A 27sqm studio apartment in Sydney’s Woolloomooloo. Small in size, modest, low in cost. Big in style, clever spatial solutions. Inner city living for the one person family. Growing in numbers and a growing need for good affordable design. The Studio by Nicholas Gurney, shortlisted for the 2013 Australian Interior Design Awards.
I've always wanted to buy a really old home that has cool architectural features and renovate it, leaving some of the "old" intact. That is just what marianne amodio architecture studio in Vancouver did here. A complete transformation of a seldom used ground floor from basement storage to master bedroom and living quarters, this renovation was realized with the principle of exposing the layers of history evident in the 1927 home. The contrast between old and new is proudly pronounced: Original red brick fireplaces are revealed, their chalk inscriptions from previous owners left behind; old fir beams find new life as stair treads, and vintage fir planks salvaged from the demolition become a crafted herringbone feature wall. The concrete floor is uncovered, contrasted by shiny new tiles. A spectacular cool blue wetroom and powder room adjoin a new master bedroom; the headboard is the vintage brick fireplace.
There's nothing like a rustic interior with bits of modern to keep things current... throw in Spanish architecture and I'm packing my bags. These spaces designed by Mestre Paco, based in Mallorca, Spain are just the right amount of rustic and modern. They're easy-going, easy maintenance (no scatches on the floor!), and in my humble opinion, pretty sexy.
Once upon a time, in a land far away, a little blogger girl was too busy to play. Her favourite online game that is. Real estate stalking. I have been so swamped with a couple of secret projects that I have no time to waste on the pleasures of virtual gawking and stalking. No time to peep through the virtual net curtains. Thank goodness for people who are just as addicted to the noble pursuit as I. (That's you Andrea.) Look at this lovely bright, white delight in Sydney's Paddington she found for me. Small but very stylish. The courtyard is fab, the dining room cute, the bath just wonderful and the wine cellar (!) crazy. I can never keep wine long enough to cellar but I just might if this terrace house was mine. Link here while it lasts.
The Collector's issue of THE quintessential MAGAZINE is full of the inspiring, the found, the unusual and the beautiful just like the store that gave it birth, quintessential duckeggBLUE. Dinosaur Designs’ Louise Olsen talks about the inspiration behind her new Ocean collection. Überstylist Glen Proebstel captures the magic of heartfelt treasures in New York and author Karen McCartney reveals how a misspent youth in London forged her style. And then there are the collections! Bobbins, bread boards, shoe lasts, potato mashers … how ordinary things can be extraordinary.
Fri, 3 May 2013