Atmosphereic

With the push to practice sustainable design, old buildings that in the past would have been demolished are being rejuvenated. Decommissioned churches that have fallen to disrepair are popular candidates for renovation and additions. Usually they are also registered historical landmarks which allows interior designers to keep the character and spunk of the traditional structure while merging innovative design and cutting edge technology.

English villages are most commonly where these rejuvenated houses of worship can be found. Because villages acted as their own little communities there are an abundance of churches that are in walking distance of the villagers. Many have fallen to disrepair or boarded up due to structural damage or flood. But there is hope! These structures are valuable to the villages and their heritage, by bringing new life into the building, residents can in turn bring new life into the towns and cities that house them as well.

Below are a few examples of beautifully renovated churches around the world…

The Church in Kensal Green, London

We all know how captivating our phones can be, especially when trying to get from point A to point B. As we are told often, the attention span of human kind is rapidly decreasing which has, in turn had us turning to your handheld devices for entertainment on the go. An Australian design firm has come up with an attractive and functional way to keep us all a little bit more aware of the world around us. Smart Tactile Paving™ by Büro North takes the walking man and the red hand down to earth so that the rising number in pedestrian deaths reverses itself.

As you will see in the video below, this genius design firm has brought the pedestrian cues to the place we tend to be looking most, at our feet (or should I say phones?). The tiles currently used to signal to the blind or deaf the start and end of a crosswalk has been reworked to include LED lighting to correspond with the red hand and green walking person. So as a pedestrian looks down at their phone there are additional visual cues to stop them if necessary. As the firm mentions, the technology and wiring is already there so why not take advantage of it?!

1. Organic Fleur Sateen Duvet Cover  2. Organic Striated Stripes Duvet Cover  3. Embroidered Leaf Border Duvet Cover  4. Organic Nordic Stripe Jacquard Duvet Cover  5. Flannel Stripe Duvet Cover  6. Organic Cotton Pintuck Duvet Cover  7. Organic Braided Matelasse Duvet Cover  8. Roar + Rabbit Geo Patch Duvet Cover  9. Tassel Quilt  10. Nomad Coverlet (post sponsored by west elm)

The best way to have flexibility in your bedding is to use a duvet cover or have a solid duvet cover and multiple quilts to change it up. We all know wine spills, it’s Murphy’s Law. So! My solution is a duvet comforter with many different duvet covers to switch out as you fancy! Not only is it a blatant challenge to old Murphy, but it is the perfect way to add a little bit of each season to your bedroom.

All photos from Dwell Magazine

A famous house receives the Historic Designation it deserves...

All images from The Lowline and Dwell Magazine 

The Lowline Lab - a Foray into Underground Parks

This is the beginning of a new series of posts titled Inspiring:

It is a series of inspiring trends displayed in a collage form. The goal is to attractively showcase trends while keeping the text to a medium.

Just as any creative person, I can loose focus of why I do what I do. These 5 websites can be key catalysts for sparking that creative spirit once again...

This topic as well as other important ones are addressed and studied at La Biennale Architettura 2016! 

With the theme, “Reporting from the Front”, the 15th International Architecture Exhibition is breaking ground in every area of architecture and interior design. The participants and award winners showcase their designs and innovations that are making waves in valuable areas of international architecture. While some focus on designing sustainably, the main focus is on deeper cultural issues such as segregation, inequality, access to sanitation, housing shortage, migration, and community participation. These topics all address architecture in the 21st century and what we can do to improve society through well thought out and thoroughly researched design. Below is an example of what can be found at the Biennale Archetettura.

One of the most prestigious and anticipated events in the architecture world is the annual World Architecture Festival. 

Their website defines it as an event “...where the world architecture community meets to celebrate, learn, exchange and be inspired.” It is so much more than that though! It is a place for old hats and newbies alike to come together to collaborate and create. Even though I am not able to attend since it is in Berlin, I am sitting on the edge of my seat anticipating the final results of the 32 awards.

There are many sub-categories under the two main categories of Completed Building and Future Projects. The winners of each of these categories are then asked to present their projects to a panel of judges who pick a “best of show” winner in four categories: Completed Buildings, Interiors, Future Projects, and Landscape. The four “best of show” winners are announced during the closing Gala Dinner. 

Since the shortlist was announced today I thought I’d highlight a few of my favorites!