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‘Native Places’ Encourages Readers To Appreciate The Design Around Them

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,

Laura Pellicer

Published January 22, 2019 at 11:55 AM EST

Frank Harmon has made a career of designing buildings that reflect their owners and the landscape. In 2013, the architect started a blog to celebrate the beautiful and often humble designs he encountered. The process for the posts was rather simple:

Host Frank Stasio speaks with architect architect about his book 'Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See.'

Harmon scratches out a simple drawing of a building or location he appreciates, runs watercolors on top, and pens a brief meditation of why the space is special to him. Those blog posts are now collected in the book “Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See” (ORO Editions/ 2018).

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Harmon about how the barns of North Carolina are a reflection of expert design and why he believes that everyone should pause to meditate on the architecture around them. Frank Harmon is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He will read from his book at The Regulator Bookshop in Durham, tonight at 7 p.m.

Portrait of Frank Harmon

Cover of the book, 'Native Places' by Frank Harmon.

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

See stories by Frank Stasio

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

See stories by Laura Pellicer