Friday, September 17, 2010

london house extensions.


via contemporist

this is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that i have stumbled across a wickedly cool addition to the back of a london home. you know, the georgian, or in this case edwardian townhouses in london that are usually two or three stories high with a reasonable number of bedrooms, connected to others in rows of townhouses that all look relatively the same. they have amazingly quaint little back yard spaces, usually, which i find the grey brick really complements (i've studied plenty of these houses from railroad tracks -- let me tell you!).

what i love is when, in these conservation areas (meaning things need to be maintained or usually built to look like they did during the time period they were established in the first place -- so in this case, all the houses -- i'm assuming at street view -- need to look edwardian) when the back yard is the place for an extra modern twist. this is an addition, not even just a remodel in the kitchen or something. it's by paul mcaneary architects (when you go to the page, this addition is the first image you see!), and is located in hammersmith, london. the light is splendid, and i love the way it really reaches out into the back garden space, bringing nature up close and personal with the room.

it's perfectly quaint and gorgeous. and not just because it's in england! ;)

Thursday, September 2, 2010

afar magazine.

i just discovered afar magazine, a relatively new magazine (premier issue pictured above) by founders greg sullivan and joe diaz. my dad had the first anniversary (september/october 2010) copy that he let me peruse, and let's just say it tapped into my wanderlust a little. i really love how the concept is to travel "experientially." is that even a word? ;)

there really is something to that idea -- it's so easy to travel very far from home and feel altogether as if you've only driven down the street. the same restaurants pock the corners, the same cars zoom past on the roads. english pervades almost every metropolitan area.

i'll be the first to admit that in my little bit of traveling -- mostly around the states and a couple times to western europe -- i've not gotten much out of the "americanized" western world. the closest i got was a trip to greece. athens was one thing. that was the first time i ever felt like i might be getting out of my element. the point is, that's just the tip of the iceberg. there is sooo much more to see, but it's so easy to get stuck on the well-beaten path. traveling is hard work. it's tempting to want to stick to the tried-and-true.

what i like about afar is that it's travel stories with a twist. the september/october issue includes articles on nigeria's film industry (nollywood!), and istanbul through the architectural lens of royal architect sinan.

it's good stuff. like i said -- wanderlust. :)