Golden Oasis

Some amazing new architecture was recently brought to my attention (many thanks to Mikey, who was fortunate enough to ring in the new year in this psych-glam getaway). These are two incredible edifices, which could either be qualified as the most spartan luxury vacation homes on the planet, or the most glamorous campsites ever conceived.

Either way, they are truly a sight to behold. Acido Dorado, the transcendent golden palace pictured below, as well as Rosa Muerta, the onyx-toned modernist shanty, were both conceived and built by architect Robert Stone, in the vast desolate sandscape that is Joshua Tree, California. This locale has served as a inspiration ground for many, and spending some time in either of these structures would certainly provide the perfect backdrop for some introspection (acid trip optional).

The breezy, indoor-outdoor quality of Stone's structures invite the visitor to turn inward, while simultaneously opening up to the vastness of the world just outside the open glass walls. With Acido Dorado's simmering jacuzzi, metallic mirrored gilt ceilings, and outdoor firepit, this oasis melds the most natural elements of its desert surroundings with a strikingly spare, modernist yet fluid structure, which seems utterly at home nestled into landscape.

--gillian

1.618, or Ain't it Hip to be a Square?

"Mathematics is the majestic structure conceived by man to grant him comprehension of the universe" --Le Corbusier

Since antiquity, artists, architects and math freaks alike have been transfixed by the Golden Ratio, known also as the Golden Mean or the Divine Proportion.  In a nutshell, the ratio is said to encompass those shapes found in nature as well as the world of geometry which are undeniably pleasing to behold.  This ratio, 1.618 to be specific, has been used to quantify the beauty of nature, as well as ensure the transcendency of man-made art.  

The painter and architect Le Corbusier was so enamored with this figure and its relationship with the proportions of the human body that he extrapolated it into an entire manifesto, The Modulor.  He envisioned it being used to design the world of the future, in which all structures would mirror the proportions of this Golden number, and thus our human grandeur would be reflected all around us.

Le Corbusier consciously used these relationships in many of his latter-day architectural and furniture designs as a way to strengthen their visual appeal.   Many of these works are now considered archetypal and classic.  The concept of the Golden Ratio can also be spotted in the work of some of his contemporaries, such as Mondrian, Mies Van der Rohe, and composer Bela Bartok.

It's amazing to think that there are formulaic reasons behind our conception of something so seemingly mysterious as beauty.  But who's to say that the underlying relationships that hold it all together aren't just as beautiful?

--gillian

Daily Door back in SF

Fragrance Lab LA

One of the favorite surprises we stumbled upon on 3rd street was Le Labo fragrance lab -- a newly excavated nook of olfactory splendor.  The interior is airy and spacious, especially with respect to its modest dimensions, and the decor evokes a sort of French/Industrial apothecary with a leaning toward botanical minimalism.  The shop features ten signature perfume blends and offers visitors the opportunity to custom-blend their own fragrances from all-natural essences.  I would have happily hung out all afternoon pretending to pore over the infinite nuances of vetiver and iris just to spend a couple hours among the storied-seeming antiquated steel fixtures and reclaimed wood flooring.. can't wait to visit again when we've got more time to stop and smell the Fleur d'Oranger.

--gillian