A Glass House in Madrid

Talk about a literal fish bowl! Would you be able to live in this glass house located in Madrid?

Inside Out

Trufa by Anton García-Abril

Located in Spain, Trufa is a vacation home by Ensamble Studio. The structure which means "truffle," was created by pouring concrete over hay stacks stacked and buried in local soil. Once the structure dried, the casing was removed and a cow, named Paulina, was brought in to eat the case inside, hollowing out the space over the course of a year.




A note from architect Anton García-Abri:

The Truffle is a piece of nature built with earth, full of air. A space within a stone that sits on the ground and blends with the territory. It camouflages, by emulating the processes of mineral formation in its structure, and integrates with the natural environment, complying with its laws.

We made a hole in the ground, piling up on its perimeter the topsoil removed, and we obtained a retaining dike without mechanical consistency. Then, we materialized the air building a volume with hay bales and flooded the space between the earth and the built air to solidify it. The poured mass concrete wrapped the air and protected itself with the ground. Time passed and we removed the earth discovering an amorphous mass.

Housing 137

Located in Barcelona and designed by studio H Arquitectes, Housing 137 's trademark shutters seem to disappear into the stone-clad facade.

Terraces and balconies have been sculpted from wooden recesses.

From the designers:

The Urban Planning for ‘Plaça de l’Església’ in Granollers intends to regain the role of this square within the old part of town...The three facades of the building become a single skin that, thank to the continuous use of the stone even in the shutters, unifies the volume and consolidates the characteristic predominance of the massive-wall facades in the old quarter.Basalt stone has been used due to the fact that because of its porosity and texture constantly changes in colour and reflection according to the different degrees of humidity...The changing rhythm of the shutters that appear and disappear, as they are open or closed, project on the façade the interior life of the dwellings.

Torre de Cristal

Gorgeous futuristic office interior designed by A-cero Studio for the Torre de Cristal (Crystal Tower) building in Madrid, Spain.With an on dark tones: gray walls + roof were combined with black + white furniture to create a clean professional look. [via]

budget + juicy

I pulled it off the shelf for its label and grape: La Granja Tempranillo. At $3.95 (Trader Joe's), it's tough to beat this juicy Spanish red- I recommend letting it sit out for 15-30 minutes for best flavor. This is a wine that is mean to be sipped with food: cheese, barbecue pork chops among other robust dishes that celebrate taste. The name derives from a song that Spanish children sing when somebody asks a question "which is impossible to realize" or "has a dream or says something absurd." This is my Autumn pick.

While on the subject of wine, you might be interested to know that Hong Kong has dipped into the industry- opening the first winery. The grapes are being brought in from grape growing regions in other countries (the first import from Washington State!)


image: via

a look at 20 Vintage from Spain

How lovely is blogger 20 Vintage from Spain? She showcases photos of herself in her fashion ventures...most of her items are from affordable stores such as H & M or Zara. There it is: recessionistas & young working professionals-- this one's for you.