It seems I'm off on a tangent . . .

. . . But I just had to post pix of this truly delightful chicken coop which couldn't look more dissimilar from the one I posted last. Both are great-looking, yet totally different.

Matthew Hayward (a furniture designer and engineer) and Nadia Turan (a creative director) developed nogg, a modern chicken coop in the shape of an egg. Their website is still under construction: Nogg. via Blue Ant Studio. – GF

Suitable for Modern chicks

Dwell Magazine posted this story on a chicken coop that will go nicely with your modern, or not, home.

Mitchell Snyder, architect & chicken owner says: “The living roof helps keep the coop cool, but mostly it was a chance to experiment and design something fun,” The only thing Snyder would change, in retrospect, is the human 
access: “We have to crouch down a little to go through the run and into the coop to clean it.” Hmmm. From the looks of it, I thought that might be the case...

Love the green roof! Air circulation and accessibility are so important – combine all that into a Mod Coop 2.0 pre-fab and maybe I'll just get my chickens after all! – GF

18 modern New Canaan homes named to the National Register of Historic Places

So – at last! The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced today that for the first time a statewide thematic listing of Modern residential architecture has been accepted onto the National Register of Historic Places. 18 Modern residences in New Canaan – the home of Philip Johnson's Glass House, a National Trust Historic Site – have successfully been recognized as historically relevant and added to the State and/or National Register of Historic Places, the nation’s official list of places worthy of preservation.

Read about it here (national) and here (local). – GF

If you should find yourself in LA this weekend...

Photographer friend Chris Mottalini sent us information on an event happening this weekend at Woodbury University's Julius Shulman Institute. Several of his photos of the now-demolished Paul Rudolph Micheels House are included along with work by 9 other artists.

Woodbury University will honor the legacy of renowned photographer Julius Shulman with two events that coincide with 100th anniversary of his birth. A Saturday, October 9 symposium and exhibition includes panels moderated by Neil Denari and Kazys Varnelis featuring architects in conversation with photographers; the afternoon will be emceed by Frances Anderton, host of DnA on KCRW. The exhibition highlights the work of noted photographers of the built environment. A celebration evening will be held on Sunday, October 10. Actress Diane Keaton will receive the 10th annual Julius Shulman Communication Award and photographer Iwan Baan will be presented the 1st annual Julius Shulman Photography Award during the fundraising dinner. Woodbury is home to the Julius Shulman Institute, which focuses on Shulman’s enduring involvement in the issues of modernism. (From the Woodbury University website.)
Sounds great – I wish I were traveling there this weekend . . . – GF

Let's play!

Brinca Dada makes dollhouses, and the furniture and dolls that live in them. Modern house dollhouses, that is. And very cool modern furniture. And, no doubt, the dolls who reside in these houses are very happy hipsters. (via Blue Ant Studio) – GF

Nothing to do today? Go visit some Moderns

What better way to cheer up a cool, damp and gloomy day than to go on a house tour?

We received an email this morning from a local realtor about a small tour her agency, Houlihan Lawrence, is hosting. 9 Pound Ridge and Bedford, NY, Moderns and contemporaries can be visited today from 11AM - 2PM.

The "tour" seems to really be a collective open-house for prospective Modern house buyers and their brokers, but Houlihan Lawrence invites the interested public, as well.

There's no meeting point or cost that I can see, so if you're curious or in the market to buy, my guess is that you just show up at the addresses below and see what you will see. Have fun! – GF

15 Colonel Sheldon Lane, Pound Ridge, NY
26 Colonel Sheldon Lane, Pound Ridge, NY
55 Major Lockwood Road, Pound Ridge, NY
21 Fox Run Road, Pound Ridge, NY
28 Baylis Lane, Bedford, NY
161 Hickory Kingdom Road, Bedford, NY
2 Twin Ponds Drive, Bedford Hills, NY
20 Deer Knoll, Bedford Corners, NY
330 Pine Brook Road, Bedford, NY