Category Archives: Architecture

Architecture: La Maison de Verre

Architecture, Things We Love, , , ,

From time to time, we’re going to do posts on architecture that we love.  So today, we thought we’d start with La Maison de Verre in Paris.  Verre means glass in French… which I’m sure you could guess anyway by the glass block facade!  This was a private home built for a French doctor completed in 1932. It’s a great example of early modern style.

VERRE
photo credit: New York Times, François Halard

The design was a collaboration by Pierre Chareau (a furniture and interiors designer), Bernard Bijvoet (a Dutch architect) and Louis Dalbet (a craftsman metalworker).  It is made of steel and glass blocks.  Amazing for the time!  It is located at 31 Rue Saint-Guillaume in the 7th arrondissement. You would never guess it’s there because it is hidden behind a typical looking street facade that leads to a courtyard where the Maison is.  You can read more about La Maison de Verre here and here.

NYT: Living in 704 square feet

Architecture, Eco Friendly, ,

The New York Times Home & Garden section has an interesting article about a couple and their 2 dogs who live in a 704 square foot 1 room home.  What do you think of this?  Could you live comfortably in a small space?

704sqft
photo credit: Aaron Leitz for The New York Times

It’s not as bad as it sounds really… because they have a huge yard including outdoor living space and 2 storage sheds.  The large room is divided into functional areas with a bookcase, and a curtain to separate the bed area from the main area. You can see more photos in this slideshow, here.  Eco-friendly features are a green roof planted with local flora and a 550 gallon rain barrel for collecting storm water for reuse.

I think it’s fantastic!  “Tiny living” forces you to pare down on “stuff” and keeps operating costs low. Bravo!