mollu

The Mollu Blog vs Tumblr

2011-03-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Starting today, any posts on The Mollu Blog will automatically be posted on The Mollu Tumblr!

New Beginnings

2011-01-11T16:53:00.001-08:00

I've moved to a more streamline, easy to keep-up with location.

Find me here!

xo molly

My Cup Of Tea: "This Pretty Space" top picks

2010-03-08T22:55:00.000-08:00

Have you been to {this pretty space} yet? Below are my top picks of some of the latest posts. I love so many of the images on this tumblr.

I love the multiple frames in different colors and materials.

This painted door is too good.

I need the quilt on this bed!

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly

My Cup Of Tea: Beds Up High

2010-02-23T23:28:00.000-08:00

I can't remember where I got this photo, which is terrible, I'm pretty sure it was a post on Home Sweet Home. I LOVE THIS BED! I love how sleek it is and I LOVE how high off the ground it is. It's feminine and perfect. I also like the painted wood floors . . . and the plant and the grey throw.

Adventure: Puerto Rico

2010-01-31T20:00:00.000-08:00

For the last three months I've been living in Rincon, Puerto Rico, on the northwest corner of the island. It's been a paradise vacation! There is an endless list of incredible things to share about the island but I'll focus on the architecture for now.

The colors and patterns in the architecture here is inspiring and refreshing.

There are some amazing courtyards with interior balconies that feel very tropical with a hint of Europe. I love all of the greenery that's incorporated into all of these spaces, it looks like nature has started to swathe the architecture.

There are a few seemingly abandoned homes that I find so beautiful and full of charm and life. The churches here range from what looks like a single family home with a cross over the door to a monumental structure in the center square with marble floors and incredible stained glass windows.

Many of the single family homes have a mid-century modern form with a tropical, Caribbean flare. I love the metal grills and bright colors.

Most of these multi family homes are in San Juan, on the northeast side of the island. They're absolutely dreamy! I love the balconies with the flowers draping over the bannisters.

If you have the opportunity to visit Puerto Rico be sure to travel the island. There is so much here to see. Just be sure to take it easy and move slow, it's too hot to go quickly and everyone else will be taking their sweet time anyway.

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly

My Cup Of Tea/Log: Home Sweet Home Top Picks

2010-01-27T15:47:00.001-08:00

If you haven't gone to the Home Sweet Home website yet, GO! Below I've posted my two top picks of their most recent posts.

I simply LOVE the eyeball art and the throw pillows. Always have fun with throw pillows, if you get sick of them, just get new covers!

Those giant red swags over the windows add SO much character and personality to this room, I can't get enough!

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

Adventure: Seattle Homes

2010-01-21T15:49:00.001-08:00

I've spent a few summers in Seattle and every time I'm there I fall in love with the bungalow style homes more and more. They're so charming and cute and they're just the right size.

I love all of the details and front porches. There's just no home like a bungalow home!

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup of Tea: Alvar Alto

2010-01-11T18:11:00.001-08:00

"There is an ulterior motive, too, in architecture, that is always peeping out from around the corner, the idea of creating paradise. It is the only purpose of our buildings. If we do not carry this idea with us the whole time, all our buildings would be simpler, more trivial, and life would become - well, would life amount to anything at all?" - Alvar Alto

My Cup Of Tea: Bedding From Ikea

2010-01-10T09:30:00.001-08:00

I saw these sheets in the Ikea catalogue a while ago and keep stumbling upon them again and again. While looking them up on the Ikea website may not be considered "stumbling upon" them, I certainly found them there, and on sale no less! The other day while searching through the millions of photographs on The Selby I stumbled upon them (or similar ones) once more and decided I needed to have them for myself!

I love the red, white and blue color scheme and I think the pattern size is perfectly understated without being boring. They're perfect.

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup of Tea/Log: Design Library

2010-01-10T08:56:00.001-08:00

This Christmas was an excellent Christmas for my design and architecture library. I simply cannot get enough literature on these topics. They're books I'll go back to all of the time and never get tired of. Every time I look through one of them for a second or third time I find something new, or I'm inspired by something different.

The following are the newest additions to my library, gifted to me from Santa (Friends and Family). I haven't had a chance to read any of them yet but I simply couldn't wait to talk about them!

Zen Architecture

Below is an image of the index for you to get an idea of the contents in this vessel of knowledge and wisdom.

Frank Lloyd Wright
I couldn't find an image of this book on the internet for you. It's literally a 24"x 16" gem! There are images and best of all FLOORPLANS!

Treehouses Of The World

Though I've only paged through this one once I am confident in saying it's absolutely incredible. The houses in this book are so outrageous and whimsical, I just love love love them.

Tiny Tiny Houses: Or How to Get Away From It All

I LOVE TINY HOUSES! This book is so great because it has a large variety of tiny houses with floor plans, elevations and even furniture layouts! I've been so inspired by this book that I've begun working with some of the tiny house plans and re-working them to fit the needs of a modern home (electricity, plumbing etc.).

Thanks to everyone who gave me these wonderful books, rest assured I'll enjoy them forever.

P.S. A book I'm saving up for: The Layout Book

Check all of these books out on Amazon.com and "Take a look inside"

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

Adventure: New York Garden House

2010-01-07T13:07:00.001-08:00

Over the summer I visited a garden in New York City at 6th Street and B Avenue, properly named 6th and B Garden. There I found a very charming little garden house. The house is used by the local gardeners to store tools and supplies, an over sized shed.

This house, along with my love for tiny homes inspired me to draw up some floor plans and elevations, transforming this oversized garden shed into a tiny home surrounded by a beautiful garden right in the heart of the East Village!

The first floor consists of the Living Room, Kitchen, Dining Space and Bathroom. There is also a deck that wraps around the front of the house and along the right side. The Living Room is a simple space with a sofa, side table and two ottomans with storage inside. The Kitchen takes up the north wall of the first floor. All of the appliances fit under the counter to provide more working space. The Dining Space is defined by the fold-away table just north of the main door. The table provides a space for one to enjoy a meal and then, like an ironing board, folds up and out of the way. The Bathroom is a very simple and tiny room, basically a shower with a toilet inside. The Kitchen sink serves both the Kitchen and the Bathroom.

The second floor is the Bedroom. It is accessed by the outdoor stairway. There is enough room for a Double size bed, two bedside tables and a dresser. There is a balcony over the first floor deck with a beautiful view of the garden below.

Lately I've been interested in hand painted tiles. A trip to Portugal and images found in periodicals and on the internet have inspired me to work on a few tile designs of my own. I plan on creating a separate post about this but wanted to point out the ornate floor tiles in the plans above! It's just one of a few tiles designs I've come up with so far. In these plans I have the tiles at a very large scale. Sometimes it's a little scary to put big patterns in small spaces but I absolutely LOVE it! Go nuts! Make your small space a gem!

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup Of Tea: Chrysler Building

2010-01-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

Of all the architecturally significant buildings in New York City, the Chrysler Building is my all time favorite! I love Art Deco design and the Chrysler Building is an icon of the Art Deco era.

I found this image on the internet of some initial schemes for the building. I plan on printing it out 24" x 36" and either cutting it apart and framing each scheme individually or just leaving it as it is and framing it in one larger frame.

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup Of Tea: Selby Bedside Tables

2010-01-05T17:07:00.001-08:00

I've been busy going through the incredible library of homes on The Selby discovering a new favorite bedroom necessity, The Bedside Table! They're each so personal and unique. Below are some of my favorites:

Top Left: I love the Saarinen table, it's so simple and elegant. The charcoal grey, tailored bedding with the minimalist bolster pillow and the more ornamental sconce are the perfect compliment to the table. Sconces are great on either side of a bed creating wonderful light without taking up any space on the small bedside table.

Top Right: I love how playful this bedside set up is without being immature or childish. All of the colorful accessories against the white walls and bedding makes them each very special.

Middle Left: The simplicity of the small red chair as a child's side table is so perfect. I like to think the little boy or girl who lives in that bedroom sits on that chair in the morning to tie their shoes and get ready for school.

Middle Right: I simply can't get enough of Marimekko! And with the Starck gnome side table! It's too much! I love the silly rug and art above the bed too . . . and the stick bed.

Bottom Left: I love LUCITE! It goes with everything; modern, traditional, EVERYTHING! The silly tiny deer head is the perfect amount of fun in this bedside table arrangement. I love detailed accessories painted all one color.

Bottom Right: Yes, this is the right side of the same bed as Bottom Left. The tiny, tiny radiator is perfectly accompanied with the yellow flower pot. The second white deer head brings a balance to this asymmetrical bedroom set up.

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup of Tea/Log: Magazines & Periodicals

2009-07-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

There are an overwhelming number of magazines and periodicals dedicated to residential architecture, institutional architecture, architecture theory, interior design, product design, graphic design, just design, it's hard to know which ones to subscribe to, which ones to buy when you see something you think you'll like and which ones to just flip through and put back on the shelf. Well, unfortunately, I can't give you any universal advice. What I can do, however, is tell you about the magazines I receive and why I love them. This time around I'll focus on the latest issue of Metropolitan Home.

My Subscriptions:
Dwell Magazine - Great source of Green design information
Elle Decor - Always on top of the latest trends in interiors
Interior Design - A wide range of style in design from traditional to contemporary
Metropolitan Home - Sleek, modern and now; residential spaces.

The July/August 2009 issue of Metropolitan Home is overflowing with inspiring articles and creative design.

Page 32 features an article on "Small Spaces" (my favorite!). Canvas cabins tucked away in the naturally green landscape of Sonoma, California. A couple purchased fairytale land and built three and a half breezy structures, a guest house, a living/dining den, a master suite and an old shed converted into a bathroom.

They plan to build a permanent home by 2011 but admit they'll still sneak into the canvas guest bungalow every now and again.

Page 53 features an article on the design of a home with more constraints than usual, "a couple with very different dreams for their rural New York weekend house".

I've always wanted a desk under a great big window with a tranquil view of sunlight streaming through tree tops. And that light fixture between the two guest beds is too fun!

Page 62 features an article on the dreamiest home with the warmest kitchen.

Lately I've noticed how much you can open up a kitchen by taking down the upper cabinets and replacing them with long, horizontal shelves. This is really just a look for those particularly obsessive about organization, but beautiful none the less. And it never hurts to have a doggy hangin' around.

Page 85 displays a charming bedroom with a unique headboard in a newly renovated 19th century home.

There are times when too much white feels institutional and sterile, but when you combine textures and throw a colorful print that acts as a headboard and art, the white walls warm up and become as important as the print. I love the cube pillows and the exposed wood beams.

Remember there is an endless world of inspiration in magazines and periodicals out there. Keep flipping through new magazines all the time, discover your favorites and then discover more!

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup of Tea/Log: Better Wall

2009-07-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time finding anything worthy of hanging on my walls. This leaves me with a case of "Blank Wall Syndrome". Well if your a victim of BWS I've got some wonderful news!

While reading the latest issue of Dwell Magazine I discovered Better Wall! Better Wall is a website that sells street banners from museums all over the world. When a museum has a new show coming up they often advertise with large vertical vinyl banners. What's so great about these banners? Now you can have prints of some of your favorite artist's work on a limited, authentic banner AND a percentage of your purchase will go back to the museum the banner came from!

I have a thing for advertisements which makes these banners especially appealing to me. I like the big text and the bright colors. It's important to buy art because you love it; the way it looks, the way it makes you feel, the things it inspires in you. Everything you hang on your walls become the background to your life at home, be comfortable and happy in it. There's such an incredible variety in the banners available, you're bound to find one you fancy. If you don't see one you like today, they're always getting new banners from museums everywhere, so keep going back.

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

Adventure: Kips Bay Showhouse

2009-04-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is half Adventure and half personal advertisement. The architecture and interior design firm I currently work for, Lichten Craig Architects, has two rooms in the 37th Annual Kips Bay Show House in NYC. The house is open from April 17th to May 17th. The show house is located at 22 East 71st street in a beautiful ( and large ) townhouse that is currently for sale through Sotheby's International Realty.

For those who don't know, the show house is an opportunity for interior designers to showcase their talents to the public along side other designers in the city. All designers participating had to go through an application process to recieve a room in the house. Once accepted we had about two months to design and create a room for the showhouse opening. A lot of hard work was completed in very little time and all of the rooms are esspecially wonderful this year.

Our firm was given two rooms, a sitting room and a bedroom off of the sitting room. Joel Woodard, the director of interior design at the firm, was the interior designer of the space. I drafted all of the architectural construction documents and assisted in furniture and material selections.

Below are images of the finished product:

The Sitting Room Club Chairs

These chairs were custom made from my drawings based off of a very similar chair that was too large for the space.

The Bedroom

If you live in New York City come by and have a look around. Tickets are $30 and are sold at the door.

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup of Tea/Log: Four New Log Entries!

2009-03-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

My dear friend has been sending me links to other blogs and websites that she thinks I'd fancy. She's been right on every time! All of the links to the following websites/blogs are listed under "Lovely Blogs" on the right column of this blog, so if you fall in love with one, you'll always be able to find it again.

The first is The Selby. It's a wonderful wonderful site with images of all different kinds of people and their homes or work places. Coupled with the images of their funky and unique spaces is a short interview with silly questions that are more telling than you might think. Please take a look at the site when you've got the time, it's inspiring and simply delightful!

Melia and Frank

The second is Shelter Blog. It's a great little blog a couple has been working on to record their home renovations. They start with existing plans of their kitchen, dining room area and then show their renovation plans. At this point they've got before shots of the kitchen, demo photos and images of their inspiration rooms. The last couple posts are of items they're considering using in their new space. It's really fun to watch their progress, I can't wait until they're all done! The lady half of this couple is the very important other half to the next link as well.

Their inspiration kitchen!

The third blog my buddy sent to me was 3191 Miles Apart. If I'm not mistaken, this blog started when two best friends were going to be living 3191 miles apart from each other. They decided in order to stay close while they were so far away, they would create a joint blog where every morning they would each upload one image and then place their two images side by side in one post. They published a book called "A Year of Mornings" and I believe they're working on a year of evenings? It's really wonderful to see how similar some of their images are, they're just really wonderful best friends. I'm not sure what their living situations are at this point, but they've kept the blog going with little projects and fun things friends do together. Ana (my friend who sent me these links) would you please leave a comment correcting me where I'm wrong here? THANKS!

The final link that Ana shared with me is more relevant to those living in or near New York City. There is a free film series at Columbia University on Monday nights. They only show films about design.

A special thanks to Ana.

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup of Tea: Salt and Pepper Shakers

2009-03-21T23:49:00.000-07:00

I went out to dinner at a lovely little Thai restaurant this evening and sitting on each table were a pair of the cutest salt and pepper shakers I have ever seen. I went right home and ordered a pair for myself!

"Love and Hugs" salt & pepper shakers (they come in all different colors!)

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup of Tea: The Reader Apartment

2009-03-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

I just returned home from seeing "The Reader", I really enjoyed watching it. While watching, I couldn't help but think about how much I loved Kate Winslet's character's apartment. It was a very small and European home with tight corners and a small balcony to hang laundry. Again, there is something about tiny homes full of character and life that I simply adore.

I came right home after the movie and started to draw up the floor plan of the apartment. I found myself getting stuck here and there, so please forgive any discrepancies, specifically her bedroom and the living room.

I think I'll work on creating a plan of a small apartment inspired by the one in the movie next, I'll be sure to share it with you.

Notice in the photographs posted above how dainty and feminine the curtains in the bathroom are. I love how lived in and personal the apartment appears to feel. I also love the pale yellow headboard and how comfortable the bedding looks.

Catch ya on the flip side,

Molly

My Cup of Tea: Creative Storage

2009-02-22T10:26:00.001-08:00

Just like I promised, more creative storage! This Country Living article shows us how to use things we love, but don't have a use for anymore and reassign them a useful purpose. In this case they've hung an old doll house on the wall and are using it as shelving. Not only does this create a perfect storage place for all of the items we need in a laundry room but it also adds charming character to a room we're not always thrilled to enter.

Catch ya on the flip side!

Molly

My Cup of Tea: Vertical Circulation/Storage

2009-02-12T18:14:00.000-08:00

Sticking with the theme of tight spaces, I've been looking at unique storage solutions. When designing space, we often consider circulation one of the top priorities and when you're living small it's important to have plenty of storage to ensure there will always be room to move around. What's the point of a wonderful space if you can't move through it? There are countless inventive and imaginative space saving designs, but in this post lets focus on the vertical circulation, stairs!

Stairs often have another flight of stairs below or above them, but when they don't, there's an awkward, seemingly unusable space left below. In the following images, however, we'll see some wonderfully creative "awkward seemingly unusable space left below".

This is even more than vertical circulation and storage, this is a room! These creative folks turned their staircase into a library, and there's no need for an old ladder hung on the wall to reach those books way up high, you're going that way anyhow. When we can create one space to serve the purposes of many spaces we create room for more . . . or less! Another bedroom, less house and more garden, a bigger closet, a bigger yard, etc. And lets not forget how aesthetically pleasing a bunch of books all lined up are, no need for wallpaper here.

Same idea here as above but with a cleaner more streamline design. A beautiful staircase and a lovely place to store trinkets from travels abroad.

Here's another creative space saver, they're already shaped like drawers so why not make em drawers? If you wish there was an extra linen closet or just one more dresser, now you can have it, in your stairs! The downfall to this design, however, is the accessibility to objects stored here. Better to put items you won't be using everyday.

I hope this was inspiring or at least cool to look at. More creative space savers soon!

Check ya on the flip side,
Molly

My Cup of Tea: Philosophy

2009-02-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

"Firmitas . Utilitas . Venustas" Palladio

The three most important elements of architecture: Strength . Usefulness . Beauty.

Designer of the Month: Charles and Ray Eames

2009-02-02T19:51:00.001-08:00

Charles and Ray Eames are my very favorite design team. In short, they were a husband and wife team that believed things should be designed to be their best, and everything they ever designed was pretty perfect.

Most of this information is coming from our good old friend Wikipedia, so if you want to know more, you know where to go.

Charles studied architecture and may or may not have been kicked out for having ideas that were "too modern" for their time. He looked up to a man you may or may not have heard of, Eliel Saarinen whose son, Eero, he later befriended and worked with. Charles' work was often called organic and ergonomic in form which we can see in his (and ray's) design of the molded plywood chairs.

Ray was teaching at Cranbrook (an arty farty school in Detroit that my mom incidentally went to) when she met Charles, who at the time was married. she taught textile classes and later designed textiles for upholstery and accessories. She only wore clothes by the designer that created the wardrobe for "The Sound of Music"

At some point they fell madly in love and Charles ditched his boring wife and kids to run away to California with miss ray. (The above is an exaggeration.)

There, in California, they designed and built The Eames House. The house was part of a project/competition of architects and designers. Their house was made of all prefabricated parts and was constructed in just one day. There are so many great photographs of them the day the house was being built. They were really fun, wonderful people that loved to play and travel.

The couple was very much about the process of design and solving problems with beautiful and creative solutions. I believe this is why I love them the way I do. They never designed something and said it was finished after the first try, they asked themselves questions and really perfected the things they put their names on. Trial and error was huge in the Eames office. They also didn't only design when they were asked/commissioned to, they were always working on projects and searching for problems to solve. They really wanted to bring "the good life" to everyone, they thought design should be beautiful, affordable, flexible and it was always a plus if it could be prefabricated.

"What works is better than what looks good. The looks good can change, but what works, works." Charles Eames

Ray kicked the bucket exactly 10 years, to the day, after Charles.

They worked with molded plywood, like I said earlier, fiberglass, plastic resin and wire mesh when making furniture. They didn't stop at furniture though, Charles and Ray made short films such as "The Powers of 10" and "Mathematica: a World of Numbers and Beyond", textiles and children's toys.

Both Charles and Ray worked equally on almost all of the work we've seen from them, but Charles usually got the credit because it made their work more reputable and he was a man and that's simply how things were.

I would have put up more photos of their work but I really want you to love THEM. I'll make sure to include work by them in following posts.

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly

My Cup of Tea: Eco Printer

2009-02-02T19:20:00.001-08:00

This will be quick! I was searching inhabitat dot com and found this great eco-printer! Talk about trash into treasure. This printer uses your old coffee grounds! No more money wasted on pricey ink cartridges and no more messy coffee grounds to deal with in your sink!

Always take advantage of times when your waste can become your fuel. It's cheaper than buying something new and why not be efficient!?

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly

My Cup of Tea: Cup and Saucer

2009-02-01T12:16:00.001-08:00

This Cup of Tea is quite literal. I was looking at one of my favorite blogs, One Blue Wren, by an Australian photographer and found the photo below.

Because mollu is about architecture AND design I want to make sure to include design outside of structures and interiors. Dishes are one of my favorite household items. I think they're really something worth collecting because you can use them all the time and every guest you have gets to use them too.

I particularly like this cup and saucer because of the combination of blue and yellow and the delicate stripes that run across the saucer.

Below are some more images of dishes that I fancy. The two square plates have floor plans printed on them, how appropriate!

Thanks Fishes Eddy for the dishes above.

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly

My Cup of Tea/Log: B-53 TWTH

2009-01-31T14:40:00.000-08:00

As part of a continuation of my last Log post, I wanted to share my favorite tiny house on Tumbleweed Tiny House dot com. It's the B-53 House. Unlike the Teeny houses, this Tiny house is a little more realistic as far as a home one could live in with a small family for a number of years.

The storage space in the B-53 is one of it's strongest elements. I noticed in many of the other plans, closet space was few and far between, understandably so, who wants to waste space in a home with so little, on storage? But as far as really living in a tiny house and making it a home, closets are a necessity.

I'm also very fond of the front porch, I think every home should have one. Perfect for a morning cup of tea or an evening after dinner drink. Not to mention the cutest built in booth in the kitchen! What a charming little home.

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly

My Cup of Tea/Log: Tumbleweed Tiny House

2009-01-31T14:04:00.000-08:00

Like I said before, I LOVE tiny houses. I recently found this website to add to The Log. Jay Shafer is the founder of Tubleweed Tiny Houses. He started building and living in tiny homes, around 90 square feet since the late 90's and hasn't quit yet. Jay says, "The simple, slower lifestyle my homes have afforded is a luxury for which I am continually grateful."

The website is really great with so much to offer. They have photographs of each tiny house design with floor plans, all of which can be ordered with construction documents so you can build your own tiny house! They also have two published books you can order, a blog and WORKSHOPS! The workshops are held all over the world. There is a fee when you sign up for a Workshop, it's a full day (or two full days) of lectures and demonstrations with plenty of time for questions.

I don't know that I could say the one thing about small homes that intrigues me so much. I like the idea of getting rid of everything you don't need and only keeping necessities and belongings with sentimental value. You're also saving lots of space for gardens and big oak trees with tire swings when you're house is the size of a peanut. Not to mention the savings in heating and cooling costs.

Anyway, I plan on saving up to buy the two books on the website. And if you love these tiny houses too, become a e-newsletter recipient, I am!

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly

My Cup of Tea/Log: Little Diggs

2009-01-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

I have a thing for compact houses, small homes, tiny living spaces, so this won't be the last time you see miniature dwellings here. I don't know if you've heard of Stumble Upon but it's a website/toolbar that asks you what your interests are and then brings you to random websites it thinks you'll like, I have Stumble Upon to thank for this LOG entry.

It's a website called Little Diggs. It's way too much fun to look at, basically it's a site of houses 500 square feet or less. Some of them are apartments, some of them are freestanding structures and lots of them are pre-fabricated (also one of my personal interests).

It's really fun to see all the different ways people have used space, some of these places appear so open and roomy because the owners/designers have used space so well. Less is more always seems like an easy thing to do, just get rid of everything you own, but really it's about making it look like there's less than there is . . . less really IS more guys!

The Suitcase House is one of my favorites. I love that, unlike the average living space, nothing is pushed up against the walls (with the exception of the Eames Red Molded Plywood Lounge Chair). Instead, the designer has created a volume in the middle of the space creating built-in storage and partitions.

There are plenty of other examples of using volumes to divide space on the site, so check it out and find your favorite.

For those of you who don't know: when designing space it helps to have something holding together your ideas, a concept or a theme. These things can help make a room feel more cohesive and less chaotic.

Dictionary.com defines a Parti as "the basic scheme or concept of an architectural design". Parti's are an easy and fun way to begin a design.

In the Suitcase House I think it's safe to assume the design inspiration was a suitcase but in addition to that inspiration there is a Parti in the space as well, a rule the designer stuck to throughout the home, and that was creating the space using only volumes within the space.

When ideas, concepts, inspirations, partis etc. start coming together and falling into place, it's a sure sign you've got a successful design on your hands. Not only is the Suitcase House clearly inspired by an object we're all familiar with and understand but it uses the same advantages a suitcase brings and fuses perfectly with the Volume Parti.

Being able to recognize a good thing, like a suitcase, and then having the ability to translate that good thing into something else that is equally as good is a talent and should be recognized. Cheers to Ricardo Flores and Eva Prats Arquitectes!

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly

My Cup of Tea: Yellow

2009-01-28T13:34:00.001-08:00

I don't know if it's because I'm ready for springtime or because it's so classy and cute but I just can't get enough Yellow lately.

While shopping for a client I found the fabrics below. I would love to make curtains out of the graphic, Yellow and white and then make pillow cases for my theoretical throw pillows, one side graphic pattern, the other side with the Yellow velvet.

If the day comes when this dream becomes a reality, I'll be sure to let you know.

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly

Introduction

2009-01-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

Howdy, welcome to mollu, an adventure in the discovery of architecture and design.

Each month you'll see the following:

Designers - Here I'll pick a designer or team of designers and write a brief bio. I'll also include information about their design process and work they've accomplished.

Adventures - Here I'll venture out into the world of architecture and design and come back with stories and photos.

My Cup of Tea - This is the really self indulgent section of mollu. Here I'll post anything I find that inspires me along with personal reflections on architecture and design.

The Log- Any post that discusses a link, book, or periodical related to architecture or design will be labeled as a "Log" post. Think of it as your personal resource library.

Catch ya on the flip side,
Molly