creative recycling: wedge brewery

One of our favorite spots in Asheville was the Wedge Brewing Company, a no-frills but serious-about-the-beer microbrewery in the heart of the industrial River Arts District.

The indoor tasting room at Wedge is teeny tiny. But informal seating spills out onto a concrete front porch, into an adjacent beer garden, and out into a roped off area of the parking lot, where outdoor movies are projected onto the side of a big white panel van.

But the movies take a backseat to the double feature at Wedge: amazing beer (with unlimited free peanuts!) and fabulous metal art from recycled industrial relics. Railings, outdoor furniture, and the awe-inspiring walls of the funky beer garden were created by the late sculptor John Payne and his apprentices.

If you love hand crafted beer and ever find yourself in Asheville, definitely stop in at Wedge. And if they're serving that delicious "Derailed" Hemp Seed Brown Ale that we kept slurping down, don't pass it up! Yum!

colorful modern lofts

Spotted these nifty condos just outside the River Arts District in Asheville, NC. I've seen this kind of design on the West Coast, but this is the first thing like this I've encountered here in the East.

Constructed in 2008, the lofts feature health- and environment-friendly materials and methods. For more photos and information, go to the website of Mountain Housing Opportunities, who constructed the lofts.

2011 Coastal Living Idea House comes to Virginia

If you're in the area and looking for an interesting way to fill yet another rainy day, consider a trip to Norfolk to check out this year's Coastal Living "Idea House". It's open to the public (for a $10 entry fee) through November 27.

I have not been to see it myself. Previewing the pictures online, I can see that the nautical-themed decor is just not contemporary enough for my taste. (It could at best be described as "transitional".) With their handsome subway tiles and craftsman inspired cabinetry, the two kitchens (one for the main house, one for the guest cottage) were the only things that really caught my eye...

However, my friend Mark went to see it, and although his tastes also run toward modern, he nonetheless came away feeling he had picked up some good ideas for his home improvement and decorating projects. So you just might find some good ideas here yourself.

Or take the easy way out like I did, and just check out the pictures online. You can also see photos from Coastal Living's prior idea houses.

The 2010 house, for example, is slightly more contemporary and features soothing color palettes inspired by driftwood, sand, and oyster shells. The Craftsman-esque house also boasts pleasing outdoor spaces such as this one...

Whichever route you take, have fun exploring!

artful garden in a postindustrial setting

Asheville's River Arts District is now the home to many artists' studios and galleries, but once upon a time this area was nothing but railroad tracks, warehouses, manufacturing buildings, and other industrial structures.

At Curve Studios, fiber artist and gallery owner Pattiy Torno has created a garden that pays tribute to the area's heritage while clearly announcing that this place is now all about art.

In addition to the art of the landscape design itself, the garden showcases ceramic sculptures by Cassie Ryalls as well as Simone Wilson's works from salvaged metal. An abundance of other reclaimed items (such as those railroad ties Pattiy dragged into place all by herself) also sends the message that this is a "green" garden in more than one sense -- and the studios' WaterWall cistern system reinforces that message.

Here are some of the photos I took of this lovely outdoor space. If you want to see more, head over to the garden section of the Curve Studios blog, where you can see pictures and video of the garden throughout the seasons.

Beautiful, yes? Even the gallery cats think so. But truly, photos don't do this place justice. If you're ever in Asheville, stop by the gardens at Curve Studios to revel in the artful juxtaposition of organic natural forms and gritty industrial relics.

And while you're there, be sure to visit Pattiy in her studio (right through those white double doors in the photo below). She's one of the nicest, most interesting people you'll meet, and her space is full of charming fleece throws and other creations -- including a small collection of items by ceramic artist Meagan Chaney whose work already hangs in our living room.

secrets to successful recycling

Nudges from a few Nesting Blog readers -- along with an inspiring trip to Asheville, NC -- have prompted me to open up the ole laptop and begin blogging again.

I plan to share photos of some of the nifty artists' studios, etc., that we spotted in Asheville. But given the crafty, homespun, earth-friendly design approach embraced by so many in this town, this TED Talk from folksy builder Dan Phillips seemed the perfect place to start.



When I first viewed this video a few months ago, I had one of those "Duh! Why didn't that occur to me?" moments. He shares principles for successfully building with recycled materials that are so simple and self-evident, it's surprising more people aren't building this way. But having poked around Asheville for a week, I can tell you that a lot of its residents have caught on to this way of thinking.

To see more pictures of the homes created by Dan Phillips and his colleagues, go to www.phoenixcommotion.com. Or read the New York Times article profiling Dan and his work.