The New Anti-Ski House – WSJ.com

When Karen Simon, a banking executive in Houston, decided to build a custom vacation home in Snowmass Village, Colo., the last thing she wanted was a replica of a Swiss chalet. “I didn’t want one gable in the entire house,” says the contemporary-design enthusiast.

Armed with pictures of modern homes, Ms. Simon asked for curves, open space and the maximum amount of glass allowed within the town’s building codes. Her architects, David Johnston and John Hufker in Aspen, Colo., designed a 4,950-square-foot home with barrel-vaulted roofs, stone exteriors and clear cedar siding more akin to a California contemporary than a Rocky Mountain retreat.

To combat the stark look that’s often associated with modern architecture—85 beams of steel support the home’s unconventional style—Ms. Simon chose soft creams and warm browns for the interiors. “There’s a lot of stone inside, but the feeling is soft and user-friendly,” she says.

After decades of traditional mountain design—heavy overhangs, a plethora of pine wood, a deer’s head hung in the entryway—ski homes across the globe are shedding the antlers. Homeowners once enamored with dark and cozy rustic retreats that shielded them from cold winter nights are now opting for sleek architecture that lets in lots of light, a look that has gained momentum in the past five years.

via The New Anti-Ski House – WSJ.com.

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BBC News – Whitney Houston: Sony ‘sorry’ for album price hike

Record label Sony has apologised for increasing the price of two Whitney Houston albums in the UK, hours after her death on Saturday.

The wholesale cost of the two LPs – Houston’s Ultimate Collection and Greatest Hits – went up by about £3 each, causing an automatic price increase on iTunes.

In a statement, Sony said the albums had been “mistakenly mispriced”.

It added the error was “immediately corrected” once it had been discovered.

Houston fans had taken to Twitter describing the price hike as “greedy” and “shameful”.

Since Houston’s death aged 48, her record sales have seen a major boost in the US and the UK.

Several of her songs are on course to re-enter the UK singles top 40 on Sunday with a greatest hits compilation heading for the top 10.

Houston’s cover of the Dolly Parton single, I Will Always Love You, is likely to reach the top 10 on Sunday.

The single, which featured in The Bodyguard, previously spent 10 weeks at number one and was the biggest selling single of 1992.

via BBC News – Whitney Houston: Sony ‘sorry’ for album price hike.

Strange Random Music Business Quote:

“Don’t try to explain it, just sell it.” Colonel Tom Parker

 

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