John Folsom "Lure of the Lowcountry"

The ethereal beauty of coastal South Carolina and Georgia has been captured by Photographer John Folsom is his series of photographs, Lure of the Lowcountry, now on exhibit at the Gibbes Museum in Charleston, SC

Folsom hand tints each photograph and adds layers of wax and oil paint to produce each exquisite landscape. Each photograph will be paired with an early Lowcountry landscape from the museum’s collection. On display through April 18th 2010.

Compass & Rule

A new exhibit at the Yale Center for British Art explores the relationship of mathematics and architecture and features drawings by Inigo Jones, Sir Christopher Wren and King George III.

An online version of the exhibition can be seen here.

In the spirit of the exhibit, here are a few of my favorite drawings from the practice of Quinlan & Francis Terry Architects that were exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition showing their expertise with the compass and rule.

All photos via Quinlin & Francis Terry Architects

Inspirations - John Dugdale

In 1993 photographer John Dugdale photographed his Hudson River Valley farmhouse for the New York Times magazine. At that time, he was best know for his atmospheric portraits and still-lifes using the cyantype process, an early form of photography. The photographs were published just before an AIDS related stroke took almost all his sight and left him hospitalized for months. Since that time, he has continued to work with the help of an assistant, sketching and titling each image before it’s made. Recently, he has shot a campaign for the Broadway revival of “The Miracle Worker”. Here he explains the process he now uses as a blind photographer.

All photographs by John Dugdale for the New York Times.

Romantic Ireland

Statue at Henrietta Street

High on my list of new books for Christmas was Romantic Irish Homes by Robert O’Byrne and photographer Simon Brown. But somehow Santa forgot to include it with this year’s stack. While I’m waiting for Amazon to deliver the goods, I’ll have to make do with these photos from Simon Brown’s web site.

Fireplace, Henrietta Street

Decanters & Candelabra

Mount Rivers Scrolls

Inspirations - Peter Hone

With an eye towards Sir John Soane’s Museum, Peter Hone has filled his London flat with urns, busts and architectural fragments collected from his travels as one of England’s leading dealers of garden furniture and antiques.

A simple color palette prevents the visitor from being overwhelmed by the vast collection. Marble, Coade stone, alabaster and plaster mix with scrubbed floor boards to produce a pleasing effect.

To add a little architectural charm to your own home, visit Ben Pentreath Ltd. to purchase a fragment from Peter Hone’s collection.

all photos via www.lightlocations.com

William Gatewood House, Charleston, SC

Architect Gil Schafer has a distinct talent for designing houses that look as if they have always been there. He knows the history, the materials and how to infuse a certain timeworn quality into each building. So, he was a natural choice when the owners of the William Gatewood house in Charleston, SC wanted to make their old house look, well, old again.

Built in 1843, the house is a mixture of Greek Revival and Classical revival styles. The building’s foundation and masonry were reinforced and all the brickwork required re-pointing. An elevator was removed from the porch or piazza (as it’s known in Charleston) allowing the windows and archway to be reopened. The porches were replaced on the attached kitchen house and the original doorways reopened.

Inside, all the moldings were returned to their original appearance. A cast-plaster ceiling medallion was duplicated for the dining room from an original in the parlors. and other elements were gently returned to their original appearance.

Window looking onto the piazza.

Tuscan columns on the piazza.

Triple-hung windows in the parlors give access to the piazza.

De Gournay wallpaper in the dining room.

Kitchen house.

All photos via gpschafer.com

Illuminati

Edward F Caldwell & Co., est. 1895, manufactured custom-made lighting fixtures for America’s leading architects and designers including McKim Mead & White, Carre & Hastings and Cass Gilbert. An early innovator in electric lighting, the firm combined the new technology with traditional ornamental metalwork. Working into the mid-20th century, their commissions included many public buildings including The White House, The New York Public Library and Radio City Music Hall.

Over 35,00 photographs and drawings from the company’s archives are available from
The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library’s online digital database.

Aiken-Rhett House, Charleston, SC - Pt. II

Photo by TheGoodReverend via Flickr

After Frances Rhett donated the Aiken-Rhett house to the Charleston Museum in 1975, work began to protect and stabilize the dilapidated building. The museum installed a new roof and rebuilt the piazzas which had become unsafe. From 1982 until 1989, the house was open for tours until Hurricane Hugo slammed into Charleston destroying the chimneys and several outbuildings, pouring rain into Harriet’s bedroom that the family had worked so hard to preserve.

The Charleston Museum continued it's restoration efforts, rebuilding the chimneys and outbuildings. However, attendance began to dwindle and the museum was forced to close the house for tours in 1993.

The house remained closed until Historic Charleston Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the architecture and cultural character of Charleston, took over ownership in 1995.

The HCF reopened the house for tours and soon after developed an integrated plan of conservation and restoration. Exterior components such as the shutters, windows and doors were restored to protect the interior historic fabric in it's original condition.

Photo by Gross & Daley Photo

Photo by megnificence via flickr

Photo by megnificence via flickr

Photo by megnificence via flickr

Photo by Rick Rhodes, HCF

Photo Carrroll Ann Bowers, HCF

The most striking change has been to the exterior. In 2006, the weathered masonry walls were given an application of deep yellow lime wash and stenciled white lines were applied to simulate stone blocks, returning the house to it’s 1858 appearance when the Aikens did their last alterations. The lime wash is not only decorative, it adds a protective and breathable coating to the masonry.

The Aiken-Rhett house is located at 48 Elizabeth Steet in Charleston, SC and is open 7 days a week. A self-guided audio tour takes visitors through each room, from basement to parlors and into the carriage house and servant’s quarters. One of the most unique house tours you’ll ever see and highly recommended.

Le Monde Créole - Joel Pickford

Parlange Plantation

Julie de Ternant - Parlange Plantation

Slave Allee - Evergreen Plantation

Columns - Evergreen Plantation

Fountain - Evergreen Plantation

Interior - Evergreen Plantation

Branch - Slave Quarters - Evergreen Plantation

Breakfast Window - Evergreen Plantation

Since 1995, photographer Joel Pickford has been photographing the architecture, people and places of southern Louisiana. His series “Le Monde Creole” captures the unique beauty of the region. He is currently working on a documentary film “Bayou Blues: A Photographer’s Journey in South Louisiana.”