I obsess over details. Mostly those of the architectural sort. I can’t help it; my first foray into real-world architecture was with details. It’s all I can do to enter a space and not stare at the joints between materials, alignment of minutiae, etc.
For all this obsessing, I seem to rarely come across gems. Today, I found one: the Ravine Residence by Ontarians Hariri Pontarini Architects.
The difference in stone sizing on the facade is darn near perfect, with the larger size at the forefront accentuating the difference in planes. What initially drew me in, though, was this detail in the living area.
It’s a bit difficult to tell for certain what the effect is on the exterior, but it appears to create a stopping point for the stone of the facade – separating the massive plane with a long, thin void. The effect on the interior is quite nice, washing the wall with light and giving an airiness to a room that might otherwise start to feel oppressively heavy in its upper portions.
The material choices of the exterior lend a comforting warmth to the hard modern lines. Check out the rest of the project at the links below.
[via ArchDaily | photos via A-Frame]
Every once in a while, we all need to break out of our everyday ruts and do something we’ve never done before. For those of us without tons of money to spend on things like skydiving, it can be fun to explore some of the oddities close to home. You might be surprised just how many there are (no, I’m not talking about your neighbor…). Atlas Obscura is a fabulous compilation of just such things.
Take Houston, for example. Now, there’s no question that Texas is full of… erm… oddities. Houston has some incredible cult followings for places like the Aurora Picture Show, Orange Show and the Art Car Museum. Even the giant heads are pretty well known. But have you heard of the National Museum of Funeral History?
Did you know you can visit a scale replica of China’s Forbidden City and the Emperor Qin’s mausoleum? With such a high concentration of strangeness, you’ll never be bored again.
Even we docile Midwesterners have some incredible oddities up their sleeves. The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Milwaukee looks like it has some great treasures. There’s also a Mustard Museum, where you can meet the Duchess of Mustard. I wonder if she knows the Earl of Sandwich…
[via GOOD | images via Atlas Obscura]
This is kind of an interesting take on creating an aesthetic appeal for solar panels, created by the Swiss Drzach & Suchy. Small solar cells, called piksols, project horizontally from a building facade, projecting shadows that create constantly changing images throughout the day.
The concept is really a modification of an earlier project called “Relativity.” I’m unsure how viable this concept is as a means of significant solar energy harvesting. But the panels are super cool. Just check out the video below.
The application of these on a building facade could potentially be beautiful or exceedingly lame. But on a smaller scale, how can you not love an image of Yoda that transforms into the Pope?
[via Unplggd]
I have the alcohol tolerance of a five-year-old. There are several unfortunate things about this, but one of the most unfortunate is that I tend to stick with what I know I like, since I know I can really only manage one glass. These tasting packages from Brixr might be the perfect way for me to expand my horizons.
It certainly isn’t for oenophiles, but I love the idea of wine in a vial. It seems to be a relatively new concept, but hopefully one that will catch on. I love the packaging from this French company WineSide.
Let’s make a tiny toast to tiny wines, shall we?
[via NOTCOT]
I love the idea of having a range of scents perfectly suited for different occasions or seasons, but find myself so underwhelmed upon leaving most perfume stores. Christopher Brosius’s “CB I Hate Perfume” is a bit different.
With scents such as “In the Library” and “Winter 1972,” CB aims to evoke singular experiences and memories. They seem to be the perfect way to complement the change of seasons, or perhaps to transport yourself to warmer times in the dead of winter. I can imagine “At the Beach 1966” would be quite a treat in the middle of February, with its scents of Coppertone 1967 and accords of the North Atlantic, Wet Sand, Seashell, Driftwood and Boardwalk.
Like the main in the movie Perfume (but hopefully without all the weirdness and murder), CB seems to be able to distill nearly anything into an accord (a single-note scent). His limited selection of accords for sale include 18 different types of wood and 13 different water scents. He even has accords for Crayon and Baby Aspirin.
The packaging itself is wonderfully understated. I imagine having a multitude lined up on a shelf would look fabulous – almost mysterious and alchemical.
I wonder, though, how it’s possible to narrow down the options and purchase only one or two…
[via Design Milk]
I believe it’s been established by now that I like odd tidbits of information and infographics. While perusing the Visual Aid website earlier today, I came across some very interesting tidbits, indeed (kangaroo rats can live 4 years without water!).
These aren’t exceedingly gorgeous, by any means. But I had absolutely no idea Optimus Prime was so short. Megatron is a full 12’ taller. And nearly everyone looks positively tiny next to Godzilla!
These insects are just creepy. A 22” long stick insect? 4” beetle? 13” spider?! What are you supposed to do if you encounter one of these? I hope to never be in such a situation.
