From the Met

Sometimes just a pretty picture will suffice. Taken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

A grand side facade

On a very important street of my favorite neighborhood in Washington, Kalorama, lies a house that has always intrigued me. The road T's, exposing the side of the house which is treated in a very grand manner; more grandly than the front facade in fact.

I really love this house for its beautiful symmetrical design but also the unusual colors: red clay tile roof, orange brick, french grey limestone, blue stucco and window trim. I've heard it was designed by John Russell Pope, does anyone know the backstory here?

Seaside Beach Pavilions

Unlike some of the other new urbanist beach towns which dot the Florida panhandle, the beaches of Seaside are graciously open to the non-Seaside public.Not only are they free and open but each beach access point is marked with a different architectural folly.Designed by different architects in numerous styles, a common question in Seaside may be which folly is your favorite. The good thing about these is that you can always find your way closest to home on the beach without disturbing the dunes and wildlife.Pensacola Street was the beach access point closest to my cottage, The Angel in the Dunes, about 1 block away.Designed by Tony Atkin, the top of the post modernist folly (seen above) was lit at night so I could find my way home after sunset each evening.The West Ruskin Street Pavilion by Michael McDonough was also in postmodern style and perhaps a bit dated but I loved the playfulness of it.Just another reason I loved Seaside so much, this attention to detail. Who doesn't love an architectural folly?