Even the sailor on the Atlantic...

I finally came up with an idea on how to present Thoreau's apartment. Tell you? And ruin the surprise? You'll just have to wait... And I still have to conquer the 2 point perspective. Yikes.
Now that that's settled, what's next for me come Tuesday at noon? Who knows. I'll keep you all posted, of course. In the meantime, you'll just have settle for my silly ramblings and random images. One thing I've learned, is that one little instant can cause a drastic turn in one's life. In the meantime, I'm still looking for work, trying to get my photography shown (and sold *fingers crossed*), and hopefully meet someone soon. Oh, and adopt a kitten, and/or golden retriever. So let's see where my next little adventure leads...

Artists must be sacrificed to their art. Like bees, they must put their lives into the sting they give

Well, we are entering into the home stretch. I have my final presentation on Tuesday, and I have so much to do! I need to finish my model, do my perspective drawing (2 point!), prepare the boards. Yikes! It kind of crept up on me, and now here it is, the final reckoning. I am at such a loss as how to present the boards. Like Archimedes, I took a bath to see if something would hit me. Nothing. Looking at the blank boards to see if something comes to me. Nada. This is kind of how I am envisioning the apartment itself. Trying to glean inspiration from this photo. Maybe I am forcing myself too much. I should just let it go. So here I am going on with the rest of my day... (but if anyone has any ideas, please don't keep them from me!)

There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.

As part of my class, we visited a lighting store to learn about new trends in lighting. I saw many different styles ranging from ultra-modern to retro. The store offered everything from locally made custom pieces to high end Italian models. (More images from my trip can be seen flickr page and at tchochkes.com)
While I didn't find anything that would necessarily fit into the aesthetic of Walden Two, I think Thoreau would be pleased to learn of the advances made in the technical aspect of lighting. There is a global movement to phase out halogen and incandescent bulbs for the more energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. Thoreau may like that, but I have to say, I do not. I have an aversion to fluorescent lighting. I find it cold, harsh and green (it may be ecologically sound, but I am referring to the color it emits). I did see some effort to make the energy-saving bulbs "warmer," but not enough to be convinced. They still emit this horrid coldness. Don't get me wrong, I am all for anything that is earth-friendly, but please can someone design a bulb that is more pleasant and doesn't make me want to leave the room?

where you can see all the treasures of the house at one view

We went on a class trip today, to a big home fixtures showroom. I saw this little guy on one of the bathroom displays. At first I thought he was mimicking one of those Maneki Neko, or Japanese lucky cats, but now I think he is fixing his fur. Grooming makes more sense for a cat sitting on the bathroom sink. Though, everyone could use a little luck where ever they are.
They had everything, from floor tiles to shower stalls. Most exciting for me, however, was the claw foot tub on display as soon as I walked in, as I have been thinking about using one in Thoreau's master bathroom. Though I am not thrilled about the silver-y colored ball & claw, I was envisioning them in black.

I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship and three for society

Found these chairs. They're 'Zesty,' by Chair Baltic, a Latvian manufacturer. Made of molded plywood, they are super light and also available in birch, walnut and oak and can be customized in different colors. They're not necessarily for the Thoreau apartment, just something I'm liking.

I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance..

...among the pines

This photo was taken exactly two years ago, while waiting to board a TLV bound flight from JFK. That day had been what had become the blizzard of the "century." I was working at a magazine across the bridge in jersey at the time, and the office had even been closed that day, though I didn't find out until after I got there (the message said there would be a two hour delay; it was changed ten minutes after I had already called and left to make my bus). My flight was later that evening, at around 11pm. Getting to the airport was more of a nightmare than the flight itself! The SuperShuttle people called me 20 minutes before they were supposed to pick me up and canceled! Meanwhile, I hadn't heard about an major delays on my flight. The SuperShuttle people suggested I go to the street and hail a yellow cab. They didn't seem to understand that north of 96th Street, they're pretty hard to come by even during the most perfect weather (I lived on 184th Street). The car services I called didn't have a car for at least another 24 hours. I told them that doesn't help me make a flight that is in 3 and half hours. So out I trudged, with my luggage, through the 29.5 inches of sleet and snow to Broadway and started walking up trying to hail down anything that resembled some sort of livery vehicle, when lo and behold, I see a yellow cab, with his medallion light on, he stops, my urban knight in shining armor, I throw my bags in, shut the door, and say "JFK, please." He looked at me as if I were kidding. Did my huge duffel bag make it look like I was joking? He was nice enough to oblige; and 2 and half hours and 1 huge tip later, I was at the airport, taking off my boots.
While waiting for the flight, no one would clue us in as to what the deal was. So there I was, sitting by the gate, waiting to board the flight. The food stands by the gate had closed, so I go back out past security to get a cup of coffee, and they wouldn't let us back in with our beverages. We were finally told that the wheels of the planes had frozen to the ground in the hangar, so they had to melt the ice off which had caused a back log. We finally took off at around 1:30am (not bad for a blizzard!) after a couple of Xanax and 10 hours, I was in sunny Tel Aviv!
I remember the date because it happened to be on Valentine's Day; then, like now, it is something I lack, so I wish all of you a Happy Valentine's Day and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for stopping by and "listening" to my rambling and I hope you come back again soon!

I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pont, in Concord, Massachusetts

I realize I should have posted the plan of the apartment first before going into any detail of specific rooms:

I have chosen all the bathroom fixtures, however I have not yet drawn them to plan in 1:20. But I did choose the rest of my kitchen.

Thomasville's Cabbot Maple Moss Glaze cabinets.

Craft Art Reclaimed Bamboo Natural Countertop





Restoration Hardware Dakota Cup Pull

and button knob

All the attractions of a house were concentrated in one room; it was kitchen, chamber, parlor, and keeping-room...

While my version of Walden is not limited one room, I am still going to try to stay true to this idea by allowing the different rooms to serve different functions. This is the plan for Thoreau's kitchen. It very basic. Along the window on the left are two stools against a raised counter so he can look out the window while he eats or enjoys a cup of coffee. He can entertain a friend or enjoy his solitude. He can read or write in his journal, or, perhaps, simply do nothing at all.

These are the appliances I have chosen. I still haven't chosen the cabinets or counters. (I intend on having hardwood floors throughout the apartment). The sink, as mentioned in a previous post, is an acid-resistant ceramic over cast-iron apron sink. I am thinking of some sort of green distressed wood cabinetry and wood counter tops, perhaps birch or some other light colored wood. I'm still looking. Ideally it should be recycled or reclaimed.

The pocket doors on the right lead to the bedroom. Between that and the kitchen along the top wall, is some sort of plant. I am placing greenery in various spots around the whole space, as Thoreau did love nature, though I may choose to put the cat's (Ralph) food and water bowls in that spot.

A room without books is like a body without a soul

One of my assignments was to create some sort of logo that represents what we are trying to create in our apartment design. This is what I came up with. It is some sort of representation of Walden Pond, which I'd like to be reflected in my color scheme. The brown will be expressed in Thoreau's apartment by the use of wood (hopefully recycled & reclaimed). My color scheme is comprised of a mossy green and different blues. I'm still not sure how it will be incorporated, but this is a work in progress. I also had the idea of exposed red brick on the walls. At some point I'll post the actual plan. Of course there are lots of bookshelves. I imagine this big bed surrounded by bookshelves, and the headboard is under a set of shelves. In the middle is the entertaining area with banquet seating along to-the-ceiling windows, and a sofa which is all under a big skylight. The kitchen area is on one side and on the other is his desk and an armchair with ottoman near more bookshelves. The master bathroom will have a deep claw-foot tub. I really love my plan, I wish I could really build it for myself. And it is also getting me excited to take on my own real projects. For now, I'll bide my time as Thoreau's architect.

stovetops and fridges and sinks, oh my!

Just got back from class. Walden Two (no, nothing to do with B.F. Skinner) is coming along swimmingly. I have to tighten up the plan a little as far as precision of measurements, but other than that, it's lookin' good. No class next week, but the next time we meet we're going on a field trip to check out materials and stuff. Our assignment is also to design the kitchen, with appliances and everything. I'm liking this sink, and appropriately enough, it is Kohler's Hawthorne model: