3 Good Things (house edition)

Except for the knotty pine room (gag), I think this little…okay, I’ll use the word, postmodern home in Cambridge is very cool. I think I’ve seen it in DWELL magazine (personal favorite), in The Boston Globe, and somewhere else probably – but now it’s for sale. If I remember correctly, the owner/architects built their own house right behind it. Anyway, I really like the use of the translucent material for the wall, and old corrugated steel for the roof and siding. There is no way I could live that Spartan, but I do appreciate its design features.

And here is one of my favorite local renovations. It started as a ranch with a walk-out basement, and became so much more. I love the series of photographs, particularly the before/after roll-overs. The residential use of commercial materials is always a plus, but the pièce de résistance is the courtyard. I love, love, love the idea of having an enclosed (or semi-enclosed) bit of outside, inside! It’s also funky to be able to see out of and then back into your own home in the same glance. I'm going to have to incorporate that into my house somehow, at some point, someday.

Finally, and only because I like you, I give you the Guest House at Field Farm. I found this little gem while researching local Bauhaus architecture and surprised my husband with a little trip there for his birthday several years back. We've been back every year because it is just so fabulous. It's remote (surrounded by over 300 acres of woods), filled with original and reproduction Bauhaus furniture, has sumptuous linens, incomparable views (except for you folks with real mountain views - we are in Massachusetts here), a sculpture garden, walking trails, interesting artwork, cork floors (yes, we were inspired by this to put cork floors in our own addition), and it makes me take a deep restful breath just thinking about being there.

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