Category Archives: Views

Design: A Tour Of Moore House In Los Angeles

The Local Project (June 16, 2023) – Though Moore House was originally designed by Craig Ellwood in 1965, the newly restored house by Woods + Dangaran is a respectful design that enhances its rich history for both the owners and the wider Los Angeles architectural community.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Magical Restored House 00:30 – The Clients Simple Goals 00:43 – The History of Mid-Century Tropical Modernism 01:05 – The Restoration Process 01:46 – Designing Inline with Craig Ellwood’s Style 02:34 – Playing on High Contrast and Linking Spaces 03:32 – Background Architecture 03:53 – The Advantage of Hillside Properties 04:22 – Interesting Features of the Home 04:44 – Respecting the History 05:00 – Preservation and Timeless Design

However, once owned by a local band that left it in disrepair, the home needed a complete renovation of both exterior and interior design. Tasked with this challenge, Woods + Dangaran has infused contemporary design methods that restore the midcentury home’s character in a modern light. As the architect and interior designer, Woods + Dangaran were able to save the home through a thoughtful and delicate renovation.

From the street, the finished design of the restored house appears above the carport and unfolds in a rectangular form, where the majority of the original structural and interior elements have been kept. Throughout the restored house, two of the main kept character elements are seen in the two bookends of the original home. The first bookend holds the new fireplace, which is maintained in both its original proportion and location and modernised with a patinaed brass that wraps around it.

The New York Times – Friday, June 16, 2023

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Supreme Court Upholds Native American Adoption Law

Nita Battise, a member of the Alabama-Coushatta tribe, celebrated the ruling on the steps of the Supreme Court on Thursday.

At issue in the case was whether a law aimed at keeping Native American adoptees within tribes is constitutional.

The Radical Strategy Behind Trump’s Promise to ‘Go After’ Biden

“I will totally obliterate the Deep State,” Donald Trump said on Tuesday evening at an event at his club in Bedminster, N.J., hours after his arraignment on federal charges.

Conservatives with close ties to Donald J. Trump are laying out a “paradigm-shifting” legal rationale to erase the Justice Department’s independence from the president.

Retaking Villages Leaves Ukrainian Troops Exposed and Diving for Cover

The Ukrainian counteroffensive has enjoyed some early successes, but with every step forward, the soldiers are increasingly exposed to Russian firepower.

At the Heart of the Documents Case: Trump’s Attachment to His Boxes

The former president has long stowed papers and odds and ends in cartons that he liked to keep close. His aides have called it the “beautiful mind” material.

Documentary: “Waiting To Die” In North Korea (BBC)

BBC News (June 15, 2023) – Three North Koreans want to tell the world about the situation in the country. They expose, for the first time, the disaster unfolding there since the government sealed the borders more than three years ago starvation, brutal crackdowns and no chance to escape.

Under the tyrannical rule of Kim Jong Un, North Koreans are forbidden from making contact with the outside world. A spokesperson for the North Korean government has disputed the claims, which they said were “not entirely factual”.

Travel: The Top Places To Stay In Normandy, France

Honfleur
Honfleur

The Times and The Sunday Times (June 15, 2023) – The most popular way to access all this from the UK is via the ports of Dieppe (ferries from Newhaven; dfds.com), Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg (from Portsmouth and Poole; brittany-ferries.co.uk).

Le Tribunal, Mortagne-au-Perche

Le Tribunal, Mortagne-au-Perche

Hotel in the Perche region’s main hub
Southern Normandy’s Perche region is a succession of gentle hills clad in beech and oak. Much of it is designated a natural park. There is great diversity here, in landscape and architecture, which come in a palette of colours thanks to different building materials. Its main hub is Mortagne-au-Perche, a market town of cobbled streets, antique shops, magnificent mansions and its famed black pudding.

Pays d’Auge

Domaine de la Cour au Grip, Repentigny

Rustic retreat in cider country
The Pays d’Auge, to the east of Caen, is an unhurried, painterly landscape, mixing oak and hazel woodland with cattle-filled orchards where morning mists lie low in the valleys and the autumn colours are magnificent. This is cider country, and there are still 20-odd cider makers on the 25-mile Cider Route. The former farm of Domaine de la Cour au Grip is on that route in the village of Repentigny, not far from Beuvron-en-Auge, one of the prettiest villages in France.

Le Landemer, Urville-Nacqueville

Le Landemer, Urville-Nacqueville

Restaurant with rooms west of Cherbourg
Not every ferry traveller wants to hurry home. Le Landemer, barely ten miles along the coast from the ferry port of Cherbourg, is for those who like to linger. This designer conversion of a coastal house is as much an eating as a sleeping place, with five traditional rooms in the main house, and four yacht-style rooms — more modern with big picture windows — smuggled away in an adjacent building.

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The New York Times – Thursday, June 15, 2023

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Fed Leaves Rates Steady but Forecasts More Moves

Central bankers have raised rates at the fastest pace since the 1980s, but now they’re taking time to survey how the changes are working.

Judge in Trump Documents Case Has Scant Criminal Trial Experience

Judge Aileen M. Cannon, 42, has been on the bench since November 2020, when President Donald J. Trump gave her a lifetime appointment shortly after he lost re-election.

Judge Aileen M. Cannon, under scrutiny for past rulings favoring the former president, has presided over only a few criminal cases that went to trial.

They Are Trump’s Aides and Lawyers. Now They Could Be Trial Witnesses.

The former president is surrounded by people who have provided testimony and evidence to federal investigators. He’s not supposed to discuss the case with any of them.

The U.S. Is Paying Billions to Russia’s Nuclear Agency. Here’s Why.

Nuclear power companies rely on cheap enriched uranium made in Russia. That geopolitical dilemma is intensifying as climate change underscores the need for emissions-free energy.

Travel Tour: Landmarks & Landscapes Of Jordan (4K)

Carsan Choong Films (June 13, 2023) – Jordan, an Arab nation on the east bank of the Jordan River, is defined by ancient monuments, nature reserves and seaside resorts.

It’s home to the famed archaeological site of Petra, the Nabatean capital dating to around 300 B.C. Set in a narrow valley with tombs, temples and monuments carved into the surrounding pink sandstone cliffs, Petra earns its nickname, the “Rose City.”

Arts Tour: The Courtauld Institute Of Art In London

The Courtauld Institute of Art (June 14, 2023) – The Courtauld Gallery is home to one of the world’s greatest art collections, located in the magnificent historical setting of Somerset House in Central London.

Join actor and friend of The Courtauld Gallery, Bill Nighy, as he returns to the Gallery following its three year refurbishment, and discover our world-renowned collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces.

Highlights on display include the world-famous A Bar at the Folies Bergère by Édouard Manet, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent van Gogh, the most significant collection of works by Paul Cézanne in the UK and works by Degas, Gauguin, Monet, Seurat and more.

The New York Times – Wednesday, June 14, 2023

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Trump Is Arraigned on Documents and Obstruction Charges

“I did everything right and they indicted me,” former President Donald J. Trump said in a speech after his arraignment on Tuesday.

Donald J. Trump, now twice indicted since leaving the White House, surrendered to federal authorities in Miami and pleaded not guilty, striking a defiant tone afterward.

N.Y. Police Chief’s Exit Is Latest in Exodus From Adams Administration

Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday suggested that the handful of high-level departures represented a small fraction of the city’s work force.

New York City’s top officials overseeing crime, housing and homelessness have stepped down. Critics say the mayor’s management style is part of the problem.

Southern Baptists Move to Purge Churches With Female Pastors

Some conservatives in the evangelical denomination fear a liberal drift, and are set to vote on a strict ban against women in church leadership. Two churches are appealing their expulsions.

Cormac McCarthy, Novelist of a Darker America, Is Dead at 89

“All the Pretty Horses,” “The Road” and “No Country for Old Men” were among his acclaimed books that explore a bleak world of violence and outsiders.

Renovations: A Tour Of A Modern Home In Sydney

The Local Project (June 13, 2023) – Inspired by the familiar warmth of a family home, Luigi Rosselli Architects has renovated an ageing house in a thoughtful and fluid way.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Family House 00:31 – An Eclectic Layered Home 01:13 – The Location and A Walkthrough of the Home 02:07 – The Brief 02:51 – A Focus on the Fire Place 03:07 – Glowy, Warm and Textural 03:25 – A Beautifully Crafted Kitchen 03:50 – The Feature Staircase 05:40 – Positive Outcomes 06:09 – Proud Moments 06:22 – Favourite Aspects of the Home

Structural interventions and refreshed interiors keep valuable portions of the home whilst welcoming in contemporary layers to fit a modern context. Upon entering the house, one is greeted by an old hallway and a beautiful, robust spiral staircase designed by S&A Stairs, which binds the home together.

The stairs demonstrate fine craftsmanship and attention to detail, featuring a continuous handrail with a smooth elliptical curve and a unique curved bend. At the top of the stairs is a lightwell that bathes the long hallway in light. Down the hallway are five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a sunken lounge that extends into the kitchen and dining beyond – all of which are bordered by a lush tropical garden.

The renovation is defined by a tangible fluidity, with one of the main reworkings being the relocation of the garage, which was previously located in the centre of the house. Instead, the garage has moved below the existing house to make room for the sunken lounge, creating a well-connected home with more usable space. The fireplace lies at the centre of this new area, adding to the warm and welcoming nature of the open living area, and features a fluted travertine around the edges which not only reveals the curves of its unique form but also brings texture into the lounge room.