Architectural Masters... of Lego

What do three buildings, two architects and one of the most famous brands world wide have in common?

The Robie House (1910 Frank Lloyd Wright), Falling Water (1939 Frank Lloyd Wright), and the Farnsworth House (1951 Mies van der Rohe) have all been further imortalised in Lego models. This kind of thing totally thrills the geek inside of me, and one day I may even purchase them all and build them. Yup - I am a geek! Three of the most beautiful buildings of the century, and now in tiny little bricks you can put together yourself in some attempt to feel like you were a part of something awesome!

The first house is the Robie House by Frank Lloyd Wright. Completed in 1910 it is like many house by Wright in that it encompassed not only the house design but also many of its soft furnishings and architectural details for the interior (check out the magazine rack below). It is Wrights most renowned example of his Prairie Style - the first truely American architectural style. In 1926, after several owners had fallen upon hard times, the house and its contents were sold to the Chicago Theological Seminary. In a strange twist of fate, a student of Mies van der Rohe over heard that plans to demolish Robie house were going ahead and a storm of protest began. Clearly it was saved, and luckily so because it remains one of the leading examples of American design even today.

Falling Water. Another Frank Lloyd Wright, falling Water was completed in 1938 and graced the cover of Time a year later. Built over a 30 degree waterfall the house captured the imagination of a nation. It is now a national treasure. It appears to ease out of the landscape like the rock platforms it resides upon. The changing seasons are echoed in the choice of material and the vertical pillars of stacked stone. And I just love Wrights architectural drawings. Bliss. Oh the talent! Considering the difficulty of the house I am pleased with the Lego result - aren't you?

Farnsworth House. My favourite of the three. Farnsworth, like Falling Water echoes the seasons but is much more subtle in its design. Its platforms sit above the grassy plane, simple horizontal lines complimented by the two sets of steps and then simple vertical colums, enhanced and yet disguised by the vertical lines of the forest around it. I love the simple sketches and the snow picture in particular. If I was to buy any of the lego sets it would be this one.

Historian Maritz vandenburg offered the following on Farnsworth:

“Every physical element has been distilled to its irreducible essence. The interior is unprecedentedly transparent to the surrounding site, and also unprecedentedly uncluttered in itself. All of the paraphernalia of traditional living –rooms, walls, doors, interior trim, loose furniture, pictures on walls, even personal possessions – have been virtually abolished in a puritanical vision of simplified, transcendental existence. Mies had finally achieved a goal towards which he had been feeling his way for three decades."

Lover of Mies and Frank
xx

Feeling Plush

After splurging on my vintage leather sofa, which I love, I have realised just how different it feels to sit, relax and enjoy different types of sofas. If I had more room I would put a velvet sofa somewhere. Not quite sure where – and it wont happen for awhile so I may have moved by then!! In the mean time I have to decide a colour and style – no small feat with these beauties as inspiration!

{via Gramercy}

{elle decor}

{massucco warner miller}

{Tyler Dawson}

{Jonathon Adler}

{via Marcus Design}

Good book and a throw, or are you more in the mood for a glass of red and and good company? Come on Lovers  fess up!

Ms Lover
xx

Have you ever noticed a house or building out of the corner of your eye, and then it starts to haunt you. You find yourself driving past it, wondering what its story is, who lives there, what its like on the inside? I imagine that often we would be slightly let down with reality, but in the case of this beauty I think I am still in love. The sweet little Morts Cottage has been beautifully complimented by the extension designed by Thomas Jacobsen Architects. I love the contrast of modern and historic. I love the glass pavillion. I love the simple garden.

The Gothic Revival of the cottage has a certain quaintness but defiantely can hold its own in the upmarket suburb of Double Bay in Sydney. The down side to this five bedroom plus study beauty is the price tag - but don't fret they have just lowered it in hope of a pre-Christmas sale, now its a steal at $5.5 million. Opps Sorry, should have told you to put your cup of coffee down first.

Dream on Mrs Lover and Ms Wife - you have more chance of getting an Elenor Chair to finish off your collection!

To be honest, the kitchen needs a bit more work and I'm not 100% convinced about the lighting but I still love the extension. Eccletic mix of furniture is great as well.

Mrs Lover (of Double Bay Homes)

xxx

Three Chairs

"I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship and three for society."

Wise man Henry David Thoreau. Who cares if he lived in the 1800s? So I now have two of my three dream Featherston chairs. The third one, Elenor, will have to wait until I get a payrise or a new job! In the mean time I have my elastic chair, the first Featherston love, and now I have my lovely pale blue R160. Both early to mid 1950s I love them so much that no one else is allowed to sit in them, including Mr Husband. He has his Eames instead. I can not believe so many have come up for auction lately. Perhaps they are out of vogue and I have missed the boat - but going by the strong bidding and high prices I doubt it. Surely they will always be classics?

Back to Thoreau, the American was many things before passing away aged 45, an author and poet, philosopher, naturalist, development critic, historian and leading transcendentalist. I think I would add him to my list of dead people that I would invite over for the ultimate dinner party. Who would you bring, and what do you think of R160?

Love Mrs (naughty) wife
xxx

A new addition

Mr Husband has been away the last couple of weeks travelling in South America. All was well at home until I came across a 20th Century furniture auction here in Sydney. Oh dear...

I am now the proud new owner of a beautiful 1950s three seater leather sofa, a Borge Morgensen sofa. On the slightly more problematic front it means that I need to rearrage our whole living space. Because we rent there isn't really many options available. We have a dining area off the kitchen, and then an odd shaped living area that is dicatated by a sliding door on one wall and the tv plug on another. After pulling things apart for the whole day I am in a vague position to get the new sofa delivered this week. In the mean time I have a lot to clean up, and several images to drool over (and lots of inspiration when I get to the fine tuning part of the reorganising!)

{via Lonny}

{wish you were here blog}

{trad home}

{living etc via Table Tonic}

{via Bryn Alexander}

{via Coco Cozy}

{via The decorista}

Lots of the images that I have included are more to do with the colour of the new couch - which is not well shown in the top photo. It is actually more of a milky coffee colour, not a tan, not a brown and unfortunately not a black. The black couch in the third image is the exact same model as the new purchase. I'm wishing that I had the room for a big shag pile rug, or maybe something more subtle like the antelope rugs I've been noticing lately. I think I had better let the bank account settle down first!

I'll share the rearranging photos soon!

Mrs (spend-a-lot) wife and Ms Lover

xxx

Industrial Chic

Orrick and Company

{House Beautiful via Gramercy}

{Nuevo Estilo}

{Elle Decor}

{via Marcus Design}

I am loving the industrial pieces showing up all over the place lately. Mr Husband loves stuff like this. I'm sure if we didn't rent we would have cogs and wheels hanging from the walls and industrial lighting from the ceiling! I love the quirkiness of it all!

The elle Decor image is a particular favourite, and if I didnt have a little two years olds hands all over everything in every room I would endeavour to have such a whimsical little display!

Picasso is for everyone!

It's been such a crazy week at work - with no rest in sight but I promise I will post about the amazing Picasso exhibition soon. In the mean time I thought I might introduce you to a beautiful book that I grabbed for our daughter while I was there. The story is told through the eyes of a young boy who met Picasso when he was a friend of his mothers. He didn't see him as a famous artist - but as a man who lived in a messy and cluttered home who drew the cows on his farm and used old metal rubbish for his sculptures. If you have children, or are an enthusiast yourself I highly recommend it. You can get it here.