Before a weekend of holiday parties, almost last minute shopping, and other seasonal chaos (or in my case studying), I thought I’d provide you with a little visual respite via some gorgeous photography by Swedish (but now based in NY) photographer Paul Brissman.

As I mentioned earlier today, I had to share with you all a few photos of Priscilla Glover and Ivan Spaller‘s home. This is really quite astonishing, hence right up their alley. I am (on a rare occasion) rendered speechless. It is a High Tudor house that we have named Artamus Hall. Attached are pics of the facade – before – then lifted 5 ft. Then completely reworked. Now this…

wait for it….

…waaiitt for itttt….

The Austin design duo Priscilla Glover and Ivan Spaller (of Spaller Glover Design Build) are at it once again. I have blogged 2 of their projects in the past: “church turned castle” and “extreme gingerbread“. This couple has so much creativity between the two of them it’s astounding. And this works very much in their favour as they specialize in one of a kind, or once in a lifetime, sorts of houses. This latest project, Barcelona Modern, is located in downtown Austin, Texas and is gorgeous and inspiring as always. Our current project has been something we drafted up years ago and then modified to fit the lot. It is a study in Early European modernism with the intrinsic classical touches of that period- some deco influences (lighting and doors), chevron floor pattern, push-button lighting, glass door knobs, factory style doors. And it has all the comforts of a modern energy efficient home. I love it all – from the round and multi-paned windows to the mirrored riser with tree trunk steps.
Stay tuned later for a peek at this couple’s own home. 🙂

Alexandra emailed Jo and I with an interesting request from her boss Kristopher (who turns out is female, so any reference to “bachelor” should really be “bachelorette”). Seems Kristopher hoped we’d be interested in showcasing her apartment. Here are some details provided: The apartment was intended as the home of the manager of the El Royale, a 1929 Spanish Revival apartment building built by the same architect as the famed Chateau Marmount. I always lived as a total bachelor, and the only “decoration” any of my apartments had were books piled on my floor. I became obsessed with this apartment, though, and I ripped up the greige carpet and painted the concrete floor, painted the window frames iron-brown (they were white), replaced the new lighting fixtures with antiques, and installed a rotary phone (which connects directly to the lobby). I am quite smitten with this apartment I must say. The floors look incredible – hard to believe it used to be greige carpet. BLEH. And the windows are TO DIE FOR. Love all the furnishings and the star light fixture in the stairwell. A couple of things I’d do to spruce it up a bit. I’d love to see some of that art hung on the walls instead of sitting in the fireplace (which is another fab detail btw). I’d throw a couple cowhide rugs on the floor (ya, I went there), and hang a huge, extravagant chandelier over the dining table. Or scrap all that and just enjoy the minimalism. Photos via Scott Dukes.

Nelly, a stylist based in Perth, Australia, emailed the other day with photos of her latest project (see her home here and reno/deco project here). It is a GORGEOUS house. She styled it for a photo shoot organized by Scoop Publishing which can be viewed online here – see pages 114-124. The house is an amazing, super-contemporary and quite sustainable weekender for a young Perth-based family who enjoys the wine, food and beach region of Margaret River. It was designed by Craig Steere Architects. It is quite minimalist inside, but I’ve tried to ‘warm it up’ a bit with my styling (although I was given only 3 days before the shoot to source decorative items without even seeing the house…) The artwork featured in the hallway and in one of the bedrooms (above the bed) is by Meleah Farrell. Photos by Heather Robbins of Red Images Fine Photography. Nelly certainly gave it a more homey touch – including hits of orange in the main living spaces. I really am a fan of this house, but on a side note, I think I would have loved to see something besides concrete floors everywhere. The other day I asked my husband if we should consider doing concrete in our new house but after seeing this home I think I changed my mind. I need the warmth that hardwood offers (despite the inevitable cat claw marks).