a parisian modernist in blue.

The February 2014 issue of the always fabulous World of Interiors features this apartment, designed by antiques dealer Florence Lopez for Charlotte Gainsborough and her artist husband.

It’s another Parisian apartment (I’ve featured so many recently that I’m thinking of a name change to owl’s house paris..); the difference this time is that the 19th-century decoration has been stripped back in its entirety, leaving a blank canvas as the starting point.

Lopez has a very particular 20th-century aesthetic. The inspiration for this interior comes from Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, which explains the ‘graphic rigour’ within. The parquet floors have been painted black throughout, which create cohesion with the dark slate terrace outside. Walls are painted matt in chalk-white or various shades of blue. Blue prevails, also as an upholstery colour – armchairs in the entrance area are covered in four different shades of deep blue, for example. Otherwise, black, white and the odd shot of vivid yellow provide the contrast. A sleek, wall-hung granite washbasin and copper and brass accessories add an element of luxe.

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Furniture includes a daybed by Jean Prouve, pieces by Josef Frank, Alvar Aalto and Robin Day.

It’s quite a rigorous, purist approach, stripping back all signs of classical detail and extraneous elements, but I think it’s hugely successful. What do you prefer, classical elements or clean modern lines?

20th Century Fox, World of Interiors, February 2014. Scans by owl’s house london.

More wonderful spaces, here

corners.

I love these images taken by Paul Raeside, capturing glimpses of beautifully styled corners in this pared-back Parisian interior. Off-white and shades of grey provide the back-drop to the wonderfully light interior; window treatments are simple lengths of sheer (very on-trend for 2014, says the Wall Street Journal). It is the objects and their placement that provide the detail and texture.

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happy weekend.

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Allusion and ambiguity beguile in these fantastical portrayals of modernity by the impressively monikered Geebird and Bamby. With echoes of  Julius Shulman, Alfred Hitchcock, Ed Ruscha and others they appear familiar and yet surreal at the same time.

The Modern Gentleman by Geebird and Bamby, here

simple luxe in stockholm.

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A white background and warm parquet floors set the scene. Rich, saturated colours are then added, such as the darkest burgundy used unusually on the ceiling, and the deep green cupboards that are a perfect foil for the beautifully detailed, mirror-finish brass island unit. Other metallic touches – the gleaming stainless range hood, bronze tap and fabulous sputnik chandelier add luxury to the otherwise minimally decorated spaces.

Simple, structural furniture and feature light fittings such as the iconic Artichoke light (more, here) adorn the rooms which have been pared back to reveal beautiful classic details. Simple, luxurious.

A private residence in Stockholm, designed by sandell sandberg arkitekter AB, via.  Photos: Pia Ulin

More wonderful spaces, here

behomm.

I love this idea. A home exchange – you travel and stay in someone else’s house for free and they come and stay in yours – specifically for designers and visual artists. Behomm, which simply means to stay at home, is an invitation-only home exchange site for people with a love of aesthetics and travel. It’s not about luxury and wealth; rather, because of the like-mindedness of the home owners, the homes are going to be at the least, considered and aesthetically interesting, and at most, beautiful.  ‘It’s about sharing and making personal connections – a prime example of the enriching ‘shared economy’ movement growing across the globe…’ And a wonderful aside –  Behomm donates 5% of their proceeds to Architecture for Humanity, a charitable organisation that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises.

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www.behomm.com

More wonderful spaces to stay, here

happy weekend.

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I love this imagery by Dutch design studio Jo Meesters, who create products of sustainability and craftsmanship by upcycling paper waste and combining the shredded paper with glue and ink. Once dry, a treatment of epoxy resin leaves the vessels strong and water-resistant. The PULP collection seeks to ‘reinvent waste into pieces of work that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing’. More, http://www.wdstck.eu, via

And these Spanish-made Pulp pendants are currently on sale at Folklore (previously reviewed here)

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Happy weekend.

ampersand house.

More inspiring design from Belgium; this time Ampersand House, a gallery of art and design located in the centre of Brussels. It is also a home, which the owners define as a living gallery, a constantly changing place depending on what is on show. They curate the gallery as an ever evolving environment mixing vintage, contemporary and prototype work to inspire a dialogue with and between collectors and creatives. Almost everything is available for sale.

The style is an eclectic mixture of pieces of different periods, from strict modernism to French opulence, with the only rule being the pieces need to be connected either by texture, material, colour or shape, for a cohesive overall aesthetic. I love the influences the owners cite, from the work of the architect and Brazilian designer Isay Weinfeld, to the mid-twentieth century furniture of Sergio Rodrigues to Australian architect Glenn Murcutt and French designer Pierre Paulin. What a fabulous design sourcebook.

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http://www.ampersandhouse.com

Ampersand House via  Photos: Karel Balas

More wonderful spaces, here

objects of beauty in genk.

Beautiful objects create a stillness in this house in Genk, Brussels, home to an industrial designer and his wife. Michael Verheyden’s pieces are the simplest of forms – simple cylinders, round bowls, rectilinear tables, low slung reclining chairs, a singular rod of brass bent into a floor lamp. The materials – bronze, soapstone, cement, marble and wood – bring the forms to life, adding beauty and sensuality.

‘If you work with a material long enough, it will tell you the form it should take’.

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The Sacred and the Plain, the work of Michael Verheyden, Genk, Belgium, T Magazine. Photographs, Alexandre Guirkinger.

More found objects, here