ROLY House

Photographer: Jean-Luc Laloux

While I was Stumbling (stumbleupon.com) the other day, I came across an exceptional house.  The exterior features caught my eye.  This small old stone cottage had an additional glass enclosed sunroom attached.   The incorporation of new elements with the primary exterior elements created a distinctive and striking contrast. 

Photographer: Jean-Luc Laloux

An architectural firm in Belgium designed this bed and breakfast in 2002.  The original outbuilding was transformed into a habitable dwelling.  The architect extended the space by adding a mezzanine floor surrounded by glass.  This takes advantage of the beautiful country setting that the building is in.  It makes the occupants feel like they are part of the natural surrounding environment.  While the mezzanine is a new element, the initial features of the old building are still clearly intact.  The clean contemporary space of the mezzanine contrasts with the rough and heavy features of the original building, resulting in this beautiful creation.  If I were traveling in Belgium, I would definitely want to stay here.  

Photographer: Jean-Luc Laloux

Photographer: Jean-Luc Laloux

http://www.erpicum.org/project.php?id=6

An Unlikely Couch

The other day I was watching one of my all time favorite movies, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Audrey Hepburn stars in it as the charismatic and alluring Holly Golightly.  I was intrigued by her barely furnished apartment, where the only furnishings were a love seat, suitcase, coffee table, and a bookshelf.  The love seat caught my eye as I watched her walk around her apartment. The love seat was made from a white vintage claw footed bath tub.  The tub was transformed into a couch by cutting out the side and adding a thin rounded cushion for the seat and decorative throw pillows.

Using a tub for a couch is unique on multiple levels.  This couch has an interesting shape due to the curvilinear form of the tub.  The use of a tub gives you contrasting impressions.  On the one hand, tubs are cold and hard, not the first material you think of for creating a sofa.  On the other hand, bathtubs are associated with warmth and relaxation.  I feel like soaking in a tub is a complete girl thing.  Girls soak in a tub to relax and to achieve a soothing atmosphere. I like the idea of taking that feeling and placing it into the living area.  My absolute favorite thing about this love seat is that the facet was still attached making it even more unique.   

I was curious to see if Holly’s bath tub love seat could be purchased, and I found a similar piece at the flavor design website (https://www.flavourdesign.com/product.php?ProdNo=100).