Showing posts with label The World's Most Extraordinary Homes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The World's Most Extraordinary Homes. Show all posts
April 27, 2018
For Sharon
In this blog post I am writing to my grandma. I know that you really enjoy HGTV and all of the really amazing houses. I found a show on Netflix called The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes. It follows an architect and a housing designer as they travel the world to see the world's coolest houses. They give their opinions on how it was made and then talk to the owners about the process and the struggles of the construction of the home. Seeing the house in this show I think that it is inspiring me to do the most that I can do with my life so that I can create and build my dream house. Architecture has definitely gone through my mind as a career. I know that it is something that my dad had tried out and did not get to see to the end, so it would be pretty cool if I could do it. It would definitely be a challenge, but the reward would be awesome.
Along with this inspiration I am getting a better appreciation on what it takes to be a high class architect. This show has shown me that it is not all about walls and a roof, it is all about how you feel in the space, and how the house is constructed in the landscape that it is built in. I have found a new respect for architecture as an art form and not at just a building. The only oddity about this show is that the British hosts and making me want to use words like “majestic” and “fantastic.”
I hope that after reading this blog that you will see that I really have big aspirations for my future and that I want to make everyone home proud. It would be really big for me to be the first one in the family with a college degree. Maybe even start my own business and provide for my family late into my life, and, if I am lucky, leave a good chunk of money when I am gone. I hope this finds its way to you and that you are proud.
April 1, 2018
Amazing Homes
Hey grandma! I’ve been telling you I would be writing a blog post to you soon and I’m finally writing it!
For this week I watched a Netflix Original called The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes. It’s not usually something I would watch, but I gave it a try. Like a lot of other Netflix Originals I watch for my Blog Posts, I usually watch more than just the first episode. With this Original, I watched almost through the second episode, and there have been many houses featured so I honestly can’t remember them all. This show really would be something dad would watch, more than me or you honestly, since it has to do with building things.
So the show is hosted by two people, named Caroline and Piers. I think Piers is an actual architect or something, but his co-host, Caroline, isn’t. She is more relatable to us non-architects, while Piers speaks to the audience that has a real interest in the architecture of the featured homes. I’ve read some reviews that put down Caroline, but I didn’t mind her; I guess I related to her more than him, which I think you would find with yourself also if you ended up watching this show.
One of the homes that stuck out to me most was one on the “Forest” episode, which is episode 2. The architect and the homeowners didn’t want to upset the trees on the plot of land that they had chosen to build on, so they figured out where the trees were and built the house around it. I thought that was pretty neat but it confused me because I know trees have deep, widespread roots and I didn’t understand how they built around the roots of the surrounding trees. They explained that instead of the usual cement foundation dug into the ground, they mapped out the tree roots and drove long steel “fingers,” as Piers described, in between the roots and they served as the foundation for the home. With this same house, the outside walls are literally inches away from the surrounding trees, which is just amazing to me that the builders were able to build so close to the trees without disturbing them.
Another home that was featured in the same episode was another odd-shaped house. It was built kind of like a tree house. This house is functional as a weekend home for the family that built it, but it won’t be very functional once they start to age. It features three bedrooms stacked on top of each other with the main family living area and kitchen on top of everything else. The living area and kitchen are wider than the stacked bedrooms, which is why it reminds me of a treehouse. I’m not sure if that made any sense, but I don’t know how else to explain it. It is a very tall house that allows its occupants to get a gorgeous view from the living area. The main feature of this house was the yellow staircase; it connected the three levels of bedrooms and the living area, which is why I say it won’t be a very functional home once the occupants start to age, as they may not be able to go up three levels of stairs to get to the living area and kitchen. It is definitely a pretty cool concept, though, since it isn’t taking up much space on the ground.
The show has four episodes jam-packed with houses from around the world- in the mountains, the forest, on the coast, and finally underground. I think you might enjoy the show if you end up watching it. It is pretty cool seeing houses that are nothing like what we have here in northeast Missouri.
Thank you for reading my post for this week grandma! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
For this week I watched a Netflix Original called The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes. It’s not usually something I would watch, but I gave it a try. Like a lot of other Netflix Originals I watch for my Blog Posts, I usually watch more than just the first episode. With this Original, I watched almost through the second episode, and there have been many houses featured so I honestly can’t remember them all. This show really would be something dad would watch, more than me or you honestly, since it has to do with building things.
So the show is hosted by two people, named Caroline and Piers. I think Piers is an actual architect or something, but his co-host, Caroline, isn’t. She is more relatable to us non-architects, while Piers speaks to the audience that has a real interest in the architecture of the featured homes. I’ve read some reviews that put down Caroline, but I didn’t mind her; I guess I related to her more than him, which I think you would find with yourself also if you ended up watching this show.
One of the homes that stuck out to me most was one on the “Forest” episode, which is episode 2. The architect and the homeowners didn’t want to upset the trees on the plot of land that they had chosen to build on, so they figured out where the trees were and built the house around it. I thought that was pretty neat but it confused me because I know trees have deep, widespread roots and I didn’t understand how they built around the roots of the surrounding trees. They explained that instead of the usual cement foundation dug into the ground, they mapped out the tree roots and drove long steel “fingers,” as Piers described, in between the roots and they served as the foundation for the home. With this same house, the outside walls are literally inches away from the surrounding trees, which is just amazing to me that the builders were able to build so close to the trees without disturbing them.
Another home that was featured in the same episode was another odd-shaped house. It was built kind of like a tree house. This house is functional as a weekend home for the family that built it, but it won’t be very functional once they start to age. It features three bedrooms stacked on top of each other with the main family living area and kitchen on top of everything else. The living area and kitchen are wider than the stacked bedrooms, which is why it reminds me of a treehouse. I’m not sure if that made any sense, but I don’t know how else to explain it. It is a very tall house that allows its occupants to get a gorgeous view from the living area. The main feature of this house was the yellow staircase; it connected the three levels of bedrooms and the living area, which is why I say it won’t be a very functional home once the occupants start to age, as they may not be able to go up three levels of stairs to get to the living area and kitchen. It is definitely a pretty cool concept, though, since it isn’t taking up much space on the ground.
The show has four episodes jam-packed with houses from around the world- in the mountains, the forest, on the coast, and finally underground. I think you might enjoy the show if you end up watching it. It is pretty cool seeing houses that are nothing like what we have here in northeast Missouri.
Thank you for reading my post for this week grandma! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
March 19, 2018
Extraordinary Mountain Livin'
I was certainly surprised when The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes popped up on my Netflix feed with a 99% match - none of the other shows I watch have anything to do with homes at all. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a shot, and I wasn’t disappointed. The intro immediately drew my attention with a montage of fly-by clips of gorgeous houses and a narration from a British pair of hosts. The first episode was labelled, “Mountain”, and so I waited in anticipation to see what homes the mountains had to offer.
Before formally introducing each house, the show focuses on hosts Piers and Caroline as they travel to the property, most likely as a way to exaggerate how far out of the way some of these places are. During this time, the hosts give background information on the house over teaser-clips of what the structure looks like. Once Piers and Caroline arrive, they show the house as a whole. The camera shots are stunning; many of them are aerial views of the house as a whole against the mountain it sits on. The cinematography doesn’t just stand out for the houses, however. The entire show uses an eye-catching modern composition. Everything from the clips of the houses to the conversations feels contemporary. Watching the interviews between the hosts and the house architects reminds me of watching Modern Family in the way that the camera is used. This style fits well with a show centering around newly built and unique architecture.
One other neat addition to The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes is the floor plan graphic that appears whenever Piers starts to talk about the house as a whole. The graphic style looks just like the kind used in HGTV shows. I find the graphics helpful, especially when Piers and Caroline showcase a home with a complicated structure or multiple separated living spaces, such as the airplane house.
My main complaint with the show is that I’m not always a fan of Caroline. She is a peppy British actress who was probably hired to contradict Piers’ calmer personality. Piers’ is also an architect, and he often has insightful things to point out about the different houses they visit. Caroline is more outgoing, but she doesn’t have much to say about architecture besides whether or not something is pretty. When she doesn’t like a house, she makes a big deal out of the little things. For example, Caroline decided that she didn’t like the desert house simply because she couldn’t figure out how to open the front door on her own. Caroline did, however, make a good point about the stone walkway at the desert house being hazardous to some older people.
The first episode of The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes was really entertaining. I’m amazed that people have the money to build homes like the ones shown. I don’t know how Netflix knew it would be such a good match for me, but I will definitely be watching more of this extraordinary series.
Before formally introducing each house, the show focuses on hosts Piers and Caroline as they travel to the property, most likely as a way to exaggerate how far out of the way some of these places are. During this time, the hosts give background information on the house over teaser-clips of what the structure looks like. Once Piers and Caroline arrive, they show the house as a whole. The camera shots are stunning; many of them are aerial views of the house as a whole against the mountain it sits on. The cinematography doesn’t just stand out for the houses, however. The entire show uses an eye-catching modern composition. Everything from the clips of the houses to the conversations feels contemporary. Watching the interviews between the hosts and the house architects reminds me of watching Modern Family in the way that the camera is used. This style fits well with a show centering around newly built and unique architecture.
One other neat addition to The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes is the floor plan graphic that appears whenever Piers starts to talk about the house as a whole. The graphic style looks just like the kind used in HGTV shows. I find the graphics helpful, especially when Piers and Caroline showcase a home with a complicated structure or multiple separated living spaces, such as the airplane house.
My main complaint with the show is that I’m not always a fan of Caroline. She is a peppy British actress who was probably hired to contradict Piers’ calmer personality. Piers’ is also an architect, and he often has insightful things to point out about the different houses they visit. Caroline is more outgoing, but she doesn’t have much to say about architecture besides whether or not something is pretty. When she doesn’t like a house, she makes a big deal out of the little things. For example, Caroline decided that she didn’t like the desert house simply because she couldn’t figure out how to open the front door on her own. Caroline did, however, make a good point about the stone walkway at the desert house being hazardous to some older people.
The first episode of The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes was really entertaining. I’m amazed that people have the money to build homes like the ones shown. I don’t know how Netflix knew it would be such a good match for me, but I will definitely be watching more of this extraordinary series.
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