Portage Bay Floating Home

Portage Bay Floating Home

Seattle, Washington

While reading this month's architecture and design magazine Dwell, we came across a unique and very cool home. It is a remodeled houseboat on Seattle's Portage Bay. We have rarely seen such an out of the ordinary home. This once-plain floating home received a ten years renovation by Ninebark Design Build, interior designer Kim Mankoski, and local builder Dyna Contracting. Among the challenges they faced were comprehensive issues like how to build a home with so much detail on a platform that was constantly moving and shifting, and more particular issues like how to build steel windows that would rust yet remain waterproof. 

The end product is a 1,000-square-foot place complemented by a 400-square-foot rooftop deck that provides ample views of the waterfront and snowcapped peaks of the Cascade Mountains. Ninebark and Dyna tried to salvage as many components as they could from the original structure. On the exterior, they used Cor-ten steel and cedar, both of which will age well in the rainy northwestern climate. The interior has Marmoleum tile floor which feels warm and smooth underfoot in the living/dining/kitchen area of the houseboat. Because its moorage is at the end of the dock, the east-facing wall is completely open to the water, and the house is filled with light even on gray days. 

This is a fantastic retreat, surrounded constantly by natural light and the sound of water.

For those of you interested in Seattle houseboats, there is a very romantic one located on the famous "Sleepless in Seattle" dock. It is on the market for 900,000$. 

 See details below:

The Eames House

The Eames House

203 N. Chautauqua Blvd.

Pacific Palisades, California

We are huge fans of Charles and Ray Eames, known for their innovative furniture, as well as their contributions to architecture, film and graphic design. We actually have several of their pieces in our own home. That is why we would love to make a little trip to LA right now and visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and its show called “California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way,” (runs through March 25). In fact, the Eames House's living room  — all 1,869 items — have been meticulously cataloged and transferred to a replica of the room installed at the museum for the show. To pack up the living room took a week with the aid of two teams, then all the items went into a freezer for five days to kill any possible insect infestations.

Anyways, for all the Eames lovers out there, the Eames House, Case Study House #8, was one of roughly two dozen homes built as part of The Case Study House Program. Begun in the mid-1940s and continuing through the early 1960s, the program was spearheaded by John Entenza, the publisher of Arts and Architecture magazine. The magazine announced that it would be the client for a series of homes designed to express man's life in the modern world. These homes were to be built and furnished using materials and techniques derived from the experiences of the Second World War. Each home would be for a real or hypothetical client taking into consideration their particular housing needs. Charles and Ray proposed that the home they designed would be for a married couple working in design and graphic arts, whose children were no longer living at home. Charles and Ray moved into the House on Christmas Eve, 1949, and lived there for the rest of their lives until their death, his in 1978 and hers 10 years to the day later. They furnished it in a way that mirrored their energetic personalities and curiosity about the world. Strikingly, the 17-foot-high living room was not at all an example of modern design, but instead a comfortable lived-in place. The house is now maintained by the Eames Foundation, set up by Lucia Eames, Mr. Eames’s daughter from his first marriage, and her children. While the family still uses it occasionally, it is a kind of time capsule that shows how the couple lived.

 

Go to http://eamesfoundation.org/ for more information about the house. You can actually hold a wedding or party in the House's meadow, or even spend a night in the Studio where daughter Lucia stayed when she came on visits. That must be a very special experience!

Fallingwater

Fallingwater, also known as the Kaufmann House, is one of the most famous houses in America, built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Used as the family weekend home from 1937 to 1963, it was then donated by Kaufmann Jr. to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. In 1964, it was opened to the public as a museum. It is listed among Smithsonian's Life List of 28 places "to visit before you die".

Fallingwater

Bear Run, Pennsylvania

The house doesn't appear to stand on solid ground, but instead stretches out over a 30' waterfall. Wright's idea was for the family to live with the waterfalls, to make them part of their everyday life, and not just to look at them now and then.

While Fallingwater is considered one of Wright’s greatest masterpieces, the site has had numerous structural and engineering problems since it was built. In the 1990s, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, along with Robert Silman Associates, endeavored to restore and stabilize the home. The terraces and cantilevers were reinforced without altering the exterior appearance of the house. The house was also re-waterproofed and repainted, and several structures were rebuilt. By the end of the project, the house, which originally cost $155,000, was restored for 11.5 million dollars. Aside from the chimneys and the small terrace that were rebuilt, the rest of the house is original, including the furnishings.

Little gossip about Fallingwater: Angelina Jolie brought Brad Pitt to the home for a two-hour private tour for his birthday in 2006. Apparently, Pitt wanted to experience Fallingwater ever since he took an architectural history course in college.

Malibu Dream Home: The Segel Residence

22426 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu CA

The Segel Residence

A few years ago, while walking on Malibu beach, we discovered a very special house, maybe one of the most interesting homes we have ever seen. We were curious to know who was leaving there and thought of the great life these people must have, waking up every day facing the Pacific ocean and being able to walk on the beach any time of the day. "These people" were actually Courtney Cox and David Arquette. And the special house was designed by a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright. After doing some research to learn more about it, this is what we found: 

The Segel Residence, sold by Courtney Cox and David Arquette in 2007 to Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt for 33.5 Million dollars (it is believed Cox and Arquette originally purchased the home for $10 million in 2001), is a stunning home built in 1979 by John Lautner, a famed architect who studied with Frank Lloyd Wright. It is on Carbon Beach, and is considered one of the most beautiful homes on the Malibu coastline. The four-bedroom, 5,500 square foot house has ocean views from almost every room and sits on a double lot with 80 feet of beach frontage.

If you are in the neighborhood, we strongly recommend that you stop by Paradise Cove for brunch or lunch and then start a digestive walk  on the beach where you'll be able to see this beautiful house as well as many others!

The living room

Dream Home Resort - Indian Creek - Miami Beach

Price: 60,000,000$

It has been very hard to find something as inspiring as Burano with its small but  unique homes, so for this week's posting we decided to look for the complete opposite - a BIG house,  an over the top residence, literally a dream home by its location, views and price:

3 Indian Creek Drive, Miami Beach

Asking price: $60,000,000

Located on the exclusive island of Indian Creek, this is the most expensive home in Miami history. Features include: 10 bedrooms, 5 kitchens, private beach with sand imported from the Bahamas, wine cellar secured by fingerprint key pad, chromotherapy spa and massage room.

As the developer says in the ABC news video below, more than selling a house, you are selling a "feeling".

Burano - Phillippe Starck's Inspiration Haven

 Burano is a charming little island in the Venetian Lagoon known for its lacework but also for its small colorful houses. A couple of months ago we spent a lovely day on the island, enjoying an exquisite lunch - 3 hour long!!! - at Il Gatto Nero, followed by a much needed walk through the canals, little bridges, and brightly colored houses. During our walk we discovered that designer Philippe Starck owns four houses on the island, a bigger one for him and his family (the redish/coral one in the pictures, about 3,800 sq.ft or 400 sq.m), and three smaller ones for his guests.

Philippe Starck Primary Residence

I guess the colorful scenery and the magical atmosphere make it the ideal place to relax and get inspired for an artist such as Starck. We actually thought of buying one ourselves, but ah too far from Miami. Well maybe one day :-)
For those of you interested, the small blue house below is about 800 Sq.ft (75 sq.m) on 3 levels and cost between 250,000 and 275,000 Euros ($355,000 - $390,000). Venice Airport is 10 minutes away by speed boat.

Il Gatto Nero - Crab and Pomodoro Salad