Pavement on a streetcorner, somewhere in southern Europe. Photo: RM
In a world where almost everything is designed, it can be a relief to come across something that has obviously NOT been designed. What characterizes design? Continue reading
Power Transformer uilding with folly in Bagnols-en-Forêt, France Photo: RM
After the construction of this small power transformer building on the outskirts of Bagnols-en-Foret (Var, France) there were some bricks and tiles left over. This probably made the construction workers decide to go on a little more, this time improvising, without construction drawings, as a kind of constructional jam session after work. The result was a sloping piece of wall next to the house, covered with tiles, containing an asymmetrical gate. Continue reading
Veiled building. Photo: RM
In phases of transition, such as renovation or (partial) demolition, buildings sometimes show themselves in a new and unexpected way. By removing layers of the facade buildings often gain a more interesting appearance, a stronger expressiveness. When a building is halfway demolished, you often get a kind of reversal, if it were pulled inside out. The underlying structure becomes visible, inner walls become facades. Continue reading
Architectural innovations in Tyrol’s oldest Konditorei. Continue reading
Christmas decorations, the Netherlands.
It’s Christmas again: the most wonderful time of the year. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by stuffing ourselves with food underneath a decorated spruce. Cozy, sure. But how did we get here? How far has our civilization drifted for our most important holiday to take the form it has taken today? Continue reading
Venetian Doorknob. Photo: Rogier Mentink
The Venetian doorknob is usually made in bronze and often isn’t a doorknob in the literal sense, to unlock the door with, but a handle to open the door or pull it close. Often they are provided with a ring, which serves doorknocker. The story goes that these door knockers stem from ancient Greece, where slaves used to be chained to the door in order to serve as porters. After removal of the slave the ring remained to knock on the door. Continue reading
Wall painting, Eindhoven. Photo: Rogier Mentink
In a way, we all yearn for the cozy aesthetic of the illustrations from the children’s books of our childhood. Continue reading
Bargemon, Var, France. Photo: Rogier Mentink
Walking around in a village in southern France, I came across this striking example of “architecture without architects”. Continue reading
Living in a Barrel 