Go Wahoos. We spent this past weekend going back to our alma mater, the University of Virginia; and during one of our many pitstops, we popped into UVA's famed Rotunda building for a bit of collegiate nostalgia. Only this time, instead of gazing thoughtfully at the fire-resistant dome (the original building burnt to the ground a bit more than a century ago), we were oohing over the furniture and spatial arrangements in the curved-shaped rooms.
While we've all seen this layout of couch-to-couch combat in front of a fireplace, we're already ransacking the internet for a fainting couch version with similar lines. And using convex mirrors in oval rooms seems like a precursor to our modern day "eye in the sky" cameras--except we'd prefer a gilt-edged frame of course. But what tickles us the most about these rooms is the pairing of progressive architecture with traditional decor--we're not sure how or why it works, but it does. And really, should we expect anything less from Thomas Jefferson, the inventor of the dumbwaiter and the swivel chair?
Copyright © 2007 Apartment Therapy
WahooWah! I didn't realize there were fellow Cavaliers on the AT staff! I was supposed to go to Cville for a shower this weekend, but am sad I won't be making it - thanks for the shot of my favorite campus!
I like the McKim Mead and White rotunda better than the original,but Monticello is the best architecture in town. I think Michael Graves' Bryan Hall (the new English building behind the amphitheater)is ingenious as well - it pays so much attention to context and traffic circulation patterns, as architecture should, and as TJ always did.
Becky
P.S. Bryan Hall is here:
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/virginia/charlottesville/uvagraves/graves.html
view becky's profile
Thanks for the link Becky!
Man, I remember going to Bryan Hall for my English classes--and hiding out in the alcove underneath the stairs trying to finish up leftover homework. Ha! I love Cville, especially in the fall (something I really miss living in LA).
view grace's profile
love the first room, but i'd have to go in and move the two sofas and rug to the right about a foot.
view maison21's profile