the eco-chic clique

architectual detail

When I was in grade three I went to a classmate's birthday party and invariably her parents had planned a series of suitable activities that we could play. One such game was pin the tail of the donkey (which crashed and burned quickly) and the fall-back while the pigs in the blanket were being prepared was a rousing games of barbies. However, this group of young girls (myself included) were of the liberated kind and we found ourselves involved in a debate as to what careers our pieces of plastic 'perfection' should hold. The majority of us considered ourselves to be moderately athletic and eschewed frilly skirts and blouses. We sported bowl cuts (of the mushroom variety) which, when paired with our muscular legs, presented a very gang-like appearance on the school playground. So, it was rather funny that this particular group (if we are going to follow the stereotype of the tomboy) eagerly fell into this game of Barbie, the ultimate career woman. It was at this time that I decided that I wanted to become an architect/interior designer (the slash was very important because I wanted not only to design the spaces but what went in them). My Barbie also held this magical career... and my friend who liked to compete with me decided that her's was to be the same. I was not pleased at the time but I let it pass.

Anyhow... I still have my inclinations towards architecture and interior design, although I have other more serious career aspirations... but from time to time I get in the mood where I need to buy some magazine or book that showcases innovative architecture and interesting interior design. Yesterday I picked up such a magazine, spending what pennies I had in my wallet on some glossy pages of Canadian design (I really do prefer the Canadian design magazines to the other ones that are available). In the magazine I found an interesting article about a company (BlueSky MOD) that manufactures prefab vacation homes with aesthetic appeal and ecological responsibility. Those may seem like buzz words (and they are), but I looked at their website and I found myself liking the simplicity and adaptability of their product. The magazine mentioned that they are looking for something for the urban market in the upcoming year. However, back to their current product. I linked to a similar type product some time in April, the LV series by Rocio Romero, but the look is just a little too much like living in a cargo container for my tastes, even for a vacation home. The Blue Sky MODs are just as boxy, but because the exterior is cedar it seems to be more appealing. It's basically the same concept (a box sitting on some concrete blocks) and I'm sure that you could come up with any number of variations of the same idea (which is not really that new I think). In fact, when I was in drafting in grade 9, I designed a similar structure for my parent's to use as a garden shed (of course my design was not used by my parental units so I cannot show you any pictures).

If I had a piece of property (vacation or otherwise), I might consider putting a building like this up, for a guest cottage or office studio. It would be a nice and simple design... supposedly easy to assemble (it's a prefab building after all), and leave a very small footprint. I always wanted a separate office/studio... and I could easily modify a building like this to suit my photographic needs.

If only...