Punxsutawney Phil may say we have six more weeks of Winter, but I've turned my thoughts towards Spring: blooming flowers, buzzing bees, and chirping birds. To get a jump on the season, I'm considering one of these colorful and cheery Birdhouse Balls from Danish company Bagus. Available through Design3000, these ceramic orbs hang easily from a sturdy branch or garden hook. I'm not entirely sure if they ship to the U.S., but it doesn't hurt to ask!

Birdhouse Ball available from Design3000: 36€ or about $50

Here is a trailer for another great film by Design Onscreen that is due out sometime this year. Currently in post production, Desert Utopia: Mid Century Architecture in Palm Springs traces the history of modern architecture in Palm Springs from the earliest days to the preservation issues facing the region today. This looks like another fantastic film, and kudos to Design Onscreen for focusing on this wonderful documentary niche.

Suport Design Onscreen by buying DVD's or making a donation.

Oh boy. I came across this modern remodel of a Craftsman home in Silver Lake, CA and fell in love with it immediately. I am particularly impressed with how the architect, Jeremy Levine, was able to bring light into this formerly dark, claustrophobic home. That, and the landscaping is absolutely perfect! I'm a sucker for native / water wise landscaping, xeriscaping if you like. I think this particular application shows just how beautiful it can really be.

Jeremy has this to say about the project: The main aesthetic challenge was to find what aspects of the Craftsman Style to preserve while eliminating the warren of small, dark spaces. In response, long vistas were carved through the house with new elements arranged along the axis to create a deep, layered depth of field. The walls of the interior were punctured with openings and the ceiling vaulted to erase the former claustrophobia. Light enters the house in oblique ways, such as through clerestories shaded by deep eaves or interior transom windows.

Be sure to check out the whole set of photos (including Before pics) here.

www.jeremylevine.com

It's been a couple weeks since I first posted about 4055 Jupiter drive a wonderful mid century modern home in the Olympus Cove area of Salt Lake City, and not surprisingly it is already under contract (with 5 back up offers!). Last week I had a chance to go back through the house and snap some photo's of some of the details that I love about the house, and meet the future owners who are just as awesome as the house is. I can't wait to see the place once they get all their stuff moved in. In the meantime, here are some details from the remodel;

Here is the simple and affordable slider that Geoff made. It consists of a slab of acrylic that he sourced from a local sign shop and some Stanley sliding track that he was able to pick up from Lowes. The acrylic was sanded down to have a nice frosted look.

More photos after the jump.

Here's a picture that shows a better juxtaposition of the tub and the shower. I was pretty impressed with the tub, it was short but fairly deep and had the overflow at the very top so you could really put a lot of water in it. Best of all I think Geoff just got it from homedepot.

Love this light in the hallway too. Geoff any details on this one?

Here is a detail shot of the fireplace. While the gas shutoff is a little unwieldy I kind of like it. I still think the idea of a inexpensive $175 burner buried under $7 of sand is awesome. I believe Geoff mentioned that it needs to be about 1/2" below the top of the sand for best results.

Here is a detail of the cabinetry in the kitchen. It was all custom made by a friend of Geoffs. Drawers are all soft close. Handles from Ikea.

Of course I absolutely love the teak rainscreen. For this Geoff bought some teak decking and ripped it down to the skinner pieces that you can see here. All the screw holes had to be pre-drilled and countersunk. From there they were just screwed onto some vertical boards that hold them slightly off the surface of the house. It's pretty much the exact same detail we did on our old house, just a different material.

A HUGE thanks goes out to Geoff for being so generous with his knowledge. It's refreshing to talk to someone who is so open about everything he's doing and willing to share with the rest of us. For those that love the work Geoff is doing, don't worry there is more on the way. We will be featuring his next project here on GRM as it is remodeled.   

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.

Plan59 is an online "museum and gift shop of Mid-Century illustration". Over 500 images are available as large format prints and a seemingly endless amount as digital files (also available for purchase/licensing). Browse through the Decor section for some inspiration or stop by the Demonic Tots and Deeply Disturbing Cuisine gallery if you think you can handle it. Good stuff can also be found in the expansive Advertising gallery - (there's a caption contest in there somewhere, I can feel it!)

www.plan59.com

Since we were talking yesterday about buying "designer inspired" egg chairs, I thought it only fair to show some footage of the brilliant Arne Jacobsen himself. I don't know about you, but watching the video makes me want to grab a nice pipe and some beech wood and lock myself in the garage until I come up with something brilliant.

I posted a clip of this last year about this same time. Even if you watched it then, it's worth a replay. Happy New Year!!!

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.

World renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer turned 102 yesterday. According to Designboom, instead of spending a day relaxing with his family he spent the time working on "piles of projects". To celebrate his birthday I thought I would share a clip from an interview several months ago. Enjoy!

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 vintage film (mid-1960's) on the importance of architecture in everyday life. Produced by Ann Seltman Smart, formerly of WPTF-AM in Raleigh, North Carolina. Narrated by Ted Daniel.

Whenever I see photos of houses like this one, I have a hard time believing that people actually live in them. Kind of like when they discover some crazy new deep sea fish: it's hard to wrap your head around the design, especially when you've never seen it in the wild. But there it is, in photos! Look, even a bed - so someone lives here, right? Anyway, the Cape Schanck House was designed by Australian architecture firm Jackson Clements Burrows. The impressive cantilever design maximizes the expansive views of the surrounding area.

My favorite part of the home, though, is the black and white kitchen. It's really inspiring to see all of this great architecture coming out of Australia. Be sure to check out the rest of the Jackson Clements Burrowsportfolio - you won't regret it!

Read more about the Capre Schanck House here.

More images after the jump!

Here is another great film that I would love to see. Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler is a new film released by Design Onscreen that has some wonderful footage of Donald Wexler and the homes he designed. The world premier of the film was this February in Palm Springs during Palm Springs Modernism week. The film is now available from Design Onscreen for $30.

One more trailer for you viewing pleasure after the jump.

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!

Here is a fascinating look into the life of Richard Neutra through the eyes of his grandson Justin Neutra and other friends, family and clients.

None of the houses I have owned have ever had a doorbell. Maybe it's time to change that. While I haven't been a huge fan of Spore's doorbells in the past, their new doorbell "True" may be changing my opinion.

True bridges the gap between modern and traditional design. An all-metal push button is surrounded by a thin halo of LED-illuminated color, which also reflects against the mounting surface. Designed to fit well with residences built from 1900 on, True comes in several finishes and three illumination colors, as well as a non-illuminated option. Substantial in feel but narrow in diameter, True mounts well to narrow doorjambs and other tight applications.

Make sure you check out their "Ring" doorbell chime as well. I love the simplicity of it.

Available from Spore.

Anyone else have a favorite doorbell or chime?

Here is a teaser for a great looking documentary. I'd love to know more about German Samper Gnecco, unfortunately my spanish is horrible. Here is what I have been able to pick up. He is one of Colombia's most influential architects in the 50's 60's and 70's, he studied under Le Corbusier and did some amazing work in Bogota.

Anyone have more information?

Documentary by Ataca Films

The Danes have it. Whether it's furniture, textiles, architecture, or photography, they can do no wrong. Danish photographer Kim Høltermand is a perfect example of that. Check out his AMAZING architecture portfolio and tell me if you disagree. More of his work can also be found here.

Gobs of eye candy after the jump!