I’m really annoyed at architecture for the sake of it. Architecture is not the same as fashion. In that industry you have the runway model. Everyone knows the runway model is there like a moving piece of art. The embodiment of an idea, a fancy.

Sliding House by DRMM

When you see the bouffant hair and the bizarre outfits you understand that it’s to be taken with a grain of salt. Who wears that stuff on the street? I feel the same way about architecture. When I see these projects that have pushed the envelope so far that the house becomes impractical, I can’t help but think they have failed. Beyond the waste of precious resources, the creator has failed at the basic challenge – to build a better house. How can the architect/builder consider a project successful unless it can stand the test of time and utility? This is probably why most of my favorites end up being very sparse. I find myself most touched by clean lines that exemplify volume and materials. I’m also often captured by unique and ingenious use of space. It’s fun to challenge the concept of house, but one is only successful if it actually improves the design…

I’m purposely leaving this video large, sacrificing my format for your viewing pleasure. I’m a fan of this house. It’s one of the rare exceptions of architectural haute couture that really works…

Arthouse - hotel alternative in Jamaica Plain

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Don’t want to clean up after your sister’s lousy kids anymore? Your mother-in-law has just stepped over the line and needs to go? Send them to us! For all of January we’re offering our Winter Warmer Special of $100 a night. No extras, just a straight up deal. Click on the photo to the left for our ad with a photo tour, rates and our calender.

The unit is EXACTLY as the pictures show it. By reading our many 5 star reviews you’ll see we keep the place immaculate. It’s super convenient so give us a ring at 617-828-7956 or email us your reservation request through Home Away.

A little more about our place:

Modern apartment in a JP 2 family. Enjoy our extensive collection of fresh local art. This is not your standard run of the mill rental. Collection will occasionally rotate. Currently showing ‘Ladylike’ by Christine Li and black & white photography by Janelle McCuen as well as other works. Completely redesigned with a SS kitchen, washer/dryer in unit, pantry, huge closets, tall ceilings (12 ft in some places), recessed lighting, modern fixtures, and an office alcove. Versatile floor plan good for couples or roomies. Enjoy Japanese style garden just outside master bedroom. 1blk to T, Bella Luna restaurant/bar, gym, Ula Cafe. Walk to Centre Street’s many shops and restaurants. Convenient central location to downtown, 93, 95, 90, etc. Minutes to Medical area. Absolutely no need for a car unless you’re leaving Boston Metro.

A little about our community:

I had to run an errand for my wife Christine today as our first storm of the year wrapped up. One of her clients is an absentee landlord and it was reported that his rental unit had no heat. Nice. Why does it always happen in the middle of a snow storm? Nevermind, I know why…it’s not profound, just a pain in the ass that heating systems always go kaputt at the least convenient time.

It’s like they’re mocking us. “How you like me now?” the client lives in NH so it’s just a favor to go check out the place for him. (That’s just the kind of operation we run here.) Anyway, I enjoyed my walk across town. It was beautiful and people were coming out to walk their dogs and shovel. I reminded everyone I passed that was shoveling to remember to bend their knees. They all seeded truly appreciative. The snow was frenzied and occasionally defied Mother Nature herself to reverse direction and hang out inside my hood.

The walk brought to my mind the longstanding Boston feud. Oh, yes. We have one too. I thought I was leaving all that behind when I left the Ozarks. Nay, Beantown has it’s own version of The Hatfields & The McKoys. Back home it was The Yokums & The Gideons. Who knows why these people were really feuding but the rumor has it it was about land. Specifically a piece of land with a silver mine. I’m not sure it ever produced more than they required for the fillings in their teeth but nonetheless, that’s the story. Oh yes, and how can we forget the Sneetchs or even better, the Zax?

Yes Boston is no exception. Ours is a battle over real estate as well. It has divided friends, neighbors, even lovers. I’m curious what you think? If you shovel out after a snow storm – do you have right to the spot indefinitely? Do you prefer everyone respects the public way? Here’s a couple of differing points of view. Leave yours in the comments…

“The King of parking space savers”

Elvis space saver

By Globe Staff

Elvis Presley may be gone, but a bust of the King lives on — as a parking space saver.

Reader Jon Titone took this photo on P Street in South Boston, in response to a recent Globe story about the proliferation of space savers that violate the city’s 48-hour rule.

Without adequate enforcement, the space savers remain. That means law-abiding drivers must find another place to park or move the savers — which are often much less creative than Elvis — and live with the fear that their car could be keyed or their tires slashed.

According to the City of Boston’s website, space savers are only allowed after the declaration of a snow emergency, which hasn’t occurred since Dec. 18. Most drivers, however, use space savers after digging out from any plowable snow.

The enforcement of the 48-hour rule resides with city sanitation workers on regular rounds. Trash pickup occurs once a week, which means that at best space savers will be tossed once every seven days. Garbage pickup in some neighborhoods, however, occurs prior to 9 a.m., with sanitation trucks making the rounds well before drivers have left their parking spots.

That means some step stools and buckets can remain virtually undisturbed, saving a parking space from now until Opening Day on April 6.

Dot Joyce, a spokeswoman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino, said earlier this week that any parking space savers that remain on the street should have been removed long ago. The city, however, has not received enough complaints about space savers from a specific neighborhood to necessitate the dispatch of a special public works crew to collect the cones, chairs, and shovel-and-box combos, Joyce said.

The mayor’s office urged people to report illicit place savers by calling the 24-hour constituent services hot line at 617-635-4500.

Have an stubborn space saver on your block? E-mail a picture here with a precise description of the location.

After Wednesday’s snowstorm, the 48-hour rule was reset. By Friday or Saturday, the Globe will be looking for additional illicit parking space savers.

***

Then check out this great thread on the Yelp forum. Very entertaining stuff. The “no spot saving” crowd is definitely outspoken here.

Saving parking spots in Southie is wrong.

Another fun article is on Universal Hub called:

To protect my parking spot, I use:

Whatever you believe is the best plan of action is your business. All I have to say is that on my street there’s no space saving. We all dig out immediately and deal with the cards we’re dealt just like every other day. Sometimes we help shovel each other out and have a few laughs while we’re doing it. If you put out a lawn chair on my street – it’s toast. Bring it on.

I can relate to the ‘crack den’ comment on the architect’s website as this is basically what my house was when I bought it and began renovating 6 years ago. The idea of renovating old houses with modern interiors is very fun – and guilt free if it was a run down old dump to begin with! Check out those downspouts too! I love them! I can’t stop using exclamation points!

From Platform 5: Mapledene Road is situated in a conservation area in Hackney. The property had been stripped of virtually all its period features and had become run down and used as a “crack den” leaving it ripe for modernisation. The cellular ground floor was opened up and extended to the rear to allow the spaces to flow into each other and to the garden. The kitchen and patio areas are unified by a concrete floor and London stock brick garden wall. The expansive glass roof opens up the view to the sky giving the space an external character.The project has been shortlisted for the RIBA Awards, AJ Small Projects Awards and the Grand Designs Awards 2009.

Platform 5 Hackney House Extension

Okay, I’m a little latent on this announcement, but better late than never. Riders on the Train will end on December 19th so if you hurry over you’ll catch it. Axiom is in the Green Street subway station in Jamaica Plain. Here’s the write up:

‘RIDERS on the TRAIN’ is an interdisciplinary art exhibition exploring new relationships between artist, audience, site, and context. Drawn from an international call for submissions, these artists and writers explore ‘the private within the public’ experience of mass-transit in Sweden, Australia, South Africa, India, Switzerland, NYC, London, Madrid, Paris, Berlin, Mexico City, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, LA, DC, Portland, and Boston. The poetics of acceleration, compression, fragmentation and sensory immersion are explored as the artists record, collaborate, and devise small scale tactical interventions – juxtaposing high with low technology. ‘Riding Artists’ sample their ‘ride’ and generate an aggregate description of the mass-transit experience through a diversity of lenses and media including video, sound art, photography, web-based interactivity, performance, installation and writing.

Click on the image to go to the website.

My daughter Vitoria is very excited about the new playground structures that are going in around Jamaica Plain. This one is in the section adjacent to New Minton. These blue things make me curious…what are they? From whence have they cometh? Are they edible?

I look forward to your comments.

I came home from work to find a new crosswalk being painted across Amory Street from the Southwest Corridor across the street. I’ve been fighting for this for the better part of two years and now thanks to the exceptional work of Officer Mike Santry at E13 and Michael Halle from the traffic and parking meetings, we have succeeded in securing a safer place to cross.

Since the Brewery ramped up operations the pedestrian traffic here has been growing exponentially. This is a good thing, but getting across the street here in the past has been a little like playing Frogger.

As I said, I believe the crosswalk is only temporary until a more permanent traffic and parking solution is created. I am very pleased that the city was able to see that a temporary solution was better than no solution. Big round of applause for Mike Halle, Mike Santry and everyone who made this happen.

I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me – and I’m sure that brings a tear to your eye, but I have a fabulous “Home of The Week” for you. There are a lot of cute homes in “JP” no doubt. Every once in a while you come across an owner who has that special talent for design. That’s Anna. She’s sharp as a whip and a bit of a Super Mom.

Open dining and kitchen

I’m not really sure how she managed a career, pregnancy and this stint as General Contractor, but she did – and it’s smashing.

From the street, this fashionable home on Plainfield St. is an unassuming Colonial, not unlike other single families in Jamaica Plain. Although it has a large yard and beautiful landscaping (you wouldn’t know it right now as it’s hidden under a layer of snow) you might not give it a lot of thought if you were walking by. However, behind the front door is an attention to detail and design seldom seen.

Anna had some help from her hubby Edward, but I think even he would give her the lion share of credit for this enormous undertaking. I sat with them recently at the robust dining table and talked about the work they had done. I got woozy. Much of the work that Anna did took place behind the walls. This isn’t just a little icing on a cake. She engineered this home top to bottom. Feel free to grab us at the open house Dec 13th (11:30a-1:30p) and we’ll tell  you all about that, but for now I’ll show you the fun stuff.

You enter a pretty common foyer with a set of stairs up and a doorway to the kitchen – which is uncommon. It’s kind of hard to describe Anna’s style but I guess you could call it Danish Modern.

Custom cabs, honed granite & fab apps

There’s just the right mix of mod light fixtures and Italian tile with warm wooden furniture and European decor. The powder blue cabinets are the first thing you notice. They look sturdy and significant – not the normal stock. It turns out that Anna had them custom finished because she couldn’t find something she liked that was mass produced. This is the kind of kitchen where you can make a serious meal and entertain a large group of people. The massive center island houses a Dacor range and a stainless steel vent hood hangs down from the ceiling. The honed granite counters contrast perfectly with the modern cabinets and the sleek tile backsplash. The wall oven and microwave are also Dacor and there’s a ginormous Amana fridge that could hold provisions for an army. It’s all well lit with recessed lighting and plenty of great natural light.

One of my favorite features of this home is the half flight up, half flight down design of the living and family rooms. It gives you easy and immediate access to both but provides enough separation that guests wont hear pots and pans banging while they’re conversing or watching the game, but getting food and drinks back and forth is a snap. Also, as those with kids would appreciate, mom or dad can easily keep an eye on the kids without having them underfoot during food prep or adult convos.  In the photo above, the door on the left goes up to the more formal living room, while the door on the right goes down a half flight to a family room.

Master bath

This was originally designed as a master suite. It is expansive and has french doors out to a very private patio on one side and sleek, narrow windows on the other that afford a little more privacy while allowing natural light to flood the room. The bathroom that ajoins this space is rich. Upon opening the door you are enveloped in cool green mosaic-like tiles and and a timeless marble floor. It’s not that thin, slippery, cheap stuff. It has a real permanence to it. The bathrooms in this home, in general, are amazing and will all look great in 20 years. The design is classic and solid. It’s the kind of materials you might see in a Gropius house or the like.

This space also has good storage and a laundry closet. It’s currently used as a family room where little Archie and Harrison can play without being out of earshot and mommy’s watchful eye. It’s even big enough to make into an au pair suite or an in-law when you need help with the kids. (That’s one lucky nanny.)

A half flight up from the kitchen is the formal living room. It has a cavernous volume to it. Cathedral ceilings slope down to a modern fireplace surrounded by a sophisticated, neutral tile.

Living room

Master bed or family room?

The combined open kitchen/dining, living room and family room are enough space to have a very large group of people without anyone feeling like they’re bumping into each other.

Off the foyer and the kitchen you’ll find another stunning full bathroom, mud room, closet (formerly used as a study!) and a door leading out to the deck and another large patio.

Anna put more work and money into her bathrooms than most people put into their whole house. Both of the lower level baths have showers with a simple glass panel and a tile ridge to keep the water in. The faucetry throughout the home is all the very best money can buy – each fixture, each faucet making a subtle, sophisticated statement.

The upstairs bath is a Zen paradise. The focal point of the room is a beautiful soaking tub with sleek, modern lines that contrasts remarkably with the slate floor. All the baths have undergone a full transition with recessed lights and touches that indicate this was no “once over” renovation.

Upstairs bath with sleek soaking tub

There is a landing at the top of the stairs with three bedrooms off of it and the bath I just described.  The largest of the upstairs rooms is currently used as the master. Anna & Edward outfitted this room with a fantastic closet, of course. The second bedroom is quite large as well and the third upstairs room is a perfect room for a child or a nursery.

There is multi-zoned heating and air conditioning throughout the home and all sorts of electrical and plumbing upgrades.

If you’re not familiar with the Parkside Neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, the name kind of says it all. To the North is a beautiful park bordering Williams Street and Dungarven Road. There are vegetable plots there and the neighborhood folks sometimes use it for pot lucks and such. Just a block away at the corner of Rossmore Road and Stedman Street you’ll find a brand new tot lot completely outfitted with state-of-the-art play structures and a bouncy soft ground material. Two blocks to the east is Franklin Park which is home to America’s oldest zoo and golf course and some fantastic trails. I often ride my bike there. Recently a friend showed my some great foraging opportunities just minutes from the entrance and my daughter loves to go geocaching and letterboxing there as well. I hope you can make it by our open house on Sunday. Of course call if you have any questions. 617-828-7956 or www.TheBostonHomeTeam.com for a virtual tour.

Brookside Artist Community live/work space

Open House November 1st, 1-2p

This town-home is part of a lively, vibrant community of professional artists. Your new neighbors include painters and sculptors, dancers and choreographers, a harpist, and a well-known concert pianist.

The building began it’s life in 1850 as a factory, turning out rubber heels for shoes. As industry left the area, the artists began moving in. Groups like the Boston Photo Collaborative worked here for years and this unit was home to the Boston indie band Morphine.

Converted turn of the century factory

Several years ago, the artists living here learned the owner of the building was planning on selling it for conversion to luxury condos. Fearful of losing their beloved homes the artists banded together to buy it for themselves.

It took a ton of organizing, several government grants, and the collaboration of the Mayor’s Office and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) but the artists were able to raise millions of dollars to purchase and renovate the building.

All 24 units were completely gut renovated and rebuilt to the highest safety and construction standards. The units were officially designated “live/work” so the artists could practice their crafts here. Many were purpose-built to meet individual needs – the tall unit on the end, for example, houses a rope-climbing artist!

1st floor flexible use studio space

This unit is especially well-suited for running a creative business, since the first floor is separated from the more private living quarters.

The developer was the highly respected firm of Peter Roth.They designed a building that was respectful of the history of the place, but had all the modern amenities like energy efficient windows and state of the art Rinnai point of use heaters.

This unit received special care as it was considered the best of the building. The brick walls were parged down several feet and carefully rebuilt to hold the weight of the new top addition. The walls were made with steel studs. The first floor was dug out and concrete re-poured to a depth of two feet.

Master bedroom with large closet

The contractors prided themselves on the solid construction – as one declared, “This will last another 150 years!”

The complex is a mixture of market rate units and a special kind of affordable housing restricted only to artists. The market rate units, like this one, have no financial re-sale restrictions. The affordable units may only be sold to artists who qualify through the BRA’s rigorous artist certification program and have adequate financial resources. Most hold down professional jobs, like teaching, in addition to their art work.

Flexible living, kitchen and dining area

Since the artists worked so hard to obtain their units, they are passionately committed to maintaining the property. The building is self-managed, so condo fees are very low. Occasionally the neighbors volunteer to rake leaves, trim bushes, clean gutters, etc. Each “work day” ends with a roving cocktail party and cookout on the board walk!

If you’re interested in whats happening in the building industry or looking for that new, cutting edge product you’d better mosey over to Boston Build 2009 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston from November 18th-20th. You can visit the exhibit hall only for about $15 or register for work shops, symposiums and tours which cost starting around $150. There is an entire range of options.

This directly from the website, “Build Boston is the largest regional convention and tradeshow for the design and construction industry. In this 25th anniversary year, over 250 exhibits fill the tradeshow floor and more than 200 workshops, tours and other professional development and networking events are offered. More than 10,000 building industry professionals from 43 states and 19 countries attended last year’s event.

There’s something for everyone at Build Boston — building owners/managers, architects, engineers, contractors, interior designers, design and construction firm administrators, landscape architects and all professionals, interns and students with an interest in the built environment.

This year, three keynote speakers, seven one-day symposiums and dozens of alumni receptions, building industry dinners and special tradeshow events are planned.

View the show information online, download the full conference program or request a hard-copy brochure and start planning your Build Boston 2009 experience today.