Feilden Fowles Architects

Pared back, elegant simplicity. Spaces stripped back to their inherent form. Beautiful, precise yet subtle. Feilden Fowles Architects deliver pure, conceptually strong buildings. The first , a renovation to a 1930's apartment sees emphasis on symmetry where the dark walnut-lined central axis with sliding elements provides intimate pockets in an open plan design. stripped back to its inherent form. The second home, a Cotswold extension to a working farmhouse emphasises its simple, functional structure.

Click to read more ...

The hidden kitchen

"The design brief was simple:- Fit enough appliances in that would service a small commercial kitchen; cater for a family of five that entertain a LOT, a ten seater table was a MUST! Make it stylish with no visible appliances ..."

A clever kitchen design from Darren Genner and Minosa Design. A sixth floor apartment, a small space, and the need to find a home for 13 small appliances. Yes, 13. The solution? A bank of storage over 7 m with a "pop and slide" door system to conceal the wall ovens and steamer, cabinet for all those small appliances, a second appliance cabinet with tea/coffee making facilities and breakfast supplies and an ingenious scullery. And, of course, the dining table. Understated and yet bold. With the click of a remote and a flick of the wrist it extends from 8 seats to 12. Talk about a show stopper. You can find out more about the design process here. 

Click to read more ...

Tale of two kitchens

It's all in the details. Two stylish kitchens by Workstead. The first defined by tailored cabinetry with highlights of rich timber and brass accents. The second plays with ideas of storage . Beautiful timber boxes tumble across the kitchen walls while kitchen cabinets are rich and warm but still subtle in their finish. Not your everyday high gloss, over designed McMansion kitchens. Simple, restrained, delicate.

Click to read more ...

UnWaste Bookcase

"You spin me right round, baby right round like a record ... "

Apologies to Dead or Alive but how cool is this rotating shelving wall, the UnWaste bookcase, a collaboration between architect Ben Milbourne (Bild Architecture), eco-designer Leyla Acaroglu (Eco Innovators) and specialist furniture designer David Waterworth (Against the Grain). (Photography by TM PHOTO.) It divides the open space into living and sleeping areas while allowing light and airflow between the spaces and providing much needed storage in a warehouse conversion. The bookcase is built from reclaimed plywood from construction site hoardings providing surface design interest through the remains of old advertising posters and stencils.

Click to read more ...

Killin' time

I have been on holidays these past 2 weeks and dear gawd did I need this break (at least from one of my jobs). Since Tuesday I've been pretty much stuck at home during the day which I welcomed, because it meant getting lots of things done I have been putting off - including several tasks involving organzing something or other. Yesterday, after walking to the post office to pick up some hot boots, it was time to organize the bookshelves in my bedroom. I really don't like having all this book storage in my bedroom (to me it's like bad feng shui - too much visual stimulation for a room that's supposed to give me tranquility), but it was the only free wall in my tiny house that could house my magazine collection and some books. I threw some of the older magazines out because holy smokes I have far too many, and made the piles neat again. Once the contents were organized (and shrunk down a bit) I went out to the storage shed and dug out some apple baskets and a couple wooden crates I had purchased some time ago at an antique shop out in the boonies. I am a FREAK for rustic/industrial storage options, and these, along with my vintage metal locker baskets, helped in the wrangling of my crap. I'm a happy camper now, and I think I can sleep a little better tonight knowing it's not a disaster. (P.S. Before the hubby moved in, the shelves looked like this, and after when I de-feminized the space, the room looked more like this).