This house for sale was part of the monastic complex of Santes Creus (12th century, in Catalonia). It served as a hospital and warehouse at different times, until in 1835, as a result of the Spanish confiscation, the family that currently owns the property bought it. Due to its configuration, the property could be divided into three homes, making the necessary adaptations. It has 8 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms over 690m² and is beautifully restored so the new owners have nothing to do but move in their furntiture and enjoy! For sale for €2,495,000 via Lucas Fox.

Run For The Hills husband and wife team Chris Trotman recently renovated a dated Victorian house in West London, which was previously set up as two unmodernised flats. It needed to be formally de-converted back into a family home before Planning could be granted for a side return and three room loft extension. The finished house is now a five-bedroom, three bathroom property. The team gutted the ground floor completely and reconfigured the layout, removing the ‘double’ front living/dining room that many people opt for, instead keeping a small ‘adult’ living room at the front, then a small utility/guest bathroom and then creating a really large open-plan ‘Family Space’ at the rear onto the garden. The house has a stylishly modern feel, with crittal doors throughout the ground floor. But the design also boasts dramatic, oversized decorative covings, flower petal ceiling roses and ‘vintage-feel’ but new herringbone floors, all of which keeps the house feeling warm, inviting and full of period character. The design also features lots of textured limewash paint, giving an overall feeling of vintage, lived-in charm, despite being freshly done.
Vintage mixed with modern, pale colours in the open spaces and darker colours in the smaller rooms make this home the perfect juxtaposition of old and new, dark and light. (Scroll to the end of this page for sources)

This stunning, minimalist home in Oria, Italy by architect/designer Andrew Trotter makes me want to forget I love pattern and colour. I don’t think I could live like this year round but give me a home like this in Italy or Greece as a vacation home used solely for unwinding and getting away from the chaos of everyday life and I would be a very happy camper. It is so serene and almost other-worldly. Photos: Salva López.

This large, very sturdy farmhouse was made up of 3 cottages joined together. It was crying out for colour and character to work alongside all the beams and irregular shape of the house. The challenge was to bring the house together as one cohesive home. We created an enormous, light filled kitchen with huge doors opening out onto the terrace and a modern extension which joins another small cottage, providing further accommodation and facilities.
This home gives off such a wonderful inviting energy and I could not love it more. All of these colours and patterns and layering and ohhhhh so many table lamps make me want to go textile shopping so badly. Designed by Sarah Vanrenen; photos: Mike Garlick.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the ‘Joyous Home’ project is the choice of a colour palette. Because in this renovation project colour is the protagonist. Our interest has focused on breathing new life into this property included on the protected heritage building list of the town. The original house, designed very early in the 20th century, is the result of the introduction of Modernisme… Few alterations had been made to the original house. Perhaps the most significant is the loss of the original kitchen facilities. In response, we have designed the room with a simple but expressive approach, which dialogues naturally with the originality of the house and at the same time it is functional from current demands. The original cupboard has been rescued, lacquered in red, in front of the new pine structure that supports the minimal elements of the kitchen.
This home in Castro Urdiales, Spain is SOOOO much fun, and I adore the bold colour choices that come together in really unique ways that adds a ton of interest. By Cristina Acha & Miguel Zaballa of Acha Zabella Arquitectos; photos: Luis Díaz Díaz