Vote for Design and Architecture! Political Affiliation: Modernist

With the election looming and our country in political mayhem it is heartening to know that at least architecture and design are still alive, thriving and in a healthy state unlike our country.  

Yesterday, Mother and Daughter attended the city Modern Brooklyn Home Tour sponsored by Dwell, New York Magazine and apparently and (oddly, at least to me) Audi.

It was a gray, cool and rainy day but our spirits were not dampened in the least. This was a chance to see some design, get inspiration and take voyeuristic pleasure in seeing how other people live.

We were not disappointed. I thought it was one of the best tours I have been on in years. I have never actually been on an urban house (pardon me, HOME ) tour but have seen countless show houses and country or suburban house tours. This one was organized, the houses watched over by interested, interesting, well informed and friendly docents. I overheard that the docents were design students, presumably, being paid for their time. They did a great job of keeping watch over the rooms, making sure that booties were donned at the entry and answering any questions where they had the information to hand. Most were incredibly well informed and as I said, really cared and were as excited as the people on the tour to see these great houses. I was very inspired by the houses. A townhouse is by its nature is narrower than a house one would find in a sprawling suburb. Each of the houses (see Daughter’s post on the house tour for locations in Brooklyn) treated the staircases to the upper and lower floors differently; Metal or wood, modern or  traditional bannisters, some a blend of both. There were open steps with no risers, some with risers. Of course, outdoor space in a city is desirable and each house had a large garden or deck without exception. I know I had serious grill envy.  Naturally, the houses were dressed up in their Sunday best, but all of the houses were personal and looked lived in rather than like a movie set. I think it was this aspect that appealed to me most of all.

City Modern Brooklyn Home Tour

On Sunday, my mom and I met up at the opening gong (9:45 a.m. on the dot!) for the Brooklyn portion of the City Modern Home Tours, co-sponsored by New York Magazine and Dwell. Despite the steady rain, it was an amazing day. In fact, I can't imagine a better way to spend a Sunday than poking around my neighborhood's most spectacular homes. My favorite part of the day was comparing notes with my mom at the end of the tour.

There were five houses in total-- two in Brooklyn Heights, one in Cobble Hill and two in Boerum Hill. The architects, it seemed, were always present. In some cases, the homeowners elected to be around too. And in at least one case, possibly two, the architect was the homeowner. (Note: Dwell allowed personal photographs only. Out of respect for the homeowners, I am only including photographs sourced from Dwell or the respective architects' websites. Sorry!)

The Look: Tim Cuppett Room is _____ (Insert: Dark, Cozy, Sexy, Comfy, Rustic, Modern...)

The Inspiration

Source: Desire to Inspire

This room by Austin, TX based architectural firm Tim Cuppett has a lot going on. It's dark and historic, with rustic architectural elements like pine shutters and clapboard. But then the furniture goes all beige and midcentury on you, with modern lighting really driving home the message. It's the turkish touches, though, that elevate it to really something special in my book. The rug and fouta-inspired throw and pillows seem to  bind it all together.

VITTSJO Hacks

A brass or gold etageres is a smidge traditional for my taste, but this VITTSJO ikea hack by Ana Antunes got me thinking.

Source: Ana Antunes, VT Interiors

The whole VITTSJO family has sharp, clean lines that fit right into a modern home. The products are functional and streamlined, but the plastic finish tends to look cheap. Lucky for us, that's a snap to change!
(Unfortulately, this one's a mental DIY because I have no current vacancy for a coffee table or desk.)

Floorplan in response to Apartment Therapy's Good Questions Post

**Updated 10/2/12 at 6pm: Yikes! Had no idea how many people were going to click the link from AT. Suddenly embarrassed by my super speedy sketch, so I added a snazzier version below.**

Cate,

Here's my idea in response to your post:
If you're starting from scratch on furniture, I would put a large L-shaped sectional or sofa with chaise unit along that one long uninterrupted wall (to the right of the entrance.) That way, you can put a media cabinet and TV along the opposite wall. You'll have a decent angle on the TV and enough of a thoroughfare for getting to the sun room, but because of the L-shape, the sofa will still relate to the fireplace. A round coffee table further help the sofa to relate to both fireplace and TV wall.

Foxy Lady Lamp

I'm a space cadet today. I stayed up way too late last night browsing Target.com's Home line. I know, I know. Whaaat? On a work night? So wild. It's how I roll.

There was a lot of stuff I did not care for, to put it mildly. But Target Home has some real diamonds in the rough. A term I can't use without thinking of this, naturally:

Source: theboxset.com

Speaking of animals popping up where you least expect, check out this foxy Patch for Target lamp!

Source: Target

The fox looks so regal. I like the brass with matte black shade combo. I'd put her (because she's clearly a lady fox) in an entry hall. To keep her from looking to formal, I'd pair her with an OSB console. Funk it up.

Dog Blog Debut

Breaking news! (1 week late...) World's cutest dog featured on Desire to Inspire's Pets on Furniture:

Photos by Sharon Korsgaard