design :: walking on air

This "Mistral" staircase by Stiller is not only functional but has beautiful design sense as well. The "floating" stair treads give the illusion of walking on air!

Check out more unusual and JUST COOL staircases at the Siller website.

technology :: a house that tweets

This quaint antique cottage is anything but antique technologically speaking. It has it's own twitter account and tweets when someone leaves the water running, dinner is ready and even when a mouse has been caught in a trap (there are a lot of those out in the English countryside). The houses Master,  Dr Andy Stanford-Clark - who has the job title of distinguished engineer and master inventor for IBM computers (no wonder!) has rigged the 16th century dwelling with hundreds of sensors linked to the popular social networking website so it can tweet it's updates regularly.The house can also be monitored and controlled from his cell phone when he's  away .

Read more details about this home tweet home here. I't JUST COOL!

architecture :: a fab prefab

Fab and prefab are two words you won't find together too often. Especially when you're talking about those ugly galvanized steel buildings often seen in rural landscapes that are basically used for functional farming and light industrial needs. But changes are coming! Green architect Michael Jantzen has taken the ugly corregated structure and tranformed it into a cool, modern and yes, FAB minimalist living space.

This affordable, sustainable, energy-independent structure can be reconfigured to suit the needs of it's owners. - “Homestead House is a conceptual design for alternative housing that explores the potential use of a commercially available steel, prefabricated, modular, high strength, low cost, arch building system normally used for agricultural purposes,” said Jantzen. Read more about it at dornob. It's JUST COOL!

architecture :: swanky silo

I love tiny houses! This tiny house is made even cooler because it was once a grain silo and is now a one bedroom loft at the Gruene Homestead Inn. In 2007 the inn purchased this lowly metal grain container, moved and reinvented it into an upscale and unique lodging experience for their guests.The silo has a queen bed, a full sized sofa-bed, stand up shower, two sinks, wet bar, microwave, refrigerator, private porch and can be rented for $175/$210.

Photo Credits: Gruene Homestead Inn

 You can visit the Gruene Homestead Inn’s website to learn more about this JUST COOL lodging.

via tinyhouseblog

travel :: standard it ain't

Maybe it's name is standard but this opulent NY hotel is anything but! Get this.The Standard Hotel of New York boasts 337 Guest Rooms with insane views, wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling windows that open, 300 thread count italian sheets, large & lofty pillows, massive showers and over sized tubs, xl fluffy towels, 6 piece kiss my face organic bath amenities, mood lighting, comfortable work spaces, huge hd tvs, ipod ready sound system, overstocked min-bars, room service, free wireless internet and thats just for starters. Not only are the views insane and the decor California Cool - but the architecture itself is something to flip over as well!

With posh and luxurious rooms starting at $250 a night this place is JUST COOL!

architecture :: a house made of books

Casa de Libre is an unusual house entirely handcarved to look like books. Everything in it (even the clothes hanging in the closet) has been carved to resemble a book in some way. The master Woodcarver Extraordinaire behind this novel house is artist Livio De Marchi .

But book houses aren't all that this talented craftman builds. He carves lifesized cars as well - and drives them on water!

How amazingly JUST COOL!

architecture :: houses made of lace

 

I imagine this "lacy" house must have taken forever to carve. Located in Siberia, Russia this is one of many fairytale houses carved in the early 1900's by talented craftsmen. In those days, these industrious russian "elves" flocked to Tomsk and other Siberian cities, and their art thrived. To create such carvings from wood was their way of honoring the Siberian forests and they competed to show off their most lavish wooden designs. Each piece of the gingerbread was painstakingly hand carved and then mounted on the building's facade.

What an enchanting work of art. Dressed up with fancy doors and shutters carved like doilies and petticoat trim, this house is JUST COOL!

via englishrussia

architecture :: green bus stop

talk about green recycling - and a clever idea for a dwelling

it's JUST COOL!

via bartvandamme

architecture :: recycled pooch pad

Greypants Inc. is a "design firm" in Seattle that makes a difference through creative recycling. Take for instance this uncommon dog abode!

With old windows from behind the garage, basement scraps of wood,leftover cedar siding + one generous souvenir left by the road crew, they built a dog shelter and then auctioned  it off at an annual bark in the park to help aid mistreated animals. SWEET!

The people behind the company, Seth, Jon, and Jonathan are architects. Their mission:

We strive to come up with designs and ideas that are thoughtful and have an impact, whether it be furniture, lighting, architecture or graphics. each one of our projects has a unique story and we try to explore new ideas to redefine how design can have a greater impact. most importantly, we have fun doing it! we enjoy collaborating with all walks of life – that is where we find true inspiration. we want to let the beauty of what we love be what we do.

Greypants Inc - yup, it's JUST COOL!

architecture :: turned upside down

This strange house is upside down both inside and out! Located in Traseenheide Germany, architects Klaudiusz Golos and Sebastian Mikiciuk created this crazy architectural folly, calling it "The World Stands on its Head" ("Die Welt Steht Kopf") House on the Baltic Sea Island of Usedom.  Everything, right down to its interior fittings and furnishings, is upside down. Quite a complicated task to build I would imagine - and living it even more so!

Well..actually no one lives in it - it is a tourist attraction that opened last fall and is definitely JUST COOL!

via zimbio

architecture :: the storybook cottages of Carmel

Some of my favorite houses are these utterly charming little enchanted cottages nestled in a little seaside town in California called Carmel-by-the-Sea.

photos by Linda Yvonne

In 1924 Hugh Comstock, neither an architect nor a builder, set to build the first storybook cottage in Carmel California, a land at the edge of the world, where tall pine trees sway and white sandy beaches meet the big blue sea. Comstock constructed the Hansel House to house his wife, Mayotta Brown's doll collection.The teeny-tiny cottage had a sloping roof of hand-cut shingles and a stone chimney that wasn't quite straight. It's walls were covered with plaster mixed with pine needles and it cost him only $100 to build. He named the house "Hansel" and soon the town  caught up in the magic and charm of this little gem, followed suit, reconstructing their old facades and storefronts into enchanted fairytale architecture that celebrates the whimsy and fantasy that is Carmel-by-the-Sea today. I want one of these little doll houses, don't you?? They're JUST COOL!

via Cottage Living

architecture : a castle built from garbage

If eccentric old men and piles of garbage aren't your thing, then steer clear of one of  California's historical landmarks called Nit Wit Ridge. This heap of trash, castle-like structure is what I would consider to be Outsider Art at its finest. It was built by a garbage man, Arthur Harold Beal, over the course of 51 years. Art began his creation in 1928 by digging out a hillside in Cambria and used rocks, abalone shells, wood, beer cans, tile, car parts and other assorted junk rescued from the town dump to create his own "Hearst Castle" .

Despite it's now delapidated condition, the present owners of this funky property are still giving tours. Nit Wit Ridge is located in Cambria at 881 Hillcrest Drive, about 20 minutes north of Cayucos. Tours are available from the owners, Michael and Stacey O'Malley, by calling 805-927-2690. Not quite your average tour but it is  - JUST COOL!

via

architecture ::a part of nature

I love tiny buildings and this is the tiniest pre-fab ever, taking up a mere three meters square. It's  called Mudgee Permanent Camping designed by Casey Brown Architecture, Australia.

The sweet little prefabricated structure is a permanent camp located on an isolated mountain in Australia . Panoramic views from the tower of this tiny house encompass hundreds of miles  of natural pristine beauty. Sheathed in copper, the 10×10 foot building closes down to protect it from brush fire and precipitation and  it employs a passive heating and cooling system using a water collection cistern ,which also provides running water. Talk about self sufficiency! The copper exterior walls can be raised or lowered for sun and privacy and breathtaking views of nature all around. Inside it has a kitchen, living room,dining room with wood burning stove and a sleeping loft on the second floor. The bathroom is located separately just  steps away.

How cool is this tiny camp getaway? It's JUST COOL!

via research architecture

architecture :: rock solid brione house

I want....

This sunny rock house peeks out from a hill high in the Locarno district in Switzerland. It boasts a more than spectacular view of city, lake and mountains surrounding it. Made entirely of native stone, from a distance Brione House looks like two cubes jutting out from the mountain. It's swimming pool, embedded in the valley facing cube, merges perfectly with the lake.

Brione House in  Brione sopra Minusio, Switzerland designed by .Markus Wespi Jérôme de Meuron architects

via:daily icon via archdaily