"Massive" Spanish Architecture

Wow. It's hard to get an idea of the scale of this house being that the building elements are so massive, and so basic. Huge concrete I-beams, suspended concrete drainage canals (now used as swimming channels), steel girders and one insanely large 20 ton slab of granite to anchor and weigh the whole puzzle down. If you look close, just beyond the pool, you'll see a large dining table that provides some perspective on the size of this structure. HUGE! 

Designed by Madrid architect Antón García Abril, the house sits up on a hill in Las Matas, Spain. Take a look at the original NY Times article.

Custom Furniture

In keeping with the theme of our last post, here's a shot of some more of our custom furniture that we designed. This installation is in a townhome that has an open floor plan on the main level. When the under-table stools are brought out, 9 people can comfortably sit around the fire. On the back side of the slipper chairs (no arms) is the bench from our previous post. The bench and slipper chairs successfully break up the space without effecting the open floor plan. The other bench shown in our previous post nests in a bay window.

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Benches! Defining Space in Floor Plans...

Modern residential designs make use of open floor plans in the main living areas, especially in the urban setting where space is often times limited. These open space plans encourage more social interaction and lend well to an entertaining style of living; often having the kitchen, dining and living areas all within one large room. Without walls, furniture styles and arrangements need to be carefully planned to help break up and define these spaces. Benches successfully bridge the gap between areas by allowing seating on either side, yet keep a low profile to help nurture the benefits of an open space plan. Following are two examples of beautiful upholstered wood benches (if we do say so ourselves) taken from our own custom furniture line:

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ABD Denham Bench

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ABD Wood Bench

Purchasing Power

One of the huge perks gained by practicing Interior Design is exposure to amazing products from all over the world. We've been using the same importer for our pots for over 10 years, and they never disappoint! They always have a massive selection with new colors and shapes, and spread them out accordingly across their giant display lot. As practing professionals, we get a wholesale discount with most of our suppliers as well... meaning we usually end up getting some for ourselves! Not a bad deal to get paid to shop, AND score deals. It's a win win for everyone, since our clients also get access to reduced retail pricing via our purchasing power. Living in Seattle and close to the seaport means there are plenty of overseas importers right at our doorstep. And the Seattle Design Center is full of great showrooms for us to browse with clients.

Fabulous Residential Pool and Lounge Design

There are so very many reasons this SPG Architects residence would be an amazing place to call home, if only for a week! A highlight for us is the super well designed pool and lounge area. Located in Costa Rica means the climate nurtures a seamless dance between exterior and interior spaces. The multi-level courtyard allows for this dance to take place throughout the home, as do the large full height window walls that open onto the pool lounge area. The home also has excellent outdoor lighting creating a perfect nighttime escape, complete with an exterior bed at one end of the pool! Check out these great images found on Freshome.com

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Condo Tower Wall Planter Nodes

These garage wall planters are on a building in downtown Seattle's Denny Triangle area. A great way to treat the facade that walls the garage, rather than a faux front that mimics the rest of the building. That said, we're not a fan of the rest of the building anyway!

New A Bollen Design Website

We're excited for the newly launched and redesigned website for A Bollen Design! The new website focuses on simplicity and clarity. We're leaving behind our old snazzy and over-designed flash website for one that works better with all browsers and smart phones. Our new website balances informative text with portfolio images for a quick yet comprehensive snapshot of our design capabilities... we hope you approve!

Urban Plaza's in Big Development

Wider sidewalks, plaza's and parks... things vital to realize a true pedestrian friendly city. In an effort to maximize return on investment big development unfortunately does not usually include these things. The United States Courthouse in Seattle is a prime example of successful incorporation of public space into a large scale block development. Not to mention a fantastic building. For sure, the design and style of the plaza fits the business of the building, that being a place to uphold the law. And much like the building, the plaza makes use of beautiful materials and design that then balance themselves nicely with the function of the space. The architect was NBBJ and the engineer was MKA, two huge international firms based out of Seattle.

As one makes their way around the south and west sides of the building, they'll be welcomed with continuous steps that turn 90 degrees to parallel both blocks. The steps flow into the natural slope of the western block, growing in number as the grade lowers to the northern side of the block. As you near the entry to the building the steps continue into a water feature and become part of the design of the plaza, thereby meshing function into form.

This shot back towards the entry looks through the iron fist of the law sculpture. Don't mess with the law, but have a seat in our lovely plaza and ponder your freedom. Just be sure to mind the hidden cameras!

Residential Neighborhoods of Boston

Fresh back from a visit to Boston and touring around the city viewing some architectural history. One thing of note about Boston is the fantastic urban neighborhoods that pocket themselves around the city. History is no stranger to this old east coast city, so tons of charm can be found roaming the streets. Following are a few images of typical housing you may stumble across...

The Brownstones of Commonwealth Avenue, just a block away from the amazing shopping on Newbury Street

The dripping history to be found in the Italian neighborhood known as the North End

Classic units of Beacon Hill, just a block away from the banks of The River Charles

Alley way entrance in Beacon Hill