Dreaming on – Stone, glass and water in perfect balance

I'm not complaining – far from it – but . . . what I wouldn't give for a studio like this (oh, and the house it is part of as well). Villa Rotonda is in Goirle, the Netherlands, and was designed by Dutch architects Bedaux de Brouwer.

The reason I'm not complaining, but rather feeling grateful, is that our house, and indeed our entire town, lost power 5 days ago due to a freak snowstorm that dumped almost 20 inches of heavy snow on still-leafy trees, causing an amazing amount of damage to limbs and trees that crashed down on the power lines. I am grateful to be working – warm, with light and running water – from the studio of my sister's house a few hours north of our home. Our power is estimated to finally be restored in the middle of tomorrow night. This is the second time in 3 months that we have been without power for 6 days!

So although I'm not gazing out on the serene, glass-like reflecting pool through the glass wall of my dream studio, a temporary cluttered basement office deep in the woods is pretty dreamy. – GF

Seen on Dezeen

Palm Springs couch surfing (not)

I'm one of those people who can't stand Frank Sinatra, (yes, we do exist), but that wouldn't stop me from staying the night in the house designed by E. Stewart Williams in 1947 for Frank and his first wife, Nancy Barbato.

The house, Twin Palms Estate in Palm Springs, (of course), accommodates up to 8 people, and is being offered for nightly rental for $2,600, (3 night minimum), through Airbnb.com. Read about the house and its amenities here, and in this post that Tom wrote after reading a recent Sinatra biography.

So the fact that is was Frank's house definitely wouldn't stop me from enjoying its pleasures and vistas, but the steep rental fee sure would! – GF

Not ready to be inside for the winter

Where we live, the season has changed enough that you can't get a load of laundry dry in a day out on the line, and although we can use the gas grill all year round, eating dinner outside ended weeks ago as dark – and swarms of mosquitoes – descended faster than during the true summer months.

I've always wanted an outdoor kitchen, and this one seems like it could nicely extend outdoor summer living deep into Autumn. Seen on Dezeen. Visit there to see many more photos. – GF