¡Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas!

Árbol de NAvidad DIY vía Atelier Deco

Aquí está mi árbol de Navidad…

Feliz Navidad a todos, y el 2013 que venga como quiera, que se ponga como se ponga… le daremos duro, aquí lo estamos esperando…

More around... wine and fireplace (4)

Villa Mairea

 

I can’t stop writing about fire-places, this is a perfect time to uncork a bottle of wine near one, and I have lot of great houses in my head I’d like to share with you. But I’m going to stop this post-series, for the moment, I promise...

Villa Mairea is one of the greatest items of the domestic architecture, a kind of symbol for most of the architects, not the same for the arch.- students I think.

That’s why I had to post some of the pictures from this impressive interior, a ‘public’ main space into the house, opened to the rest of the house and directly connected with the exterior area.

This incredible living room, is a 14 x 14 meters square, but you could never imagine you are into that if you don’t see the plans, because of the ‘organic’ shapes and the walls that doesn’t meet the ceiling. There’s no geometrical order in the room and the structure of the house is quite complex. As an example, the location of the fireplace, it has no symmetry or formal situation and it has an sculptural singular form.

 

The relationship between the indoor and outdoor is one of the main points of interest of this Finnish house to me. Another one, could be the materials chosen by Alvar and Aino Aalto (I haven't mentioned the architects until now, I know there may be no need), a huge range of wood types and white painted bricks for some interior walls, as it was a Mediterranean house.

There’s a lot to say and more written about Villa Mairea, I only want to add one more thing about this ‘almost experimental’ building from 1939,  the fact that this project is the result of a large process, including changes and improvement decisions even when the construction job had started.

And If you ask me what kind of wine would I choose to enjoy is this amazing place, I have no doubt about it, Rioja Wine, so Cheers!

 

more of... wine and fireplace time (3)

What do you think about these pictures?

 

They are from my summer holidays in Cantabria. I shot them at the Sobrellano Palace (1888) in Comillas, an amazing Neo-gothic building with English XIXth influence I was thrilled to visit last summer.

Those fire-places are from the grand salon, the dinning room and the children's place of the Palace.

This is an impressive old photo of the construction process.

And, as usual, I want to pair this antique fire-places with a wine, but this time I’ve chosen the wine that we uncork every summer before we go on holidays… And Sparkling Italian one: Muscat.

This is a sweet and low in alcohol wine, produced in Asti, North- Italy, perfect for a desert or an appetizer.
Now Bodegas Ochoa, a spanish winery produces a Moscato wine, here in Navarra, I will taste it and I'll tell you...

Cheers!

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

December Wednesday Indulgence

This is a singular date today 12 12 12, Wednesday, but holidays are really coming soon so I’ve started thinking about gifts…

And I’ve found it here (I recommed Elisabeth Street app), and I just can’t wait till my toddler son could read and understand it. This is a book of coloiring in, ideas and architectural inspiration; it’s perfect for budding architects!  (You can get it here).

Moreover, it’s a cold winter Wednesday, this could be an indulgence to me…

Keep warm and have a nice Wednesday!

Time for... Wine & Fireplace (2)

Hi! It feels cozy at home this evening after four days on holidays, isn’t it?

I’d like to share with you some photographs of the own summerhouse of one of the masters of the 20^th century architecture and design, ArneJacobsen.

 

Some of the most popular designs and mass-produced and sold all around the world, are the ‘Ant’ and ‘Egg’ chairs, I’m sure you know them. But he made great designs for fabrics, furniture, lamps, almost everything.

And when he decided to build his summer house, he created a large and curved living room, a nice and warm space in two levels, where I wanted to notice the singular fireplace. 

 

It’s easy to imagine how you could feel sitting right there and enjoying a glass of wine… Any suggestion? I would choose one of my favorites and the healthiest wine I know… Rioja, of course.
 

Image from the Bodegas Santalba Web-site

 

Santalba, It’s made from organic grapes only by natural techniques to obtain this rich, fruity, full bodied and healthy wine with the highest concentration of antioxidants and Resveratrol naturally enhanced.

Enjoy it!

What are your favorite wineries at 'Ribera del Duero'?

Qué bodegas de Ribera del Duero son vuestras favoritas?

Imagen de la campaña de publicidad de la Ribera del Duero

Estoy pensando hacer próximamente una escapada a la Ribera para visitar alguna bodega y conocer alguno de sus pueblos.

Recientemente hicimos algo parecido y fuimos hasta Gumiel de Izán a conocer Bodegas Portia, obra de Norman Foster. Un proyecto de bodega impresionante, una inversión y una construcción de magnitudes que creo que tardaremos en ver repetirse en España.

Imagen de la web de Bodegas Portia (fotos no permitidas durante la visita)

 

Pero ahora estoy pensando que me gustaría conocer alguna bodega de Ribera de la zona de Peñafiel, me recomendaríais alguna? Por sus vinos y su interés enológico?

Y por su arquitectura ¿cuál me recomendaríais?
Tengo que reconocer que tengo ya algunas favoritas propias, pero me encatará tener sugerencias y saber vuestras experiencias.



Imagen de la web de Richard Rogers

 

La revista especializada Wine Enthusiast le ha otorgado a Ribera del Duero el premio a la Mejor Región Vitivinícola de 2012, por algo será, me propongo descubrirlo…

Salud!

it's time... for Wine & Fireplace

It has taken me a while to share this post with all of you, but finally I’ve got it!

It’s so cold outside, many rainy evenings and it has snowed for the first time this year here in Rioja…  I usually choose a nice fireplace where to spend a Sunday evening in frozen days like today. But I’m sure you will be with me if I say that there are no fireplaces like the Scandinavian houses’, even more Scandinavian modern houses’.

Gunnar Asplund Summerhouse

Picture from the website of the Gunnar Asplund Foundation

Here you have some photographs of the Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund own summer-house, at Stennas in the Stockhom archipielago. If you want to learn more about this incredible modern architecture house, I recommend you to take a look at this post Casa Stennas from Stepien&Barno.

 

I can still remember the moment I discovered this amazing fire-place. I love that great hidden design into this ‘natural’ and ‘traditional’ modern ‘nordic-home’.

 

And around this nice and inspiring fireplace it’s where I would uncork a wine bottle, to keep warm and get ready for another new week. It might be an sparkling one, why not?

 

Have a great week!