Sustainable Woodland Home
Simon Dale wanted a life a little more soulful for his family. He did not want to spend his best years working to live an unsustainable existence in order to pay for a conventional, same-y concrete box. So he moved to Wales in the UK and tucked into a grassy hillside he built a small, woodland home in four months costing him just£3,000 using only a chainsaw, hammer a chisel and plenty of chutzpah. He lucked out when the owner gave them the plot of land in return for looking after the area.
The house looks like something out of a book by Tolkein. It seems to be rich in what matters and feels entirely…satisfying. He had no experience in home building and did it by sheer force of nature (literally), where his actions backed his determination and he began scavenging materials from skips and the surrounding land and learning ‘on the hoof’. The house keeps warm from a cosy log burner, he has diverted water from a nearby stream, the fridge is cooled by air beneath the foundations, and energy is solar powered.
“Being your own have-a-go architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass-produced box designed for maximum profit and the convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers’ profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings.”
It shows what can be done when we take the time to really consider what we want out of life.
It reminds us that one size does not fit all. His choices may not be for everyone, but likewise, treading the conventional path without first examining forensically whether it really fits you should also be avoided.
I hear a lot of ‘I’d like to do..xxx..but because of..xxx..I can’t. I’m trapped.’ And those reasons and stumbling blocks were often ably created by the person themselves. So this is a good reminder to think, re-think, act and create our own futures like the free people we were supposed to be and not like unthinking lemmings. The time to begin to do that is always…now.
I love the home. I love the idea. I love the views. I love the attitude. I love the freedom – although as the eternal risk assessor I would be concerned about the future of the land.
How about you?
Mr Dale has built his house using the same principles by which I live my own. Sustainability. Simplicity. Freedom. Independence. Always aiming to own what you work so hard for, rather than supporting the prevailing structure of lifelong indebtedness. He and I share the pleasure of looking around our self designed homes and knowing where all the bits came from, although he wipes the floor with mine for natural materials.
Knowing one’s skill and sweat provided directly for one’s family, rather than infantilizing government handouts and interference is an immeasurable bonus and I admire him immensely for not only thinking out of the box but challenging himself to stomp on it and kick it down the Welsh hillside.
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Donna Karan’s Manhattan Apartment
This is a beautiful apartment as one would expect from someone whose business is based on aesthetic and line. Aside from the off-white and white foundations all the other elements have been built upon, it is the choice of imagery that further enhances the calm, simple, serenity of this space, even with the generous black accentuation.
Many of us know Buddhism to be one of the calmest, most non judgemental spiritual groups and so images of Buddhists abound, (amongst other tranquil pieces), making the viewer take deep enriching breaths when the eyes fall on such images.
You can’t really go wrong with off-white marble floors. Beautiful but also endlessly practical. You also can’t go wrong with black and white family photos if stylish, classy, reportage aesthetic is your goal.
Once the strong foundations of realistic choices, (think children), sustainable choices, warmth, love, calm, safety is set up in a home every other artistic or colour option should slot in without changing the intended feel of the place.
The wide stone ledges above are a very cool way to extend the rnr and lounge space with additional informal cushions, scented candles, the occasional books or family photos.
Any excuse to bring plants and greenery (above) or properly disciplined, well loved and cared for animals (below) into a home for me always anchors it and makes it feel instantly more natural, authentic and organic.
The simple humble store has a similar small, table top herb garden here.
This feels like a beautiful space to me, agree or no? A serene haven amidst the wild 24/7 pace of New York.
What elements would be essential in your perfect home?
(Awaiting image credit).
The Simplest Home Ever?
This whitewashed silhouette seems like any other home until you get a closer view. The designer, Manuel Aires Mateus has thrown away the book to produce a home of almost stark, windowless monastic austerity and yet…somehow…for a home dwelling…I believe that it still works.
The life-vital light source is well thought out and bravely imaginative. It is given access through the generous top cut-out in the roof and also via ground access as a cut-out in the lawn.
The giant white plant pot provides a lovely, unencumbered visual diversion.
Apart from that rather momentous birth in a stable gig some 2000 years ago – could this be the simplest home space ever?
The low bed and minimal furnishing draws on the Japanese aesthetic of uncluttered simplicity. It would be hard to be stressed and angry in a ‘mood’ room such as this, gracefully devoid of the latest ‘must haves’ and intrusive ‘electronica’.
It is like living in an art piece, but one that still provides the space required to live, love, breathe, think, talk and work, dare I say… ‘normally‘?
Beautiful, strange and right.
What are your thoughts? Have I completely lost my mind or do you love it too?
Calm Oasis Vibes
There is something about desert life that inspires soothing, soulful calmness. Certainly part of it is the use of natural handmade materials such as the large terracotta pots and intricate woven designs and honest earthen hues. Being surrounded by a desert moving a slow, unhurried pace unmatched anywhere in the world probably helps too. Even the camels take note with their ‘when I’m ready‘ languid style.
For similar calm effect chez toi, note the muted browns and tans with dashes of red, white and cream statements and seek out the store or elsewhere for talented North African or Middle eastern artisan home accessory accents.
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