Marià Castelló Martinez designed and built this house and studio for himself on the Spanish island Formentera. Formentera is the smallest and least known of the Balearic islands – off the coast of Spain. The most well-known island being Ibiza.

The building itself is small only about 500 square feet in total yet it provides all the necessities that one requires in life. A library, bathroom, kitchen, naturally murphy beds (for guests) and two sliding doors to divide the space into rooms if privacy is desired. This tiny home is an excellent meditation in clean and simple island living.

Spring is here and the birds are going nuts! The amplified mating chirps are disrupting my precious REM time.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bird enthusiast and enjoy watching the precious creatures, especially the fleeting hummingbird.  So you can imagine my excitement when I saw this crazy feeder helmet that brings you close up and personal with hummingbirds hovering and feeding.

The wearable hummingbird feeder was created by Doyle Doss, a bearded inventor from Humboldt County (of course). He got the idea in the 1970s when a humming bird flew right in front of his face, inspecting his then gargantuan red beard for a place to stick its beak.

“I was frozen and then I blinked and it flew away, but it was just so unique,” he said. “I always wanted to be able to share that experience with other people.”

via LA Times

Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy will be hosting the first Out and About Wright event of 2010 in (where else?) Minneapolis. Eight homes and one church will be one feature of this weekend long event.

Many of these homes are seldom open to the public so this is a rare opportunity for FLW fans. For more details please take a look at the Out and About Wright Minneapolis Brochure.

All photos by Steve Sikora

Now that spring is in full swing, here’s a list of upcoming garden tours. Be sure to check websites for more information and updates, because some events do sell out. Your suggestions are welcome too via reader comments.

April 17: The South Coast chapter of the California Native Plant Society presents its 16th annual Spring Garden Tour featuring two gardens in Rolling Hills Estates. 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. $20 to $25. Reservations: (310) 629-0500.

April 18: The 51st annual garden tour of the Santa Monica Bay Auxiliary, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles will feature six gardens in Santa Monica, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Refreshments and boutique included. $35. Tickets may be purchased on the day of the tour at any of the gardens, including 534 Tenth St., Santa Monica, and 1667 N. Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades. (310) 395-3713.

April 22-25: The 20th annual Southern California Spring Garden Show will feature more than 75 specialty vendors and display gardens. South Coast Plaza. Free. South Coast Plaza, Crate & Barrel/Macy’s Home Store wing, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. (714) 435-2160.

April 24-25: The Floral Park neighborhood in north Santa Ana will host its 17th annual home and garden tour. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Advance tickets online $25. (714) 648-0904.

April 24-25: The California Poppy Festival celebrates spring blooms in the Antelope Valley. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. $5 to $8. Lancaster City Park, 43011 N. 10th St. West, Lancaster.

More tours via LA Times

Are you going to be in Austin this weekend, you are in luck. This Saturday April 17, Launch787 is hosting the first Outdoor Living Tour. The tour will showcase 10 exceptional residential homes featuring their landscape design. So that one can fully appreciate the tour each home will have industry experts available to help expand upon each home’s concept, design and execution.

Afterwards, all can unwind and discuss the favorites of the day over cocktails hosted by Mosaic at Mueller. This party will be open to all ticket holders. Tickets for the tour are $12 in advance or $20 at any of the properties the day of the Tour. You may purchase tickets here.

Frustrated Chester stopped playing ball after realizing he could never jump that high.

His first day in the house and little Alfie was alarmed—even their hobbies were joyless. (He’d be hitting the catnip hard.)

Wondering what he did to deserve the wig

We always get a laugh on the unhappy hipster site but now’s your chance to let your happy pets shine.  Enter our Pets on Furniture Contest for a chance to win our rocker arm chair.  Send images to petcontest@modernica.net.  Good luck!

Found these pictures on the blog KAVKA.

Due to a severe budget crisis, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is interested in stepping into the breach as curator and conservator of the Watts Towers this summer to maintain the historic landmark.

The Towers were built by Italian immigrant construction worker Sabato Rodia in his spare time over a period of 33 years, from 1921 to 1954.  He created the framework of steel, wire and concrete and ornamented the three main spires and their 14 surrounding sculptural elements with colorful bits of broken glass, pottery and seashells.  His work is an example of non-traditional vernacular architecture and American Naïve art.  Article LA Times.

Does form over function rule when it comes to the iconic Hollywood sign?  Twenty-eight-year-old Danish architect Christian Bay-Jorgensen thinks you can have the best of both worlds.  His plan is to transform the sign itself into a hotel, each giant letter hosting guests marveling at the bird’s eye view of the Los Angeles basin.  The hotel-letters would be about twice the size of the current 45-foot tall sign, and include amenities such as an observation deck.

“I’m a fan of the Hollywood sign and the unused spaces of America,” Bay-Jorgensen, said Monday after visiting LA. “It could be interesting to make it a center for such events as the Golden Globes and Oscars. This could be the future of the sign.”  Read more from Daily News.

The sign originally read “HOLLYWOODLAND”, and its purpose was to advertise a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles.  Should this historical sign be preserved?  Vote below.