CJ Howard
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Celia Pearson
Celia Pearson has photographed many buildings designed by Bohl Architects. To fully understand the beauty of the space, architecture must be experienced. It’s not an easy task to capture the character of a building in a photograph, but Celia manages to do it. Her images don’t just show you what the house looks like, but they give you an idea of how it could feel in the space. Every Bohl home is intimate because we design each area of the home with intention. There is no detail left behind and Celia shows appreciation for those details through her photographs. Thank you, Celia!
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Quote from Van Morrison
“Every performance is different. That is the beauty of it.” – Van Morrison
An artist may be playing the exact same set list as the night before, but the performance is completely different because it’s a new audience, a new venue, a new moment in time. If every performance was the same, life would be quite mundane – for both the performer and the audience. Just like a concert, designing a home is a performance. The architecture performance is a bit longer (by a couple months or even years…) but nonetheless a performance. It’s the process of taking a client’s vision in their mind and bringing it into the physical; ideally in a way that exceeds their expectations. Working with a variety of residential clients who have their own unique property and vision for their space – THAT is the beauty of it. We can even think of life as a performance. Each day different. Each day a new opportunity to create. Think about the performances in your life – the daily ones and the bigger performances that may take months or years. It’s all a process and we can choose to find beauty along the way.
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The Biltmore Estate
This “little mountain escape” and it’s 8,000 acres of land, was founded at the start of the Gilded Age by George Washington Vanderbilt II, who was the grandson of Cornelius “Commodore” Vanderbilt, a famous industrialist and philanthropist.
With the help of architect Richard Morris Hunt, George began the journey of building his summer home in 1889 and it was complete in 1895. At 175,000 square feet, the Biltmore Estate is deemed America’s Largest Home. 175,000 square feet? That’s more than four acres of floor space! The home has 250 rooms and 65 fireplaces. Bohl Architects has designed some large, luxurious homes, but the Biltmore Estate is next level…props to you, Richard. And props to landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. The thoughtful landscape design and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains makes for an extremely peaceful stay.
At first the estate was just for the family, but in 1996 the Vanderbilt’s opened it up to the public so tourists could enjoy the beauty. Over the years, the estate has grown to include an inn and hotel accommodations for overnight stays, a winery, plenty of restaurants, event spaces and more. Although the property has evolved, the mission of preservation and sustainability has remained. It almost feels as if the estate was always a part of the landscape – which is something we greatly appreciate in architecture.
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What It Feels Like To Be A Building by Forrest Wilson
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be a building? To observe the monumental and mundane moments in the lives of different inhabitants over the years, or to experience different seasons and the weather each one brings. Come to think of it, buildings and people have quite a bit in common. Both experience the load of life.
It’s easy to take a building for granted or to grow frustrated at the broken elements. It’s just as easy to appreciate the structure for all it does and express gratitude for the shelter it provides. When we look at buildings the same way we see people, we begin to appreciate the little things. We start to see a story in those broken elements, and we question the best way to repair them and preserve a space, rather than destroy it.
The book “What It Feels Like To Be A Building” by Forrest Wilson provided us with thought. Forrest Wilson studied architectural sculpture at the California School of Fine Arts and went on to become professor emeritus of The Catholic University in Washington, D.C., a visiting professor at The Catholic University and the University of Maryland.
Teigen found this book when she was going through her family’s old belongings and decided to bring it to the office. Turns out, Forrest Wilson was Angela’s professor at Catholic. She said he was a very dynamic and captivating professor, with an incredible sense of humor. Sounds like our kinda guy.
Wilson did a lot in his lifetime and has written plenty books for children and adults on architecture, design, and building. This is one of our favorites.
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“The Old Home Place” by Patrick Dougherty
If you hadn’t noticed by now, we love the outdoors. And we admire those who do as well. We find that using the outside as inspiration makes each of our homes unique, in that it becomes an extension of the existing environment. Maintaining a focus on nature throughout the entire process of creating a building is both complex and simple. Living in a space that utilizes natural materials enhances our relationship with the land and brings us back to our roots. If we’re not living in a Bohl house, our next option might be a glamping experience in one of Patrick Dougherty’s stick sculptures.
Patrick Dougherty is a sculptor and visual environmental artist from the woodlands in North Carolina. He creates these huge organic installations out of twigs and saplings, pulling inspiration from the landscape, different cultures, birds’ nests, and various architectural elements. Each project is brought to life with the help of local volunteers. Much like the work of an architect, the sculptures are created out in the open which means the public can see the progress day by day. His work can be found around the world in parks, museums, campuses, and other places where the public can experience at their leisure. Overtime, the stick sculptures disintegrate and return to becoming one with the landscape. “The Old Home Place” is in our hometown of Annapolis, Maryland at Maryland Hall.
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Hotel Cala De Volpe
We recently came across an older article in Habitat Magazine that highlights this property and interviews the interior design agency behind the renovation of this space on the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, Italy. The hotel was original designed by french architect Jacques Couelle, known for his sculpture-houses. This hotel is most definitely a work of art.
Bruno Moinard and Claire Betaille of Moinard Betaille interior design agency did an outstanding job reviving this place, while maintaining the soul of Jacques’ initial creation. The natural environment of Costa Smeralda is already luxury, and the hotel only enhances that. All the materials work in harmony with the coastal landscape, while the light in each space is warm and inviting. The building is living art.
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Abstract: The Art of Design
The show profiles different artists in the design field and each episode gives the viewer an inside look at their craft. It is incredible what we’re able to create – all it takes is the belief that it is possible…and a lot of hard work. A final product may look effortlessly flawless, yet it took hours of construction and usually, multiple minds to make it come to life. Once you start seeing the behind of scenes, you can’t quite look at things the same. While every episode left us with tokens of inspiration, Architect Bjarke Ingels and Interior Designer Ilse Crawford hit home.
“When architecture is at its best, you’re coming up with something that is pure fiction and then after all the hard work, all the permits, all the budgeting and all the construction, it now becomes concrete reality.” – Bjarke Ingels
“Human values are non-negotiable” – Ilse Crawford
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Casa Mexico
The other week we serendipitously came across Casa Mexico by Annie Kelly with photos from Tim Street-Porter. While flipping through the pages, we were brought back to Casa Wilson Serrano – a memorable project we did in downtown Mérida, Mexico for our friends Robert Willson and David Serrano.
Ultimately, we were tasked to bring order, light, and modern amenities to an old Spanish colonial town home in the region’s sixteenth-century capital. We kept the three original rooms and added guest rooms, a new kitchen, a dining room, a pool, and a master suite that is now connected to the rest of the house. As designers, Serrano and Willson were able to create a space true to them with ideas and pieces that they had been holding on to for years. Thanks to Annie and Tim, we don’t have to travel back to Merida to feel the beauty of this special home.
Experiencing a home in person is the best way to fully understand and appreciate it as a true piece of art. If it’s too much trouble to hop on a plane and roam through the vibrant streets and casas of Mexico, this book gets pretty close to the real thing. Annie’s words make one feel like they are walking through each of these houses, while Tim’s photographs capture the essence of each space beautifully. After reading through this book, one can close their eyes and feel as if they have traveled through Mérida and the Yucatán area and met multiple designers and artists along the way. One will feel a part of the liveliness in these areas – likely leaving with a creative crush!
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National Women’s Day
In honor of International Women’s Day, our creative crush goes out to all the inspirational women out there! Here are several quotes from some influential women…
“The creative adult is the child who survived.” – Ursula Le Guin
“You can’t use up creativity, the more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou
“What we know matters, but who we are matters more.” – Brene Brown
“There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?” – Zaha Hadid
“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” – Amelia Earhart
“Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.” – Oprah Winfrey
“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” – Coco Chanel
“At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” – Frida Kahlo
“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” – Jane Goodall
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” – Helen Keller
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