Displaying posts from June, 2014

Living up amongst the branches. Eating breakfast with the birds. Sleeping in your own tree house. Pander to your adventurous inner child next time you need somewhere to stay in Berlin. That’s right. You can rent out your own Baumhaus by baumraum. The Urban Tree House designed by Andreas Wenning.

This casual compound designed by the San Antonio architecture firm Lake/Flato is the second home for a busy couple who lives near San Francisco and loves the water. High above Lake Austin, the main house keeps the couple walking on air, thanks to a catwalk that connects it to one of the three out buildings. Fern Santini‘s ruggedly casual décor makes for relaxed living, and is punctuated on high with stylishly whimsical pendant lighting. Porches encourage outdoor living, and separate yoga studio and exercise room are for well-being. A lake pavilion and boat house complete the setting. OMG this home is stunning! So open and airy and it seems to have great flow. Plus, the furnishings make it modern yet cottagey. Perfection! 

What a weekend retreat this would be! A tract house on a verdant cove on Lake Austin was nearly awash in bad seventies architecture and interior design. But the site was incomparable, with the lake fronting two sides of the property. The new owners loved the location and even wanted to save the house, which spoke to them about casual lakeside living. Furman+Keil Architects rendered a stunning renovation to the wood and glass building, turning it into an indoor-outdoor house that’s perfect for entertaining both formally and informally. Fern Santini played up the new architecture with elegantly relaxed furniture and an expertly curated array of contemporary art by local artists. Touches of absolute luxury—such as plaster walls in the master bedroom, all-out glamour in the gold-and-white tiled master bath, and a Kyle Bunting rug in the dining room—are reminders that being casual doesn’t preclude being very very stylish.

The only thing stopping this bathroom from being perfect is that it’s not real. Oh how cruel (and life like) computer rendering is these days. Can’t wait to see the real thing when it is built. Design by Studio You Me and filed away for inspiration by me.

A family home with a sense of drama, a sense of style and a sense of fun. Melbourne multidisciplinary design firm Studio You Me has renovated a 70s home with great bones, the final product being a home of contrasts and cohesion, life and soul.