Brian Vanden Brink - Architectural Photographer

Design: Hutker Architect

Brian Vanden Brink of Rockport, Maine, is a highly sought after and regarded architectural photographer. Over the past 30 years he has been selected by award wining design and architecture firms to photograph their work because of his reputation as an individual with respect for great design and a passion for using natural light.

This respect and passion can be seen in his extensive work which has graced some of the most notable magazines in the interior design industry.

In addition to magazines, his photography has been selected for several book covers as well as books dedicated exclusively to his photography. His most recent book is titled Ruin – Photographs of a Vanish America and highlights some beautiful and interesting homes and buildings that have fallen into disrepair. It is through Mr. Vanden Brink’s eyes and lens that we are able to see beyond the ruin and into the heart of these abandoned buildings and homes that were once filled with life and energy. He brings out their beauty in spite of their circumstances.

North Jay, Maine

Topsham, Maine

Winterport, Maine

Much of Mr. Vanden Brink’s work focuses on individual vignettes within a home that speak of warmth, family, tradition and the best of design. Here is a sampling of his work.

Designer: Hutker Architects

Designer: Jack Silverio, Architect

Designer: Doreve Nicholeyeve, Architect

Designer: Weatherend Estate Furniture

Designer: Hutker Architects

Design: Hutker Architects

Designer: Jack Sliverio Architect

Designer: John Martin Assoc. Architects

Designer: Hutker Architects

Design: Scott Simons, Architect

Designer: Anthony DiGregorio Architect

Design:Doreve Nicholyeve, Architect

Design: Group 3 Architects

Designer: Catalano Architects

Designer: Seimasko + Verbridge Architects

Designer: Wallace Harrison, Architect

Designer: Siemasko + Verbridge Architects

You can learn more about Brian Vanden Brink at his website: www.BrianVandenBrink.com

Rag Rugs Continue to get Attention!

Many thanks to Amy Azaritto for mentioning Avolli at apartment therapy!

If you would like to learn more about our Swedish rag rugs please visit us here (scroll down).

Let me tell you a little story….

One morning a few years ago, as I started my day like every other, I was sipping my first morning cup of coffee and reviewing the previous day’s website statistics. As I clicked on down the list of referring sites, I came to one that I hadn’t seen before but it had an interesting name and a notable following - chameleon-interior.blogspot.com. It turned out that Chameleon Interiors is the name of a design firm owned by Linda Merrill, and Linda had a blog called ::Surroundings::. I spent hours pouring through ::Surroundings:: and reading the many articles, looking at the beautiful images, and absorbing the interesting and relevant information on interior design.

It wasn’t long before I found the origin of all the new traffic to my website from ::Surroundings::. It was because of an amazing post called “Get that Look” which focused on the movie “Something’s Gotta Give”. The post discussed in length the many beautiful design details that were used in the set designs of this incredibly popular movie, and offered resources and links so that readers could achieve that look themselves. One of the quiet yet lovely components of the set was a Swedish Mora clock and Linda included a picture of one of Avolli’s beautiful clocks as an example of how and where to “get that look”.

Excited to learn that Avolli had been discovered by a blogger, and even more thrilled to see that the post was sending quite a bit of traffic to my site, I made a point to click over to ::Surroundings:: almost every day. Unknowing, clicking on the URLs of the referring sites in my traffic report allowed the referring site owners to link back to my private website traffic information. Unfortunately, I was enthusiastically clicking every day.

Then one day I received a very nice email from Linda. She also follows her site traffic quite closely and discovered that she could click directly into my traffic report and thought that I would want to know. I was touched by her honesty and appreciated that she took a minute to let me know. Since then we have become friends, the kind of friends that the blogging world creates. We exchange emails from time-to-time, have connected for lunch at IFDA events at the Boston Design Center, and utilize each other as a resource – at least, I find her to be a tremendous resource, so maybe it is a bit one sided.

Linda has become a leader in the interior design blogging world and has received national recognition for her work on “Blogging Top Design” about the Bravo reality TV show and she had the great honor of being mentioned by Margaret Russell, Editor in Chief of Elle Décor, who said, "Some of my favorite design blogs and websites include ... chameleon-interiors.blogspot.com."

Linda’s latest project is a collaboration with two other amazing women in the interior design blogging world: Joni Webb of Cote De Texas and Megan Arquette of beach Bungalow 8. Together these three motivated and inspirational bloggers are offering a new twist, and, I dare say, may have started a trend, on blogging. Taking it to the next level, these ladies present an audio discussion on unique and interesting design and blogging topics. They aren’t afraid to tell it like it is, and personally I find their candor and honesty wonderfully refreshing.

Several years have gone by since Linda mentioned Avolli in “Get That Look” and unknowingly Linda has been an inspiration and mentor. It was her dedication to blogging that prompted me to think, “well maybe I can do that”, and so I created a simple blog, made a few posting and then realized just how much work and dedication it took.My blog sat quiet for over a year and then recently I realized that I don’t have to be perfect at this, but what is most important is that I am true to myself and that I just get out there and do it. Each day that I devote to creating a blog post I think of Linda and wonder, “does this measure up?” Maybe some days it does and other days it doesn’t, but there is one thing I know for sure: I’ll never be as good at it as Linda.

Thank you Linda for being such an inspiration! xoxo

An Apartment With Style

In a previous post I introduced a piece of property from the Östermalm district of Stockholm. Today I am sharing another apartment from Östermalm that represents the essence of what I like the most; blending historical and traditional with the contemporary.

The first image features a gorgeous Biedermeier settee in either birch or elm wood. The warmth of the wood color is a welcome addition to the coolness of the white walls and the contrast of the black and white fabrics, art and furniture. This inclusion of natural wood is also supported by the herringbone parquet floors.

This view of the living room shows us that the natural finished wood is carried through with contemporary coffee and end tables. The large drum pendant is a frequently used source of light in Scandinavian design.

The Mademoiselle chair by Kartell is show in green damask and provides a bright contrast to the white walls and the tans and browns found throughout the television room.

This gorgeous kitchen is classic Scandinavian modern. There is no clutter, no item without a purpose, no excessive adornment…just simple, clean and lovely. Aren’t the pendent lights divine?

The master bedroom is understated and continues the design theme of natural woods, black and white fabrics set against white walls. The use of white cabinetry for closet space is an ingenious way to provide needed storage in an historical home with little or no closet space.

The master bathroom has clean lines and two water closets…I’ve not seen that before!

The pretty sheer curtains suspended by a wire rod keep the space light and airy while providing a visual distraction from the appliances.

The original fireplace and cow hide rug bring deep warmth into this cozy room. The lovely, sparkly and airy pendent light maintains the contemporary balance.

This appears to be a guest room with a beautiful Swedish rag rug.

The exterior is charming and welcoming.

Source: http://www.skeppsholmen.se/?section=