Architectural Digest

Maybe it was living with an older brother - and his awesome wooden train sets - but there's nothing quite like a primo architectural model - or building blocks, or Lincoln Logs, or this rad dollhouse from brinca dada - to ignite the nostalgia flame.

Now, of course, I have to be interested in the built environment and its social implications, and these two structures - so completely different in purpose and construction - perfectly illustrate our evolving responses to our living spaces.


A theatre collective in Amsterdam constructed the unceremoniously-christened Redneck Mansion (top) for an avant-garde production of Ivanov. Seems an interesting locale for a doomed Russian wedding...the rusted railings add intrigue and danger.


Habitat 67 (bottom), in Montreal, was architect Moshe Safdie's master's thesis while a student at McGill University; he strove to connect the greenery and fresh air (or not) of the suburbs with the design and concept of a high-rise urban apartment.


Both are stacked like, well, blocks. 

Dylan's Candy Bar.

For Valentine's Day I'm hoping for a little sugar with my building blocks. I certainly haven't outgrown Legos (not by a long shot). But I'm not sure how these guys stand up to the elements.

Palm Reading

No doubt due to the news of Mad Men's return on March 25 (at last! hooray!), I've been itching for spring. Palm Springs, that is.

Mira Loma Hotel in Palm Springs, 1960s

Nostalgia is a dangerous beast, but it's not a secret that poolside lounging (or just dreaming of a little 1960s style magic) is incredibly relaxing. Seems Don Draper and his kids knew that, too.

Sally and Bobby at Disneyland! Wonder if they ran into Ryan Gosling?

David Hockney's Pool paintings serve a similar purpose, particularly in the middle of the January doldrums. They evoke a beautiful, eternal summer free from mosquitoes, humidity, and sunburn. Just chlorine and peace.

Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), 1972

Twenty-something years after this series, Hockney also painted the Southwest. His huge, expansive paintings of the Grand Canyon give the viewer the sense of standing just at the edge of the massive ravine. They are tense, evocative, and beautiful.

A Closer Grand Canyon (top) and A Bigger Grand Canyon, both 1998.

The red, oranges, and pinks reference the colors in Georgia O'Keefe's Southwestern landscape paintings, connecting these images to our art historically-conditioned notions of the way the region must look.

The Saguaro Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona (boasting an impressive architectural pedigree) recently opened to great excitement: the rates are low, the food is excellent, and the style: unreal. I can't wait to check in. It's got Hockney's paint-smeared fingerprints all over it and looks like it came straight from 1960s Palm Springs.

The pool at the Saguaro Hotel. Oh boy.

Around the Water-color: Pick 'n' Choose Three

An homage to Leanne Shapton.

© Kino Lorber

I've made no secret of my love for the Old Masters, and I'm dying to get my hands on a copy of The Mill and the Cross, which reimagines Bruegel's Way to Calvary as a living tableau alongside the story of the painting's creation. There's something so haunting about the trailer: it's both tense and serene, and I can only imagine how amazing the actual movie is.

All images © Patti Smith (courtesy the artist and Robert Miller Gallery)

Annie Liebowitz's Pilgrimage has been making some serious waves recently; I feel like I've been reading something about it almost every other day. More obscure but no less completely poetic is Patti Smith's Camera: Solo, an exhibit (and accompanying catalog) currently on display at the Wadsworth Atheneum through February 19, 2012. Both photographers are interested in revealing the internal characteristics of the seemingly inanimate objects upon which they turn their lenses. There is something both timeless and nostalgic about these images.

These are not candles. They are wax figurines, part sculpture, part completely unnecessary object. Utterly French and oh so beautiful. (Cire Trudon)