The Makers of Spaces and Places

By Lisa M. Burwell

The idea of leaving my mark on the world in the hope of making it a better place than before has long been an aspiration of mine. We all have a role to play in this life and to do it with gusto, passion, and purpose truly can make the world a better place as we forge our respective legacies.

People who have an aesthetic sensibility and the desire to create something out of nothing have always amazed me. The artists, writers, musicians, thinkers, architects, and designers of this world create because they see and feel what can be, rather than what is.

The New Urbanism movement took hold nearly thirty-five years ago when Seaside, Florida, developer Robert Davis and urban planner extraordinaire Andrés Duany envisioned a new way of living on Scenic Highway 30-A. It was reminiscent of a European lifestyle: a self-contained town that, for the first time, did not rely on the need for the automobile. With live/work units and a local grocery store and boutique retail shops, it was an approach to town planning that would be the antithesis of suburban sprawl. They got it right—except for excluding the automobile, as the twenty-first-century American culture still relies on it as the primary mode of transportation. However, like everything, this too will change over time when our dependence on owning a car becomes a thing of the past due to rideshares like Uber. But that story is for another day.

From the coveted Scenic 30-A corridor communities of Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, and Paradise by the Sea to the art deco skyline of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the NYC landmark Carlyle hotel, this issue is a feast for the eyes. Works of art meet architecture and design in the residence of Nossi and Hope Taheri located on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Read and marvel at their home in “Il Paradiso” by Jordan Staggs. It is not your average beach house and, for that matter, not your average home—period. The precision and attention to detail that went into its creation make it worthy of being called a masterpiece.

While exploring for new stories, we stumbled upon our cover feature, the Joshua Tree Residence located in the Mojave Desert, and we just had to learn more. Since the world’s population and homelessness continue to grow at exponential rates, the housing crisis is more than ready for novel solutions. New ideas, planning, and innovation are essential, such as homes and other buildings that are being realized through “cargotecture”—the design of habitable buildings made from repurposed shipping containers. Enter James Whitaker—a London-based architect, filmmaker, and photographer—who shared this exciting concept that could give rise to enthusiasm in utilizing these metal containers for homes and office buildings. Concepts like Whitaker’s just might be the next big idea. Space is running out, and to combat this, an economy of scale is needed to resolve what is quickly becoming a global humanitarian problem.

With this Architecture & Design Issue, I am happy to introduce the VIE Beach House – A Show Home with the husband-and-wife visionary team of Jim and Suzy Accola of Coastal Elements Construction and Q Tile respectively. VIE Beach House will be located in the authentic and established beach community of Seagrove, Florida, just steps from the glorious emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico; the grand opening is estimated for the summer of 2020. A portion of the net proceeds from the home’s sale will be donated to Hurricane Michael relief efforts through the VIE Foundation. Artisanal craftsmanship and creativity will be on display throughout the VIE Beach House, and we will film the building of the home from start to finish, so stay tuned for more details. Visit VIEmagazine.com/BeachShowHome for updates.

Life is beautiful, and we need to celebrate this profound and straightforward mantra in all we do.

To Life!

—Lisa Marie

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