A quaint addition to the iconic Spray Farm Estate (Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula), The Art Studio purposefully and eloquently invites artistic inspiration from the first step inside. Architecturally referencing details of the original homestead, our interior choices were sympathetic to the surrounding landscape, minimalist in design, abundant in high quality craftsmanship and technically executed for practicality.
I may not be an artist per se but WHOA would working at my current government day job virtually and working on this blog from a space like this would be a dream come true. And I thought my greenhouse was a decent outdoor space to work from…
Interiors: Watts Studio and Amiconi Architect; Architect & Construction: David Webb Building Solutions; Photography: Timothy Kaye; Art Direction: Marsha Golemac.

At the crossroads of the Indre and Vienne rivers, 300 km from Paris and Bordeaux, it is built on a rocky spur overlooking the river, with a view over the countryside. With approx. 470sqm of living space, the château comprises: Ground floor: large entrance hall, reception room, living room, bedroom with en-suite bathroom, wc, magnificent kitchen, study and dining room with stunning countryside views. First floor: master bedroom with en suite bathroom, dressing room, 5 bedrooms, three with en suite bathrooms. Second floor: convertible attic with existing bedroom. Basement: sauna, laundry room, cellar and boiler room. The outbuildings include: A janitor’s cottage in need of complete renovation, old stables to renovate, a garage. The property extends over 10ha. The park features a swimming pool with pool house. Also available for purchase: Close to the chateau, a mill with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and dining room overlooking the river.
This château is about as quintessentially “château” as it gets. I love all the details in here. The room that currently houses the kitchen would be a fun challenge to renovate. Clearly the fridge needs a new home. For sale for €1,360,000 via Le Nail.

The barn they found is vast and it was a bit of an overwhelming prospect for the family. They loved the scale of the buildings but they wanted our team to make it cosy for the four of them as well as an epic entertaining space for bigger gatherings. Much of the beauty of the original beauty of the building had been lost behind modern insulation, poor glazing and stark flooring. Contemporary partition walls had broken up its natural flow and a mezzanine office blocked light and took away from the scale of the building. By removing metres of contemporary stainless steel walkways and staircases that blocked views and felt cold we revealed the extraordinary architectural features of the barn. New windows, antique flooring, large fireplaces to our design, traditionally made bespoke joinery, furniture and lighting all added together to make a warm and welcoming home that feels like it has evolved over time. It has been a wonderful project of collaboration with the clients and as times changed with Covid, so did our brief. A music studio was built, a swimming pool added into one of the courtyards and a tennis court will be come next. It really is the perfect country home that works as well with two people in it as it does with a huge party.
What an epic home filled with everything you could possibly need – including 3 kitchens?! I love that Emma Kirby Design de-modernized it and highlighted so much of the original architecture. Brilliant.

Stephenie and Chase Watts are a busy husband-wife team (Watts Design House). They focus on real estate, interior design, and have renovated and offer boutique stay locations, including House On The Hill in Salt Lake, House On The Cape in Cape Cod, and Casa Pantera in Mérida, Mexico. These are unique home destinations that capture the expressive nature of each place, encompass guests in soulful interiors and are formulated with the avant guard sophisticate in mind. Each stay offers a distinct experience- focusing on elements unique to that home and it’s geographical location. The home in Mérida, as featured in some of the photos below, is an absolute dream. (Some photos by Read McKendree)

Part 2 of Tapawingo Lake Camp consists of the Gathering Lodge (includes a speakeasy and card room and another stone fireplace – you can never have too many!), the Dining Hall with yet another stone fireplace with built-in banquettes on either side (OMGGGGG I love this) as well as an 18 person dining table and the cutest butler’s pantry, and Darwin’s Library (with another stone fireplace!!). Architect: Pearson Design Group; Builder: North Fork Builders; Designer: Emma Burns of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler.