Behind this fence of doors lies the studio for Cranberry Press,
operated by Mark and Marilyn Nero,
in the tiny town of Kingston in the southwest corner of New Mexico,
and right next door to the Black Range Lodge,
which I have profiled in the three previous posts.
Be sure to take a look at their website,
as they print on presses from the turn of the century,
using designs inspired by the arts and crafts movement.
Now if we can just figure out which door is the door that opens.
What interests me about this studio is that it is built of light clay,
also called straw/clay by Robert Laporte of EcoNest Homes Co.
Check out this site as it has lots of info.
Inside you can see the beautifully done post and beam structure
which carries the load of the roof.
The joinery is expertly done using doweled mortice and tenon joints.
Inside the walls is a specific wet mix of straw and clay
which is tamped into plywood forms.
Straw/clay is in contrast to adobe
which is primarily clay and sand with small amounts of straw,
and is made into sun dried bricks.
And cob which is primarily clay with less straw than straw/clay,
and is applied to the walls wet in layers with no form.
Straw/clay is tamped into the forms by hand
but is unlike rammed earth which uses a much higher psi.
Plaster is applied over the clay/straw on the inside
and outside is a cement stucco with a finish coat of adobe.
Outside in the courtyard is a delight of details.
Above is a cement reproduction of a Frank Lloyd Wright design.
And two ceramic faces adorn the the clay stucco.
Friend or foe?
The eight sided feng shui mirror brings harmony, abundance, and protection
into your home by "accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative".
To see more of my posts on Kingston click on the Label
for Building In Kingston, New Mexico on the right side bar.
