I was asked to review a copy of The Heights, Anatomy of a Skyscraper by Kate Ascher by the Penguin Press as part of her online 'book tour' and am pleased to participate. While not involved with this area of design (high rise) as a residential architect, it has been a subject that has fascinated me since childhood.
The book is jam-packed with a lot of basic information about skycrapers; technical, historical as well as how they impact the built environment and the future. While fears mount worldwide about how to efficiently house a growing population, sky-scrapers have become ever more desirable as a building type. One only has to note the growing number of them being built in developing countries across the globe to point out their importance let alone here at home in the United States (I live in a new high rise building myself).
As I said, the book very thoroughly examines the skyscraper but in a way which is geared towards the novice and not a seasoned architect (or even a less seasoned one, such as myself!). I see this as an ideal gift for either a high school student interested in architecture or engineering school or even a present architectural student.
The book is full of informative illustrations highlighting key points; lessons in and of themselves. I particularly enjoyed a timeline early in the book which puts scale drawings of well known skyscrapers, starting in 1875 with the
New York Tribune Building at 250 feet and advancing towards 2010 with the
Burj Khalifa in Dubai which soars over 2,600 feet.
All in all, the wonderfully smart graphics and precise information on skyscrapers, presented in an interesting and fun way, make this a perfect gift for anyone interested in the built environment. Skyscraper 101, an ever more important subject!
Recently while reading through my daily bloglist, I saw a post on Matters of Style mention a local etsy crafter who did custom stamps in calligraphy. I thought this would be a great idea to do a small stamp of my name on the front page of the books in my library. It came in the mail yesterday and I couldn't be happier with it!
I dealt with Trialbycupcakes, who was so easy to work with and let me create the stamp sans address. Thats one of the great things about etsy, you're generally dealing with people who work out of their homes as a small business and they can help you get what you're looking for. I will probably use the stamp for other uses as well, but now time to head to the store to get an assortment of different colored stamp pads!
Congratulations to Andrew Zega and Bernd Dams from 
I was fortunate enough to be invited back to attend Fall market this year by the 
A new bed frame, the Marquette bed, also continues the round theme with an Art Nouveau inspired pattern.
Following further trends towards tradition with a twist, Hooker released a new line called Primrose Hill, named after the famed neighborhood in London.
The furniture in this line is inspired by 19th century European antiques but with an urban edge ( much like the neighborhood).
I loved the Lattice Bed from the collection seen in the photos above.
The woodwork details throughout the collection were really inspiring.
Also new in the collection is the Braddington-Young (Hooker's leather division) tufted brown leather chair in a great small scale, perfect for apartments and smaller rooms (like my own apartment!).
Not everything was traditional though; minimalism may be considered dead now in the design world but good modern design will always have a place in the field. 
Mixing upholstery in pieces was also popular such as in this chair with a plaid seat and leather surround.
Loved this mid-century inspired chair from Hooker's Sam-Moore (the upholstery division).
Another of the big trends was COLOR, particularly shades of red.
In this economic climate where people are not investing as often in whole suites of rooms, accent pieces are more important than ever.
RED is the perfect accent color as it's bold without being too crazy and goes with everything and any style.
These magenta leather wingchairs will certainly make a statement! Love the shape of the shelter back and those elegant little legs.
This tufted leather corner chair looked straight out of a country manor house like 
Similarly, the Donovan bed from the lower-priced Envision collection contains beautiful woodwork with either a fabric or wood backing.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of touring the 
