axel vervoordt castle/abstract

One of my favorite images from my visit to Axel Vervoordt's castle outside of Antwerp is a bit abstract. Gotta love a good moat.

daily life/morning walk

One of the perks of my morning walks (which have been rather early lately) is that all the sprinklers are running. It sounds like summer.

the springs, ny/

Just a pretty one from The Springs, NY for today. Have a lovely weekend friends.

handcrafted modern/outtakes/blunk

Well...obviously I am having a JB Blunk moment. I had to go through the images I shot for Handcrafted Modern the other day and realized that all the digital images I shot I just never even looked at. Like this first image. I literally had never noticed it until the other day. I am in love with it now needless to say. Click on it to make it bigger. Take a little mental vacation.

handcrafted modern/outtakes/blunk

I guess it makes sense that all this work on my new book has led to reviewing my first one, Handcrafted Modern. There are so many images that have never been seen, including this one at JB Blunk's home. I have been posting some outtakes on Instagram as well so you can follow me there if you'd like. I'd love to have you. I'm lesliewilliamson on IG.

well hello.../

Just a quick image from the grounds of The Glass House that I ran across. More soon...

PHEW!!!!!!!!!!!/and thank you!

ok...I can breathe easy, right? My Kickstarter is over and I exceeded my goal which is beyond amazing!! Now I get a rest?
Oh wait...I have a book to make. Right...
Haha...no complaints here! This is what I love to do, but I am going to disappear for a bit and work on finishing this book up. I have a bit more to do to get first drafts in to my publisher.
Have a beautiful weekend my friends and I will be back as soon as I can!
xxoo

love and kickstarter/all items loaded

Well...one more of my beloved heart puddle for your Valentine's Day pleasure. I watched it swell with a bit of rain and then slowly fade during my time in Mendocino. When it wasn't there I would walk past where it would be and still see it in my mind and silently give it a wink.
Today I am just overwhelmed with the amazing support my Kickstarter has received so far. $11,000 in one week is so fantastic! Thank you so much to all my backers. But I still have a long way to go. So please check out my Kickstarter and if you love your copy of Handcrafted Modern, sign up to pre buy your copy of the next in the Handcrafted series - this one of all the European homes.
There is actually a wonderful little interview with me and little film on Handcrafted Modern on the new website All Items Loaded. I am loving this website. Enjoy it and Happy Valentine's Day! xxoo

daily life/mendocino writing cabin

I think I have got my routine down here at the writing cabin in Mendocino. I wake up, head down to the cliff for a walk, get a cup of coffee in Mendocino and then head back to the cabin to write for the rest of the day. I'll break for lunch in the mid afternoon and a light dinner and if I am on schedule, let myself watch one hour of some type of downloaded mindless entertainment. Something light. It is a simple, intense routine, but it is working.
The other day as I got back to the cabin after my walk, I started laughing at myself because I realized that my routine when I get to the cabin is exactly what Mr. Rogers did at the beginning of every single one of his shows. (For those of you not familiar with Mr. Rogers, go here.) I put down my things, take off my shoes and change them to my "cabin moccasins". Then I take off my outdoor coat and change into my comfy sweater that my Mom hand knitted for my Dad in the 1970's. It has a zipper instead of buttons and for some reason, I always noticed that Mr. Rogers always had zippered sweaters. Maybe that is why this all came to mind. It is fascinating where your mind goes when you are alone in your thoughts all the time. I find myself remembering things I didn't realize were in this brain of mine. Sometimes these memories are discoveries unto themselves. I love it!
OK. Enough with the rambling. Back to work.
PS - this is another of my favorite images from my morning walks. There are lots more on Instagram. @lesliewilliamson

daily life/morning walk in Mendocino

So I have been holed up in a cabin in Mendocino for the past couple of days writing these essays for my new book. Quite honestly, I am feeling the pressure now and it has been a bumpy ride. But yesterday, I finally hit a groove and completed what feels like the first solid chapter. I went to bed feeling good for the first time in awhile.
So this morning I wake up and just throw on clothes to go out for a walk. It was sublimely beautiful in Mendocino this morning, no other way to put it. I headed off down the cliff trail and literally within the first minute of my walk this is what I see. You can see it, right? You can call it a heart puddle if you want. Or a puddle of love. All I can see is a sign telling me I am on the right path (with everything - writing, photography, life, love) and to keep going! What an amazing way to start the day. I absolutely had to share this right away.  ; )
Hope your weekend is full of beautiful signs like this. xx

PS - you can see a few more images from my morning walk if you follow me on Instagram @lesliewilliamson

angler's club pt. 2/golden gate park

Before the weekend I thought I would share the rest of my images from the San Francisco Angler's Club in Golden Gate Park. It is a peaceful place to just go and sit. Fly casting seems like an incredibly meditative activity, and watching from the sidelines is equally so.
Wish I had more to write today, but I am writing up my Kickstarter project summary and I have to keep to it. My Kickstarter will be launching soon (next week I hope?) and for all of you that have been wanting a sneak peek into the new book, this will be it. I'll keep you posted.
Have a lovely weekend beautiful people.

russian river/

daily life/morning walk at ocean beach

Some days I just need to be by water. Actually most days this is what I need, but yesterday it was doubly true. Water is grounding for me and with so many different things pulling at my time and attention, just hearing the ocean's constant, low roar anchors me and slows everything down. The birds were having a pretty good time yesterday as well...

just pretty/

From a visit to Green Gulch Zen Center yesterday.
Have a good weekend friends.

decaying greenhouse/denmark

There is something about a building that is being allowed to break down that I am consistently drawn to. This greenhouse was on the grounds of the Odrupgaard Museum in Denmark, a stonesthrow from Finn Juhl's House and a Zaha Hadid structure. And here it sits, with memories of it's former glory still evident, at least to me. It makes me wistful. Goodness, I hope they restore it.

one day in paris/

After this two month adventure of shooting amazing houses (and many other things), I ended up with just one day in Paris to myself. My last day of the trip. I haven't spent time in Paris, without jetlag, for about 15 years. I originally had planned to stay a bit longer but I quickly realized that Paris would be lost on me. I was just too tired. But still, I had a really lovely day through the rain and drizzle. Here are some random shots from my phone. I shot a bit more on my proper camera but haven't even looked at them yet. Expect a post on Atelier Brancusi soon. I went crazy there...
There are a couple from the Palais Royale, one of Atelier Brancusi, a shot of the interior of Maison Margiela and the beautiful Arts at Metiers Metro stop.
It is nice to be back in California, but I am moving at half speed it would seem. The adrenaline of travel has worn off. So I'm taking a little breather and then I jump into the next phase of making this book. Editing.

antwerp/a walk in the park

My first day in Antwerp I arrived rather early at the house I was shooting. The curator was still eating breakfast and I felt so bad to interrupt! Luckily there was a break in the storm so I headed out for a coffee, but instead stumbled into this beautiful park that the house backs up to. The light was moving fast and furious that day making for breathtaking moments, fleeting, though they were. The light on this tree just took my breath away. Doesn't it look velvety? I know you all are just chomping at the bit to see interiors, but this walk in the park was so lovely I thought I would share it. The night before had been really windy (I can attest to this because I flew into the tiny Antwerp airport in a prop plane. What a ride!) so there were limbs down and leaves strewn everywhere.

london/random highlights

Just a few random shots from my time in London this past week. I was tooling around with friends enjoying the London Design Festival. A much needed week without any major photo shoots. These are all from my iPhone. The first is across the street from Established & Sons Studio Showroom.
The next two are from Jasper Morrison's tiny store in Shoreditch near his studio. My favorite exhibit was probably his crazy little show of different tape from around the world (you know how I love those collections). The last is from the beautiful Bruno Munari show at the Estorick Collection called "My Futurist Past". Of course I liked the utility of the fire extinguisher and alarm switches with his poster.

louisiana museum/humlebæk, denmark

So I love the Louisiana Museum but I really just fell in love with it's outdoor space more that the indoors. The collection of sculptures is wonderful. You can walk around and stumble upon a Serra or Henry Moore. But my favorite were these structures, in the children's area, each by a different architect. They just surprise you out of the trees. The first is by Ralph Erskine.

Aldo Rossi

Dominique Perrault

alvar aalto/plants

I have never been one for house plants. I always think of them as a headache or a big mess. Maybe because I always overwater them and they leak everywhere, hence big mess. But Alvar Aalto has me warming up to the idea. There was something about the way they were interspersed throughout the house that was rather nice. I love the little trellis he has for them and the radiator top plant holder could be my solution for overwatering (if I had a radiator). So nice, no?
Last day in Copenhagen, then on to Milano!