Signs

A few years ago, I began photographing old signs. These photos serve as little souvenirs of my travels.



My occupation often takes me to strange and out of the way places, and I get to see some fabulous examples of architecture that might not be appreciated otherwise.



I find the old motel and liquor store signs particularly charming. The buildings they represent are often in shambles or horribly altered, and the signs are the last vestiges of a period when design and style was incorporated into everything.

Prettying up

Now that the tax refund has come in and the weather is warming up, we have been thinking a lot about doing some home improvements. One of the first areas we want to do some work is to the exterior of the house.

Our little pink casa fiesta, as she now sits.

When we lived in west LA, I often marveled at how contemporary and cool all the homes by the beach were. I'm not talking about the multi-bazillion dollar ocean-view homes; I'm referring to the simple square-box, post-war tract homes that were scattered throughout Venice, Mar Vista and Santa Monica. It was totally inspiring to see how Angelinos could reinvent entire neighborhoods of ticky-tacky little boxes into very cool modern residences. It is amazing how cosmetic improvements, such as replacing windows and doors, landscaping and a new paint job can truly make a difference. One night while making a shortcut through one neighborhood, I came across this house:

I made Husband come back a few days later so I could take some photographs. I loved the water-conscious landscaping, horizontal slatted wood fence and the concrete patio they added to the front. The cool grey-blue exterior paint also added to the overall look of the home.

While explaining my discovery to a co-worker, she recommended that I take a look at the homes in her Santa Monica neighborhood, as they all featured similar designs and some very cool xeriscaped front yards. Not surprisingly, I was totally inspired. We spent an entire Sunday afternoon driving around photographing homes.

We found some more really cool wood fences.

And amazing water-friendly landscapes.

I love this pergola on the front patio.

I definitely think we can do some of these things to our place.

And just when I thought I couldn't be more inspired- I came across this over the weekend, via Beyond the Lawn.

Check out their website- I am totally going to this!!!

Building Porn

The former Ray Vines Chrysler-Plymouth-Imperial Dealership, one of the last remaining examples of Googie architecture in Long Beach.

Constructed in 1963, for automobile dealer Ray Vines. I am not sure who the architect was, the permit states that it was designed by architecture firm John Case and Associates. However, I have read that it was designed by Paul B. Clayton, who designed a number of mid-century buildings, including the beloved, Johnnie's Broiler. I'll try and keep looking for architect information. 

Located at 4201 E. Willow Street, Long Beach.

This building is currently for sale- let's hope the City has no plans to demolish this gem.