Posts Tagged ‘stone’
| 04.22.13 |
Mosaic Monday… Earth Day.
L to R: Waterfall Earth Blend, Weave Bamboo Blend, Weave Lake Blend, Shabui Kota Brown Wallstone.
| Tags: create, design, glass mosaic, glass mosaics, monday mosaics, stone, stone tiles, walker zanger, weave
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| 06.27.12 |
Through the lens of a Quarryman.
These photos were sent to us awhile back from a quarry located in the hills above Modena, Italy. They were simply shots taken to
let us know that they were back in production after a long winter break. They are not glamorous shots of silken white marble with ribbons of grey veins, nor do they depict the majestic mountains of Carrara dusted with the “snow” of marble dust. The beauty in these images comes from the passion behind the lens, for they are taken from the quarry man himself. Through his eyes we get a glimpse into the everyday working of a quarry and the men who order viagra online make the blocks of stone their livelihood. Taken by Giovanni Mutti, these images, in their black and white simplicity, prove that there is art both in front of, as well as behind the lens.
| 03.01.12 |
Vegas Baby.
Ok, I’ll admit it… when it comes to Las Vegas, I am of the age group that missed the cool swingin’ days of Frank, Dean, and Sammy. My memories are of all you can eat breakfast buffets; blue haired ladies glued to red naugahyde stools, paper cups in hand filled to the brim with tarnished quarters, and Rat Pack wannnabe’s dressed in powder blue tuxedos crooning from the lounge bar in the wee hours of the morning. I never imagined a day when I would thrill at the idea of a trip to Vegas with the intent of seeing innovative design.
Much like New York (one of my favorite cities) Las Vegas has numerous well designed restaurants and hotels in a very concentrated area. I can walk for hours (my husband would claim, days) meandering “The Strip”, studying all manner of design detail. While others would have eyes trained forward and up, mine are often down… looking down… at the floors. And what beautiful floors they are. Since the first time I set foot into the Basilica of San Marco in Venice, I’ve had a fascination with floors. Who knew years later, half way across the globe, in what was once a sandy, dusty, gambling mecca, I would find such spectacular examples. Here I share them with you and encourage you to share which is your favorite…
There are the Italianate slab floors of the Bellagio, similar in design to the floors in Renaissance churches, but far more neutral than the originals.
The Bellagio Conservatory
Graceful botanical tendrils set into the mosaic floors of the Bellagio Conservatory are lyrical and elegant
Floral boughs harbor delicate butterflies.
The lyrical mosaic floors, by Vita-Nova Mosaic Inc,. grace the former Daniel Baloud restaurant in The Wynn.
The bold graphic patterns surrounding the Chandelier Bar in the Cosmopolitan are best seen from above.
The floors in Crystals at City Center are a study not only in their graphic qualities, but in their marriage of materials.
Close up detail of City Center floor.
Close up detail of City Center floors.
Simply using contrasting stones in a variety of sizes creates a bold graphic statement in the Louis Vuitton boutique.
I always stop to think about how the design was laid out and what it must have looked like on paper. Imagine how many different stones were considered before the final selection. Take a look at the main floor of the Aria. I love the juxtaposition of the classic design against the contemporary interior architecture. How spectacular is this?! They took a very classic circular pattern and updated it to a stunning oval.
Floors at the Aria.
Aria detail
Next time you visit Las Vegas, take some time to look down and see the beauty right at your very feet.
| Tags: create, flooring, Las Vegas, marble, marble mosaic, stone, stone tiles
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| 02.14.12 |
Island not included.
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Beauvigny French Limestone Island
and began doubt that I could really leave it all behind. After all, not only was this my little “divorce house” where I raised my two children and staked my independent claim in the world, but it also contained years of design decisions and Walker Zanger jewels! Even though the challenging new prospect of a blank canvas beckoned, I couldn’t seem to shake the sadness of leaving all that I had created behind. Truth be told, most of it could be recreated… all except the Kitchen Island. Besides the emotional memories of family and friends gathered around it’s patinaed edges, was the fact that this French limestone beauty was no longer being quarried. As I lamented this sorrow to a friend (and fellow WZ workmate), she pointed out that the one thing I actually could take with me was the Beauvigny island! Now- was this a fiscally sound decision? Of course not! But we people of the right brain persuasion are often more prone to follow our hearts desires for the esthetic rather than the pragmatic.
| Tags: design, french limestone, kitchen island, stone, walker zanger
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| 01.12.12 |
This is what they are missing.
Facade of a small church, Verona Italy.
You know how some people always want everything to match,line up, harmonize, every
detail perfect, nothing out of place?
This is what they are missing.
