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deafeningmagazinelover · 4 years ago

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SHALOM LAMM - INTERIOR HOMES IN NEW YORK

Shalom Lamm said New York has always had its own vibe, whether it's in terms of style, fashion, or interior design. NYC, arguably the most famous of all the world's major cities, is where millions of people come to follow their "American dream." This also means that the city is home to some of the world's most coveted real estate properties. Every inch of space matters in New York City.

Modern Mid-Century Style

This gorgeous penthouse in the Milan Condominium puts you in the company of the elite in NYC, with a bright bird's-eye view of the city and the beautiful East River! The house, which is priced well above $6.5 million, is well worth the money just for the views! But that's not all this magnificent home has to offer. Instead of going for a tidy, modern look, the interior opts for a trendy midcentury modern look, with everything from the Swan Chairs and Tulip table to the Arco floor lamp and Cherner bar stools. This penthouse with twin bedrooms, a master suite, a living area, and a generous balcony is absolutely mesmerizing, with a warm, cozy color scheme.

Picot Residence is a stunning home.

Shalom Lamm said Pepe Calderin Design's inspired Picot Residence is a grand lesson in lighting and how to decorate with darker colors. This stunning penthouse uses black, red, and grey to create a sophisticated, luxury home, rather than the typical white, grey, and a few pops of bright color seen in most NYC homes.

Setai Wall Street's Antique Brilliance

Alex Birkenstock's meticulously curated penthouse on the 30th floor of a building on Setai Wall Street is truly one-of-a-kind. Customised, exclusive, and extraordinary to its core, the carefully curated penthouse of Alex Birkenstock on the 30th floor of a building located on Setai Wall Street is truly one-of-a-kind. The house is brimming with vintage collectibles, antiques, and one-of-a-kind discoveries that the homeowner has gathered over the years from all over the world.

An Inspiring DESIGN:

We adore a cool renovation that embraces adaptive reuse principles and transforms an old, abandoned structure into a stunning modern home. Few people would guess that this chic Greenwich Village penthouse had been a coal delivery garage since the 1990s and that Collaborative Architects recently renovated and restored it with interior design Shalom Lamm said.

Sinatra-style Hollywood in New York City!

Wouldn't it be great to own a piece of Hollywood history that also has breathtaking views of the East River and the NYC skyline? Frank Sinatra owned this chic penthouse, and it's said that he decorated and designed the majority of the space in its early years. Glass stairs in the style of an Apple shop, with an Andy Warhol print of Marilyn Monroe.

We know what you've been waiting for: a look at that swanky SOHO-styled New York loft that's become famous all over the world. When it comes to the world of interior design, it is unquestionably New York's calling card. The main colors are black and white, which are trendy and semi-minimalist in every sense of the word.

Rio's Vibrant Colors Interior homes:

New York City's residents hail from all over the world and contribute significantly to the city's global style. In the world of interior design, it's no different, and Cristiane Peixoto and her husband Marcus Silberman wanted to add a touch of Rio into their $4.5 million Manhattan apartment.

Prince Street Loft Is Eclectic

Shalom Lamm added that the Prince Street apartment boldly lets its brick walls and unpolished surfaces shine through, creating a stunning contemporary and eclectic style. The home attempts to adopt an industrial look in a restrained manner and its proximity to the city's hippest joints provides a tranquil oasis in the midst of New York City's urban jungle.

The mood of the room is the first thing that comes to mind when I'm planning a space. I question how we want to experience the room, how we want to feel when we're in it, depending on the function and needs of my client.

Then I think about the elements that I believe are crucial to a well-designed space: comfort and elegance achieved through careful consideration of layout, form, scale, and color.

BEST INTERIOR HOME DESIGNER:

Stewart-Schafer is an interior design architect firm that takes a unique approach to residential design, combining progressive, individualized solutions with a broad understanding of contemporary art, architecture, and interiors. Stewart-Schafer creates functional, memorable, and comfortable living spaces with understated elegance and timeless appeal while maintaining each space's identity.

#shalom #lamm said many of our residential design projects feature products that were sourced and carefully handpicked from our journeys around the world, and our interior design studio is linked with a wide network of skilled artisans and vendors. We collaborate with each client to create custom solutions that meet their unique requirements, resulting in truly unique spaces. New York and Connecticut are the locations of the firm's headquarters.

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architectnews · 4 years ago

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The ten best modernist buildings in North America are "sculptures that you can live in"

Nonprofit organisation USModernist documents, promotes and preserves North America's modernist architecture. Here, director George Smart names his ten favourites including an airport terminal by Eero Saarinen and a beach house by John Lautner.

Based in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, USModernist has been working since 2007 to document modernist buildings, some of which are under threat, across the continent.

Top: A house by Alber Frey in Palm Springs. Above: George Smart is the founder of USModernist

"Just like stock car racing or sushi, modernist architecture is not for everybody," Smart told Dezeen.

"There are some people that just don't like it, and that's fine," he explained. "The important thing is that, because there are so few of them, that we recognise that many of these houses are really sculptures that you can live in".

"We wouldn't take a piece of art and go tear it to pieces. Similarly, we want to try to keep these houses, which are like works of art, from being destroyed."

Smart noticed a particular uptick in threats to modernist buildings in the 2000s, which prompted him to found USModernist. Now the organisation has documented upwards of 8,000 buildings.

"Modernist architecture is very optimistic," he said. "It tends to point us towards a future that's going to be better and happier."

"Most people who don't like modernist houses have never spent the night in one, they just don't get the vibe that is brought about by designing a house differently," he continued.

"I think people who know and love these houses and buy them just adore the feeling that their house gives them."

USModernist also has a huge, free-to-access digital library of 20th-century architecture magazines as educating the wider public about the importance of these buildings is central to USModernist's goals.

"We want to avoid what I call the Priscilla Presley syndrome," said Smart. "Priscilla, wife of Elvis, who took a perfectly wonderful John Lautner modernist house, and turned it into this Italianate villa, when what she should have done is just gone out and bought an Italianate villa."

Read on to discover Smart's favourite 10 modernist buildings in the USA (plus one in Mexico):

Frey II in Palm Springs, California, by Albert Frey

"This last, final home of Albert Frey is the perfect small weekend getaway with one of the best views in California (above and top). It is also an incredibly efficient use of space and was built around a giant rock, which sits in the living room.

"On a more reverent note, there are people, including myself and the architecture curators at the Palm Springs Art Museum, who consider this 1964 house to be the high temple of desert architecture, as it is the epitome of a building integrated into the earth around it."

Catalano House in Raleigh, North Carolina, by Eduardo Catalano

"Argentinian professor Eduardo Catalano created one of the first hyperbolic paraboloid residences in 1954, which instantly became an international sensation.

"The house was tragically destroyed in 2001 after years of neglect. This loss inspired the creation of what became USModernist. Bold, dramatic and fun to live in, it continues to amaze us, even 20 years after its demise."

TWA Flight Centre at JFK Airport by Eero Saarinen

"The recent renovation, restoration and addition to Eero Saarinen's TWA Flight Centre at JFK Airport is one of America's finest restoration projects. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey get huge credit for not tearing the building down in the past 30 years.

"Instead, they kept it in mothballs until the right developer could come along. And the right developer did. The main terminal, plus the two new hotel wings, make for a perfect overnight stay – but the real secret is the 50,000-square-foot underground conference facility designed by Lubrano Ciaverra, which has barely been covered by the media. It's the only major conference facility at the airport."

Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms House in Palm Springs, California, by E Stewart Williams

"In 1947 Frank Sinatra commissioned the first of a couple of Palm Springs houses, this one by E Stewart Williams. It put Williams on the map as an up-and-coming architect.

"It was famous for a rollicking fight that Frank had with his then-wife Ava Gardner; you can still see cracks in the bathroom from when she threw a bottle at him. Where most living rooms had a phonograph and radio console, this one has professional audio recording capability built-in.

"I think it's an urban legend that the pool is shaped like a piano, it's just a coincidence. The house is open for Modernism Week every year, for tours and parties (where you'll find us); the rest of the year, you can rent it."

Holy Comforter Lutheran Church in Belmont, North Carolina, by Odell Associates

"This tiny 1959 church is way off the beaten path, about a half-hour from Charlotte in Belmont. Less known than others on this list, it was designed by Odell Associates but the real genius came from the project architect Charles Lyman Bates.

"His geometric stained-glass panels throughout the interior create a modernist spirituality in a way that still feels entirely original. The feeling I got, walking in, was a spiritual combination of religion and progress; the space is imbued with deeply gorgeous light. It's like God has a really swanky new house."

Via 57 West in New York City by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

"All I want for Christmas is an apartment in this building, which sets the tone for a new era of modernism in New York City. Bjarke Ingels is this century's Frank Lloyd Wright and I'm going on record with that statement.

"It's fun to see the building from the air on Google as well as from the water if you're on an architectural walking or boat tour (often sponsored by AIA New York Chapter); it's a departure from any other building on Manhattan's skyline. On a personal note, please find me if you have a lead on getting in!"

Ralph Atkinson House in Monterrey, California, by Gregory Ain

"The LA architect Gregory Ain was on the FBI's watchlist for decades because he dared to advocate on behalf of integrated housing in 1950's California. He and partner James Homer Garrott, an African American architect, designed this house in Monterrey in 1959 when they had an office in Silver Lake.

"On a tall and steep cliff over the Pacific, it is not an exaggeration to say that this home is one of the most beautiful, spectacularly sited houses in America.

"We often try to track these houses and to learn about their owners; this one was last sold in 2020 to a mysterious buyer, who has stayed anonymous with the help of a lot of lawyers and accountants. But if you're ever in the area, it is everyone's dream Instagram post."

Casa Marbrisas in Acapulco, Mexico, by John Lautner

"Lautner in Mexico. John Lautner is the architect of record, the project architect is Elena Arahuete. Together they designed one of the most amazing residences in Mexico. Or anywhere, for that matter.

"It's an incredible fusion of sky and sea and water, even though it's high up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Not open to visitors, the house has been featured in several Lautner documentaries."

Desert House 1 in Palm Springs, California, by Jim Jennings

"This is a desert example of complete efficiency, a one-bedroom, one-bath house that perfectly bookends Frey's home of 45 year's earlier.

"Once inside the walls, you are part of completely relaxing, simple, minimal space, at the same moment inside and outside, very private, cloistered. I'd call it monastic."

Victor and Elizabeth Hunt House in Malibu, California, by Craig Elwood

"Designer Craig Elwood had a red Ferrari and was a master of promotion in mid-century Los Angeles. Derided by the architecture profession, of which he was formally not a member, he rose to fame via three homes that were included in the iconic Case Study Houses published by Arts and Architecture magazine.

"The Victor and Elizabeth Hunt House in Malibu was immaculately restored in 2020 by Ellwood-whisperer Barton Jahncke, who specializes in Ellwood restorations, for its loving new owners and noted preservationists, Diane Bald and Michael Budman."

The post The ten best modernist buildings in North America are "sculptures that you can live in" appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

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kyouryokusenshi · 5 years ago

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Hotel California

My MUCH MUCH belated 50 states fic has arrived.

Summary: Mulder and Scully stay in a swanky California hotel in the Bay Area. Set sometime after Plus One, but before Rm9. “A Map of Us: 50 States of Sex” challenge by @viceversawrites and @softnow

Tagging some other folks: @baronessblixen @danceswithcybermen @kikocrystalball @cultureisdarkbeer @fragilevixenfic @suitablyaggrieved @today-in-fic

A/N: I am soooo sorry it took this long for me to get this out. I’ve been in a major writing rut and life has just been crazy. As you may have guessed, the title was inspired by the song Hotel California. I also don’t own any rights to it, of course. :)

Shedding her coat was one of the first things Scully had done upon exiting the plane at SFO. The tight proximity of the plane cabin on the six-hour non-stop flight had her feeling nauseous and claustrophobic in addition to her usual airborne anxiety.

“You alright, Scully?” Mulder asked as he gently palmed her shoulder.

She could feel his gaze soaking up the entirety of her, carefully analyzing in case he found her answer less than satisfactory.

Scully regarded him carefully as he smoothed a lock of stray hair behind her shoulder while they waited for their luggage. She opened her mouth as she considered her words.

“I, uh...hot flashes,” she let out a chuckle. “I guess I should give up and join the AARP club.”

Mulder shook his head as he placed his hand on the small of her back. “Well, at least, I’ll no longer be flying solo in that club.”

Scully looked at him in shock. “Wow, you never fail to surprise me, Mulder.”

“Hey,” he rebuked. “Sooner or later, we’re gonna retire, remember? Those discounts will come in handy. May as well start saving now. I’ve been out of work for over a decade, remember?”

Scully smiled. “You have a valid point.” She couldn’t help but admit that this new frugal Mulder was turning her on.

“Well, what can I say, those online couponing groups are also pretty useful.”

“I must admit,” Scully started as they reached for their luggage as it came along on the conveyor belt, “I’m excited to see this swanky hotel you put us up in and how on Earth you managed to get it by Skinner.”

Mulder smiled. “I was taking more of an ‘act now and ask questions later’ approach.”

“Oh, Mulder,” Scully sighed, resigned. “I guess some things never change- which is oddly comforting.”

“Just think of it as a belated birthday gift, courtesy of yours truly, the Hoover Building, and Big Orange.”

-----

Once they retrieved their things and walked out to the pickup area, Mulder pulled up the Uber app and requested a ride. Sure enough, a friendly driver by the name of Jose pulled up to the curb in a red Nissan Versa.

The gentleman who appeared in his mid- to late- thirties rolled down the window. “Bob?”

“Yes,” Mulder remarked quickly before the younger man hopped out of the car to assist them with their luggage.

Mulder exchanged a quick glance over at Scully, who was, indeed, raising her eyebrow in amusement. “Are you having an identity crisis, Mulder?”

Jose reached for their suitcases-- to which Mulder happily obliged as the driver placed them into the trunk of his car.

“You try explaining Fox for the millionth time,” he quipped, palming her shoulder as she reached for the door to the front passenger seat. “It does make for some interesting conversation.”

With Mulder in the back seat and Scully in front, they admired their coastal surroundings and bustling of the city. Several electric Bird scooters lay tossed haphazardly upon the sidewalk as they passed through some great and not so great parts of the city.

“So you’re from D.C., huh?” the driver mused from behind his shades. “What brings you out here?”

“We’re FBI Agents,” Mulder provided as the driver’s eyes went wide.

“No shit?”

“We’re not really here on business, though-- at least, not exactly. My partner here just had a birthday last week.”

“Oooh, well happy belated birthday. I must say, though, the hotel I’m taking you to is pretty swanky. You won’t be disappointed,” he said, glancing back at Scully.

“Is that so?” Scully said, catching Mulder’s gaze in the mirror.

-----

Minutes later, after some sightseeing suggestions, they pulled up in front of a highrise building that was smaller than many of the others that surrounded it. Once the driver retrieved their luggage and bid them farewell, Mulder opened the Uber app and left the guy five stars with a generous tip.

Scully happened to catch a glance at the screen. “Is Skinner paying for that, too?”

Mulder smirked as he pocketed his phone. “Go big or go home, Scully.”

She sighed as they entered the building. “Well, we’ve already come this far.”

As they entered the lobby, they were greeted with an abundance of boutique decorations that were modernized mid-century style. Scully turned to look over her shoulder at Mulder and nodded in amusement.

“Wow, Mulder, you really outdid yourself.”

“I try,” he purred, slipping his arm around her shoulders, steering them towards check-in. “I try.”

If the lobby decor was anything to go by, Scully should have been prepared for the boutique designs that had awaited them in the room. The room itself wasn’t huge, but it was clearly a recent design with a mid-century modern flair. The walls were an orange-ish red to contrast the wooden flooring. A king-sized bed lay in the middle as a large heart-shaped jacuzzi tub was just opposite of the room.

The urge to rid Mulder of his clothing right then and there was extremely tempting.

Mulder turned back towards her, clearly reading her thoughts as he closed the space between them. “Now, I know what you’re thinking, Scully; I’m thinking the same thing, but I made a dinner reservation that’s a half-hour from now. Let the anticipation build some, hmm?”

Scully startled as Mulder placed one arm around her and the other at her thigh, and in one swooping motion, she was dipped backward as his lips fell onto hers. “Oh!” She closed her eyes as she allowed him to support her weight, returning the kiss with fervor.

“Mmm,” Mulder moaned as he felt her tongue slipped between his lips. He hardened involuntarily against his slacks, brushing against her thigh in the process.

Scully moved into the kiss further, tasting him as she placed an arm around his shoulders.

Mulder reveled in the taste of her before breaking the contact. “Jesus, what you do to me, woman,” he breathed heavily.

“Who needs seafood for dinner when I can have you?” Scully rasped, a teasing glint in her eye.

“Mmm… as amazing as that sounds, Scully, the kid-sized peanuts and pretzels for the past seven hours—courtesy of the airline staff-- doesn’t quite do it for me.

“It had better not disappoint, Mulder.”

----

They somehow managed to collect themselves over the next several minutes before Mulder had called for an Uber on his phone. They were nearly running down the hall to the elevator once they realized the driver was less than a minute away already.

“Chasing Ubers can be like chasing monsters, I guess,” Mulder remarked on the elevator ride down.

Scully rolled her eyes as the door opened before rushing out into the corridor.

The trip itself wasn’t long, but a good portion of it involved them sitting in traffic as per usual in the East Bay Area according to the driver. Mulder looked over and smiled at Scully. She met his gaze and returned his smile at the driver’s choice of music and lyrics from Hotel California began to play.

“On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair

Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim

I had to stop for the night.

There she stood in the doorway;

I heard the mission bell

And I was thinking to myself

'This could be heaven or this could be Hell'

Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way

There were voices down the corridor,

I thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)”

Scully turned to look at Mulder, it finally having dawned on her the significance of this song. In her tone-deaf voice, Scully sang, softly.

“Such a lovely face. Plenty of room at the Hotel California. Any time of year, any time of year, you can find it here.”

Mulder chuckled. “I thought you couldn’t sing.”

“I can’t,” she scoffed, gazing out the window at the immaculate view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the tranquil blue waters in the distance. Her lips curved upwards, “But, it’s the Eagles, how can you not?”

Mulder looked over at her, struck suddenly by those blue depths as he often was. He leaned forward and Scully met him halfway, her lips connecting instantly with his. God, he couldn’t get enough of her.

Until recently, he didn’t want to get his hopes up that she’d want to rekindle what they’d had together for so many years. He was uncertain if the night at the St. Rachel motel was more than a desire to combat the loneliness he that plagued them both.

“Hey, don’t take it any further back there, alright?” the Uber driver warned.

A few minutes and several discarded Lime scooters along the street later, they arrived at their destination for the night; a restaurant along the Pacific Ocean's cliff. The sun had just started to set, crimson melting into the sky as the sun cast its final sheen onto the water’s surface.

Once they were inside, a busboy asked if they had a reservation, to which Mulder provided the name Bob once again.

He smirked knowingly as Scully cast him another look.

The interior of the restaurant was as fancy as the hotel Mulder had reserved; although, they were surrounded by double-paned windows instead of walls that provided a breath-catching view of the ocean outside.

“Oh, Mulder, you shouldn’t have,” she teased as they sat down.

They were just short of beating the evening rush as several people began to pour in shortly after. A server stopped by to offer a selection of wine and Scully eagerly claimed a bottle of red that the younger gentleman had boasted was local to Napa.

Mulder raised a toast to Scully before watching the way the red liquid touched her lips and the way her tongue claimed the excess as she set the glass down.

“Scully, did you know over ninety percent of the wine in the United States is produced in California?”

“Considering I spent some time in this state, I could have easily guessed,” she remarked as she took another swig of wine.

“Hey, I gotta keep you on your toes,” he retorted as he playfully lifted his eyebrows.

Scully opted for a plate of seafood pasta, with the seafood being locally sourced, as Mulder opted for prime rib.

Scully cast a glance around the spacious interior of the restaurant, looking at tables filled with people and chatter as the sky darkened outside. Mulder had rid himself of his coat and she couldn’t help but notice the scent of his cologne permeating through the air between them. He must have put it on in their mad dash to ready themselves for dinner. She wished she'd have thought to pack a small vial of perfume for this trip.

Their dinner arrived within twenty minutes, most of which was spent in silence as they admired the sunset and colorful hues of the sky outside the vast windows. Once Scully finished her food, she hoped she wouldn't have any issues keeping it down.

After they managed to finish off a bottle of wine, Mulder paid the bill, much to Scully's chagrined reluctance and they meandered their way outside to the patio, which was surprisingly empty. As the brisk air passed over them, they could see why.

Scully shivered as they gazed out at the now darkened sky, rubbing warmth into her arms. Mulder seemed to take note of this an instantly shed his coat and draped it around her before she could offer a rebuttal.

"Remember how I told you about the stars, how they're billions of years old?" Mulder mused.

Scully couldn't help but laugh at the memory. "How could I forget? At one point, I thought you were among them," she explained.

Mulder turned towards her as a moment of melancholy settled between them.

"I spent thirty minutes talking to Skinner about souls and starlight."

To her surprise, they both let out a chuckle.

"Good. Now, he can pay it forward," Mulder chuckled.

Scully didn't seem to catch on to this last statement as her gaze traveled up and down Mulder's well-tailored suit, which was snug in all the right places.

While a ways from being drunk, she was feeling euphoric effects of the buzz she had going.

"Scully?" Mulder promoted, making her realize she had been quietly staring at him for a good few minutes.

"Huh?"

"Did you want to take a little walk?"

"No, I actually think I want to go back to the hotel and, erm, make use of the facilities you paid so much for."

Mulder eyed her for a moment before nodding reluctantly.

Twenty minutes later, they were back at the hotel and Scully opened the drapes to reveal the iridescent lights of the city before them. It was a breathtaking view.

"So, I was thinking we could walk around the city tomorrow; check out Pier 39, walk around the Golden Gate Bridge or heck, take a boat ride to Alcatraz… "

"You know, Mulder," Scully interjected from the bathroom, "I just realized there's only one bed."

Mulder felt like a deer in headlights. He still wasn't quite sure where they stood, but after that case with the twins and the fact that Scully was at the house regularly, he figured it odd to be sleeping in separate rooms at this point.

He scratched his head nervously. "I, erm, well, I can… take the couch."

Mulder was wholly unprepared for what came next. Scully exited the restroom, having shed her blouse down to reveal a lacy black bra.

A shiver of anticipation passed through him at the sight. If it was cold before, the room suddenly felt extremely hot.

"I'm kidding, Mulder."

"Oh, I uh...um…"

He turned away, not wanting to make any further assumptions. They both had had plenty to drink, though most of his buzz had tapered off already.

"So...any of those sound good to you?" He asked nervously.

"Think," she mused playfully, "we can figure out something.” Her sultry tone was not lost on him.

As she moved closer, he turned toward her, feeling himself harden in response and unable to look away as his gaze traveled up and down her body.

Mulder seemed to be asking a silent question with his gaze, to which Scully responded by reaching to unbutton her skirt and allowing it to all but drop to the floor in a haphazard heap.

Mulder could feel his heartbeat quicken and thump against his chest at the sight. The next thing he knew, his hands were moving on their own accord to free himself from the confines of his pants.

As he did so, Scully crossed in front of him and playfully pushed him back onto the bed before assisting him with stripping his pants the rest of the way down.

Mulder let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding as he stared up at the intricate contemporary artwork on the ceiling. He allowed himself to be at Scully's mercy, letting her have full control over how far she wanted this to go. The next thing he knew, the warmth of her mouth enveloped his length, moving up and down, sucking him into the back of her throat with a hum.

She took her time in pleasuring him, savoring the taste of him like a popsicle.

"Oooh, I'm not going to last long at this rate, Scully," he moaned, feeling himself throb inside the sheath of her mouth.

Scully pulled back then, licking her lips and savoring the taste of him before crawling onto the bed on her hands and knees and straddling him between her legs.

As she neared, Mulder was entranced by the sight of her voluptuous breasts as if he was privileged to see them for the first time. Other than their recent encounters a few weeks back while investigating the doppelganger case, they hadn't been intimate for a few years, and it seemed like an eternity.

As Mulder reached for them, Scully's hand found his, guiding it to her chest. As she moved to unclasp her bra, Mulder’s hands were covering hers as they both worked to free her from the contraption. He could swear they seemed slightly fuller than before, but maybe it was his imagination.

Scully let out a small gasp at his touch as his fingers explored her breasts as she moved on top of him. "Oh, God," she moaned.

Mulder gently nibbled on the small bud, the sensitivity shocking Scully to her core. Gently, he released her nipple as he allowed his tongue to slowly draw circles around her areola before trailing upward to her neck and jawline.

Scully leaned forward, pressing her lips against his ear and biting down slowly, gently nibbling on his upper ear before moving downward.

Mulder slipped his free arm underneath Scully in the process and the moment his fingers touched her folds, he could immediately feel the wetness seeping between them. He pushed inside, making a come hither motion with his index finger, causing her to yelp.

"Fuck me!"

Scully bucked against him involuntarily as he moved to tease her clit.

"Happy to oblige," he moaned.

Their mouths found their way back to one another and Scully felt her walls spasming against his touch.

He removed his finger and slipped it into his mouth, savoring the sweet tang of her before offering it to her. Realizing he couldn't wait much longer, he surprised her by shifting slightly as she parted her legs and slipped inside.

"Oh, Scully," he moaned.

The feeling of him inside her was welcoming as they began to work in tandem with each thrust. Mulder's hands supported her hips as she reached out to grasp the headboard.

"Oooohh fuuuck!" she nearly screamed. In that moment, she couldn't have given a fuck less if anyone overheard them.

Mulder threw his head back as he picked up the pace. He could tell she was close as he was.

"Yes, MULDER. YES!"

As he felt himself spill inside of her, he felt her walls ripple against him before feeling her release. With a heavy sigh, Scully relaxed against him. The moment was euphoric even though everything went so fast.

Mulder moaned as Scully shifted to move beside him, her hands finding their way down his chest, her fingers taking delicate care along the way. Neither wished for the moment to end. Scully felt Mulder’s hand find its place on her lower back as she moved closer to his face, teasing him with her bottom lip until their mouths connected.

Closing his eyes, Mulder moaned into the contact, his tongue moving in sync with hers, relishing the taste of her mouth and the softness of her breasts pressing against him. Scully finally pulled back with a gasp, allowing the air to seep through her lungs as she lay on her back. It was as if she had forgotten to breathe.

Mulder smiled in spite of himself, allowing a moment to pass before he moved to sit beside Scully as they faced the opened window that overlooked the city lights.

“Talk about an afterglow,” Scully said as she rolled over onto her stomach. “Were the curtains open this whole time?”

“Yeah,” Mulder chuckled. “Good thing we’re on the top floor, huh?” he said with a chuckle.

Scully hummed as she moved to wrap herself inside the warmth of the top comforter.

“You planned all this didn’t you?”

A smile pulled at Mulder’s lips as he leaned over, brushing her hair aside as he nuzzled her neck with his nose. “Well, I am a dark wizard, Scully.”

“Mmm, is that so?” she moaned, lifting her brows suggestively as he pulled away. Their lips found one another again and they closed their eyes, savoring the moment.

Opening her eyes, Scully looked at Mulder and a sly smile tugged at her lips. “Well then, I can think of a few more things that could use some...magic,” she whispered as she lifted the comforter.

“Oh, now you’re talking,” he said suggestively as he dove under the covers with Scully squealing in delight, enjoying the contact. She could feel the heat of his mouth as it neared her center, sending a gentle shiver up her spine. Mulder’s tongue slowly began to tease her clit and she writhed underneath him as she yelped out in excitement.

“Ohhh God!”

Mulder stopped only momentarily, grinning to himself. He knew exactly what he was doing to her and how she was instantly putty in his hands. He continued diving into her warm core, savoring the taste of her.

Slowly but surely, they would make their way back to one another. It had been set into motion since they first went back to the FBI together. The stars seemed to align more perfectly than ever before as they got back to their bread and butter.

END

#50statesofsex #xfilesfanfiction #mulderandscully #smut

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arcticdementor · 5 years ago

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The June issue of Commentary, likely assembled in early-to-mid-May, contained an article written by John Podhoretz and illustrated by Daniel Rose headlined “The Empty City.” Podhoretz selected ten eerie photos of a depopulated Manhattan shot by Rose, whom Podhoretz describes as “a businessman and amateur photographer whose stunning images you are seeing here and on our cover, used the time to document this unnerving reality:”

…

Or until Monday, June the 1st, when a different type of Groundhog Day may have begun for New Yorkers: “The Empty City” repopulated itself – with a massive amount of rioters and looters, all-but-endorsed by a leftist mayor who not only refused to call in the National Guard, but whose own daughter was arrested during a Manhattan protest the previous Saturday. Notice that the photos collated for Podhoretz’s article show few buildings boarded up, demonstrating that business owners still believed that the police would protect them. As Reason’s Nick Gillespie wrote on Tuesday at Spectator USA, “Until a few nights ago, at least Manhattan was safe. You might not see anyone else on the street, but you didn’t feel worried, either. Stores were closed, but their windows weren’t covered in plywood:”

…

Back to the Future, One Way or Another

As with Podhoretz’s article, published during the inflection point between lockdown and smash-up, a Spectator USA article headlined “Back to the Future” by Michael Lind, dated May 24th, speculated that “the post-pandemic world could resemble the 1950s”:

The 2020s could witness a wave of suburbanization like the one that followed World War Two. While many of the urban rich move out of crowded downtowns, the working classes may be driven even further into the metropolitan periphery. If the pandemic is followed by lingering mass unemployment and a decade of lost growth, working-class people and retirees will be even more inclined to compensate by moving to cheaper land to reduce their biggest fixed cost — the rent or mortgage.

A flight from the big cities, should it take place, could see a reversal of the urban gentrification that occurred in the recent pre-pandemic years. After World War Two, many American cities were depopulated and de-industrialized. Municipal bankruptcies, riots and crime waves exacerbated the dereliction. A few elite neighborhoods in Paris, London and New York will always be fashionable, but others could undergo the kind of dystopian urban decay that was familiar as recently as the 1980s, inspiring movies like Taxi Driver (1976) and Escape from New York (1981).

That New York was able to turn it around at all in the 1990s was a testament to Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and his willingness to employ “Broken Windows”-inspired anti-crime policies, as discussed in a 2019 City Journal article by Steven Malanga that also warned, “Progressive policies threaten a new era of urban dysfunction:”

…

During the past decade, the left liked to toss around the phrase “food deserts” to describe inner-city urban areas that lacked swanky Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. The lack of such amenities was a direct result of businesses fleeing after the riots of the 1960s, which utterly transformed cities such as Detroit. Expect that phrase to get into even wider circulation in the coming years, as this passage from Joel Kotkin in a Quillette article from Tuesday titled “Pandemics and Pandemonium” highlights:

…

At the American Spectator (which must loathe the fact that the London Spectator has started a U.S.-oriented spinoff publication), John C. Wohlstetter wrote that in the 1960s, the immediate police response to riots inadvertently determined whether or not a city would have a viable long-term future. “There is a validated playbook for dealing with riots”

…

Detroit: The Retail Model of the Future?

In 1965, Jerome Cavanagh, Detroit’s then-mayor, seen by some as an up and coming young Democrat in the JFK mold, starred in a 20-minute film that was created to attract the 1968 Olympics. The documentary featured, as Tom Wolfe would say, row after Mies van der Rohe of gleaming modernist buildings; the height of midcentury modernism; it was titled “Detroit: A City on the Move”

…

Smile: You’re on Candid Camera — Everywhere

The past week and a half of riots may well deliver technological changes too, as predicted by prolific libertarian Tweeter “Neontaster:”

I just hope America realizes that the government's solution to this problem is facial recognition camera networks. So loot all you want, dude. Your face is still going in that database and the knock at your door will come. We just bought that future.— neontaster (@neontaster) June 3, 2020

Want a student loan or car loan? Wanna sign that lease? Just let me take your picture one sec OOPS looks like you stole a TV from Target 6 years ago and the system just auto called the cops and they'll be here shortly to arrest you.— neontaster (@neontaster) June 3, 2020

PS: The people who are like "wtf I love facial recognition now" – that's how it starts. Pretty soon your health insurance premiums go up because a camera spotted you somewhere without a mask. Never think these policies end with other people.— neontaster (@neontaster) June 3, 2020

On Monday, Rod Dreher of The American Conservative wrote a post titled “The iPad Thieves,” which began with video of a Muslim-immigrant-owned computer store in Minneapolis being looted (stolen products that may or may not work, thanks to Apple’s anti-theft technology) before concluding with a look at the riots and looting in Manhattan. Dreher concluded, “When I moved to New York City in 1998, it was so, so common to hear people say that Rudy Giuliani, who had been elected in 1994, had made such a difference in the life of the city. ‘You can’t imagine what it was like before,’ they would say. That was a long time ago. Now, it’s back to the 1980s.”

Thanks to both the impact of the COVID lockdown and the riots that immediately followed, numerous 21st-century American cities could join the ranks of Detroit, mated with the omnipresent surveillance technology of the Stasi. In 2009, at the dawn of the Obama administration, the Washington Post declared (via Newsweek, which was then under its ownership), “We Are All Socialists Now.” Post-2020, both in external appearance and behind the scenes, a fair chunk of American urban life could come to resemble East Germany, rather than Sweden.

#ed driscoll #pjmedia

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redwolf · 6 years ago

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This two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath on the hills above Salt Lake City, Utah was designed in 1960 by architect Robert Fowler. The 334 square metre house was remodelled and transformed to maximise the home’s mid century bones with modern amenities.

(via Swanky midcentury with modern updates asks $3.8M - Curbed)

#robert fowler #architecture

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jtroiano32 · 2 years ago

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The meal I chose to write about is Chicken Divan. It's a Dish invented in New York City in the early 1920s. We have this dish usually once a year in August because mine, my mothers, and my brothers Birthday all fall within a couple weeks of each other. It's very delicious but quite unhealthy so we try to only have it once a year. My grandmother usually prepares the whole dish but members of my family rotate helping her with some of the steps. The meal represents a traditional food system because the recipe is mostly original and is a classic american dish. It represents modern food systems because it is easily made with cheap easy ingredients found at any grocery store. It also represents a our modern food system because America is UNHEALTHY. It has everything unhealthy in it that is extremely popular today. Mayonnaise, larde, chicken fat, and served over rice.

Href.li: Hide your referrer. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2022, from https://href.li/?https%3A%2F%2Fquaintcooking.com%2F2019%2F08%2F20%2Fhistory-of-chicken-divan%2F

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peonymoss · 6 years ago

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Written, directed, and produced by women

Starring Enver Gjokaj

As of 8:00 AM EST, 5/6/2019: a mere $5200 away from goal, with 50 hours to get there

Pledge $15.00 or more and you’ll get a “thank you” credit at the end of the film

Recently fired from the LAPD for noncompliance (or as he would put it, "arguing with the Chief"), Morris is a young, novice ex-cop who hasn’t quite found his footing yet. Having just returned to his hometown of Palm Springs, we meet Morris as he follows up on a lead involving his partner’s murder. He discovers that the thread entangles not only the mob but also Hollywood’s biggest star, Vera Thompson. Oftentimes overly confident, and occasionally bluffing his way through certain situations, we’ll watch as the headstrong Morris learns how to be a detective the hard way.

ENVER GJOKAJ IN A HAT

#dollhouse #agent carter #enver gjokaj #PLEASE i really want to see this film #noir #swanky mid-century modern #enver in a HAT playing a character that it sounds like he'll have a lot of fun with

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ebansalfurniture · 3 years ago

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Top 8 Dining Room Decor Ideas 2022

The dining room is a place where you preferably dine and drink. For many people, it's a place where you get your bonding and share with your loved ones. Many of the ideas have been developed over a meal or a drink. Of all the rooms, the dining room decor is majorly what makes it feel like a home.

Many indulge in decorating their dining room upon various factors like recent trends, fashion, type of cuisine, culture and tradition.

The thought of adding class to the art of dining is a noble one. Cranking up the wholesome experience of dining is a whole different ball game altogether.

There are many ways to add class to the dining experience, one of the major and important ones is decor in the dining room.

Dining Room Decor Ideas 2022

Dining room decor with designs that are oozing with luxury-style elegance, contemporaneity, craftsmanship and innovation have been the main hopes for the year 2022. So let’s see the upcoming trends that are gonna unfold for our dining rooms.

- Go Bold with Bright Colours

After a long span of neutrals, it is time to move towards the celebration of bold & bright colours by hosting family and friends at home.

Is not it a great idea to bring bright colours into your dining room?

Bright colours are versatile and very well settle into any dining room decor. Try harmonizing your dining room design with woodwork in striking hues for an assured attractive interior.

- Sustainable Furniture for Sustainable Dining Room Decor

Buy once, buy sustainable is a trend that will never go timeless, it is a set trend for the coming years. A combination of sustainability and designer furniture is the best approach, not only for interior decorators but for everyone.

Eco-friendly wood pieces crafted out of salvaged timber or rattan promises something related to lifelong satisfaction.

Shop vintage and introduce a sustainable character into your dining room decor.

- Take a closer look at Sheesham Wood Furniture

Sheesham Wood encapsulate the best clue for dining room decor ideas in 2022. Sheesham wood furniture represents a seamless weaving of durability into functionality, sustainability and style.

Sheesham wood in a variety of finishes offers a harmonious idea to experiment with statement dining room decors or different types of furniture to create an awesome dining room decor.

- Go Glam with Leather Upholstery

The luxury dining interior is back in trend. Chairs upholstered in long-lasting & statement-focused leather put style and durability both to your dining room decor. Who does not love the all-embracing trend of sustainability especially when it comes in swanky twists?

- Modern Nordic Furniture for Trendy Dining Room Design

Craving for Modern Nordic furniture will keep sustaining for the year 2022 as well. For exquisite dining room decor, you can try a combination of soft textures and colours to offer a welcoming look to a functional dining room design. Modern Nordic Furniture is the best way to update any themed dining room.

- Build Relation with Smoke Glass Details

Having a love affair with smoke glass details would be a great idea for the year 2022, especially if it is a contemporary dining room. It will undeniably offer an awesome look with respect to dining table decor items and pendants.

Mid-Century Modern styles will be the best pieces to welcome the return of smoked glass in gold detailing.

- Tailor-Made Interpretation

The customised furniture is something which will remain in trend for the entire year. Go for a furniture manufacturer who can skillfully compose tailor-made interpretations of their original productions. eBansal Furniture is one of the furniture brands leading the way in the custom furniture & decor market.

- Multifunctional Dining Table Decor

A combination of aesthetics and functionality is important when it comes to crafting a dining room decor that matches modern lifestyles. A designer multifunctional table can very well lodge a small dinner party as well as an big celebration at home.

To spruce up your space, go for the combination of a multifunction dining table with chairs that would go best for official as well as casual purposes while adding a glam statement. Recently launched, soft and stylish chairs by eBansal Furniture help dining spaces effortlessly turn into home offices.

Looking for an astonishing collection of aesthetically appealing wooden furniture for your dining space?

eBansal Furniture is one of the best online furniture stores for exquisite furniture and home decor with masterly design services. The curated collection of coffee tables, desks, kitchen cabinets, nightstands and upholstered case goods are crafted meticulously using termite-resistant wood and natural materials by the experts of eBansal Furniture.

Customize and craft your own from scratch!

Explore each of our exquisite fusion of technological skills & contemporary craftsmanship and put a luxury twist!

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thecortadobar · 3 years ago

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Boys’ Meet Strangers

I love the concept of Mid-Century-Modern America. Well, at least the perception of it. A booming America, suburbia with white picket fences meets happy domesticity with perhaps the invasive (if not new-fangled) television set in the living room. I grew up thinking this was America at its best. Obviously, with age and a bit more education, this perception proved to be a fallacy. Even still, my perception was the media at the time only churned out images of happy, nuclear families and the like. You know, “The Leave it to Beaver” or “I Love Lucy” sort.

Yuck.

I love Kim Novak, too. Novak is a major film star of the period. She was one of the top box-office hits of the decade and arguably the last of the classic studio stars. Described in 1964 as “remote and mysterious....she has become one of the reigning sex goddesses of the day....”. Blonde, green-eyed, feline and beautiful, she has since been overshadowed by another blonde in popular memory. I find this highly ironic, as Novak’s “Vertigo” is considered to be the greatest film of all time, and this was the film that introduced me to Novak. She has a rare remote quality on the screen that bears no resemblance to her contemporaries. Over time, I’ve watched some other Novak flicks to pass time (thanks Covid). Two films in particular resonated with me: “Strangers When We Meet” and “Boys’ Night Out.”

“Strangers’” was released in 1960, whereas “Boys’” was released in 1962, both with Novak at the helm. “Strangers” is a melodrama, touching the taboo topic of adultery, with predictably disastrous results. “Novak’s leading man was the indubitably macho-man, Kirk Douglas. Together they play a frustrated, unfulfilled housewife and a bored architect. Neither happy in their current marriage, they decide to give into temptation and initiate an affair. Inevitably, the pair is found out by a nosey neighbor, and the romance ends with Novak driving off dramatically from an empty house designed by Douglas’ character.

“Boys’” is a rom-com, with a focus on sex and middle-age. 3 married men, 1 divorced man (James Garner), and a desire for something more than adventure leads the group to rent a luxury apartment in Manhattan. Why, you ask? This was to be a shared love den for a shared and kept woman. Each man will get one night a week at the pad. Enter Novak, the perfect play thing. At least on the surface. While she takes up residence in the swanky swinger’s lounge, she has her own nefarious purposes. Studying the sexual lives of the urban male, she continues to collect data for her post-graduate thesis using the men. To boot, she lives in a luxury building and evades the married men’s advances. My type of girl, really.

She does end up with James Garner, the divorced one. Not really a surprise there. Overall, this comedy comes off goofy today, but certainly in its time it was controversial with a deliberate concentration on sex. Interesting side-note, Kim Novak helped produce this film with her production company, the imaginably named KIMCO. Again, my type of girl.

Neither were massive hits in their time. The subject matter, I suspect, was just to progressive for these films to really take off in the conservative, still highly censored film-industry. In any event, these films on a surface level don’t have much in common. Surface being the operative word.

Predating AMC’s “Mad Men” by nearly 50 years, both films manage to successfully sling mud at the white picket fence utopia we perceive this time to be. Both convey that the nuclear family isn’t fulfilling, at least in the long term. The only differentiating factor here is the delivery. Are we laughing, or are we crying? In particular, “Strangers” has a distinct, if not subtler, “Mad Men” feel. Swap out Madison Avenue’s advertising executive for a California architect, add an unhappy housewife, lover’s angst and a few trysts, you get an overall similar result.

Coincidentally or not, an iconic “Mad Men” character even expressed interest in being more like Kim Novak. Joan, as well as Kim, were appreciated mostly for their looks versus any talent or ability they possess, and both were hyper-sexualized. Even today, Novak’s looks are commented on and the stuff of backlash. Is there a comparison to be made here? I’ll allow you to be the judge.

I thoroughly recommend you watch these flicks. Sure, they may not be to everyone’s taste. That being said, both surprisingly go against the happy-go-lucky imagery we have of the 1950s and early 60s. Both are spectacularly shot, well-acted and are A-grade films in terms of production value. Do these films deserve to be classics? Perhaps. But they do deserve our attention.

#kim novak #america #midcentury #coffee #cortado #ramble #blog

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architectnews · 4 years ago

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Ten need-to-know modernist buildings in North and South America

From Frank Sinatra's house in Palm Springs to a cliffside home in Acapulco, here are 10 beautiful pieces of modernist architecture that non-profit USModernist is fighting to preserve.

USModernist director George Smart has picked 10 of his favourite examples of mid-century architecture across North and South America.

"Just like stock car racing or sushi, modernist architecture is not for everybody," Smart told Dezeen.

"There are some people that just don't like it, and that's fine. The important thing is that, because there are so few of them, that we recognise that many of these houses are really sculptures that you can live in," he explained.

"We wouldn't take a piece of art and go tear it to pieces. Similarly, we want to try to keep these houses, which are like works of art, from being destroyed."

Based in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, USModernist has been working since 2007 to document modernist homes and buildings across the continent. Its staff and community of modernism fans comb through the archives of notable modernist architects and track down their built works to photograph and document them.

USModernist also has a huge, free-to-access digital library of 20th-century architecture magazines. Educating the wider public about the importance of these buildings is central to USModernist's goals.

Smart noticed a particular uptick in threats to modernist buildings in the 2000s, which prompted him to found USModernist. Now the organisation has documented upwards of 8,000 buildings.

"Modernist architecture is very optimistic. It tends to point us towards a future that's going to be better and happier," Smart says on the appeal of the style.

"Most people who don't like modernist houses have never spent the night in one, they just don't get the vibe that is brought about by designing a house differently," he explained.

"I think people who know and love these houses and buy them just adore the feeling that their house gives them."

Read on to discover Smart's top 10 modernist buildings:

Frey II in Palm Springs, California, by Albert Frey

Catalano House in Raleigh, North Carolina, by Eduardo Catalano

"Argentinian professor Eduardo Catalano created one of the first hyperbolic paraboloid residences in 1954, which instantly became an international sensation.

TWA Terminal in New York City, New York, by Eero Saarinen

"The recent renovation, restoration and addition to Eero Saarinen's TWA Terminal at JFK Airport is one of America's finest restoration projects. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey get huge credit for not tearing the building down in the past 30 years.

Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms House in Palm Springs, California, by E. Stewart Williams

"In 1947 Frank Sinatra commissioned the first of a couple of Palm Springs houses, this one by E Stewart Williams. It put Williams on the map as an up-and-coming architect.

Holy Comforter Lutheran Church in Belmont, North Carolina, by Odell Associates

Via 57 in New York City, New York, by Bjarke Ingels (BIG)

"All I want for Christmas is an apartment in this building, which sets the tone for a new era of modernism in New York City. Bjarke Ingels is this century's Frank Lloyd Wright, and I'm going on record with that statement.

Ralph Atkinson House in Monterrey, California, by Gregory Ain

"On a tall and steep cliff over the Pacific, it is not an exaggeration to say that this home is one of the most beautiful, spectacularly sited houses in America.

Casa Marbrisas in Acapulco, Mexico, by John Lautner

"It's an incredible fusion of sky and sea and water, even though it's high up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Not open to visitors, the house has been featured in several Lautner documentaries."

Desert House 1 in Palm Springs, California, by Jim Jennings

"This is a desert example of complete efficiency, a one-bedroom, one-bath house that perfectly bookends Frey's home of 45 year's earlier.

"Once inside the walls, you are part of a completely relaxing, simple, minimal space, at the same moment inside and outside, very private, cloistered. I'd call it monastic."

Victor and Elizabeth Hunt House in Malibu, California, by Craig Elwood

The post Ten need-to-know modernist buildings in North and South America appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

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