The Bachelor Pod
So I was reading an interesting story in yesterday’s New York Times about the “Decline and Fall of the Bachelor Pad.”  To summarize, the recession, particularly in New York where swank bachelor pads were de rigeur among the banker boys, has wiped out many of those said spaces as many guys are either still unemployed or being more prudent with what money they have left or are making now.  So instead of ultra-cool, these new spaces are ultra-small

The Float House: The Future of New Orleans Housing
Thom Mayne of architecture firm Morphosis is regarded as one of the country’s elite “starchitects”, having won the Pritzker Prize in 2005 (the “Oscars” of architecture) and designed numerous award-winning buildings, including our own, infamous San Francisco Federal Building (I say infamous because of well-publicized mixed reviews on the utility of the space and the building’s inability to become LEED certifie

It’s About Time: Solar Roof Shingles
Alright, as a home owner I’ve lusted for solar panels for some time.  While the ROI on solar panels is 10+ years, the idea of not paying for electricity, and better yet, potentially making a few dollars off generating your own electricity is a home owners’ dream come true. But aside from the huge capital investment, there’s also the practical concern of where to place them, whether the roof or the backyard.  Solar panels don’t look bad necessar

My Evening with Designer Piero Lissoni
Tonight I had the chance to listen to Piero Lissoni speak as part of the month-long Architecture and the City Festival put on by the San Francisco chapter of the AIA.  Speaking at the gorgeous CCA campus, Lissoni proved to be as charismatic, affable, honest and genuine as he is talented.  While I knew him well for his work with Italian furniture lines Boffi, Living Divani, Porro, and Cassina, only until he casually mentioned his other clients did I realize the

Design Review: Kara’s Cupcakes
So I found myself in Ghirardelli Square this afternoon after a several year hiatus.  Sure, I’d been there recently but in the evenings for ice cream so I haven’t wandered the shops in long while.  As I had heard, there’s been quite a bit of development over the years, namely the conversion of the commercial space to hotel/fractional ownership condos by Fairmont Hotels (Fairmont Heritage Place) plus a few new retail shops.  Though there were a couple