Archive for June, 2012

I know a place

Sometimes when I am lost
I fall into a kind of trance as if sleepwalking
find myself unconsciously falling toward a place
known by few though by some
Its architecture began long before I get there,
for it transcends the physical.
Though I go alone, I always carry someone with me
perhaps an imaginary friend
and wear a silent, contained smile as if to say,
“I know a place”
It was conceived by no grown up but by a dearer creature
and was designed to veil the brashness that lay outside it

It has no exterior though
it has a lovely face for those who might not understand
and an almost apologetic one for those who do.
It is built of compassion and so, made to endure.

Anything new to enter is quick to have a healthy
coating of life rubbed over it to cloak and protect
it from any one occurrence that might make itself known
and appears forever too important.

It is here I am safe
and here I am clever
and here I am known
and here I cannot stay too long.

I know a place whose beauty is incidental
for it is more a piece of understanding and in
every morsel a lesson in survival, and it will last.

I know a place that is infinitely complex
and at once simple.
It knows more than me for it leaves me clues.
And in its fog there is familiarity and clarity.
I have always known it.

I know a place and it is you.

Bobby McAlpine – “Finding Home” ©

court/house wedding

First impressions are of great importance. A house is no exception. In residential design, much emphasis is given to the entrance sequence, mainly the door and the foyer just for this reason. It’s the designer’s opportunity to play an overture to introduce the play within. In most instances, however, the visitor’s welcome to the home is not arrival by foot at the front doorstep; the introduction is done in the driveway.

The advent of the automobile certainly revolutionized the way we travel but it also changed the way we experience a house. The designer’s ever-consistent vision should be evident as soon as the visitor enters the property and that’s usually in a car. Regularly, though, the lowly vehicle is not given the same reverential design treatment as its passenger; they’re usually relegated to dull driveways or quickly squirreled out of sight of the front door. We rely on them heavily but they’re design eyesores once abandoned.

In many of the grand country homes of Europe, the outdoor arrival court was a splendid and bustling spectacle of visitors, servants, chauffeurs, luggage and pomp. When one arrived by car or carriage to one of these homes, one had, indeed, “arrived”. The welcome mat was spread broad and wide in firmly packed gravel. In today’s suburban world, we slump through a garage, enter a service door, go past the laundry room to visit a friend. A dismal journey, but one all too familiar in contemporary homes.

I submit the modern motor court should be designed with the same theatrical spirit of those found in European country homes. It should greet the motorized caller and owner equally with open arms and be as wonderfully experiential as any part of the house’s interior. House and court sensibilities should be seamlessly wed. Besides, after suffering through miles of the visually offensive interstates, streets and bypasses of our daily lives, we should be graciously escorted into quiet respite as we return home.

wall to enthrall

This week’s post is from a guest author: our dear friend, artist David Braly.

“If you see a wall that needs something on it, let me know.”

Those were the parting words of our friend and host last fall as Mark Montoya and I left the villa he and his sister have on the Amalfi coast of Italy. And, so began one of the most intriguing, challenging, and ultimately, rewarding artistic experiences Mark and I have ever had. Seven months, several conversations and sketches later, we arrived at Torre armed with a plethora of paints, bunches of brushes, real wood pencils and reams of drawings to spend two weeks in something approaching an earthly paradise, painting a mural that is a much appreciated addition to the beautiful and historical surroundings of my clients.

The villa consists of a main residence surrounded by guesthouses, gardens and working farm, straddling a ridge of land below the hill town of Ravello, Italy, and overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is a spectacular setting–and a strategic one; parts of the complex, notably the Torre (tower) and the residence (a monastery) date from the 12th century, when this area was the the foremost trading center of Europe. The wall I felt “needed something on it” is 900 years old.

Cheeky me.

Discussing ideas for paintings is a pleasure for me; this project especially so. The owners have admired the combinations of elements, changes of scale, and layers of imagery in my work, and we all felt these characteristics were appropriate for a wall that could tell a lot of stories. Thus, the design concept took the form of a historical story line: a mural painted in the original 12th century Medieval monastery was painted over 400 years later during the Renaissance. During this time the subject matter changed from religious to secular. Today, parts of both can be seen; the older emerging ghost-like to blend with the latter, forming a complex and entirely new mural. The following photos illustrate the process of designing and painting the mural, as well as some of the villa grounds that inspired us. I hope you will enjoy it.

David Braly

enchanted garden

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Being honored with a commission to design someone’s new home is like an invitation to a private party. When the collaboration is at its best, your host offers himself up and, in the end, teaches you more. Such was the case of this client and his Lake Martin, Alabama home. He came prepared for our first meeting with scores of sketches and even more ideas. With this particular brilliant, crazy mind, our job was clear – distill, edit and make physical the child-like zaniness he exuded.

The house, we decided, was to have some type of playful theme. Since our client’s fanciful mind seem to dart and fly all over the place, we decided to try our hand at a victorian based house festooned with bird motifs in place of gingerbread. The house was developed, built and the client adored it.

Here, the story really begins. Being a long-time master gardener, our client decided to take the home as an inspirational seed and grow the property as a delightful, experiential, often non-sensical horticultural playground. Completing that, he then bought the adjacent property and expanded his kingdom. Over the years, the garden has become an unbelievable trip into a twisted genius’s mind. It’s as if someone handed the Mad Hatter a shovel, a bag of seeds and some fertilizer. The property began a blank canvas. Land was re-formed. Boulders dropped as if from heaven. Water sprung forth from unknown fonts. The Garden, un-mappable except in the maker’s head, is a delightful romp of discovery; an emotional and exploratory game of Chutes and Ladders with a bit of Dungeons and Dragons thrown in for excitement. A few of the hidden treasures that lie within the arcadia: an underground wine cave complete with murals, a walled croquet lawn, an oversized chess board and a grotto living room which lies behind a waterfall. Since the owner loves to enchant and entertain, there are over a dozen dining nooks, each with a specific character. Beset with requests for weddings over the nearly twenty years since starting, the owner recently completed a lovely green overlooked by an elevated party barn for receptions and dances.

He once told me the reason he has spent unbelievable time, effort and money on creating this light hearted Eden. He said he imagined someone on his death bed reviewing the days in his life and his memory would light briefly upon an amazing day spent in a garden with nothing on the agenda but diversion, decadence and delight.

finding home