A bunch of you mentioned bookshelves. Even if I end up in a studio apartment, it will have some serious book action going on. If I end up in a cardboard box under the freeway, there will be a library in my 60" Toshiba box. I love books and well maintained libraries. When the second floor collapses under the weight of all those books and crushes me in my sleep, I will consider it an honorable death. The world's most beautiful libraries. Goes on for 3 pages. Spoiler Spoiler Oh, and the Driskill Hotel bar in Austin gives me cum stains: Spoiler Spoiler If someone makes all that happen in my house, why that'd be just fine. I think it was the most comfortable place I've ever been.
Start with Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and the International Style. Add some of Luis Barragan's warmth and add a little of each of the following minimalists: Alberto Campo Baeza John Pawson Alvaro Siza Eduardo Soto de Moura Little pieces of each of their works have been profoundly influential to me. Add in the Eames Lounge and the best chair ever, the Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer. Finish it off with Carlo Scarpa's and Renzo Piano's materiality and you have an idea of what I view as perfection. One day I will obtain a piece of land and on it I will build a home that will incorporate a little of all the above with hopefully a little of my own flavor thrown in. One of my favorite home designs is John Pawson's own home. Every line is planned and perfect. Ornamentation is easy and therefore ends up being boring to me. Breaking a space and materials down to its barest essentials is, in my opinion, as difficult and beautiful as it gets.
I acknowledge that a lot of the work seen in my previous post can be perceived as cold and harsh. The best minimalism seems to effortlessly create amazing space and the physical structure itself can blend into the background allowing the focus to be put onto views, objects, details, etc. A lot of Ando's work puts focus on the path and creates views of the nature beyond the structure and that helps to bring warmth and soul into the spaces. On a tour of one of his projects, I rounded a corner and there was a large square window at the end of the hall. Beyond was a lush green lawn and a couple perfectly framed trees. The essence of that view seemed to radiate throughout that entire space just from that one framed view that changed slightly as you moved around the space. Lighting is also very key. They all are masters in that regard. They way the light hits a patterned stone floor during particular parts of the day is as soulful as a wall of books. An amazingly designed simple space allows easy placement of the objects, paintings, toys, books, etc. that help give the spaces some life.
Stone and wood. Rustic style. I want it to outlast me by centuries. Big open rooms, tons of windows, and post & beam construction. This house is on an outcrop of stone in Narragansett Bay.
I never really thought that I would like lots of space and high ceilings as much as I do until, well, I grew up and was seeing things from a perspective different than a 16 year old living at home or a 20 year old in a basement apartment in college. Now, though, space and light are things I adore in a living space. I don't like it dim, I like it bright and cheerful and easy to see and happy. And it's not so much that I need x amount of square footage, but that the space I do have is generally in fewer bigger rooms vs. a lot of little space. I want breathing room. One thing that is changing right now though is that I no longer particularly need space for books. I love to read and read all the time, but with my Kindle I no longer feel the need to have the physical books. For me the value is in the words they contain, not the actual paper, and I have those words concentrated in a far smaller space which I much prefer.
I always had you pegged as the kind of girl who likes a more organic setting. You know, exposed timber, open air spaces, a place where you can let your hair down, cool off, somewhere that a hot guy will make you something to eat after riding you for a couple hours is basically an everyday occurrence. That, and all the peanut butter you want. Spoiler
It varies for me. When it comes to apartments or any sort of urban living, I like very clean, modernist, and sleek. Very "Euro" if you will... But when it comes to the mansion I always fantasize about one day owning. Its lots of dark wood, big leather chairs, very Gilded Age. And an amazing two story library/office.