wish i were there

speaking of modernists...

johnson in 1949 at glass house

budget travel online has a nice article about the recent opening to the public of philip johnson's glass house, and a great accompanying slideshow that mentions other modernist residential masterpieces that one can visit.  here's the rundown, in case the slideshow disappears:

• the glass house by philip johnson - new canaan, connecticut; tours from $25. 
• fallingwater by frank lloyd wright - mill run, western pennsylvania; tours from $16.
• villa savoye by le corbusier - poissy, france (40 min from paris); tickets €5
• maison la roche by le corbusier - paris, france; tickets around $4
  • also operated in paris by the fondation le corbusier: immeuble molitor - appartement de le corbusier.  refer to same site for information.
• schindler house by rudolph m. schindler - west hollywood, california (around the corner from me!);  admission $7.
• gropius house by walter gropius - lincoln, massachusets (about 30-45 minutes from boston); tickets $10.
• paul rudolph house by paul rudolph - new york city; only open the first friday of every month for a $20 tour - reservations required.
• rietveld schröder house by gerrit rietveld - utrecht, netherlands; tickets €16 and reservation practically required.
• farnsworth house by mies van der rohe - plano, illinois (about an hour from chicago); tickets $20.

and might i add a few recommendations of my own? 

• check out this old post about the sonneveld house in rotterdam, the netherlands; russel wright's dragon rock in upstate new york; and mies van der rohe's krefeld villas in krefeld, germany.
• for some reason (maybe it's the oppressive government, maybe it's the pollution, who can really say...) china is one of the least appealing places in the world to me.  really, i am dying to go everywhere, except there.  well, okay, i'd go, but it's maybe the very last location on my list.  my husband is all up in china's grill, though, and is dying to visit.  we'd both be happy, though, if it meant going to the great (bamboo) wall house, by kengo kuma, which is located outside beijing near the great wall.  bamboo house is part of a development which may deserve more of a post later, but for now go here to whet your appetite or check out this beautiful book about all of his work.  okay, so he's not a modernist, but whatever.

tangential thoughts on other people's houses

check out this post on 101 cookbooks ...  yes, we have a destination in rotterdam.  it's called the sonneveld house, and is part of the netherlands architecture institute, which i'd also like to explore.  yup, add it to the list of places to go!   i especially love 101's picture of the master bedroom, above.  i hope she doesn't mind me posting it here... it's such an elegant shot.  i have to see the house for myself, though...  will it live up to those carefully cropped images?

 

...and that makes me think of a great book about mies van der rohe's krefeld villas, which until recently were two of mies' most ignored works.  located in germany, they currently serve as a museum for modern and contemporary art projects, and have hosted installations and performances by so many amazing artists - including yves klein, sol lewitt, and richard serra.  and if you are on your way to check out haus esters and haus lange, as they are named, here's the 411 on the towns of north rhine and westphalia, neighboring cities that may also be worth a visit.

while we're at it, did you know charlotte, NC is krefeld's sister city??? well, ya gotta love the internets....

...both of these buildings vaguely remind me of a 1958 movie by the great french director, jacques tati - mon oncle - a humorous, satirical, and almost-slapstick (in a french way) take on "modern" architecture and technology.  make sure you see the criterion collection version - because criterion does re-releases like nobody else.

....and someday i will make a pilgrimage to see russel wright's delicious home, dragon rock at manitoga, located in garrison, new york, in the hudson river valley.  talk about communing with nature....  i was captivated by this place when i saw pictures and pieces of it at the superb russel wright exhibition at the cooper-hewitt design museum in NYC back in 2002.  the catalog is still around if you are interested, and this is a charming title written by russel and his wife, mary, as well. 

isn't it fun to live vicariously?

hotels in the netherlands and belgium

here's a running list of hotel options for my someday trip to the netherlands and belgium:

the netherlands

• the college hotel, amsterdam.  approx. 235 euros for a standard room, supposedly has a great restaurant.
• the dylan, amsterdam.  approx. 260 euros for a standard single, 420 euros for a standard double.... but the delicious style might make it worth the money!
• canal house hotel, amsterdam.  approx. 140 - 190 euros.  located in a quiet residential area with 17th century decor.  people seem to gush about the historical decor.
  

belgium

• le patio, antwerp.  approx. 90 euros per night.  cute, simple decor - website only in french and dutch!
• de granaetappel, antwerp.  restaurant and hotel - very charming, simple decor.
• het luxepaard, antwerp.  a two room b&b in a historic townhouse.  the suite looks delicious, and is only 85 euros a night!

a fodor's trip report from may 2005 to brussels, antwerp and amsterdam, and another trip report by the same traveler in january 2006 to several cities in belgium.

an article on belgian chocolate (i.e . a starter for chocolate places to research!) in the NYT.