LoftyWords

Modern designed baby causes work stoppage?

Ladies and gentlemen, STOP the presses! 

You may have noticed that Lofty editorial has been on hiatus for the last couple of months, no the site didn't fold, nor did it's editors fall off the face of the earth. 

What has been happening is that I took off a few of the multiple hats I wear (metaphorically, that is - i.e: writer, publisher, engineer, etc.) for the birth of our daughter, and ultimately to spend the first couple of formative months being a new bumbling father.

But even in the midst of my newly minted fatherhood, I heard the distant call of my first child, this web site.  In the coming days I expect to raise the bar , and offer even better content then what you have come to expect from Lofty. 

• I will have a run down on all the amazing loft activity happening in Austin, TX. 
• Possible news of a new loft development in a very old San Antonio landmark.
• The downtown living experience of Chicago.
• Q&A's with some of the best architects North America has to offer.

In the mean time, try visiting Modern Mother to see what all this kid fuss is about.

Image courtesy of: Modern Nursery.

Modern Furnishing on a Budget

    The quest for the perfect modern piece of furniture can often be long and expensive. This makes some feel that modern design is out of their reach.  Yes, there is Design Within Reach, but for the person with a lot of style who is just starting out, even DWR can be out of reach.
    Fear not design aficionados, there is a way you can get the look without having to eat Ramen for a month or scrounge through hundreds of resale shops.  Target now offers a wide variety of great pieces that are surprisingly inexpensive and well made putting great design   at everyone's fingertips.
    A simple search of the Target site revealed pieces under $300 that were clean and simple from the Weston bedroom collection that would lend a clean, elegant style to any modern home. My personal favorite collection is Thomas O'Brien's vintage modern collection.  With the simple clean vintage feel, designed for today's lifestyle, it is a true combination of form and function.
    Designers are jumping at the chance to challenge themselves by creating great furnishings on a budget.  Even Todd Oldham has brought his unique sense of Modern Retro to Target.  There is a look and a price for every home.  Think about it, how long do you think you can pull off "I am a minimalist," as the excuse as to why your mattress is on the floor and you only have one chair?

Target.com

Let the Sun Shine In

One of the staples of modern living, especially loft living is an open, bright feeling.  This can often be difficult to achieve, but a new twist on an old eyesore is putting natural light within reach.  Glass garage doors used, not just in the garage but as a wall, floods any space with light and allows and flow from indoors to out with ease.

A clear glass door opening to an enclosed courtyard, complete with a fountain or koi pond would be the perfect finishing touch to any modern home striving to create a peaceful, inviting environment.  If a little more privacy is in order the glass panels can be frosted, or even come with texture.  There are many styles offered by numerous dealers.  Prices vary depending on size and style so get a few price quotes and testimonials to make sure you are getting the best deal. 

Here are a few places to find out more info but remember your mileage may vary :
BP Glass Garage Doors
Arm-r-Lite
Clopay

Into Every Modern Home a Little Elegance Must Fall

Every once in a while a product comes along that combines my  love of the ornate with a penchant for the modern aesthetic.  Erich Ginder brings modern ornate to life with the Mansion Chandelier. 
The chandelier is made of laser-cut aluminum with halogen bulb lamps that creates a flowing, yet dichotomous, old-world ornamentation blended to a modern form.  Adding to the simple aesthetic is the stencil like design. This was a perfect choice as the chandelier has such a grandiose feel with the design and construction that  it didn't need added bulk to impress. When to add and when to simply stop is something a good artist, such as Ginder recognizes. It measures 11.5 inches in height and 36 inches in diameter.

Design Public has the chandelier available in six different colors:  anodized black, anodized gold, anodized natural, citron, powder coated white and red.  This chandelier would make a great discussion piece in any modern dining room, or for an even greater impact put it somewhere unexpected such as a bedroom or living room.  At $3,700 you definitely want to put where it will earn it's keep.

Erich Ginder Mansion Chandelier at : [Design Public] [Erich Ginder]

Can the essence of a city survive progress?

  Here in Austin we have like to keep a certain feel to the city.  With a motto of "Keep Austin Weird" you can only guess that it is a somewhat un-traditional place full of strange shops, relaxed people and a strong sense of community.  One of our weird little venues is an RV park in the middle of an affluent part of town.  This isn't your normal RV park.  It is quirky, stylish and surprisingly affordable in an area of town that forgot affordable ages ago.  It also has an incredible downtown, lakeside  location.  This of course means it is a big juicy steak sitting on the counter for developers.

Continuing coverage from the 2006 AIA Homes TourEmily Little, Architect!

With the pending arrival of our newest and smallest family member my demands in the home have changed. Now not only do I want a stylish, elegant space, I also demand that space to actually function for living. Yes, I know this is a novel concept that flies in the face of many but when I envision the pitter patter of little feet I also see, spills, falls and toys everywhere. This years Austin AIA show shined a spot light on one architect who has managed to create a home that is not only aesthetically pleasing with a casual elegance but she also made the home a welcoming family friendly environment.

Emily Little’s renovation of a duplex into a single family home was complicated but...

AIA Austin 2006 Homes Tour

This weekend, AIA Austin will hold its 21st annual Home Tour. The tour will include ten one of a kind homes designed for the real world and real world clients.

From the AIA Austin website, "Presented by AIA Austin (the Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects), this year’s tour will feature an intriguing collection of 10 one-of-a-kind homes designed by professional members of AIA Austin for real clients representing a wide range of lifestyles. The featured firms have truly demonstrated the abilities of an architect to translate the needs, the lifestyles, interests and the dreams of the client into a beautiful solution!

Hayden Vitera Live tonight

Every once in a while a great entertertainer gets a chance.  Thankfully Hayden Vitera got his chance through a series of gigs playing a LatTV kick off parties around Texas. Now you too can hear this talented entertainer tonight at a local Austin staple, the Saxon Pub.
The Saxon Pub is located at 1320 S. Lamar Austin Tx.

Modern Platform Bed

Recently my wife and I have been on a quest to find a modern platform bed to replace the aging bedroom set we currently have.  After spending and inordinate amount of time searching online and in many specialty modern furniture stores we came to the conclusion that most modern beds lack functionality, something we need.  You see, both my wife and I are readers and TV watchers, often doing both at the same time, so a platform bed would need storage, and it would need to have a comfortable head rest for reading, yet most modern beds lack these two ingredients, having just one or the other but rarely both, and when they did they lost that modern clean edge. 

Solution?  The Zoe by Poliform, imported by EUROPE by NET. Designed by Paolo Piva (info), the Zoe's adjustable headrests make it an ideal solution. The sleek bookshelf unit which runs behind the bed is included, with an optional one-drawer or two-drawer units which sit inside the bookshelf are available seperatly.

The pictures show the headrest cushions in fabric, but leather is available as an option. The bed comes in wenge, ovangkol, or in the full range of Poliform matt lacquer colours. Available in two sizes, to fit mattresses sized 160 x 200 or 180 x 200 cm.

Austin Agave Update

It looks like there is a lot of movement in Austin over at the new Agave neighborhood, with quite a few houses that have either sold or are in the process of selling.  Also the Green Mango Real Estate website has a number of the home plans available to peruse.

Austin - New Mod Downtown Loft For Lease

1 bedroom, 1.5 baths, with dedicated office and covered parking available for immediate move-in, located in downtown Austin!

This is the perfect place for an active professional, close to the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail, less than a mile from 6th and Congress, and under a minute comute to downtown, this almost 1300 foot loft is located in the very cool Pedernales community (www.pedernales.com).

Features and amenities:

*Beautifully stained concrete floors

*Large balcony (approx. 22'x7')

*1 bedroom

*1.5 baths

*Walk-in closet

*Huge live in Living Room

*Modern kitchen

*Stainless steel appliances

*Granite Countertops Throughout

*High ceilings

*New washer, dryer, fridge, oven, and microwave

*Covered parking

*Secure, Gated complex

*Beautiful green-space

*High speed internet available

The Pedernales offers the rare combination of urban living with private community greenspaces.  Offered at $1500 a month, plus one months deposit, the unit is available for immediate move in after April 20th, 2006.  Cats and dogs are welcome, and the unit has a large greenspace located behind it, perfect for Rovers afternoon romp.

[Click to view Craig's List listing]
[Local Contact Information]

More Pictures after the jump!

Editorial: What loft designers and architects get wrong

For a while now I have been writing on all things cool about loft and urban living, but often I get asked if it is so great why doesn't everyone do it? And the proponents of that questions are on to something, because in truth, there are a few things about loft living that are hard to get used to, and some things that urban loft designer just get wrong. Here are my basic two complaints that either need to change when designing loft spaces, or that architects and designer just get wrong, and they mirror the number one complaint from LoftyWords readers.