(Sausalito, California)........In 1919 newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst was tired of camping in tents on his 250,000 acres on the coast of central California and hired celebrated San Francisco architect Julia Morgan to "build a little something." For the next twenty eight years craftsmen labored to construct the elaborate Hearst Castle. The majestic estate is a reflection of Morgan's engineering prowess and integration of Spanish Colonial, Mission and Moorish Revival architectural …
Articles
New Ravenna Mosaics Presents Winter White to Warm the Walls and Floors
(Exmore, Virginia)........ New Ravenna Mosaics uses jewel glass and marble to create elegant texture and sinuous movement in custom mosaics for floors and walls. The warmth of hand crafted mosaics in palettes of winter white produced by the company are classic and contemporary interpretations of myth and landscape. Central Asian Ikat textiles, silk ribbons, ancient Greek nudes, and florals inspired by the Silk Road all captivate the imagination. Exotic marbles are sourced from around the …
Après Veronese: Re-designing the Classic Veronese Vessel
(Vicenza, Italy)........In 1578 the Venetian artist Paolo Veronese painted The Annunciation with a delicate hand blown glass vase sitting precariously on the balustrade. The sun lit vessel celebrated the remarkable Renaissance glassblowers who discovered how to create transparent glass (called "cristallo") on the island of Murano in Venice. The vase was recreated in its original 16th century form by Giacomo Cappellin and Paolo Venini in 1921 and dubbed the "Veronese." Design impresario, Cleto …
Alfonso Architects Receives AIA Award of Design Excellence
Tampa, Florida........Alfonso Architects receives the AIA Award of Design Excellence from the Florida chapter of the organization for the Tampa Covenant Church located in Tampa, Florida. This modernist project is a combination of new construction and renovation. The project includes a 25,000 sq. ft. building that provides a sanctuary, administrative offices and classrooms for the congregation of four hundred-fifty. In addition, two existing single level buildings were renovated and the exterior …
Tileista: Karen Thompson’s Flora and Fauna
It all started with a DIY project for fashion designer, Karen Thompson. In this article, Tileista, JoAnn Locktov, presents the fashion designer's story that begins like this: "Be very careful if you decide to embark on a DIY project. It could change your life forever. In 1987, fashion designer Karen Thompson was restoring her home and taught herself the ancient craft of mosaics. It became her career, replacing fabric and buttons with ceramic and glass. "Working with a vast range of materials …