The Nautilus House is a cartoon-like combination of bright vibrant colors and a gigantic shell-shaped design. It's a real house, located in Mexico City and occupied by a young couple and their two small children. Not only does the Nautilus House look like a giant work of art, but because it's built from a mix of chicken wire and concrete (among other things) and takes cues from a Nautilus shell (hence the name) it's also an earthquake-proof and maintenance-free structure. And that's always handy.
The inside decor is all about smooth rounded surfaces, rich colors, and greenery all over the place. And although the home is surrounded by Mexico City on 3 sides, the West side has most of the windows and faces out to a beautiful view of the mountains.
I really like it, but for anything other than a vacation home it might get old -- living in this house must make a person feel like they're in a tropical version of Whoville.
Louis Kahn only designed 3 major architectural homes in his career and one of them, the Escherick House (named after the woman for whom it was built, Margaret Escherick) is up for auction. Its address is in Philadelphia and according to some it's his best residential creation and has "mature style" and a "warm and human quality" to the interior (and I tend to agree).
So the house will be sold, but unlike most houses its price will not only reflect the local regular real estate market but also the art market. Valued at $2 million only about half of that is unbiased structural and land values -- the rest is all artistic and historical sentiment.
Kelly Wearstler's collection of home decor items available from Bergdorf Goodman includes quite the interesting set of goodies. Her taste is contemporary, classic, and simple, done in basic shapes and even more basic colors (everything is in shades of black, white, gold, and silver). Her creations are open to many different moods but there's a definite cheerfulness present, especially in pieces like the Kaleidoscope, Confetti Bowl, and Deco Dots Box. My favorite is the Large Golden Egg, I think because it's just a little lumpy looking and slight off-kilter. What can I say, I always love the oddballs!
Posted Jan 7th 2008 11:03AM by Rigel Gregg Filed under: Pets
It's all about being green lately, and if you're like many people you probably even made a New Years resolution this year that had something to do with being friendlier to the environment. Green Pet Homes from Sustainable Pet can help you (and your pet) be greener while not sacrificing in the beauty or style departments. I do a lot of container gardening so I'm loving these pet houses/garden combinations -- very earthy and natural without looking cheap or shabby. Not to mention it's always nice to have fresh herbs in the kitchen! $1000-$6000.
Need a last minute gift that will last a lifetime? Consider a Gift from the Heart supporting Habitat for Humanity. With a minimum donation of $10 your gift to honor or memorialize another will provide a decent, safe home for someone in need. This purchase which supports the supplies, materials and time to make a home for a family is definitely money well spent. This holiday season consider your own blessings and put a roof over another's head.
True taste and design is all in the details. It's the small things that come together to create the big picture, and these Richard Neutra inspired house numbers could be the final touch you've been looking for to make your home's curb-appeal complete. Based on the letters Neutra specified for his buildings back in the 1930's to 1950's, the numbers weigh 1/2 pound each and are designed to "float" slightly off the surface and cast subtle shadows. Made of stainless steel they're resistant to corrosion, tarnishing and discoloration, and are always easily visible. Usually $75 each, but currently on sale for $67.50.
Many of the people who indulge in rented luxury villas don't always get what they bargained for. You'd think, compared to a hotel, that a villa would be a nicer, better experience -- but most of the time it isn't. So Christian Jagodzinski decided to fix that by starting his own company of luxury villas that would deliver as he expected they should: Villazzo was born.
With most everything pre-arranged, Jagodzinski thinks of Villazzo as more of a hotel-type service than villas. He even makes a point to offer the same services as top hotels, such as porters and maids, strawberries and champagne, and even a helicopter in the France location to help guests avoid pesky traffic when traveling to nearby retreats -- there are 35 specific luxury services offered altogether.
So if you've been frustrated in the past and haven't yet tried Villazzo, maybe you should consider it. There are six locations around the world, with prices around $2000 per night/$14000 per week.
The word "massive" really has its work cut out when it comes to describing the new house basketball player LeBron James is building himself and plans to move into next summer. In addition to absolutely "massive" living spaces like a two-story walk-in closet off the master suite, and not only a huge "great room" but an even bigger "grand room" as well, James really outdoes himself (and the rest of the neighborhood) with a casino, a bowling alley, and a barbershop included in the over 35,000 sq feet of house plans.
Throw in a Starbucks and a gas station and he can upgrade from "massive home" to "small town."
This is the perfect accessory for a vineyard villa - or if you just want to make your house look like one. The Spanish Address Totem from NapaStyle has a rustic elegance that is understated, but certainly won't go unnoticed. All of the tiles are made of stone and you can have up to six of them, out of seven, customized with a combination of letters, numbers or a grape-cluster graphic. The tower supporting the tiles is steel and stands 34" high, with a base that is 12" square. Price: $350.
A few weeks ago, we took a look at some of the best-designed house numbers, one of the often-forgotten exterior details of the home, and found out that there are quite a few good ones available. At Design Within Reach, Erik Spiekermann has come up with a design for house numbers based on the Bodoni typeface that is classic, easy to read and elegant. The numbers are made of enamel-coated steel and come in red and green. All mounting hardware is included, but you'll have to put them up yourself. Price: $32 each.
Smoke detectors are a necessary, but sometimes unsightly, part of the home. As a general rule, you only notice them if there is an emergency or if the battery needs to be replaced, but if there is a way to make them even less visible, why not take it? The Modern Smoke Detector was developed to sit flush with the wall or ceiling, attracting minimal notice and, even when you look at it, what it is is not immediately obvious. It has not yet been released, but each detector should be about $129.
It's been a crazy few months for houses for sale by musicians. A commenter on Nikki's Sixx's house led me to discover Jack White's Detroit home for sale (Thanks, Dina). The home is 1721 Seminole, a center-entrance Colonial that is rich in charm and old-fashioned details. The four-bedroom home has beautiful woodwork and formal details including large chandeliers, intricate moldings and original features such as hand-painted wallpaper in the dining room. There is a beautiful old library and a large safe in the hallway. The modern kitchen juxtaposed against an old butler's pantry that includes the original oak ice box.
The master bedroom was hand-painted by Jack White and has a bathroom with the original Pewabic subway tile and a new dressing room. The basement was recently restored and includes a laundry room and new bathroom. Outside there is a secret garden that includes a koi pond and various shrubs.
An article on a Detroit website this summer reports that White recorded the White Stripes' 2005 album "Get Behind Me Satan" in the grand staircase and foyer.
Compared to our usual estate-of-the-day listings, this one can be yours for a song. It is listed at $930,000. After the jump, what's black and white and red all over?
The Golden House is a new tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Apparently, it is modeled after an ancient palace, or perhaps is meant to be a composite of a variety of estates, but the most notable thing about it is that it was built from 2 tons of gold. The structure is gilded from its high ceilings and door frames right down to tableware and toilet seats. It cost about $38 million dollars to construct and is also available to be used for weddings.
Now here is an area of design that I have not previously given much thought to, though we certainly spend a fair amount of time looking at outside decor here. Sunset has picked the nine best house numbers to help guide people (or, perhaps, the mailman) to your home. Their choices run from low-end to high and include the Optima Semi Bold in bronze ($57), Sausalito in zinc ($16), which might be better suited to an apartment door due to its relatively small size, and Neutraface Display Light Alt in stainless steel ($40). Is a house number worth sleepless nights trying to find the perfect font? Perhaps not, but matching your numbers to your style of house can bring together its look in an appealing way.
Kelly Wearstler's collection
Smoke detectors are a necessary, but sometimes unsightly, part of the home. As a general rule, you only notice them if there is an emergency or if the battery needs to be replaced, but if there is a way to make them even less visible, why not take it? 
Now here is an area of design that I have not previously given much thought to, though we certainly spend a fair amount of time looking at outside decor here. Sunset has picked the nine 
