Wish You Were Here!

For a project I am working on in Seattle.
Loving the 3D lettering.

Dogboarding!

Dogboarding from DANIELS on Vimeo.

William Leavitt At MOCA

MOCA retrospective of William Leavitt:
"Since 1969, his works have employed ordinary fragments of popular and vernacular culture and modernist architecture as both props and signifiers to produce a distilled narrative.
The culture and atmosphere of Los Angeles has played a significant role in Leavitt's ongoing interest in "the theater of the ordinary" and the play between illusion and reality and nature and artifice that characterizes the city."

Loving it!

Todd Oldman's Office

As seen in New York MagazineEntrance to office.
"In place of the former law partners’ names on the front door, they simply slapped on Todd’s initials in paint. His full name, to the right, was made using nailheads painted over with white-out. Finally, they added self-stick wood marquetry shelf paper for a bit of embellishment. "
The entrance to the office is covered with Ikea floorboards that Todd laid into a stripe pattern. “This is actually the least expensive floor we could put down,” Todd says.

Loving This!

Was having lunch downtown at a restaurant that has been there forever and was loving the clear coated old pecky cedar wood on the walls.

The rope coated in shellac is a nice touch too.

Nautical themed decor always gets me excited!

American Rustic

From an article "American Rustic" in the New York Times:
"The aesthetic reflects a nostalgia, but not for the Victoriana that has been so popular in recent years. As is the case with a number of other collectors they know, their fascination is not with dark rooms, ornate lines or the macabre, but with the stylistic era that followed.
It is a simpler, more rustic and American-inflected style that is more general store than taxidermy-appointed lodge, and that emphasizes objects that are well-made, durable and useful: wire storage baskets, machine-age metal tools, leather couches, canvas bags, colorful woolen blankets and interiors made of barn wood."

The article also notes Ralph Lauren is revered for perfecting this look, we agree.

bettershelter can appreciate things that have a worn in look with lots of patina.

See article HERE

Progress!!

Long Beach property!colors will be sorta/kinda like this

The Last Townie

A GREAT article in the New York Times on urban planning and how to revive a dying town.

Greg O’Connell, retired from the NYPD has an impressive track record, he was in large part responsible for Red Hook's revival.
"He has confirmed his status as one of America’s best-known progressive developers."
Where most people saw derelict conditions, he saw an opportunity.

From the article on renovating a small town:
"O’Connell charges these businesses as little as $100 a month in rent, but he asks for things in return.
He’s a longtime admirer of Jane Jacobs — he used to carry her classic book, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” around like a talisman — and he learned from her and other urban planners.
O’Connell’s leases require businesses to leave their lights on at night, to change their window displays at least four times a year and to stay open one evening a week. “If this place is going to make it,” he says, “it’s going to be a community effort.”

LOVE THAT!!
The article also notes that he is a buy and hold type of guy, something I wish I could do more of!

See whole article HERE

Bill Cunningham New York

Can't wait to see!

As Seen In A Random House

Um, don't think I'll be using either one of these until we scrape this place.
We run across this type of grossness all the time.
Ugh.

The Suburbs

Am I the last one to see this?
Jeez, almost 3 million views
From a short film by Spike Jonze

A Brief History Of Title Design

A Brief History of Title Design from Ian Albinson on Vimeo.

Art For Japan

Bravo to Casey Bevington for creating Art For Japan.
Says Casey:
"I may not be a doctor, I may not be a scientist, but I can help.
Help me help our friends in Japan.
With our help, they will get well soon."

-Casey Bevington is an artist, designer, and photographer living in Huntington Beach, Ca.

All proceeds go to Japanese Red Cross Society.

$30 ea!

HEY! That's My Car!

A million years ago ALL I drove were old AMC Rambler cars.
At one point I think I owned 5 of them...all at the same time. Over the years I've owned over 20 Ramblers.....they were so cheap back then.

A production person spotted my station wagon parked on PCH and left a note on my windshield asking if they could rent it for a commercial.
I said yes and the rest is history!
Jay Leno, Doritos and my car! A perfect combo!

So Cool!

Great Shipping Container Conversion

From Inhabitat:

"California Builder Transforms Backyard Into Shipping Container Work Space."

When Oakland designer and builder Stephen Schoup's firm, building Lab inc, grew too big for his old backyard workshop, he thought long and hard on how to increase his workspace in a sustainable way.
After much deliberation, he settled on an L-shaped shipping container office space where he could incorporate many of the leftover materials and supplies he had laying around. The newly created backyard office balances the warehouse-style home and creates a charming courtyard in between.

The containers were placed on pier foundations, a far simpler and less resource intensive process than full foundations.

The exterior of the containers were insulated and clad in cement board siding, salvaged lumber from deconstruction and leftover redwood siding provide a warmer look, and were further painted to match the exterior of the house.

Looks great!

bettershelter says: SHIP IT!!

Joseph Eichler and His Architects

From Gamble House Lecture Series:
A lecture
Friday, May 13
7pm

The lecture welcomes David Weinstein who will present an overview on the work of famed architect Joseph Eichler who is best-known for developing distinctive residential subdivisions of Mid-Century modern style tract housing in California.

Joseph Eichler (1900–1974) was a 20th century post-war U.S. American real estate developer. He was one of the influential advocates of bringing modern architecture from custom residences and large corporate buildings to general public availability. His company and developments named “Eichler Homes” remain in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Los Angeles regions.

Location of event:
Art Center College of Design
Ahmanson Auditorium
Pasadena

cost: $12

Better Effie Pix

All photos HERE, home is in escrow.