Balcones del Atl?°ntico
A new planned residential resort, Balcones del Atl?°ntico, is opening this summer in the Dominican Republic.
The homes and townhouses come furnished. Here’s a sneak peek at the interior designs by Patricia Reid Baquero.
Natural materials were used throughout. Spots of color come from the accessories and plants. I love the arrangement of plants and dishes set atop the hand-carved coffee table in the top-most photo. Not so great are the seashells on the oars. But the burst of blue is a hit with me.
I always like looking at beds for new ideas on how to dress them. I think I like the style on top the most. What do you think of the teal?
I’m a sucker for a beautiful beach sprinkled with palm trees.
Have you been the the Dominican Republic? And, who’s up for buying a beach house?
The American Brewery
The American Brewery is an East Baltimore icon that many despaired would fall down. My brother, Stephen Hulse, has had ‚Äúthe great privilege,‚Äù as he said, ‚Äúof being the Project Executive on the building’s restoration.‚Äù Last Fall, Steve gave me a tour of the scaffolded building. Now, the scaffolding is down, and this¬† architectural masterpiece is smiling once again in my home town.
History
Built in 1887 by John Frederick Wiessner, a German immigrant, the American Brewery was one of the largest breweries in the state of Maryland. At its peak, the brewery employed 61 workers.
Prohibition forced the facility to shut down in 1920. The brewery was sold to the American Malt Company in 1931, who modernized the interior equipment and operated the brewery until 1973. The building was listed that year in the National Registry of Historic Sites and has been vacant ever since.
Humanim hires Struever Brothers, Eccles & Rouse
Humanim, a non-profit organization, is restoring the building and is planning to house employment programs and clinical support services for the residents of this poverty stricken community.
Baltimore Architects, Cho Benn Holback & Assoc. were hired to plan the restoration. Because the building is historic, restoration (as opposed to renovation) is required. In short, that means lots of “do’s and don’ts regarding exactly what changes can be made to the building. Its historic integrity had to be maintained.
Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse (the company Steve works for) was, in turn, hired to redevelop the building. If, like me, you have a passion for historic architecture, I know you’ll enjoy this photographic essay.
Restoring A Baltimore Jewel: A Photo Essay
The asymmetrical nature of the building is what makes it so singular. The assortment of windows, combined with the brickwork and wooden buttresses work together in such a perfect way…
It’s like looking at a piece of music transcribed into bricks and mortar.
The Mansard roofs! I’m speechless.
The back end has a new addition. Strict rules had to be followed to maintain the historic nature of the property.
These buttresses are made entirely of wood. The pitch of the roof, and the fact that the roof shielded the buttresses underneath, spared the building, and the extraordinary architectural details like these, from collapse.
This is a shot of the interior Mansard roof. The huge beams were steamed to form the curve of the roof. The windows lie underneath. This room will become a conference area.
I can’t wait to see The American Brewery once the interiors are completed. Much of the brewery’s machinery has been saved in order to incorporate the metalwork into walls and furniture.
I’m homesick now!
Are you from Baltimore? Sadly, here in Detroit, much of our history has been torn down. What’s your opinion of the importance of historic preservation?
Grand Hotel Tremezzo
It’s time to take a little vacation. Lake Como is our destination. The Grand Hotel Tremezzo. It’s only an hour (in rush hour traffic) away from Milan. And half of that is spent traversing the lovely, narrow and twisting streets along the lake.
This is where Arthur and I stayed last week. As grand as this hotel (and spa!) is, our room was half the price of one in Milan during Salone week. It was worth the extra drive. I thought I’d take you on a little tour.
A view of the hotel lobby.
The cozy bar – excellent service, too.
The library. There’s a pool room, and several parlors as well.
The porch over looking the lake.
Chair of the Day: Generic Airport Waiting Area Seating
Jennifer & I have some of these lovely seats in our near future. After all, there’s no air travel without sitting around waiting, is there? And they all seem to look like this:
Here’s what characterizes them. 1) A vague resemblance to the Eames Aluminum Management Chair.
And 2): Arms to keep you from brushing up against a stranger – which could be a good thing, I guess, but consequently you can never lie down if you’re sitting through one of those delayed-delayed-delayed-delayed-cancelled flights and want to relax and take a nap.
Airport seating is usually far away from an electrical outlet, too, so most people trying to recharge their laptops can be found along the walls sitting on the floor.
All of this is just to remind you all that we’re headed for Milan this afternoon.
House & Garden Tour Part II: A Chilean Parcela
Here we are in the Southern Hemisphere at the beautiful home (also known as a parcela) of Carmen Oria and her husband, Vicente Rodriguez. Their garden is just as beautiful as their antiques-filled home.
A grape arbor sits just outside the kitchen door. The grounds are filled with fruit trees including lemon, avocado, apricot, peach, and orange. All the trees bear fruit, which Carmen turns into preserves and fresh fruit juice. A gardener helps out.
The grape arbor is the perfect place for a game of ping pong.
The swing sits under eucalyptus trees. It’s the perfect setting for sipping Pisco Sours.
If you drink too many Pisco Sours, you can take a nap in the hammock.
As those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are looking forward to Spring, in Chile it’s closing in on Autumn. But when it’s Springtime in Santiago, the grounds of Carmen’s home are full of blooms. Her flowering plants include roses, azaleas, daffodils, wisteria, poppies, and hydrangeas. The greenery includes pampas grass, creeping vine, acanthus, moss, and yucca.
Welcome to the pool, set under the shade of a giant acacia tree. Let’s all pour ourselves a Pisco Sour (they’re so tasty the way Vicente makes them) and jump in the pool.
A big Thank You goes to Carmen for taking and sending these photos to me. She and I are college friends who have managed to visit each other over the past few years. I wanted to share her beautiful home with everyone because I’ve enjoyed it so much myself.
Don’t you love this house and the gardens? Enjoy your weekend. Cheers!
