some details.

HURRY IN AS THIS IS OUR LAST DAY BEFORE WE START MOVING OUR WAREHOUSE.

some of our very stylish PILLOWS are $7-8 on markdown
pendant LIGHTS for $19
table LAMPS at $12
VASES as low as $3.95
fun, colorful artwork as low as $15-20 (80% off)
metal trough outdoor PLANTERS
BEDDING all at 50% off

PLUS SEVERAL TV STANDS,COFFEE TABLES, END TABLES, KITCHEN DINING TABLES, ....PLUS MUCH MORE.

HOURS: 10-6

LOCATION: 350 WEST 800 NORTH, rear side of building. Hard to find but definately worth the search.
the sale you should not miss!!!

We have dining tables, coffee tables, end tables, pillows, artwork, mirrors, lamps, light fixtures, vases, doormats, outdoor planters......

If you do happen to miss the sale today don't kick yourself too hard. Rumor on the block is that Modern Materials Design will be opening a brick and mortar in a few months. Stay tuned for an early look at what it will have to offer.

For the room that we are remodeling downstairs I want to do a nice flush vertical grain fir door. Unfortunately that is proving more difficult than I thought. No one in town seems to stock them and everyone wants to custom order them in for me with a lead time of 6 weeks. Since we really want to have them here when we do the door jambs before the drywall that doesn't work for us. I have found one place locally, Stock Builiding Supply, that will custom build them for me with just a week turn around time. I should get the pricing for that today. It seems like it shouldn't be that hard of a thing.

Does anyone know a good place to get a flush fir door?