Displaying posts from July, 2023

If you are unsure if château life is for you, why not stay in one a few nights and see if it’s to your liking? Château de Sibra in Lagarde, Occitanie, France is an absolute delight. Purchased by an architect in 2017, it was restored and opened in the summer of 2021 for short term stays via Welcome Beyond.
While the ground floor was lived in (with a very 1950s French style), the second floor hadn’t been used in a long time and was largely untouched (except for a new roof). Because it was in its original state, we had the old wallpapers and flooring to work with. We were able to reprint many of the wallpapers using the original paper and pigments and we had a team in Morocco who redid some of the tiles. In the places where we couldn’t recreate the original features, we interpreted them as closely as possible using the same colours. In terms of the interior design, I wanted to put pieces of furniture in the rooms that stood in the space. But if you removed them, it wouldn’t destroy the existing room. I love contemporary furniture and have been collecting it all my life, so designing the interiors of the chateau was a good opportunity to declutter my home in Switzerland.

If that wasn’t fabulous enough, on the northern side is a medieval-looking building that was originally a horse stable while on the southern side is a building constructed from concrete and steel. The stables have now been transformed into apartments while the storage area under the roof (where herbs and sausages were once kept) is now the studio. Where the castle caretaker and gardener once lived with their families is now the Maison de Métayer, a symmetrically designed building with five rooms and one suite. There is a large communal kitchen and a salon, as well as a private garden. Also available as rentals via Welcome Beyond.

It’s like I say week in week out. If you have to drag yourself into work on a weekend it helps if it’s somewhere stylish. Office by Dorothée Delaye.

Texture plays a pivotal role in any interior design and it becomes even more significant in a monochromatic house. In the absence of vibrant colours, texture becomes the driving force that breathes life and depth into the space, elevating it from flat and dull to intriguing and captivating. I just want to reach out and touch the rooms in this house. Yes through the computer screen! Velvets and sheepskin, rough jute and coarsely woven leather, smooth cold metals and stone, the almost waxy worn patina of old wood. Valley Village by Los Angeles JDP Interiors.

I’m stalking a late-Victorian townhouse on North London’s Ospringe Road, a short walk from Tufnell Park and Kentish Town. Spread over five storeys the home is packed with charm and character. Crafted from London stock brick and crowned with steep Welsh slate roofs with tall chimney stacks, it exudes timeless elegance. The interior spaces have been refurbished to an exceptionally high standard, carefully preserving historic features such as fine plasterwork and an elegant, sculptural staircase. My favourite though is the blue reading room (painted in ‘Vardo’ by Farrow and Ball). Just perfect for a bibliophile in you.

Ospringe Road II for sale via Inigo.

For this project, we were hired by legacy clients to reimagine a 1785 antique home in Westport CT- with the rather intriguing twist of trying to include as many of their cherished modern pieces from the Madison Avenue duplex that I previously designed for them, a few years prior. At the historical front side, the house remains barely touched from over 2 centuries ago. The side view reveals the relatively newer farmhouse-style addition. Hidden away, an expansive back lawn, outdoor terrace, and pool area are designed for gracious living. To bring harmony to the space, we focused on the finishes, colors, and textures used- a methodology we relied upon throughout the rest of the home. Here, the patina on the beamed and exposed ceiling is honeyed and warm. The floors are generously wide-planked and each board carries marks of previous decades of use while also revealing the love and care this home has been privy to for a few hundred years. As for our new furnishings, we massaged the colors and textures of the room so past and present spoke to each other. Lacquer, metal, resin, and wood, plus pattern and texture were all selected to add to a layered story.
What a stunner of a home. Those floors alone are to die for. All the exposed wood really keeps this home feeling so incredibly warm and the unexpected bits of modernism added here and there should do make this home dynamic and intriguing. Designed by Kathleen Walsh. (Renovation: John Desmond;
landscape: Brook Clark; photography: Rikki Snyder; styling: Frances Bailey)