Art House by DeForest Architects: potentially my dream home...

... and  I say potentially because there are a number of things I would change.  I would definitely brighten up the kitchen somehow ... too much dark furniture.  Needs more white and more shiny stainless steel.  Maybe just making the whole kitchen island white with some trims of dark wood would do it.  Also, this is a three story house, narrow and tall. This is not what I imagine of my dream home.  Two floors max with wide open spaces.  I would also like the top floor to overlook the ground floor. And the stone tile floor. Hmm.  Would love to replace all the stone features (floor and columns) with a raw finished concrete floor instead, maybe grey or white. And that chandelier above the dining table totally freaks me out.  I would opt for some nice Tom Dixon pendants instead.  Ok, so what DO I like about this house? Lol!!

Well, the stairs I am absolutely in love with (even though spiral staircases are my absolute fave).  I love the bathroom with all that wood and the square tub.  I love the sliding doors in the bathroom and kitchen too.  I love the front door, the tall ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, the emphasis on art, creative ways of displaying art and photographs (did you see in the hallway?), the minimalism.  I love the unrefined, exposed wooden ceiling beams, the open kitchen, the stools at the bar.  I am just really digging the style.  Modern, minimal, on the masculine side, some rustic features, some industrial features, neutral color scheme. Just love the vibe in here.  I want that!

I guess, I'll have to be in touch DeForest Architects one day   =)


Thank you to Flodeau for posting this amazing house today.

Have a great day,

Holly

pocket size inkjet printer/digital camera - the Printbrush.

Take a picture and print it instantly into your notebook!  Too cool!

For more info, go to DesignBoom.

ipads instead of flight manuals - alaska airlines

"Alaska Airlines is the first commercial airline to switch to paperless reference materials for pilots, replacing each flight bag with an iPad that contains hyperlinked colour PDF versions of 41 flight manuals, aeronautical navigation charts, systems reference cards, and other materials. the documents are navigable through the 'google reader' app.

Over the longterm, the project is expected to reduce paper and distribution costs (as the airline currently uses about 2.4 million pieces of paper on such materials), as well as reduce aircraft fuel consumption by the exchange of a 1.5-pound iPad for 25-pounds of reference manuals, and prevent back and muscle injuries to the pilots carrying the flight bags.

Alaska airlines notes that to respect safety, all pilots are still beholden to the FAA regulation preventing the use of class 1 electronic devices during takeoff and landing. with trial phases completed in winter and spring, the transition to paperless navigating is expected to be finished by mid-june."  via DesignBoom.

I don't know how I feel about this.  Yay for saving paper and less of a load to carry around, but relying fully on technology when flying a plane leaves me kind of uneasy.  I think a good balance between human and machine is ideal.  I just feel like we may be relying too heavily on the machine here and not giving enough importance to the human brain. As a result, the danger is that the human starts to trust the machine even if his instincts or knowledge tell him something else, or worse, getting used to not paying attention to instincts or knowledge at all.

hmmm...cool or not cool?  What do you think?

 via French by Design

what are you a afraid of?

I am afraid of losing the ones I love.  Terrified.  My worst fear.  Wait.  Actually worse would be if they lost me somehow.  Yes, that would be worse, the idea that my absence would cause them so much pain.  I just can’t bear it when I really think about it.  I don’t mean it in an ‘I’m-so-great’ kind of way.  I think you know what I mean…

I’m thinking about what a scary, powerful force love is.  Romantic or platonic, it changes your life forever.  When I think about the people I love and those who love me back, I realize how much we both have to lose and that scares me – intensely.  Life can change in the blink of an eye.  Everything you know right now can be transformed in a moment.  And we have to learn to adapt if we are to survive.  Of course, this is not a reason for turning your back or shying away from this force, this experience of love, because essentially, this is what makes us alive.  Just think of the things you do in the name of love.  It requires honesty and vulnerability (and those are hard things to give) but what you get in return is greater than words can ever say and money could ever buy. 

I am lucky to experience love.  I am grateful for the ones I share it with and am careful not to take any of it for granted.  But sometimes, this mighty force, it just scares me to death.

Hello from Grand Cayman

Woah.  So it's been a while since my last post.  I arrived in Grand Cayman on May 2nd and was joyfully reunited with my sister, who I haven't seen since last June.  This is my first time visiting her here since she relocated.  It's amazing.  Like a dream.  I can't believe she lives here.

My dad came to join us for a week and it was really nice to be spending time together.  I have been lounging around a lot.  Enjoying the beach, the ocean and the sun.  Yesterday I took a Caymanian bus home from shopping.  A little van that fits 8 people, stops on the side of the road, picks you up as long as you flag them down and drops you off wherever you want. There's no bus schedule but it seems they run frequently enough throughout the day.  Totally island style.

 So far, I swam with stingrays, did an island drive, of which the east end, blow holes, lover's wall, shoe tree and Cayman castle were great highlights.  We bought fresh fruit from a vendor on the side of the road and ate some coconut milk popsicles.  We've dined at some exquisite restaurants and I can't stop ordering ceviche wherever I go.  Basically, I'm loving life right now. 

Only down side is that I've had to visit the dentist.  I got a sudden tooth ache.  Turns out some of my recent fillings I got done are too close to the nerves and are causing me pain.  So I had to get a procedure done on one of the teeth.  Now I'm on antibiotics and painkillers for the rest of my trip.  Pretty crappy, but it could be worse I guess.  So lets not dwell on that.  Despite the pain, this is how I'm feeling right now:

I will try to post some more, but I am quite enjoying my lazy days, so it's quite possible I'll only be back here once I return home on the 24th.

If I don't see you till then, I wish you all happy days filled with love.

xoxo
Holly

this tree... something truly majestic

I was in Bad Homburg for Easter at a lovely brunch hosted by my friend C.  After our feast we took a walk in the Schloss Park.  When I encountered this tree, it simply took my breath away.  Click.  One shot.  No editing.  Here it is.

What I saw, is exactly captured in this picture.  Exactly.  The sun was shining through it in a perfect way, giving birth to all these intense, energizing yet zen-like green shades.  True, majestic beauty in my eyes, that I want to share with you. 

Happy Sunday.

xoxo

Holly