[ March 15 2010 ]
Cobble Hill House: We have been hired to do some renovation work to a beautiful house in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn.
[ February 24 2010 ] Walnut Panels: We just finished supervising the installation of some beautiful walnut wood panels for a loft in Union Square. The panels offer the flexibility for the bedroom to be complete open to the rest of the space or to be closed off. The panels seamlessly open, close and stack onto eachother with an excellent Hafele track system that we specified.
[ February 14 2010 ]
Finca Ecologica: We took an hour drive to visit a friend's Ecological Farm on the peaks of the Colombian Mountains outside of Bogotá. It is about 10,000 feet above sea level and the views of the mountains were impressive at that height. The farm grows organic greens like Kale, Bok Choy, Mitsuna, Mibuna and other vegetables. After picking the fresh greens with a special group of people that had gathered for the outing, we all sat under some trees for a feast of raw greens and vegetables. Delicious!
Check out the farm site.
[ February 6 2010 ]
Salmona inspires: We were invited to a dinner at a friend's house, which happens to be one of the last masterpieces from the great Colombian Architect Rogelio Salmona. The house is located in the north of Bogotá in the mountains. As we drove through a winding road up a mountain, we entered a discreet driveway only to discover a majestic piece of Contemporary Architecture. The sun was setting and the concrete was tinted by the golden light. Once inside, it was apparent that every detail in the house had been reflected upon. The formwork of the concrete work was exceptional...we were breathless. This house is Architecture. We were so distracted by the architecture (and the great company and delicious food) that we forgot to take pictures. Salmona mastered the brick material that is so commonly used to an art form (see picture above). Towards the end of his life he mastered concrete, giving the material a life of its own in his work.
[ February 1 2010 ]
Colombian Mountains in the horizon: We are travelling to Colombia to begin conversations for a new building project in Bogotá. We are eager to leave the frigid cold of New York behind and feel the summer warmth of the Bogotá mountains.
[ January 15 2010 ]
Brooklyn Landscapes (continued): We just presented some sketches of our ideas for the back garden area of a duplex apartment in Brooklyn. We transformed a very flat one dimensional space into landscape that provides seating, water features, storage and climbing areas for the client's daughter.
[ December 21 2009 ] Brooklyn Landscapes: We are excited about a new project where we will work on the landscape design for a duplex garden apartment in a new 3 story building in Park Slope. The backyard is spacious and full of potential. We will also design custom furniture pieces for the apartment.
[ December 14 2009 ]
Endless Shelves: The installation of some custom shelves that we designed for a loft in Union Square begins this week…
[ November 23 2009 ] Halls Leading: Work has begun on the common hall in an Upper East Side building and it is beginning to lead somewhere…
[ November 10 2009 ]
Hall Experience: We have been hired to transform a windowless common hall in a beautiful pre-war building in the Upper East Side. We are inspired by Kubrick’s 2001 right now…
[ September 8 2009 ] Brooklyn Bathroom Expansion: Demolition has begun at the townhouse in Brooklyn. It is very satisfying to see dark brown 70s tiles destroyed!
[ August 24 2009 ]
Endless Shelves: We are designing custom shelves for clients that are adamant book and DVD collectors. The finish for the shelves will be a beautiful walnut veneer and they will fill a 12’ high wall! Here is a 3d sketch we made for the client.
[ June 6 2009 ]
Real Estate: Several of our clients have asked us to help them find new residential and commercial spaces. To fulfill this need, Pedro is now a licensed real estate agent with access to residential and commercial listings in New York City.
[ May 12 2009 ] Brooklyn Bathroom Expansion: We have been hired to expand and renovate a Master Bathroom in a Brooklyn Townhouse.
[ March 3, 2009 ]
Pied-a-Terre Bogotá: We have been contacted to design a small studio loft as a pied a terre in Bogotá, Colombia. The space is small, which is always a pleasant challenge and the views are large, looking over the expanse of the city.
[ February 10 2009 ] Manhattan Pied-a-Terre: A previous client from Miami just bought a small pied-a-terre in Manhattan and has asked us to help her renovate it under a tight budget and schedule (our favorite!)
[ January 8, 2009 ]
Art Production on the Bowery: We have been hired to renovate a 5000 square foot space for the artist Wade Guyton. He will be using the space as an art studio well as an office for his publishing company.
[ December 4, 2008 ] Holding Pattern: The residential building we have been working on in the Bosque Izquierdo has been put on hold. Disappointed but patient…
[ October 4, 2008 ] The Bids: We have presented our Schematic Design for Edificio Bosque Izquierdo and have sent the documents out for bid. If all goes well we will begin the design phase soon.[ September 17 2008 ] Lights on Fifth: Installation has begun on the Mitchell Residence lighting scheme which will be complete by early October.
[ August 12, 2008 ] Building Schematics: We have begun developing Schematic Designs for Edificio Bosque Izquierdo with a presentation slated for early October.
[ July 18 2008 ] Lighting Art: Plans are complete for Mitchell project lighting scheme. We have created a gallery-like setting while keeping the intimacy of the residence.
[ June 19 2008 ]
Residential complex in Bogotá: We have been hired to design a residential complex in the Rosales section of Bogotá. This neighborhood is mainly residential, with small parks interspersed between hilly tree lined streets. The neighborhood sits on the side of the mountains, providing impressive views of the city. During our trip to Bogotá in July we will begin to gather information from the site and city to begin designing.
[ June 3 2008 ] ] FP to Bogotá: Meetings have been set for early July for Edificio Bosque Izquierdo in Bogotá, Colombia. More updates early next month. We are very excited about this project because it is in Amparo's home town and would be our first project designed to be built from the ground up!
[ April 29 2008 ] Lights for Art: Our office has been contacted to design a lighting scheme for a collector of contemporary art on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. The apartment is on 5th Avenue with beautiful views of Central Park. Our challenge is to filter natural light while creating a focus for the art collection with artificial lighting.
[ March 10 2008 ] Interiors: We are continuing work on the Mestel Residence where we have designed custom bedroom furniture and selected furniture to compliment their contemporary art collection. We are now designing the Master Bedroom and Living space. Pictures coming soon...
[ February 27 2008 ]
Building Proposal: After presenting a schematic design proposal for a residential building project in Bogotá, Colombia, we received approval to begin the preliminary design phase. Because of zoning limits, we will be trying to make the most of the three story height restrictions in the beautiful, historic neighborhood of El Bosque Izquierdo.
[ February 16 2008 ]
Hello Brooklyn! We are finally settled in our new Brooklyn office. We are located only a few blocks away from the beautiful Prospect Park, designed by Central Park landscape designer Frederick Law Olmstead. We have discovered that this park is full of surprising paths that pass through small forests, streams and hills, giving the impression of being in the middle of the country. We expect to have many picnic-park meetings…
[ January 26 2008 ]
From Miami Beach to Brooklyn: Our new office will be located in Brooklyn, New York and we expect to be completely relocated by 15th February.
[ January 6 2008 ] Back to NYC: We have begun our relocation back to New York and should be relocated by mid-February.
[ December 28 2007 ]
A slice of Vienna in Bogotá: Today we had our first meeting with a client for the design of a small residential building in Bogotá, Colombia. The site is located in a unique neighborhood that is called El Bosque Izquierdo, which was designed by the Viennese urbanist Karl Brunner in 1936. Perched on the mountainous terrain of the southeastern part of the city, Brunner let the topography define the design of the streets and lots. The steep incline of the mountains is inscribed with serpentine streets, oriented in the direction of the topography. There are wide public staircases that intersect the neighborhood perpendicularly, offering an efficient path for pedestrians. The area is dotted with trees and interspersed with small parks. The buildings are low and eclectic; you can find a two story art deco building next to a colonial mansion next to a 50's modern house.
[ December 15 2007 ] FP’s website: After much anticipation, our site has arrived! More coming soon…