hayes valley hero

a month or so ago i noticed this building on linden street:

i loved the look of it (the bi-fold doors, the organic/urban symmetry) and wondered who lives/works there? what's this place about?
so, imagine my gratification in discovering there's just as much quality inside it as on the facade:

today the new york times, much to my delight, has an entire story on the man behind the same building that i was so fondly curious about. serendipity provides!

loring sagan is a guy with a vision, and it's a vision i can relate to. he's a san francisco architect, entrepeneur, and artist who bought-up a building in a run-down hayes valley alley and turned it into an insirpiring live/work space and gathering place for like-minded folk.

once i started exploring, i realized it's quite in the news lately, so i guess i'm not the only one who's impressed.

sf.curbed calls it "roman holiday in hayes valley".

socketsite says it's "a building, coffee and movement that we love in hayes valley".

sfgate explains "at a hayes valley salon of artists and designers, an architect shows links between back alleys and an organic new urbanism".

sagan's ultimate vision is to upgrade linden alley:

in to the likes of seattle's post alley:

& rome's trastevere:

he's even acquired grant money to get the revamp going. i'm so excited to see how it develops.

loring's companies, sagan piechota architecture and build inc., (both blog post worthy all on their own) have their offices located in the enchanting building, which also has a living space loft to die for, a fabulous conference/meeting space for community gatherings, and a hip-funky-cool blue bottle coffee kiosk. many thanks to the nyt for these sneak-peek photos inside:

oh, yeah, and loring sagan's furniture d'art can be seen at edith caldwell's gallery in sausalito:

mirrors of paradise

fernando caruncho was introduced to me by a colleague of mine. his reverance for caruncho's work definitely encouraged mine. the spanish-born landscape architect studied philosophy in college and after graduating turned to the world of gardens for combining his mathematical, aesthetic & philosophical skills with gorgeous results. he's become one of the world's foremost landscape designers. his work is captivating.

(paris-based photographer, laurence toussaint, has masterfully captured the understated elegance of caruncho's gardens and landscapes with images as perfectly composed as the gardens themselves)

spring fling at designer's guild

the spring 2007 oriental garden collection from designer's guild is exquisite. lush colors & textures ~ a feast for the senses ~ enjoy!

texture for the bath

a new line from olympia ceramica, called texture, brings new options to the bathroom - contemporary sinks and countertops with vibrant color & unexpected design elements. first presented at ish 2007.

trunk show

(axel vervoordt's hump-top trunk holds the bed in place and makes the room)

(andrew martin's coiba trunk)

(a colorful vintage steamer trunk found at free people)

(peking lounge in vancouver bc has several chinese trunks - this was my fave)

(lovely painted black trunks from horchow's collection)

(grand idea ~ a picnic trunk! first found at neiman marcus, but since i've seen at several other sites too)

(vintage louis vuitton trunks offered on bentley's of london)

shedding light in black & white

(the glass-glass collection at luceplan offers a variety of all hand-blown glass shades that are mix-n-match & interchangeable)

(float lamp by byro ~ nicely juxtaposed with the vintage black velvet arm chair)

(hick's hexagon drum shade at graham & green)

(sebastian wrong's "main spun" table lamp in charcoal at flos)

(kathleen hills' starlight hanging fixture)

(there's something very james bond about this one ~ leave it to philippe starck! the gold plated beretta pistol lamp found at design-conscious)

(kartell's bourgie table lamp ~ classy-contempo)

alexander gorlin architects

new york city based design firm, alexander gorlin architects, has diverse clientele & talents. from homeless & affordable housing to daniel libeskind's loft renovation to high schools in the bronx ~ every project has superb style and grace. one of my recent favorites is this townhouse in chicago. it floats behind a private garden wall and is framed by traditional houses on both sides. a dramatic side stair leads to the main level, comprising open living, dining and kitchen areas, then continues upstairs to the master bedroom and bathroom that are literally suspended above the main living space. two guest bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the lower floor. take a peek......

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(as first seen at arkinetia. photos by michael moran)

le prince jardinier

come take a spring walk with me.....
then let's browse through some parisian gardens shops, filled with vernal freshness & delight......

and we can bring home with us some lovely additions to our garden.......





(all photos found amongst the various le prince jardinier sites)