Sanssouci details

While summertime 'downtime' (obviously) continues on this blog I thought I'd share some images my Australian penpal was nice enough to share with me of Sanssouci.

 I've blogged about the rococo palace in the past (here and here) and it never gets old.

 While this style may not interest you the attention to detail cannot fail to impress.

 This collection of porcelain on gilded brackets above reminded me of Howard Slatkin's NYC apartment.

 Notice the very successful jib door (closed) to the left of the chairs in the guest room above.

The chairs have a very modern looking ikat type fabric. Many of the fabrics and wallpapers were recently replaced by a company in Lyon.

 I especially love the blue version. Notice the matching curtains.

 Here you see the same fabric in green to match a green guestroom.

 The marquetry work in this small cabinet is amazing. These side chairs sport a more expected silk damask.

My favorite room at Sanssoci, as I've said in previous posts, is surely the Voltaire guest room which he inhabited for a time.

 The polychromed boiserie are so fun and cheerful.

 Birds and fruits sit next to monkeys and parrots - could it be more whimsical?

 Notice the very modern looking grotto-esque icicles at the top of the mirror.

 The parrots almost look entirely free standing on their brackets.

 The wallpapers are also a riot of pattern and color.

Notice the intriguing electrical switch below which blends right into the paper. Of course in the 18th century they wouldn't have had any switches so it's nice to hide them.

 Again with the modern fabrics, doesn't this fabric below remind you of something from the 1950s?

I hope you enjoy these delicious detail shots of Sanssoci Palace!

Charles M Schulz Museum

While many readers of ArchitectDesign probably think I'm a boring, dry architect, I do have my whimsical side which comes out now and again on the blog. While in California last month I made sure to visit the Charles M Shulz Museum in Santa Rosa.

Designed by C. David Robinson architects, the post-modern building expresses this whimsy through its design. Charles Schulz himself was involved with the design before his death.

In the nearby separate gift shop building are a number of exhibits, one of which was an exact Lego replica of the museum. Compare the 2 photos above, the likeness is amazing!

The gift shop itself is worth a visit.

Located between the museum and the gift shop is a whimsical hockey rink and Warm Puppy Cafe which Charles Schulz would visit everyday and still in operation.

 The black and white facade of the museum echoes the cartoons made famous by Schulz.

Life-size statues of snoopy and the gang are littered around the grounds.

Charles Schulz's office where he drew decades worth of his cartoons was installed piece by piece into the 2nd floor of the museum; a period piece if you ever saw one!

 The colors throughout the museum echo the cartoon strips.

Artworks based on the Peanuts series are to be found throughout the museum as well as many of the original cartoons and stories behind them.

 I loved this 'Snoopy' version of the famous Knoll Bertoia chair.

The 'backyard' is a playful place to rest and enjoy the weather. One of my favorite pieces in the museum wasn't connected with the comic strip at all but rather was a wall mural Schulz created for his daughter early in his career which the current homeowners donated to the museum.

Any visit to northern California isn't complete without a stop to the Charles M Schulz museum in Santa Rosa; it will be sure to put a smile on your face!