Chesa Wazzau

The slow movement. I have always been attracted to slow food but now I'm falling for the idea of slow design and slow holidays (if I can call it that). I love the restoration of significant buildings to their former glory and instead of hiding them away in private hands, throwing open the doors as a hotel/holiday rental to experience all the cultural richness of the area. You have seen my obsession lately with Italian idea of albergo diffuso now I have fallen in love with this Swiss 17th century Engadine farmhouse, Chesa Wazzau in the village of Bever just a short drive from St. Moritz. A typical Engadine house had everything under one roof, house, barn, family, cows and now paying guests. A house party is in order don't you think? The long table is already set.

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Pared back stalking

Real estate stalking in the hills above the ocean at Lorne in Victoria. An interior pared back. Simple style. Not too much. Just enough luxury and space. Lots of space. A little bit linen, a little bit french, a little bit casual elegance, a lot Aussie bush. And a view, such a lovely view. Not what I would call me usual taste but add just a little more boho, some art ... I'd move right in. Such beautiful surroundings. So much potential.  (Just wish that some of the images weren't stretched.) Link here.

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Stepped House

Minimalism again? Oh yes! But instead of stark, cold white there is a richness, a glow. Simple clean lines but multi-layered with different surfaces and textures. Spartan but elegant. Who said minimalism was cold? What is devoid of surface  pattern is enriched by the interplay of materials. Stepped House by Australian architects Russell & George.

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Good eats and good design

We received an email and photos from Ria about Barcelona Atlanta - a new Spanish tapas and wine bar in the Atlanta neighborhood of Inman Park and was just named as one of the best bars in America in Travel & Leisure Magazine. Ria's boss, Sasa Mahr Batuz, is the Creative Director and unlike other restaurants, he's involved in every process of designing the restaurants (there are several, located throughout Connecticut from the greater New York region to West Hartford and New Haven). The decor is out of this world - I love absolutely every inch. I would not even care what the food tasted like (as long as they had a decent red wine anyway). 

Slatted

Oh my! Slats and sheds and simplicity and pavilions and pergolas and polycarbonate and oh my! Sun and shadow and solid and see through and repetition and raw. Seaview Avenue house by Melbourne architects Jackson Clement Burrows.

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