For the past five years French photographer Laurent Kronental has been documenting the dilapidated Modernist estates of his country. Architects of these sometimes stigmatised buildings include the incredible Richardo Bofill, Emile Aillaud and Martin van Trek. Kronental also focusses his attention on the elderly residents of these estates, and how easily forgotten they have become.
All photographs by Laurent Kronental.
The striking home of Italian home wares maker Maurizio Zucchi. The height of the ceilings and plants along with the flooding of natural light make this a very appealing space.
All images from Elle Korea via Plant Propaganda.
These images are from Forgotten Spaces: the Barbican Conservatory, a collaborative project between photographer Luke Hayes and writer Sarah Simpkin. The conservatory, built in 1980 in a post war estate, is beautifully wild against the bulbous architecture of Chamberlin, Powell and Bon.
All photographs by Luke Hayes.
We’ll be back to regular programming tomorrow, but until then please enjoy the final guest post by Liv for the moment (she will be back!).
House & Garden – June 1971 by Olivia Hantken
Carrying on from my last post, here is another House & Garden magazine which I adore. This issue was hard to pull apart, so I have chosen a bit of everything! From garden sitting rooms, to outdoor entertaining, and two amazing forest retreats.
Located in Waccabuc NY, and designed by architect Myron Goldfinger this amazing house still exists today and is actually for sale! Check out the listing here. Sadly it looks as if the house has been redesigned and lost some of its 1970s charm.
This bird watching structure is located on a riverbank in England, and was designed by two British husband and wife architectural teams: Richard & Su Rogers, and Norman & Wendy Foster.
Thank you so much to Liv for her beautiful contributions and enthusiasm for The Secret Garden.
I visited Morocco a few years back. We caught the ferry from Tarifa across the Strait of Gilbrator to Tangiers. The ocean is incredibly luminescent and the sun so strong. We only spent a day in Tangiers before heading to Essaouira, but I remember winding, steep, dusty streets looking out onto that incredible view of the Mediterranean. It’s a rough, mysterious, and beautiful town filled with creative expats including the world renowned garden designer Madison Cox.
Ten or so years ago Cox bought a run down house perched on the cliffs of Tangiers. A lot of care and thought has gone into the renovation of the house and bringing alive of the garden. The one and a half acre garden is long and narrow and has a high white masonry wall on one side and cliff edge on the other. Within the garden he has a free standing library, swimming pool, guesthouse, chicken coop, stone paths, terraces, and flower and vegetable beds. It’s a relaxed design, and looks like a total pleasure to be amongst.
Photographs by Oberto Gili for the NY Times.
My sister was also in Morocco a couple of weeks ago. Her pictures are lovely so I thought I’d include some here.
Photographs by Olivia Kaplan and Pierre Voirin.
Ricardo Bofill is an acclaimed Spanish architect, with an incredible postmodern sensibility. He founded the Taller de Arquitectura, a studio of around 40 architects, engineers, sociologists and philosophers who have undertaken a vast array of projects from private homes and interior design to airports, public gardens, hotels and retail spaces.
One of his most incredible projects is the ongoing transformation of an abandoned cement factory in Barcelona.
This former industrial complex has become an incredibly inviting world, with huge cathedral like rooms and surrealist features. The surrounding grounds have also been transformed from a dusty scrap yard to an oasis of palms, olive trees, eucalyptus and cypresses. The vines growing up the walls and the big splashes of green that can be seen from inside the building add to its charm.
This old factory is now his family home along with the headquarters for the Taller de Arquitectura, and a venue for exhibitions, concerts and lectures.
All photographs from Ricardo Bofill.
The Secret Garden 