Archive for February, 2012

VERANDA at 25

VERANDA magazine celebrates a milestone anniversary. Twenty-five years ago this April, a smart and determined lady with an abundance of style and a desk full of images published her first issue. That lady was Lisa Newsom and a quarter of a century later, her brain child (now helmed by Dara Caponigro under the care of the Hearst publishing group) has blossomed into a major icon in the publishing industry. Over the years, we’ve been honored to be featured by this discerning magazine many times and even graced the cover of four issues (pictured here and, coincidentally, all photographed by the brilliant Peter Vitale). The magazine’s coverage and avid readership has played a large part in the ever-widening spread of our work across the country. For that, we owe Lisa and VERANDA a huge thank you.

Happy Anniversary and may you enjoy 25 more years of success!

Upcoming is “The Houses of VERANDA”, a celebrated new book edited by the always stylish Lisa Newsom. We’re proud to have three houses included in this collection, which features homes from the magazine’s 25 year history.

You can pre-order the book here.

the power of rooms

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Stumbling on the same evidence again and again I’ve discovered a few secrets of my instincts

and they have led me to my parents

I’ve come to know how I have walked and prospered

in the presence of a love that has little circumstance

that all I have done these last twenty years

has been in front of the fixed plate of a benevolent love

on reflection I see the beginnings of a growth in its likeness

in this work, I plant this host that graces me

You see everything good is traceable to love so I dream of places with hearts

so big they are quiet

so tall they are quiet

so long they are quiet

so wide

always a host in your presence

asking nothing, giving all

and a place to be in its lap back far enough to ponder the beauty of it all

a witness box, a back seat, quiet, watchful, learning from the host

daring and intense intimacy, healing curative chambers

where house is a metaphor for love

rooms we wade into like a few cocktails til we feel the water rise to tickle our cheeks

and we become weightless, burdens withdrawn with gestures so large that they become quiet

like great love

great love you may dance and play before, for it will never change

never more

it is at your back, warm and earthen, securing any flight

beautifully mixing inertia with ascension

it is to be in the hollow of God’s hands

these are the chambers of the human heart

where lovely things are said, thoughts sustained, kindness exchanged and truth abides

where every object is not its own

where something larger than could ever be there somehow is there

collecting us, affirming us, grounding us, teaching us

the father, the mother, the transportation, the intoxication, the sanctuary

the power of rooms

reminding us we are not out here spinning by ourselves

reminding us we are not alone

after all, what are these rooms but manifestations of our own hearts

that they might be what we have learned

cabana, boy

“To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.” —Jane Austen

To begin with, let me say that we love designing cabanas.

In the midst of the everyday task of juggling complex programs, all the while trying to make things look simple and elegant, the lone pool cabana asks for little. Sure, they must house the occasional fireplace or bathroom or two but, in the grand scheme of things, its sole purpose is be a shady temple dedicated to sloth.

That’s why they are the dessert of the design meal. Once we’ve digested the proteins and roughage of the house (also known as kitchens, baths and master closets), the cabana waits for us at the end of the struggle, full of empty calories and ready to tickle the imaginative palate.

As a prominent out-building, it serves as a condensed version of the architecture of the manor house; a stylistic demi-glace of all that resides at the grown-ups’ table. It has all the fun with none of the attitude. It’s sort of like having your vacation home in the backyard. You can track wet feet in there without getting yelled at.

Cabanas are the modern day version of the simple hut. Unlike the house, they don’t hermetically seal us up, double glazed in artificial environments. They offer shade and shelter. Plain and simple. Breezes blow through, the mind shuts off and drinks are served.

At the end of the day (or week), they are welcome refuges for the world weary, ready to shield you in their quirky, charming embrace.

Follies, beautifully lounging in the landscape, requiring nothing but giving so very much.