art and architecture photo diary :: milwaukee art museum

for the fourth of july this last week, my wonderful friend christina suggested doing something a bit untraditional...taking a road trip to visit the milwaukee art museum. at first, i couldn't imagine the holiday without barbecuing, pool time and fireworks but then i rejoiced in the idea of doing something different.

so we were off bright and early, all dolled up and ready to see some interesting art. we even made a pit stop to the mars' cheese castle in wisconsin on our way.

i don't think i've visited milwaukee since i was a little girl. i was stunned to find an immaculate, quaint and artful city. the architecture is jaw-dropping. a perfect example of this has to be the museum itself. comprised of three different parts, the one that is probably most recognizable (and the part i was most intrigued by) was designed by santiago calatrava. seen most apparently in the first picture as well as the museum's logo.

so we wandered the museum and then wandered the city. it was absolutely delightful.

kostas murkudis :: architectural in execution

so i first heard about designer, kostas murkudis, from susie lau. thank goodness i did because i don't think i've ever been so intrigued by apparel shapes before. from the 'shells' to the capes - it's all too amazing. even those shoes are killer.

'murkudis likens his clothing to furniture, having been inspired by the work of modern movement architects and furniture designers eileen gray and charlotte perriand and his lookbook imagery and video features the non conformist chair by gray, mirroring the controlled curvature of the mintgreen padded foam top in murkudis' collection.' - stylebubble

a man and his house :: freunde von freunden

i'm more than a bit obsessed with french born, creative director marc atlan's home that i spotted on the wonderful freunde von freunden. that landscape, his style, those windows. life looks pretty sweet from up there.

see all the home tour here.

disappear within a forest:: treehotel

want to be a modern day version of swiss family robinson? well, much more comfortable and sophisticated than that but just as situationally unique.

opened in july of 2010 with all structures completed in august of 2011, was a new concept of eco-friendly architecture and tourism called treehotel. designed by some of scandinavia's leading architects, enters the conception of the above pictured beauties.

located within the lush forests of the swedish lapland, with stunning views of the luleå river valley, lies five magnificently designed structures:: the mirrorcube {first three images above}, the cabin {second three images pictured above} and for novelty's sake:: the bird's nest and the ufo {both pictured below}.


the treerooms are elevated high in the trees, ranging from 13-19 feet from the ground and guests enter via ramp, bridge or retractable stairs. each room is unique; not only the architecture but also furniture, lighting and fabrics. all of which are custom designed by treehotel partners such as the distinguished swedish lighting company, ateljé lyktan, which has developed and produced all the custom designed lighting fixtures.



"the inspiration for treehotel is taken from the movie 'the tree lover' by jonas selberg augustsén. a tale of three men from the city who rediscover their roots by building a tree house together. 'the tree lover' is a philosophical story about the tree’s importance to our people, both historically and culturally."


treehotel not only serves the purpose of tourism but by building these structures, the forest can be appreciated for its nature, beauty and hospitality and protected from industrial harm. a very important part of the concept since inception has been to make a minimal ecological footprint. therefore, the hotel is built around the ecological values in which substantial resources have been devoted to finding sustainable construction and energy solutions. even the daily operation, of each treeroom, is environmentally sound for affecting the natural environment as little as possible. for example, each room has a modern, environmentally friendly combustion toilet and water efficient sinks.

treehotel has plans for 19 more treerooms in the near future. honestly i can say that i cannot wait to see the development of the rest. i have never really had sweden on my list of 'to-travels' as of yet, but i have added it purely to stay in one of these amazing wonders.


a big thank you to treehotel for the images and information. 

visit treehotel to find out more.

historical modern living :: chicago bath house

it's not everyday that one of chicago's historical public bath houses goes up for sale - let alone rent. but alas, as i was browsing rental properties on craigslist {i'm moving this summer} i came across this amazing place right in the heart of wicker park.

as of right now, you can rent {or buy:: $2.3 million} the three bedroom/three bath renovated space for $5,000 a month over on chicago apartment finders. it's garden was landscaped by craig bergman and won a best urban garden award. judging by the pictures, it must have.

now i am very particular about renting old places, so the first question that comes to mind has to be::

i wonder what kind of ghosts haunt old bath houses?

yup, i went there.