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  • Artist Dissects Famous Films by Displaying All the Iconic Objects Found in Them

    Artist Dissects Famous Films by Displaying All the Iconic Objects Found in Them

    Many people remember a movie for its unforgettable characters or incredible plot twists, but Jordan Bolton commemorates great films with the small things. The Manchester-based poster artist creates a unique portrait of motion pictures by depicting their defining objects as well as their recognizable color palettes. “I see the posters as providing an interesting and fresh perspective on the film’s themes and characters,” he tells us in an email, “even for someone who has seen the film many times.”

    Bolton’s series is called Objects and features both classic and contemporary films. He’s recreated items from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Carol, Amelie, as well as Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Anderson’s movies are ideal for this project, as his productions are known for their distinct color palettes and quirky, almost surrealist feel to costuming and set design.

    Each poster in Objects is in a similar format—tiny items are neatly arranged in a vertical composition. They’re given plenty of breathing room, like every individual element is a specimen in a scientific display. It allows us to carefully study each one and consider its connection to the film, perhaps illuminating portions of these compelling stories that we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

    Bolton sells Objects as posters available in his Etsy shop.

    The film Carol is a reversible poster. According to Bolton, it’s “inspired by the role reversal that takes place between Therese and Carol over the course of the film.”

    Jordan Bolton: Tumblr | Instagram | Facebook | Etsy

    My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Jordan Bolton.

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  • Tiny Mobile House Made From Upcycled Materials Lets You Live Off-Grid and Mortgage-Free

    Tiny Mobile House Made From Upcycled Materials Lets You Live Off-Grid and Mortgage-Free

    Greemoxie, a Canadian lifestyle magazine exploring green living, has built their first tiny house, sparing nothing to create an inviting space out of small quarters. The cozy, 340-square-foot cabin-like structure was built with upcycled materials and renewable energy systems that allow it to be 100% off-grid. Wanting to build more than a fancy trailer, Greenmoxie enlisted designer David Shephard and builder Ian Fotheringham to unleash their creativity for an innovative, sustainable living space.

    The exterior is clad in cedar siding treated with the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique that entails charring wood to preserve it. An electric drawbridge allows the house to be easily moved and unfolds into a deck, giving enough space for grilling or an evening drink outdoors. Inside, hardwood oak floors flow through the space, which also includes reclaimed barn wood ceilings and a pine interior. Integrated storage units under the staircase leads to the lofted bedroom and multifunctional furniture helps maximize storage. The tiny house is also wired with a 4-speaker integrated sound system. The bathroom contains a full-size standup shower, sink, and composting toilet. No messy hookups.

    Large windows allow natural light to flow into the living area, creating a cheery interior that contains a moveable table, built-in shelving, and a kitchen with a 24-inch range and propane refrigerator/freezer. All this is powered by solar panels on the roof with 11kW of stored energy capacity, while water is collected using a 200-liter rain barrel. The water is conserved and used via a combination of tools including a water recovery system, home drinking purifier, and grey-water holding tank. The space has been spray-foam insulated and in the winter can be heated using a propane heater and wood burning stove.

    Greenmoxie is custom building the two-person tiny house for clients in the Ontario, Canada area with prices starting around $65,000 USD. Here’s hoping they bring this mortgage-free, off-grid lodge to a wider audience shortly.

    Greenmoxie: Website | Facebook | Instagram
    via [Inhabitat]

    All images via Greenmoxie

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  • Grass Roof Home Is Built Into the Ground for Energy-Conserving Camouflage

    Grass Roof Home Is Built Into the Ground for Energy-Conserving Camouflage

    There is almost no setting more perfect for a living space than the stunning Colorado Rocky Mountains. When architecture, construction, and development firm GLUCK+ was hired to construct a house in the area, the architects made sure their work integrated harmoniously with the beautiful landscape. Their solution was the House in the Mountains, a green-roofed guesthouse that’s partially buried underground and perfectly blends in with its surroundings. This design decision is also an eco-friendly one—the building conserves energy through ample solar panels and by using the Earth’s thermal inertia to retain heat.

    The 2,850 square foot House in the Mountains features outdoor spaces like a swimming pool and a sunken courtyard with a fireplace built into the wall. Solar panels on the south elevation of the bedroom wing efficiently harvests solar energy that heats both the home and the pool.

    From the interior, continuous clerestory glass around the building allows for panoramic views and copious natural light to flood to the space. There are two roofs that contain the structure: a primary sloped roof rises from ground level at a 20 degree angle and houses the open-plan living, dining, and kitchen spaces; the second green roof covers the east-west wing that contains three bedrooms and the garage.

    The exterior coverings are made from Corten steel, a corrosion-resistant material that helps to eliminate the need for painting. The color of the rusting steel also provides a contrasting red against the vegetated roof. Despite this striking juxtaposition, the guesthouse is almost invisible to viewers from the road as its grassy coverings blend in with its environment.

    Besides modern houses, GLUCK+ has worked on a wide range of projects including religious buildings, community centers, hotels, universities, and historic restorations. New York-based GLUCK+ takes the approach of Architect Led Design Build, which means using a single-source responsibility for the design, construction and commissioning of buildings. This allows for the same people to see through an entire building project from concept to result. As they explain, “Our architects are also construction managers, meaning feedback between method of construction and design is fluid and responsive. Priorities between design, cost and schedule are clear. Creativity is responsible.”

    View the full range of GLUCK+ works on their website.

    GLUCK+: Website | Facebook | Twitter 
    via [Inhabitat]

    All images via GLUCK+.

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  • Adorable Service Dog Patiently Poses for a Caricature at Disneyland

    Adorable Service Dog Patiently Poses for a Caricature at Disneyland

    Apparently, Disneyland isn’t “the Happiest Place on Earth” just for humans—service dogs love it, too!

    A puppy-loving Twitter user named Katie (@cutiechaser__) recently shared an adorable photo of a particularly patient pooch as he poses for a classic caricature (he’s surfing in a Stitch costume, if you’re curious) at Disneyland. Snapped by her parents—who, as annual pass holders, visit the park often—the picture quickly grew popular across social media, with users eager to find out more about the precious pup: a service-dog-in-training named Yahoo.

    Yahoo is part of Canine Companions for Independence, an exceptional non-profit that trains assistance dogs to aid and support people with disabilities at no cost. According to Jeanine Konopelski, a spokesperson for the organization, told Buzzfeed that Yahoo lives with a volunteer who likely brought the dog to the busy park as a training tool. Konopelski explains: “Based on that photo, Yahoo is practicing basic obedience commands as he waits for his photo [to be] taken. That’s a perfect training and socialization for one of our dogs to get used to waiting and sitting at attention.” What better way to learn the all-important art of patience?

    Fortunately for trainers and doggies alike, Disneyland is extremely service animal-friendly, welcoming support dogs, puppies, and even miniature horses. While the assistance animals aren’t permitted on all the rides (Splash Mountain and Matterhorn Bobsleds are a couple of obvious examples), they are allowed in many attractions and even have special “relief areas” throughout the grounds. And, if they’re lucky, they also get to meet a few cartoon-y characters, too.

    Be sure to check out more sweet snapshots of Disney-loving dogs below!

    Above photo credit: @cutiechaser_

    Photo credit: Jeanine Konopelski

    Photo credit: Jeanine Konopelski

    More Dog Days at Disneyland:

    Photo credit: @laurathedoggiediva

    Photo via Imgur

    Photo credit: Lisa Filipone

    Photo credit: @Fishbulb

    Photo credit: @Kaiwa

    Photo credit: Cesar Zamora

    Photo credit: @tswift13_Baileys

    Photo credit: Alejandro Najera

    Photo credit: @Fishbulb

    via [Buzzfeed]

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  • Beach House Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Is Available on Airbnb for $150 A Night

    Beach House Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Is Available on Airbnb for $150 A Night

    For just $150 a night, you can make yourself at home in the beautiful Cooke House, a lakeside abode in Virginia Beach that happens to be an iconic Frank Lloyd Wright creation. Nestled in nature, the 3,000-square-foot house perfectly demonstrates Wright’s signature style and modern approach to architecture.

    Wright was a prolific architect of the 20th Century, known for his “prairie style”—an architectural aesthetic defined by linear forms, open interiors, and a focus on incorporating nature in his designs—and praised as the pioneer of organic architecture. With its hemicycle shape, striking angles, and secluded surroundings, The Cooke House embodies these unique architectural interests.

    The renowned residence is named for Andrew and Maude Cooke, a couple who commissioned Wright to build “the beautiful house [they] have dreamed of for so long” (but that was also fit for parties, of course) in 1951. Construction commenced in 1959—a mere two weeks before the architect’s death—and it was completed the following year. In 1983, the home was restored, and today, under its current owners (and potentially your next Airbnb host and hostess) Daniel and Jane Duhl, it appears remarkably similar to when Wright designed it. 

    The dwelling features site-specific furniture designed by the architect, as well as beautiful skylights and vaulted ceilings. The main house includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, exercise room, spa, sauna, and pretty patio that overlooks Crystal Lake. Lucky lodgers stay in the attached staff suite—a private cottage made up of a bedroom and bathroom—but are given a complimentary tour of the house by Mr. and Mrs. Duhl upon arrival. However, the home is currently on the market for a cool $2,750,000, so any architecturally-minded Airbnb hopefuls better act fast!

    Frank Lloyd Wright Beach House: Website | Facebook | Airbnb
    via [Inhabitat, Coastal Living Virginia Mag]

    All images via Frank Lloyd Wright Beach House and Airbnb.

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  • Luxurious Treehouse Offers Guests a Touch of Glamour in the Great Outdoors

    Luxurious Treehouse Offers Guests a Touch of Glamour in the Great Outdoors

    Nestled in the Dorset woodland, a few hours west of London, green woodworker Guy Mallinson has built a luxurious retreat foisted above the ground amidst spectacular oak trees. The Woodsman’s Treehouse cost £150,000 (almost $184,000) and five months to complete, with the design evolving during the building process. Mallinson and his crew have embraced the aesthetic properties of wood from the outset, with the facade clad in cleft sweet chestnut log stacks, oak laths, and hand cleft oak shingles.

    Built with local materials, it was paramount to the team that the natural ecosystem remained untouched. “We don’t touch the trees at all, allowing rain water to run down the stems and wildlife to travel up and down in the normal way, hence maintaining the delicate ecosystem of the oak tree,” Mallinson explains on his website. “We don’t stress the trees by imposing a heavy loads on them or by fixing bolts into them. We believe that the tree has grown in response to its environment and as such should be left well alone.”

    The treehouse, which sleeps two people, is fitted with all the comforts of a luxury hotel. The circular interior contains a king-sized bed, kitchen, a double-ended copper bath, and a rotating fireplace. When you are surrounded by spectacular scenery, views are important. With this in mind, the space is fitted with a window in the floor to view the stream below, the bedroom contains a window in the ceiling for spectacular views of the canopy, and picture windows ensure you will be one with nature even while indoors.

    Outside, a series of decks reveal further luxuries, such as a wood fired pizza oven, a rooftop hot tub and sauna, an outdoor tree shower, and a large slide to bring you quickly to ground level. The treehouse, featured on the UK’s Amazing Spaces, has already been a hit with visitors and is available from £620 (roughly $760) for a minimum two night stay. Mallinson also teaches a variety of courses on the grounds, so you can fully embrace your woodland vacation.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5bPpldyVIA?rel=0&w=750&h=422]

    Woodsman’s Treehouse: Website | Facebook | Instagram
    via [Business Insider UK]

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  • Photographer Challenges Herself to Shoot Fantastic Photos with a $1 Camera

    Photographer Challenges Herself to Shoot Fantastic Photos with a $1 Camera

    There’s the old adage for photographers that “the gear doesn’t make the picture,” but it’s the composition and storytelling that produces a truly memorable image. Skyler Adams has self-diagnosed “gear acquisition syndrome” and wanted to challenge her condition by shooting with a $1 camera for an entire month—which would hopefully break her of the mindset that new equipment will always yield better-quality photos.

    “While in Japan,” she wrote on PetaPixel, “I found a Canon Sure Shot camera in a thrift store, and bought it along with an expired roll of Fujifilm Superia 400 film for $2.” She then began photographing her surroundings, including the urban environment complete with public transit and advertisements, as well as tranquil parks along the water. The images have a slightly grainy appearance that seems to age them, like memories of a time long past.

    Adams was “pleasantly surprised” at the quality of these images. “Most of the battle is finding good light,” she lamented. All told, the film processing and scanning cost her $8, bringing the total price tag to a modest $10. It also impressed an important lesson: “Thinking about the cost of each photo has helped me compose photos better.” Adams is now continuing the challenge with a disposable camera. We’re curious to see the results!

    Skyler Adams: Instagram
    via [PetaPixel]

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  • Exquisite Wedding Portraits Capture a View of the Bride Reflected in Their Beloved’s Eye

    Exquisite Wedding Portraits Capture a View of the Bride Reflected in Their Beloved’s Eye

    Photographer Peter Adams-Shawn of Memories of Tomorrow Photography is known for the unconventional way in which he captures happy couples on their wedding day. Using reflections as the conceptual jumping-off point, we’ve previously marveled at his series Ringscapes that displays minuscule portraits of the newlyweds in the glint of their wedding rings. In a sister project, Adams-Shawn has created Eyescapes, which features one half of the couple (often the bride) reflected in their lover’s eye.

    Impressively, all of the images in Eyescapes are created as single exposures—there aren’t any digital composites assembled later. Everything is “done in-camera on the wedding day,” Adams-Shawn told us in an email. The results are often subtle, and you’ve got to carefully look beyond the subject’s eye to see the small figure in the reflection. Once you discover that mirrored person, however, you get the sense of how their beloved views them—it looks a lot like love.

    Peter Adams-Shawn: Website | Facebook

    My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Peter Adams-Shawn.

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  • Floating Jellyfish Lodges Combat Pollution and Grow Food for the Community

    Floating Jellyfish Lodges Combat Pollution and Grow Food for the Community

    Polluted waterways are a fact of life in many parts of the world, taking a valuable resource away from populations in need. Janine Hung’s Jellyfish Lodge, designed for Inhabitat’s Biodesign Competition, helps combat this issue with an innovative, yet familiar, form.

    Shaped like a jellyfish, the solar-powered structure contains an aquaponic garden where four kinds of fish could be raised, in addition to plants like lettuce, basil, and oregano. Local residents who helped maintain the structure would be able to benefit from the garden. Beyond nourishing the population, Jellyfish Lodge’s biggest achievement is owed to its tentacles, which trap floating garbage and test water level toxicity. Polluted water flows through the tentacles into round microbial chambers that treat water, which, once purified, is returned to the water system or stored in one of four spherical cistern tanks. This clean potable water could be used domestically or for aquaponics.

    Each lodge also contains a living area, kitchen, private quarters, and compost toilet inside the bell of the jellyfish. Hung’s design, which received an honorable mention in the competition, brings life to unsafe waterways, restoring them as a space for community benefit.

    via [Inhabitat

    All renderings via Ian Go.

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  • Wooden Pencil Shaped Like a Cherry Blossom Tree “Blooms” Petals as It’s Sharpened

    As the world is increasingly digitized, stationary has shifted from being a necessity to a deliberate choice that celebrates the written word. The joy in these products comes from their beauty, and the newly-released Blooming Cherry Blossom Pencil is no exception. A timeless writing utensil with a playful side, it’s a unique homage to Japan’s beloved floral.

    The wooden pencil features a five-point shaft whose curved edges evoke a stylized cherry blossom shape. It’s available in two symbolic colors—a light pink that’s based on the Somei Yoshino variety, and a bright pink like the flowers on the Kawazuzakura cherry blossom tree. But the whimsy doesn’t end there: once sharped, the shavings resemble the petals you’d find on the real plant.

    The Blooming Cherry Blossom Pencil was the winning submission from a contest held by Sun-Star Stationery based in Tokyo. It won back in 2015, but has only recently come to fruition through the company’s manufacturing. Now for sale, these pencils are intended as a special gift and includes space to write a heartfelt message to the intended recipient.

    Sun-Star Stationery: Website
    via [RocketNews24]

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