Dwelling Creative

10/09/2023

I am speaking about Marketing that Educates and Inspires at the American Institute of Architects Symposium in Salt Lake City this week.

Featured speakers include Bobby McAlpine talking about Romantic Modernism and Lindsay Schack with Love Shack Architecture who is the Architect of the first Passive House projects in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

Really looking forward to nerding out about architecture. Come join us!

Featured speakers include Bobby McAlpine talking about Romantic Modernism and Lindsay Schack with Love Shack Architecture who is the Architect of the first Passive House projects in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

Really looking forward to nerding out about architecture 🤩. Come join us!

05/26/2023

https://youtu.be/JSvNQ95m9UE

Cool report on the design of Morocco's Riads.

The medina of Marrakesh, which dates to the 11th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its historic influence across the Mediterranean. Today, ...

05/19/2023

Even though I live with 5 gross boys (2 cats, 1 dog, 1 man, 1 boy) they are the sweetest gross boys I know. I love you more than love too. Mothers Day 2023

05/15/2023

So many pearls of wisdom in this crazy little book! -Orbiting the Giant Hairball, about finding your highest creativity within structure. Thanks Sommer 💚

05/15/2023

My room off of the orange tree courtyard. Everywhere there is opportunity to make something more beautiful Moroccans do it. That’s my kind of process 💚

05/13/2023

Where to begin about textiles. Shopping for rugs in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains at a women’s cooperative is an intoxicating combination of so many things I value. Creativity and feminine power are just the start. Being able to meet the weavers and bring that wool garden into my home feels like it did when I believed in Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Follow the joy.

05/12/2023

The wait for coffee at Dar El Bacha was two hours, but you can explore the museum while you wait for a table. We went the next day 10 minutes before they opened and only waited an hour for our coffee. Worth the wait? Yes.

Dar El Bacha was a palace residence built in 1910. In 2017, the building was renovated and transformed into a museum that serves as a prime example of traditional Moroccan architecture; fountains, traditional salons, and a courtyard filled with orange trees.

The building is a classic example of a riad, consisting of a garden surrounded by six rooms.The riad’s layout is symmetrical, particularly regarding the axes of the central aisles. Dar El Bacha is also composed of several outbuildings, such as the traditional hammam, the library, and the private “harem” area reserved for family.

The ornamentation in Morocco is extremely detailed. Wherever there is an opportunity to embellish you find intricately chiseled plaster, wood and stone; as well as tile mosaic. This, I’ve been told, is due to the restrictions to depict human or animal forms in religious texts. As a result the calligraphy and abstract geometric forms fill every available space.

Moroccan architecture has a diverse history that reflects the country's cultural and historical influences including the Berbers, Arabs, Andalusians, and French.

Delightful does not begin to describe it. The coffee is great, but the architecture is breathtaking.

05/09/2023

An hour outside of Marrakesh

05/06/2023

I do my best creative thinking when I’m traveling. Design questions about Moroccan architecture: why doesn’t the indoor garden hotel (riad) made entirely of stone and stucco echo? Why are the designs of everything so intricate, doors, windows, paintings? How do they form the shapes? Why are all the ceilings so high and the doors so low? We go to the Jardin Majorelle tomorrow, where all will be revealed. I’ve always believed that every problem can be solved by a garden. We will see if that is the case in Africa. It’s good to be back.

05/06/2023

Any guesses to where I am? ;-) It’s a new continent for me.

05/03/2023

Abq powow!

03/28/2021

This is probably one of my all-time favorite architectural photographs taken by

This passive solar house is lined up with the sun to heat the house and provide natural light all day long for couch reading.

Hear more about this stunner on my website where I interview Colin Lindberg about the construction and how he finds the right clients.

The house is designed for the residents to be able to age in place, with wheelchair accessibility, wide doorways, and accessible fixtures.

Energy and resource efficiency is a hallmark of this project.

The surrounding meadow was disturbed as little as possible and the new plantings focus on pollinator friendly native species, edible plantings, and a permeable parking area for the home based business.

Builder:
Architect:
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