Displaying posts from August, 2016

When old becomes new, and no expense appears to have been spared in the renovation of this semi-detached 4 story, 3,700 sq ft Victorian in Brixton, London. The dark grey stained herringbone hardwood floors are fantastic, and so much drama was added simply by painting the stairs, doors and their frames and some built-in bookcases black. This is classy yet liveable and significant attention to detail in the finishes. Glorious! Available as a location home through the one and only Shoot Factory. 

I’m stalking a mid century classic, Bynya House, on the northern beaches of Sydney. Peter Muller, one of Australia’s most highly regarded and innovative architects, designed this Palm Beach house in 1954 for his own family (with subsequent renovations in 2014-2015). With its low slung form, cantilevered eaves and stepped ceiling and roof line, incorporated rock feature and all that glass, it is a wonderful example of the importance of the relationship between building and site. Please someone lend me the money so I can buy it and fill it full of my own mid century classic furniture. (You’ll have to lend me the money for the furniture too.) For sale via Modern House. Link here while it lasts.

Photography by Michael Nicholson

If you are going to live in a 1930’s high-rise in New York City, the only way to go is GLAM GLAM GLAM! This apartment on the 33rd floor of Robert A.M. Stern’s 15 Central Park West is owned by a luxury bag designer, so no doubt interior design firm The Archers had to go luxurious with it. Drop dead gorgeous wallpapers by Gracie and Fornasetti adorn many walls, and the Gracie paper in the dining room is EVERYTHING – especially with the yellow curtains to play up the bold colour. The bedrooms are a playful mix of light/art deco and dark/gothic and I am totally smitten with each one. (This would make the best Airbnb!)

It may seem easy to create a contemporary space within a beautiful, historic shell. Just toss in the required areas and hope for the best. If only it was this simple. The redevelopment of this 130m² apartment within an old Viennese building saw the architects reassess the space, changing layouts ever so slightly, defining ideas, distilling the design. Refining and re-invigorating.

“The careful restoration of the apartment’s substance that is worthy of preservation goes hand in hand with the integration of modern elements, thus creating an exciting dialogue between the Old and the New.”

Apartment H+M by the aptly named Austrian architectural and design firm destilat.

Last month I got your creative garden juices flowing with a stunning specimen garden by Eckersley Garden Architecture but all along there was the tease of the house beyond. Now it’s time to come in from the garden and enjoy the contemporary garden pavilion that is an addition to the original Edwardian building. Minimalist style at its very best with the border between inside and out all but dissolving. Baffle House by Clare Cousins Architects.

Photography by Lisbeth Grosmann