Photograph: Mark Cassino via
happy christmas.
6 Replies
Photograph: Mark Cassino via
Tag Archives: design
simple luxe in stockholm.
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
happy weekend.
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)
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.
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’.
The Sacred and the Plain, the work of Michael Verheyden, Genk, Belgium, T Magazine. Photographs, Alexandre Guirkinger.
More found objects, here
catalan house.
In the ancient Catalan city of Girona is this apartment, in a building dating from the 16th century. The vernacular of exposed timber beams and rough stone walls is cleverly countered with the contemporary materials – black metal, wood veneer cabinetry stained black, rendered walls, solid timber floors. Openings and junctions are lined and restrained with black metal, horizontal surfaces are either recessed or allowed to float freely. Textures abound in the simple, raw palette of materials and neutral furniture.
And the good news? If you want to escape the sudden onslaught of fiercely cold weather in Northern Europe, it’s available to rent. There are two apartments, El Badiu (the gallery) and El Jardi (the garden), or it can be rented in its entirety.
Alemanys 5, Girona by architect Anna Noguera, via. Photographs, Anna Noguera
Are you ready for sunshine yet? I also love this property, Shelter7 in Ghent, also available to rent through travel site Welcome Beyond.
More wonderful spaces in sunny climes, here
happy weekend.
Love this range of tables by Paris-based designer Constance Guisset (not to mention the owl styling..) Originally designed in 2009 for the French Cultural Institute in Ankara, Turkey, the Ankara collection is all metal in a range of colours. More, here
I wrote about another of Constance Guisset’s products, the Vertigo pendant, here.
fab five :: architectural floor lamps.
Always on the look out for a beautiful and functional floor lamp; they provide atmosphere as well as task lighting and these five are beauties. I’m showing all in black, but some, like the Grasshopper (no. 4), come in wonderful hues (I love the blue-grey). The Tolomeo is a classic that I have specified countless times – it works in so many different interiors.
Which is your favourite?
Talking about lighting, new and exciting lighting studio Cameron Design House have just launched a second range of beautiful, sculptural wood pendant lights, here. All made in North London with a very Scandinavian flavour.
More fab four, here
a parisian in grey part II.
With Paris still very much on my mind, I came across this beautiful interior, again in a classic Haussmann building, via the always interesting D Pages (see my previous Paris post, here)
The designers job, in this case, was to allow the home to adapt to a contemporary lifestyle whilst maintaining, along with the period mouldings and fireplaces, its essence. Circulation through the space has been simplified, alignments and vistas created. Individual rooms remain but are opened up, allowing an open plan layout or closed off, as required.
From palest pearl to anthracite, grey is again the predominant wall colour, this time accented with white. Dark stained parquet on the floors and black lacquered MDF panels provide the main surfaces off which the fixtures hang. Rich timber Danish mid-century furniture and a three-dimensional tone-on-tone wall hanging sit alongside other classic and vintage pieces in the living spaces. Sofas and chairs are neutral in colour, strong in form. The black-stained solid oak kitchen has a central island and Zimbabwe black granite worktop and tiled splashback. Jade green artwork provides the colour. An anthracite grey library is off-set with a vivid red 60’s armchair and footstool.
The bathroom beautifully exemplifies the blend of old and new, with traditional fireplace, plasterwork and chandelier alongside colourful, framed lithographs and contemporary window treatments.
What do you think of this mix of old and new? Which Paris apartment, part 1 or part 11, is your favorite?
Casa Parigi by Studio Double G, here Photographs, Helenio Barbetta
More wonderful spaces, here
50 best rooms.
I love the idea of a ‘best rooms’ award – not house, or interior, but room. Aussie interiors publication Australian House and Garden does one annually. The contenders vary wildly in style and presumably budget (it’s not clear what the criteria is). This year features a bathroom designed by the architecture studio of friends from my Melbourne University days, in typically quirky style, rich in materiality and texture (no 23!). These are my favourites:
04. Geometric cut-outs in an all-white volume by Decus
14. Black-stained wood, exposed brick and a contrasting diaphonous curtain by Beatrix Rowe Interior Design
15. Pale wood and simple, geometric shapes by O’Connor and Houle Architecture
23. Rich-red slatted wood and bold white pattern by AlsoCan architects
26. Linear indoor/outdoor space by Drew Heath Architects
31. Heightened sense of scale and a wall of art by Sarah Davison Interior Design
46. Black framing against white-on-white elements by Whiting Architects
Which is your favourite? 50 Best Rooms of 2013, here
More good design, here
owl's house london. 