Art and Architecture: Takashi Murakami
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
4M ago
For children of my generation, anime was an escape from Japan’s ‘loser complex’ following World War II. Anime wasn’t foreign. It was our own. Takashi Murakami "Bacon: Scream" (detail), 2019, by Takashi Murakami in acrylic, gold, and platinum leaf on canvas on aluminum frame by Asian Art Museum, San Francisco When we were in San Francisco recently, Chambers Architects visited the Takashi Murakami (Japanese, b. 1962) exhibition at the Asian Art Museum. The featured exhibition for this 61-yo artist was called Takashi Murakami: Unfamiliar People — Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego. It was his ..read more
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Porto: Portal to Poets
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
1y ago
Above photo: Porto from Edifíco Miraduoro, the highest point in the city. Photo credit: Stephanie Chambers Invicta, Invincible Porto, was never conquered and is considered the city of poets. Completed in 1739, San Ildefonso near Batalha Square, was built in a Baroque style. The azulejo tiles were added in 1932. Our room at the Palace de Torel in Porto was dedicated to the poet, Antero de Quental. Steve Chambers with painting of de Quental. “…dreams aren’t always in vain.” Though the national dish of Portugal is dried and salted cod, a wide array of fresh seafood is abundant in it ..read more
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Space Savers: Stacking Car Lifts for the Home Garage
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
2y ago
Car Lift Installation Car Lift Activation There are many different types of car lifts, and all are less expensive than adding additional bays to your garage, even if you have room on your existing site. Plan ahead for a future car space (lift) when designing your new home or addition. You may already have room in your existing garage, depending on your car sizes, garage size, and type of lift. Chambers Architects’ residential designs typically include slightly oversized garage spaces for future use and storage. Here is an example of a retrofit, including installation, video, and p ..read more
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The Croft Houses of Scotland
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
2y ago
Above: Ruins of several Croft Houses in Scotland. “The bonds of milk, nature, and culture are stronger than the bonds of blood.” Gaelic Proverb A croft is a small agricultural unit, and the person who lives on this land is called a crofter. Crofts are usually rented, akin to sharecropping, and are located in one of the crofting areas designated by the government in Scotland. Crofters live on and work the land. They are tenants of the person who owns the land (the croft), but some of the tenants have now bought their crofts and become owner-occupiers. Traditionally, croft land is used to raise ..read more
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Catalan Lifestyle: Part One
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
4y ago
The Catalans are a part of the total Spanish identity, yet the area seems like a separate country in its culture, language, food, and climate. Several years ago we stayed in the Costa Brava coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. After a day and a half in the city of Barcelona, we met up with our group of twelve from Texas and shuttled to the medieval village of Ullastret, a two-hour drive northeast of Barcelona. An Ullastret castle (circa 1150) was our base for eight days. Our group had the medieval home to ourselves, equipped with a chef named Ramurnes and Panchita, his toy dog ..read more
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Living in an A. Hays Town Home in Lafayette, Louisiana
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
4y ago
SELECTED BY OUR PEERS AS ONE OF DALLAS' BEST RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTS Robbie Mahtook, Lafayette attorney and owner of A. Hays Town home, originally owned and built by Horace Rickey. By Stephanie M. Chambers A. Hays Town: The Mahtook Residence in  Lafayette, Louisiana While in Louisiana this spring to study the residential architecture of A. Hays Town, Texas architect Steve Chambers spent several days in Lafayette, Louisiana. Chambers visited the home of Robert and Judy Mahtook, located between the ULL campus and the Oil Center. The home was originally built by the Oil Center contra ..read more
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Botanical Motifs in Architecture: The Acanthus
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
4y ago
Above: Temple of Vesta, an ancient edifice in Rome tended by Vestal Virgins, features acanthus on the Corinthian column capitals Acanthus Mollis Acanthus Whitewater Acanthus Spinosus Acanthus Leaves and Flowers If you’ve ever looked up at a classical building and found a pattern of stylized leaves, you might be looking at the acanthus, a motif used in architecture since ancient times and symbolic of immortality. The acanthus is an impressive perennial, that grows in the Eastern Mediterranean and returns every spring with no cultivation. There are several varieties of acanthus, s ..read more
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Ragusa Ibla, Sicily: Baroque City with an Ancient Heart, Part 4 of 4
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
4y ago
Ragusa Ibla’s panorama is a treasure trove for architects and visitors seeking fine examples of Baroque architecture and Medieval street plan On the morning we planned to go to Ragusa, a hard rain beat against the windows of our Ortigia hotel. We ached all over from the prior day’s walk through Villa Romana del Casale, a late Roman Empire Unesco World Site. It was temping to perch on the tall chairs place beside the wide windows of our hotel and watch fishermen haul in fresh catch, nosh on homemade croissants, and sip cappuccinos until the waiters swept us out with the crumbs. Although ..read more
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Ortigia Food and Wine: Window to the Sicilian Heart
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
4y ago
Perbacco Restaurant’s chef, like most coastal Sicilian chefs, proudly displays his fresh catch of the day. When asked, “how you want me to prepare this?,” we can’t decide. After listening to his vast repertoire, we choose his Grilled Lobster Risotto (pictured in gallery below). In the process of waiting for our “beeg Shanique-wa” to arrive, a departing Des Etrangers Hotel guest heard us speaking English behind him. He turned to tell us that we must eat dinner at a nearby casual ristorante called Perbacco, which he’d only discovered on his last night on Ortigia. “Would you go back for m ..read more
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Taormina, Sicily: Refuge of Ancients and Artists, Part 2 of 4
Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.
by admin
4y ago
We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.― D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover Dallas architect, Steve Chambers, visits The Greek Roman Theatre with its breathtaking views of Mount Etna and miles of Mediterranean Sea, as seen from Taormina on Sicily’s northeastern coast. Ancient Resort Taormina is enchantment wrapped around a multitude of myths. The city, precariously set on Monte Tauro, rises 650 feet above the sea, dominating grand, sweeping bays along the eastern coast of Sicily. It offers visitors a dramatically memorable view of Mount Etna and over one hundre ..read more
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