Displaying posts from October, 2013

We have established that it is Monday. We have also established that I dream of escaping the drudgery of the work day. Perhaps the workplace wouldn’t be so bad if I could spend my lunch breaks up on the roof, in a secret work garden. Get away from the everyday. Head for the hill. A green roof installation in the Melbourne CBD by BENT Architecture. Photography by Dianna Snape.

It’s a Monday. I want to escape the working week. Time to runaway to a luxury getaway faraway, at least in my dreams. Zash is, the the hotel’s own words “a country boutique hotel where historical fragments meet a contemporary taste, in an ‘elegantly quiet’ project, to let nature’s physicality emerge, to respect our past vestige and to satisfy our traveller’s needs. A place which is refined in its rooms, rural in its context and vital for the soul.”

Old meets new in a startling juxtaposition that makes each element stronger. Clean, minimalist lines enhance the crumbling stone shell of the original building. Perched on the hillside amidst citrus trees Zash is in eastern Sicily in the province of Catania. A building of contrasts just like Sicily is a land of contrasts, hulking Mt Etna and crystal blue seas, barren lava and rich agricultural land, where the warmth of stone meets sleek manmade finishes, rugged and luxe.

My dream of living in a loft has never wavered, and the idea of living in a very industrial loft and having the challenge of warming the space up has always been intriguing. This loft isn’t necessarily all that warm and cozy, but I really love the dramatic vibe it gives off. It is a former Nazi air raid shelter (complete with WWII bullet holes) erected in 1942 in central Berlin, and is the home of ad agency founder and publisher, Christian Boros, and his wife, Karen. Formerly devoid of natural light, the homeowners had the 3000 sq m bunker completely reconfigured and added massive windows. They have an amazing collection of furniture (and art of course – love the upside down head!), and the dark flooring and concrete walls make it dark and moody but the windows keep it fairly bright. Oh, to have that much space….. (via Freunde von Freunden)

Ely Gordeeva is an architect and decorator and painter from Russia now residing in the most wonderful villa in Ubud, Bali. Ely designed her Balinese home and it’s filled with light, warmth and a bit of whimsy – the DIY light fixture over the dining table is so cute! (Do you think she’d want to switch places over the winter??!!)

High roof saves the cool air inside the house – the floor is gipsum – woven mat of palm leaf in living room

to have more light in the room I decided not to make cabinets under the countertop – love this colourful woven dining chairs from Java

VEGETARIAN LAMP  made by me

wooden panel over the sink i like more than tile now

I turned the aluminium motif-relief cups to hide unbeautifullies of this lamp

folk woven Bali rice-field-men hats and plates for fruits and offerings

Gordei’s office and small in-house garden

Gordei+Elina=LOVE! – wooden carving panels are for clothes not to be in the mold

ficus and wooden panel from teak on the bathtub

After a long dry winter, faced with the prospect of failed summer rains and a dying garden, I sit and stare at my computer screen green with envy. Two small courtyards by Sawyer Berson. Both in New York. Both lush, moist, marvellous. I can feel a faint mist in the air, a soft breeze ruffles the leaves in the trees while cool water naps carved stone. (You may recognise the second courtyard as Julianne Moore’s.)