howie's design adventures part 2: le corbusier

La Maison Blanche

the second part of howie's design adventures took us to La Chaux-de-Fonds, the birthplace of Le Corbusier. it was there where he lived with his family and started to practice architecture under the mentorship of a local architect. the town itself is actually quite different from any other swiss town i've been to- it is very linear and gridded with row houses lined up along the blocks. one could see why he escaped to paris to study architecture. 

la maison blanche was not his first house he designed- there are a few others very close by up on the hill above the town. he designed the house for his family which included himself, his parents and brother. it was really a beautiful house- i realized after that didn't take many photos but it was difficult to capture the feel of the place. i think what made the house dramatic was the contrasts in views and lighting and the proportions and layout of the spaces. it seemed so simple and straightforward from looking at the plan and looking at photos ahead of time, yet it had so much life that i didn't expect. amazing to be in a place where a most famous architect got his start. 

looking out from Le C's bedroom

Le C's study. not too bright with a skylight over the desk.

through the dining area out to the garden.

looking back from the garden- the blue garden wall on the left...

the first (?) house he designed. 

one of the early Le Corbusier houses

matching jackets.

hello, friends! sorry its been a while, but life has been SO boring and we've been doing nothing interesting worth posting about.

just kidding! in fact, we've been really busy these past couple of months with projects, job searching, weekends away, seeing friends and starting to *think* about packing. its kind of difficult to pack when you don't know where you're moving to :)

i am busy preparing for our last house guests this year, liz and jim! but i promise that i'll try to post about some of the awesome trips we've taken over the next couple weeks between frantic cleaning and packing.

also, there is still no news about where we'll be beyond minnesota for december and hopefully a trip to singapore in early 2012. keep thinking positive thoughts for us (and especially for Howie) as he braves the world of layoffs and financial crisis to find a job. i'm not quite at that point, so you can worry about me later!

we had a great weekend in Vals (yes, more photos soon) but part of that was some great conversations. i realized how the uncertainty of our next plans has made me really learn to be happy in the moment. somehow i have been able to put aside my anxieties about our future plans and just enjoy spending time with Howie, being in Lausanne, traveling in Europe, spending time with friends. the past few months have been really fantastic. we're so lucky to be where we are.

i'm so excited to see everyone soon- i can't wait to catch up and feel the MN love :)

jacket twins in Vals.