Residential Architecture and Design in New York’s Westchester County… and Beyond
“The idea of walking into a large department store and seeing the name ‘Katonah’ all over a line of products, it somehow for us would cheapen the name.”
That’s what Lydia Landesberg, the president of Katonah Village Improvement Society, said in reference to Martha Stewart’s application to trademark the word “Katonah” for a new line of home funishings.
Sears Robuck beat Martha to it!
Modern Home No. c2029, The Katonah, from the Sears Modern Homes mail order catalog (1915 to 1919).
Alessi is an Italian family-run company famous for its playful design of affordable objects and appliances for the kitchen, created in colorful plastics and stainless steel. For the designs, Alessi contracts a selection of celebrity architects and designers. (Wikipedia)
The Fine Living Channel website has a fantastic video section, including this clip about Alessi.
Living Well Link of the Week: Alessi
According to the Journal News:
“The Katonah Village Improvement Society voted yesterday to authorize its trademark committee to take whatever action it deems necessary regarding Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s proposals to use the hamlet name for lines of furniture, paints and other homemaking products. The society’s vote allows the trademark committee to file formal opposition to Stewart’s plans, and it authorized spending $200 toward legal costs.”
Wow… two hundred bucks. I’m sure Martha’s shaking in her black leather riding boots.
For even more inspiration, check out my Squidoo lens for a list of magazines and journals about residential architecture and design.
In today’s post over at The Kitchen Designer, Susan references Better Homes and Gardens’ Decorating Inspiration website.
It’s very… well… inspiring!
Warning: In order to access most of the content, you’ll need to subscribe.
From SIPs.org:
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) are high-performance building panels for floors, walls and roofs in residential and commercial buildings. Each panel is typically made using expanded polystyrene (EPS), or polyisocyanurate rigid foam insulation sandwiched between two structural skins of oriented strand board (OSB), but other surfaces are also available to meet your needs. The result is a building system that is very strong, predictable, energy efficient, and cost effective.
Building with SIPs generally costs about the same as building with wood frame construction, when you factor in the labor savings resulting from shorter construction time and less job-site waste.
Other savings are realized because less expensive heating and cooling systems are required with SIP construction.
For more information on SIPS, visit the Structured Insulated Panel Association website.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
Later this year, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is rolling out their “LEED for Homes” program to give architects a comprehensive standard and guidance for creating sustainable houses.
The program will include eight categories:
Michael J. Crosbie, PhD, AIA has written a very informative article in this week’s AIArchitect online newsletter. Check it out here.
Inhabitat has a series of posts titled “Green Building 101“. It’s all about LEED for Homes.
For even more info, visit the USGBC’s LEED for Homes website.
Susan Serra, a Certified Kitchen Designer based in Northport, NY has a great blog about kitchens and kitchen design.
Looking for some inspiration? Check out her website. Her portfolio is loaded with world class kitchens of all sizes, shapes and styles.
Looking for some great books on residential architecture? Check out my picks at Squidoo.
Westchestergov.com has a great section on the county website documenting the History of Westchester: The First 300 Years.
“The period after 1865 brought vast fortunes to a new class of entrepreneurs in the New York area. Many built large estates in Westchester County. Colonial, Chateauesque, and Renaissance Revival houses were built on the hills overlooking the Hudson River and Long Island Sound. Perhaps the most fantastic of all were the homes built to resemble castles, such as Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, Ophir Hall in Purchase, Leland Castle in New Rochelle, and Carroll-cliff (now Axe Castle) in Tarrytown. In northern Westchester, magnificent mansions were built on the hilltops of New Castle, Bedford, and North Castle.”
