HAPPINESS IS...

A 300-Year Old Lake Cottage In Switzerland

Let's pretend. Just for a brief moment. That we live here. Yes?


{Images via Urlaubs Architecture by Im Spycher}

Plywood Interiors

Plywood? Either I'm going nuts, or my tastes are changing dramatically with age. I used to abhor plywood, and all light-colored wood for that matter. But now, I'm finding the simple and raw unfinished look extremely alluring. Maybe it's the visible wood grain.

How about you? Plywood interiors, ick or slick?


{Images via: 1. Dragon Art; 2. April and May; 3. The Farmer's Trophy Wife; 4. Decorator's Notebook; 5. Arch Daily; 6. Dragon Art; 7. Brick House}

Saving The Eames House

You wouldn't think that the Eames family would ever be in a financial bind, but apparently they need our help. The Eames Foundation is selling these 4 original limited-edition prints to help raise money to preserve Charles' and Ray's historic mid-century modern home in LA. For every $75 print sold, Herman Miller and Vitra will provide matching donations.

How cool would it be to know you've helped save a piece of architectural history? And have a rare print on the wall to show for it.

P.S. The Eames documentary, The Architect & The Painter, has been patiently waiting for me in my Netflix queue. Maybe I should move it to the top. Have you seen it yet?


{Images via Eames House 250}

A Round Window Round Up

My heart skips a beat when I see a round window. Anyone lucky enough to have one in their home?


{Images via: 1. Undostrexa; 2. New House of Art;  3. Amanda Patterson; 4. Casa Tres Chic; 5. Adelto; 6. BoligLiv; 7. My Home Design;

DIY - Mid-Century Holiday Putz Houses

Have you heard of a putz house? They were miniature dime-store cardboard homes from back in the day. They're called "putz" for "puttering" around. Kate's family has a small treasured collection of them passed down from her grandmother, but she wanted to make her own, mid-century style. Aren't they darling?

If you'd like to recreate your own little retro winter village, check out her step-by-step instructions and downloadable house patterns.

They'd also make a groovy gingerbread house, don't you think?


{Pre-edited images via Retro Renovation}

A Wabi Sabi Ski Chalet

Ladies and gents, my dream mountain home. Unfortunately, this 1971 Aspen ski chalet is already occupied by architect, Chad Oppenheim, who artfully remodeled it to blend into the landscape. The design "pays homage to the Japanese sensibility of wabi sabi". A simple aesthetic. Quiet undeclared beauty. 

Oppenheim and his family live here for a month in the winter and a month in the summer. It looks cozy even without the snow. I wish more homes were built with this wabi sabi mentality. "If you can make a house disappear, then you can focus on what really matters," he says. “All that’s left is nature. And many intimate moments.”


{Images via Arch Daily by Laziz Hamani}

Illustrated Alphabets

The detail behind Anita's pencil-drawn alphabet prints are remarkable, right? You can tell she's an architect. I especially love her cities that come with a key describing each landmark. She's from Seattle, so lucky me, the Northwest is fully represented. Take a look at her Portland and Santa Fe prints as well. D.C., Chicago and San Fran are next. Wouldn't her custom illustrated alphabets make a wonderful gift?

P.S. 5 alphabet fonts.


{Images via Felt & Wire by Anita H. Lehman}

Wood Burning Fireplaces

When it's chilly outside, one of my absolute favorite things to do is warm my toes in front of our wood burning fireplace with the cat and a good book. Over the weekend, I worked in a few hours of quiet time to do just this. Roaring flames plus crackling logs equals one happy Shan.

If you don't have fireplace in your home, here's the next best thing. And the second next best thing!


{Images via: 1. Gessato; 2. Evermotion; 3. Interior Design Magazine; 4. Arkidesi; 5. Desire To Inspire}

Dutch Houses

How darling are Jenna Postma's tiny ceramic Dutch house necklaces?

"Travel east or travel west, one's own house is still the best."
- Dutch proverb.

{Images via Bloesom}

A Woodsy Cabin in LA

Why hello, little woodsy cabin in Silver Lake. You must be LA's best kept secret. Although I consider myself a westsider, I would brave the traffic and venture east just to wake up on a quiet morning in your natural light-filled space.


{Images via The Common Pursuit by Brian Ferry}

Miami Beach Huts

Don't you just love this series? French photographer, Léo Caillard, has uniformally captured the Miami beach huts that were whimiscally rebuilt after Hurricane Andrew destroyed the original lifeguard towers in 1992.


{Images via It's Nice That by Leo Caillard}

Coqui Coqui Tulum

I'm really looking forward to spending a few nights here on my honeymoon. Doesn't it look like a dream? Coqui Coqui is a 7-room boutique eco-hotel, spa and perfumery in Tulum, Mexico, built and run by designers, Nicolas and Francesca, tucked away on a quiet stretch of the Mayan Riviera surf. Romantic bohemian rustic chic done right. I'm dying to fall into that bed.


{Images via 1-4: The Selby; 5-8: Mr. & Mrs. Smith; 9: Socially Superlative}

A Stairway To Nowhere

A stairway to heaven perhaps? In the middle of a forest in Stokke, a town south of Oslo, Norway, is a majestic staircase that leads to nowhere. Saunders Architecture built it as an observation point to lookout over the wooded valley. There really should be more of these in the world.


{Images via Design Boom by Bent René Synnevåg}

One Cool Desk

The receptionist who gets to sit behind this desk might be the luckiest receptionist alive. Dublin creative agency, Boys and Girls, built it to make a statement about their firm and playfully welcome clients into their offices. It's held up with oversized Jenga blocks on one side, helium balloons on the other. And it goes perfectly with their existing LEGO boardroom table. Hey guys, need a new receptionist?  :)


{Images by Liam Murphy}

6 Modern Artist Studios In The Middle of Nowhere

Technically, they're in the middle of somewhere... Fogo Island, Newfoundland. But these modern geometric artist studios, set against dramatic remote landscapes, seem like the only shelter on earth.

I'm greatly affected by my surroundings and I just know that if one of these studios were mine, I'd be inspired enough to record 3 albums, write 2 books, create 5 art projects and compile a year's worth of blog posts in a matter of weeks! How about you?  

{Images via It's Nice That by Saunders Architecture}

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a magnificent private estate in Scotland, owned by architect, Charles Jencks. He opens it to the public only one day a year! The landscape was designed to blend precise science and mathematics with the chaos of nature, integrating fractals, black holes, the Fibonacci sequence and a giant DNA helix. Wouldn't you love to visit?


{Images via Kuriositas by Paulus Maximus}

Acid Modernism

While buiding their Venice, California home, Doug Aitken and Gemma Ponsa came up with a new design aesthetic called Acid Modernism: organic, perceptual and hallucinatory.

What does this mean exactly? Well, for starters:

1. The ground-floor walls and curtains are silkscreened to simulate their outdoor hedges.
2. The sky-lighted staircase is angled with mirrors to create a kaleidoscope effect. 
3. The dining room table is a functioning xylophone.
4. There's a full bathroom hidden behind a panic-room door disguised as a bookcase that opens by pulling a fake volume of Ulysses from the shelf.
5. Microphones are installed underneath the staircase so the steps can be played like a percussive instrument.

It's a house you can play with. My kind of place!


{Images via The New York Times by Jason Schmidt}

The Flintstones House

Pretty wild, huh? It's Dick Clark's Malibu ocean view home, architecturally inspired by The Flintstones. He just put his Bedrock abode on the market for $3.5 million.

I hope whoever buys it turns it into a vacation home. As you may have noticed, I like homes made of stone  :)


{Images via Laughing Squid by Everett Fenton Gidley}

A Floating Cinema

This incredible floating cinema is located off Kudu Island in Thailand, originally built for the Film On The Rocks Festival earlier this year. At nightfall, guests are whisked away by a speedboat to arrive on a glowing raft in the middle of Nai Pi Lae Lagoon.

I have friends who will be honeymooning in Thailand and I sure hope they come here for a movie date!


{Images via Inhabitat by Buro Ole Scheeren}

A Kitchen In A Greenhouse

The original owners of this beautiful home in the South of France built a kitchen in their detached greenhouse. In fact, they have another kitchen in the main house.

Wouldn't you love to cook breakfast here with the sunshine streaming in? Or prepare a cozy romantic dinner with the rain pounding down?


{Images via Miss Design by Living Agency}

A Little Red Treehouse

Near the top of my travel bucket list lies a little red treehouse. You've probably seen images of the now iconic Mirror Cube. Well this one, ironically called the Blue Cone, is another beautifully designed guest home at the Treehotel in Sweden. In fact, their entire compound is on my list: the Cabin, the Bird's Nest, and my absolute favorite, the UFO!


{Images via Remodelista by Treehotel}

An Outdoor Open Air Library

A plethora of books, a trusty iMac, a deep lounger chair, and fresh air. I could get on board with this.


{Images via Office Sian}

Hot Tub Boats

Yep, this is for real. I'm not exactly sure how a boat full of water can float, but apparently it can. Hot Tub Boats will be debuting on Seattle's Lake Union this summer. Rent it out with your friends for some summer time relaxing in and on the water. I think it sounds like a grand ol' time.

But then again, communal hot tubs will always remind me of Splash, the germy hot tub rooms on the tv show, Blind Date.

Would you ride in a hot tub boat?


{Images via The Stranger}

Tahoe Stonehenge

Here's a peek into the house we rented for my bachelorette in South Lake Tahoe. As you may know, I have a major crush on 70's architecture. So when scouting locations, I took one look at this home's virtual tour and fell head over heels. It's called Stonehenge because it's built around a massive boulder that sits in the center of the living room!

It's the quirky bohemian details that make the place. For instance, there's a random loom sitting atop the boulder. There are framed vintage photos of people doing silly things. There are 5 themed bedrooms: Greek Myth, Timberline, Tyrolean, Mediterranean, and Wildlife. There's an indoor mossy trout pond. An Austrian "stube". Intricately carved wood doors and wall ornaments. Library shelves filled with retro ski memorabilia. The list goes on. Each day I found something new and amusing lurking around every corner.

Can you believe a place this cool exists as a vacation rental? If you ever get a chance to stay at Stonehenge, do! I wish I could live here always.

P.S. Here are the rest of my bachelorette photos.

Bonsai Tree Houses

I've always wanted to grow a bonsai tree, but I've heard they take a great deal of care and commitment. Considering my past plant failures, maybe I'll just admire them from afar.

Takanori Aiba's are incredible, no? He goes above and beyond, building little houses and bridges within each bonsai tree. They're like something out of Swiss Family Robinson.


{Images via The Chive by Takanori Aiba}

A Rustic Cheese Hut in France

Imagine living in this cozy idyllic 300-year old stone hut in the Cantal mountains of France. Exploring the hillside. Milking cows. Quiet evenings by the fire, munching homemade cheese.

Up until the 1940's, there used to be many of these types of rustic abodes scattered around the area where shepherds would stay during the summers to make fromage. Today, they're all in poor condition except for this one, the Buron of Niercombe, beautifully restored by an Austrian in 2004.

And lucky for us, the hut is now available as a vacation rental. It even comes with a basket of traditional local foods for two days of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Wouldn't you love to experience this?


{Images via Remodelista by Niercombe}

A Path In The Forest

Architect Tetsuo Kondo built this fascinating elevated pathway that winds through the Kadriog Park in Tallinn, Estonia. Wouldn't you love to walk within the trees instead of under them? 


{Image via The Cool Hunter}

Tubohotel

Spending the night in a cement tube has never been on my bucket list, but that was before I spotted the Tubohotel in Tepoztlan, 45 minutes south of Mexico City. Did you know such a place existed?


{Image via Fancy Cribs} 

A Rooftop Boat

Remember my dream of owning a houseboat? Which got neatly tucked away when we happened upon our little cottage? Well, according to the rentable 1-bedroom boat anchored to the roof of London's Southbank Centre, there's a way to have both. Sea and land. A boat and a house. One on top of the other!


{Images via A Simple Life Afloat by Charles Hosea}

Mid-Century Vacation Cabins

These awesome illustrations of mid-century vacation cabins are from a 1960's Douglas Fir Plywood brochure, Second Homes for Leisure Living. They look like what my dream first home would be!


{Images via Retro Renovation}

Tea Houses

"A house and dewed ground
Guest and host
Drinking together a cup of tea
In quiet contemplation
In spiritual symphony"

- Japanese master, Sen no Rikyú

{Images via Desire To Inspire by A1 Architects}

The Prefab MIMA House

I used to dream of one day buying an inexpensive piece of land to build a prefab on. My enthusiasm curbed when I researched the cost of modern prefab homes. They ain't cheap. But this little Portuguese beauty, The MIMA House, is the price of moderately sized car!

Would you ever live in a prefab?


{Images via Dezeen by José Campos}

The Breakfast at Tiffany's Townhouse

Calling all Audrey fans. You can now purchase the Manhattan townhouse where Holly Golightly lived. Thanks to Micaela, I discovered that the iconic Breakfast At Tiffany's home is now on the market. For a cool $5.85 million.

Or you could set up shop across the street and stalk, I mean, befriend the lucky person who buys it: 169 East 71st Street.


{Images via 1. and 3. IMDB; 2. The Drifter And The Gypsy by Michael Weinstein}

An Igloo Village Resort

My dream winter vacation: Hotel Kakslauttanen, located 250 km above the Arctic Circle in the Lapland region of Finland. Stay in a glass igloo designed to view the Northern Lights overhead. Glide through the snowy forest on a reindeer safari. And devour hot drinks with ginger biscuits served by the Gold Elves at Santa's house.

Who wants to join me?


{Images via Double Takes}

Japanese Playground Roller Slides

Lately I've been lamenting over the loss of vintage playground equipment from the 70's and 80's. You know, the ones involving metal? The ones that are actually fun?

Here's where Japan has us beat. Their playgrounds are a U.S. safety inspector's worst nightmare. With 500-meter-long slides through parks! And little bum pads provided in huts. With the exception of a few scattered alpine slides (watch my adventure here), America needs to step up her game.

Have you ever slid down a Japanese roller slide?


{Image via Together Like Ham N Cheez}

A Wall of Doors

Remember the wall of window shutters? Dutch designer, Piet Hein Eek, applied the same technique but with vintage doors. He wanted to preserve the memory of the old buildings that were torn down in order to build this new residential loft. Such a spectacular statement, don't you think?


{Image by Thomas Mayer}

A Snowy Aspen Ski Lodge

I'm envious of beauty entrepreneur, Aerin Lauder's modern Aspen ski lodge. Isn't it amazing?

And while we're on the subject of snowy abodes, I've decided what I want to do for my bachelorette party. A long weekend in a cozy mountain chalet with my favorite girls. Aspen might be a little beyond our means, but somewhere like Tahoe would be a fine alternative.

I'm picturing a slumber party around a roaring fire with hot spiked drinks and board games. One wild night out on the town. A day to play in the snow, maybe ski or go sledding. And then warm up from the cold with spa treatments and a soak in the hot tub. Get ready, girls.


{Images via Hip Hip Gin Gin via Vogue by François Halard}

Fairy Tale Houses

I love how these little houses look like they've been plucked out of a fairy tale. Dan Pauly makes them entirely out of reclaimed wood. They can be used as garden sheds, saunas, guest cottages, artist studios and play houses for kids. Aren't they darling?


{Images via AT by The Rustic Way}

A Floating Dining Room

I'm so excited for my girls trip to Vancouver next week! I was doing some foodie research and flipped out when I spotted this floating dining room that serves an intimate multi-course meal to 12 guests on the water. But sadly, it closes after summer and we're one month too late. Drat.

It stays afloat with the use of 1,675 plastic 2-litre bottles that were built into the floor in order to promote clean water and sustainable ocean life. Good news for the rest of the world... it will be traveling around to partner with top chefs across the globe. I'm hoping it will float on down to Seattle soon!


{Images by School of Fish Foundation}

Matte Stephens' Paintings

I first spotted Matte Stephens' limited edition Seattle print in the Velocity Art & Design store. And now I'm admiring it from my wall! Doesn't it look like a city from the future? I think that's why I dig it so much. It reminds me of the 1962 World's Fair. Those mid-century architectural remnants are my favorite parts of Seattle.

All of Matte's gouache paintings make me giddy. I'm adore his muted color palette and quirky stories set in urban nature scenes. His retro style, reminiscent of Jim Flora, draws inspiration from mid-century jazz, modern design and old movies. Seriously, what is not to love?

P.S. Want to peek inside Matte's 1953 home?


{Images by Matte Art}

A Cabin & A Tree House In A Loft

Instead of putting up dividers or installing walls in her 2-story Brooklyn loft, architect, Terri Chiao, built a cabin and a tree house to use as bedrooms. Excellent plan.

She says that "living in the space can feel like living outdoors, in a small community of two houses". And lucky for us, the cabin is available as a vacation rental when visiting New York.


{Images via Design Shimmer by A Small Space}

Munich Bungalows From The 1972 Olympics

These colorful bungalows are where the athletes stayed during the 1972 Summer Olympics. Maybe due to Munich Massacre memories, they were torn down in 2007-2009 and rebuilt into modern college dorms. Too bad they didn't leave a few standing, if only to admire their orignal charm. Aren't they fun?


{Images via Flickr Blog by Sophie Saller}

Color Color Color

Never a dull day in this Swedish apartment. It sits adjacent to the Humlegården Park, so Tham & Videgard Arkitekter installed colorful parquet flooring to emulate the changing seasons. Would you be able to live in a home with this much color?


{Images via Plenty of Colour by Åke E:son Lindman}

Petit Paris

Emmy-winning stop motion animator turned photographer, Sarah de Gaudemar, creates minuscule Parisian scenes and captures them on film with a handmade tilt-shift camera lens. She travels to Paris often with her French husband and the city has become her "favorite place to view from a tiny person's perspective."

Can you believe the scenes aren't real? I'm so impressed. She recently compiled all her images into a book, Vintage Minature Paris.


{Images by Swedotorp}

Living Bridges

The idea of a living bridge is so fascinating to me. On BBC's Human Planet, they explain how the locals of Nongriat in Meghalaya, India have been making foot bridges out of tree roots for the past 500 years by using hollowed out betel nut trunks to guide the direction of the roots’ growth. Has anyone seen them in person?


{Images via Architizer}

A Billboard Swing

Can you believe this interactive billboard art installation? It was designed and built by French-Portuguese architect, Didier Faustino. And get this. It's very appropriately titled, Double Happiness. I'd be a swing hog and stay up there all day.


{Image via We Find Wilderness}

A Geodesic Tree House

If I owned my home, the first order of business would be building a Geo Kit pre-fab sphere-shaped treehouse in the backyard. Apparently, they're all the rage among Hollywood's rich and famous. They even come with add-ons, like rope bridges and ziplines! Wouldn't they make a perfect yoga studio, meditation pod, or playhouse? Perch it high in the tree and you'd have views for miles.

P.S. Until then... I'll be staying in this vintage dome house next time I vacation in the San Juan Islands.


{Images via Jokemign by O2 Treehouse}

An Unidentified Floating Pond Shelter

I can't for the life of me find the source of this image and it's driving me nuts. Anyone have any information on this awesome pond shelter? I'm so curious to know where it is and what it's used for. Any guesses?

** UPDATE ** Thank you Judy for finding the image source! Designed by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot, Le Jardin Des Hesperides was one of 11 gardens built for the 2006 International Garden Festival at Reford Gardens in Grand-Metis, Canada. Read more about it here.


{Image via Pinterest by Andreas Saudemont}

The Gate Lodge

Someone please buy The Gate Lodge, a cozy little late 18th Century English charmer currently on the market. We can trade vacation homes as they do in The Holiday. It's not often you see a thatched roof and gothic windows in such pristine condition. And for only £300,000? Pennies. Do it! Then let's arrange the swap.


{Images via Keen and Fitting by Strutt & Parker}

An Off-The-Grid Writer's Retreat

Wouldn't you love to have a space like this, off the grid, surrounded by nature? I'd be able to knock out song after song. Blog after blog. No distractions, except perhaps the occasional curious deer.

Erin Moore of FLOAT Architectural Research and Design built this Oregon retreat for her mother, a nature writer. The 70-square-foot structure is only accessible by foot. There's not even a trail. The roof was designed to allow water to trickle down the side of the building and enhance the sound of rain. Bliss!


{Images via Ink+Wit by Gary Tarleton}