Magic Mushroom House

Oh man sharing stories like this TO DIE FOR for 1970′s ‘Magic Mushroom’ House make me so pleased I have time to get blogging again (just about). Built over several years beginning in 1973, and found in Aspen, Colorado. Rumour has it that this homes nickname stems from the hallucinogens so popular in that era. Disappointingly, the house’s architect, builder and first resident, Andre Ulrych, said he took his design cues from a nautilus shell. He could have taken them from a cats litter tray for all I care as I LOVE this house.

The décor includes rustic wood, moss rock and spider plants in macramé hangers (trying to get some at the moment but they are being annoyingly hard to fine if anyone knows a source in London). At the house’s very center is a round, sunken living area that the current owners refer to as the “love pit.”

I am going to carry on drooling over the pictures now if you can to read more them go to the New York Times.

LEGO Forest – 50th Birthday Celebrations

Both Lego as a company, and it’s super fans, do so many awesome things with this globally iconic brand (I loved the dark LEGO suicide series) I would have thought it would have been pretty tough going to come up with a new creative approach involving the hallowed bricks. That’s said I am not surprised they have pulled something rather special out of the bag for their 50th anniversary of the LEGO brick in Australia: an over sized pop up Lego forest.

This brilliant concept includes pop-up forest includes brightly coloured LEGO flowers and 4-metre tall LEGO pine trees. The LEGO forest sprouted from the city streets to mark the launch of the LEGO Festival of Play, a nine-month event which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the LEGO brick in Australia.

What would you like to see next from LEGO – would love to hear your thoughts?

Click here to read more about Sydney’s LEGO forest, or here to see the LEGO Sydney Opera House, part of the brands ongoing architecture series.
PS: I have blogged about LEGO a lot in the past!! Search the site – there are almost 50 related posts.

 

Wooden Fairytale Palaces

Amazing wooden palace built by two genius carpenters Senka Petrov and Ivashka Mikhailov: self-taught, without a single saw, or a nail! Read more over at Dark Roasted Blend.

Some Facts On The Royal Residence of Tsar Alexis I in Kolomenskoye, Moscow:
- Designed and built by two Russian self-taught carpenters back in 1667;
- Demolished by Catherine the Great in 1767 (to make space for a much inferior palace);
- Completely rebuilt and restored to its former glory in 2010

Palm Springs Rainbow Hotel

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The Saguaro Palm Springs hotel is seriously pretty – even if it is a touch Balamory (via The Trendy Girl).

Architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat were brought in to infuse local color into the property. The team, known for their bold use of color, advocated recreating The Saguaro around a palette of 12 vibrant tones found in native desert wildflowers.

The brilliant colors now adorn each balcony and patio and anchor the guestrooms, while also enlivening the indoor and outdoor public spaces. The color set follows the light spectrum, which in turn creates different perspectives of the hotel according to the time of day.

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Hotel Alcatraz

Today the doors will swing open on what has been billed as possibly London’s Toughest Hotel experience as “Hotel Alcatraz” arrives in Kings Cross, London. The opening of “Hotel Alcatraz” coincides with the launch of J.J. Abrams’ new drama series, Alcatraz (see above), which starts on UKTV’s entertainment channel Watch from today (Tuesday 13 March 2012) at 9.00pm.

As a freelance creative I get to work on some really cool projects, in this case working on the creation of a rather awesome hotel for the lovely Hope & Glory PR and their client Watch / UKTV. The installation built by the unbeatable production team at Helix 3D, it may all look grotty and old but it’s brand new and made to look like that so it recreates the experience.

Watch has created the experience to enable fans of the show to get a better understanding of the lives of prisoners and to bring the show’s characters to life in present-day London.

In order to promote the TV show of the same name an EXACT replica of four cells from Alcatraz was recreated in Kings Cross Field Street, which has now opened as a hotel offering people the chance to stay overnight for free during it’s test opening which is this week only. If you fancy a unique night in London, and the chance to watch a pretty awesome TV show from you cell (a prisoner reward for good behavior) then head to Late Rooms from 1200 today to book your room.

Love, Peace, and… Metropolis

With the turn of the New Year it seems perfectly appropriate to day dream about hallucinatory architecture of the future. See more at Dark Roasted Blend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gingerbread slums

Gingerbread slums are so massively wrong but I can’t help love them!

Source & see more

Edible Padded Cell

Let’s cut to the case here…

A padded cell at any dinner event is awesome… A cell padded with cotton candy at a dinner event is unbelievably awesome and inspired work from Jennifer Rubell. (via Foodiction)

 

Approximately 1,800 cones of cotton candy were used by Jennifer Rubell to cover the walls and ceiling of her Padded cell, a freestanding room constructed of basic building materials for the PERFOMRMA‘S Red Party. ‘The Padded Cell acts as an escape from the Red Party’s main dinner, an all-American funhouse that is at the same time confining, threatening, claustrophobic. It is an object that addresses the dark side of pleasure, the price of pleasure, the possibility that pleasure is its own punishment.’ (via Foodadiction)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flaming Lips House

Ever wondered what kind of house a member of the Flaming Lips lives in? Well a jaw dropping amazing surreal beautiful architect designed house that’s what! Check out these images and drool – can’t believe it has taken me three years to discover this!!! You can see the concept sketches, before & progress shots on the architects website here.

 

 

 

*sigh* ….so Mrs Coyne lives in this amazing house and has a hot husband. This NY Times feature ‘At Home With Wayne Coyne‘ does not help the jealously either…

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK so anyone for a Flaming Lips Kylie cover?

 

Net Bed

I want one of these in my office so badly (I know my office is at home and I technically have a real bed there already – but still I must have one). AMAZING! (link)