This ancient Greek town is made entirely of Legos and was created by Lasse Vestergard. It took him two months to complete and measures 7.5 x 9 feet.
Look at the details . . .
Reblogged from wordless Tech.
Posts Tagged ‘architecture’
Where am I living on Terrapin Day?
October 16, 2014
This turtle house may be located in the Gobi Desert. I don’t know anything more about it, but thought it was appropriate for Terrapin Day.
Terrapin is a term used in English for several smaller species of turtle living in fresh or brackish water. Terrapins do not form a taxonomic unit, and may not be very closely related, although many belong to the families Geoemydidae and Emydidae. A distinction between turtle and terrapin does not exist in other European languages. The name “terrapin” is derived from the Algonquian word torope used for Malaclemys terrapin. In the UK red-eared sliders are known as “red-eared terrapins”.
Here are some more –
Diamond Back Terrapin
Red-eared Slider
Spiny Terrapin from Asia
What am I drinking?
October 6, 2014
I dream of drinking coffee from this wonderful, steam-punky, gothic coffee maker from Dutch Lab
Here is a detail
These are some of their other products
Here is an architectural model that resembles the Eiffel Tower.
How would the coffee taste anything but marvelous when it comes from one of these machines?
Where am I hiding?
October 1, 2014
A door hidden within a wall of bookcases at Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk, owned by the National Trust. It is decorated with real book spines, with tongue in cheek titles that reference events and people from the history of Oxburgh.
Thanks to Katie for this hidden doorway in a bookcase leading to a hidden stairway and more bookcases!
This bookcase at Buffalo Trace Bourbon Distillery in Frankfort, KY, reveals a hidden doorway that leads to . . .
the Aging Room. If you have the opportunity to take the Bourbon Tour, don’t miss Buffalo Trace.
Where am I living this time?
September 18, 2014
Not so much living as vacationing. Did you know that you can rent a fire look out tower at several locations in the US National Forest system?
The National Forests Foundation has information about lookout rentals in the western states
And nine questions about renting one of the lookouts
These are high, but not high-end, accommodations, but once you get there, the views must be magnificent!
Lookout living is not all blue huckleberries and kinnikinnik jam, however. Like lighthouse keepers, lookout living requires some accommodations.
Here are some of the photos from this delightful book that combines history, drawings, photos and recipes. The book is available from the National Forests Foundation website store, or Amazon.
See also:
Where am I sightseeing?
September 15, 2014
Black Friars Pub
All too often I come across photos or stories or memories of interesting or magnificent places that have been lost to history. This post is about hidden architectural treasures in London which still exist – including a wonderful photo of the interior of the iconic Battersea Power Station. They have been captured in the book, London: Hidden Interiors.
The Guardian has a wonderful SLIDE SHOW of photographs from the book.
Masonic Temple
Photographs by Derrek Kendall; the book is by Phillip Davies.
Where am I living?
September 3, 2014
This beautifully remodeled 4-bed, 3.5-bath home in Warrenville, Illinois, was originally constructed in 1922. It is listed for $375,000. The 1,965 square foot interior has radiant heat floors throughout. Granite counters, tile floors, and brand new fixtures have equipped the kitchen for the 21st century. Ref.: realtor.com
I love this idea. You used to be able to order a house kit from Sears. They also gave you the opportunity to make additions and changes, and to order the hardware and fittings that you preferred. Sigh.
From 1908–1940, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold about 70,000 – 75,000 homes through their mail-order Modern Homes program. Over that time Sears designed 447 different housing styles, from the elaborate multistory Ivanhoe, with its elegant French doors and art glass windows, to the simpler Goldenrod, which served as a quaint, three-room and no-bath cottage for summer vacationers. (An outhouse could be purchased separately for Goldenrod and similar cottage dwellers.) Customers could choose a house to suit their individual tastes and budgets.
Sears was not an innovative home designer. Sears was instead a very able follower of popular home designs but with the added advantage of modifying houses and hardware according to buyer tastes. Individuals could even design their own homes and submit the blueprints to Sears, which would then ship off the appropriate precut and fitted materials, putting the home owner in full creative control. Modern Home customers had the freedom to build their own dream houses, and Sears helped realize these dreams through quality custom design and favorable financing.
Look up Sears Houses on google images for more wonderful floorplans, prices and ordering instructions (!)
Well maintained Sears homes are still in existence and seem to be highly desirable.
See also:
Where am I living now?
August 4, 2014 
Two Futuro Houses joined to make a single structure in Carlisle, Ohio
The Futuro House is another alternative living space. This one was designed in the 1960s as a prefab dwelling that could be used as a weekend get-away and was suited to uneven terrain. Many of these structures still exist around the world and some are still in use as dwellings. The rise in oil prices in the 1970s pushed up the price of plastics that were used extensively throughout the Futuro homes and the company folded.
Imagine stepping inside a flying saucer. Now imagine living in one! In 1968, in light of the postwar boost in technology and space exploration, Finnish designer Matti Suuronen designed the Futuro House. Originally meant to be a modular ski-cabin that could be assembled and disassembled in rough terrain, the round home became an iconic piece of futuristic design. This particular space-age Home has had quite the tune-up, and it recently landed in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.The Futuro prefab stands 10 feet high, is 26 feet in diameter, and comes complete with an airplane hatch entrance. Suuronen chose a round design not only for its strength, but also for its ability to feel spacious while keeping material use to a minimum. The walls are made of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic, a new lightweight material that made the home both easily transportable and well-insulated. The interior houses up to 8 adults and includes a living room, kitchen, bathroom, fireplace, and bed chairs.
Mobile living seemed like the new possibility for the future. People could take their moveable home wherever they went, and live like modern nomads. However the oil crisis in 1972, production of the Futuro home was shut down as plastic prices nearly tripled. About 100 models were built and only half are estimated to survive today. Though tracking down the private owners of these space houses may prove a bit difficult, one Futuro home is readily available for rent in Wisconsin!
Living area with cool fire pit
Dining area of a Wisconsin Futuro House which can be rentedWhere am I living?
July 7, 2014
The June 1952 issue of Popular Mechanics asks the question, “In what kind of house will the captain of a space ship live during his stopovers on earth?” Robert Heinlein, whose Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land were still in the future, gives a tour of “a house that’s called extreme today but may become conventional before the 20th century has run its course.”
Heinlein described his house as being efficient and easy to clean. Here are a few photos that show some labor saving features:
The commuting table can be set in the kitchen and then rolled into the dining room for meals.
The house had two bedrooms, but all of the sofas pulled out and with pads, could be made into beds.
A hatchway in the kitchen gives access to the trash containers – without ever leaving the room. Actually I have friends who built a similar feature into their kitchen remodel. I’m not sure what is going on in the right hand photo.
This is a floor plan for the house.
Robert Heinlein, one of the American Masters of Science Fiction, was born today in 1907. Happy Birthday.
The full story of the house that appeared in Popular Mechanics can be found by clicking this link.
Other posts on unusual houses:
Gunsmoke and Knitting 