Every Saturday I focus on a different artist that I admire. From potters to painters, chefs to collectors, seamstress to songwriters, lifestyle to lovers… anyone who set the paintbrush, pastry brush, hands and heart on fire to create.
Those who inspire art to flow where it may.
Photo source:
So what's a Cassilhaus?
My friends Ellen and Frank's home: Cassilhaus.
A contemporary nest in the heart of a forest.
Ellen, a longtime friend who lived with French Husband and I in Paris, is an Architect. Frank a photographer, artist in light and sound. Together they collect and create artful living spaces.
Their Home.
"… perched on a slope overlooking a forest has an 800-square-foot artist’s space and a 2,400-square-foot house, both with a megaphone of a view…
the 900-square-foot gallery that bridges them, connects our life and our art, in a very overt way. It’s a retreat.” excerpt taken from the New York Time's article aboutCassihaus.
a vision of their dreams.
Light, perched high, open spaces, artwork, breathing space…
Their collection of art photographs… stunning.
Four panels water running above the stairwell.
Sally Mann: Girl with a Candy Cigarette
Photo source Cassihaus
When French Husband & I were first married we lived in Paris in a very small studio in the heart of Les Halles. Noisy knew no other word in the neighborhood.
As French Husband worked in an urban real estate investment company. Often he would tell me of the places, mostly apartments he had seen. I would listen in awe. One day he invited me to see one of the buildings that the company was going to buy. He said, "There is an empty apartment inside, it is so typically Parisian, you gotta see it." So I went with him.
As soon as I entered inside I started to moan. "Not fair! Why can't we live here?"
French Husband did not have to remind me that we could not afford the rent. We walked around the large apartment, it had 15 foot ceilings, which were sculpted with pomegranates and flowers, Seven sets of French doors, a large gilded trumeau that stood on top of the marble fireplace. Wooden floors and light, glorious light.
I had a brainstorm, what if we rented one of the two bedrooms then we could easily pay for the apartment! Having room mates in Paris was an unknown concept at the time.
As I worked for the American Church in Paris I put up an ad (before internet a well known source of information in Paris, a hotspot of connection to anything under the sun, was the American Church Ad Board.) Within 24 hours we had a room mate.
Photo from the site: Triangle Modernist… Ellen and Frank's home.
Photo Source Flickr: Cassilhaus
Photo Source Cassillhaus.
A room mate named Ellen, that is how we met & became friends over twenty four years ago.
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Cassilhaus Blog Ellen and Frank started their blog years ago to show the step by step it took to designing and building their home.
Ellen Cassilly Architect
For more information about Ellen and Frank and the artists in residence, please look at there blog listed above or click here. or here.
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