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Heart Shaped Pond & Shop

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A couple enlist Butler Armsden Architects and Leverone Design to reimagine their home as a multigenerational meeting point. In 1963, landscape designer Lawrence Halprin devised a master plan for a community that would live in harmony with the natural environment. The resulting Sea Ranch, which stretches 10 miles along the Pacific coastline in Sonoma County, California, is characterized by timber-frame, wood-clad structures that are in dialogue with the local climate and terrain. Sited on a bluff within this pioneering community is the vacation home of a lawyer couple. After purchasing the residence in 2007, they lived in the home as it was for four years, even keeping the previous owners’ furniture. Envisioning a retreat that would accommodate their extended family and guests, they then recruited Butler Armsden Architects and Leverone Design to help guide the project.

The addition’s two stories of cedar-framed sliding doors and window provide generous views of the house’s prized jacaranda tree. The addition’s polished concrete floor and white cladding extend into the garden, drawing occupants to the serene rear porch. There, they can relax on stools designed by Alvar Aalto and Charles Wilson while admiring the luscious greenery.

“It’s easy to be in the honeymoon phase. But too often people skip important conversations, and things can go badly.” —Architect Michelle Kaufmann

A look inside Oakland's Book/Shop, which Heywood opened in 2013.

Amsterdam’s fertile and relatively tight-knit design community provides the ideal setting for Wiet Hekking’s longtime passion project, WonderWood.

Rewind was another favorite discovery on the street. The shop, which is dedicated to what they call "ecodesign," sells environmentally friendly furnishings, jewelry, and housewares from local and international designers. We especially loved the wool felt cushions and rugs from Muskhane, a French company whose natural products are handmade in the Himalayas.

If you're in Paris in February, check out Merci Shop Paris for a gorgeous exhibition on the history of ribbon production in France. And if you don't care about ribbons... Check out Merci anyway!

Photo via Bay Area Bites.

Though chairs are Hekking’s pride and joy, WonderWood’s proximity to a handful of hotels in the area makes other wares popular with touring shoppers as well. The smaller items on offer provide opportunities for more portable purchases, while still aligning perfectly with the store’s sentiment of a smart and engaging collection.

Photo via Bay Area Bites.

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