I stumbled upon this kitchen by designer Lisa Mende and it immediately put a smile on my face. Most kitchens these days I find completely underwhelming and lacking any sort of creativity and uniqueness and this one is anything but that! It was designed for a showhouse and to my horror I learned the homeowner tore it out and redesigned it after the showhouse was over 🙁 It was great while it lasted… (photos: Kelli Boyd)

What was once a completely uninhabitable, crumbling, 12th century, 35,000 sq ft castle that sat untouched for over 60 years (see photo below), became an absolutely marvelous estate thanks to architect Domenico Minchilli and interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, who designed the castle as it would have been 200 years ago (maybe with the kitchen taking exception). This is exactly how you should redo a castle, by paying homage to its history. (Photos: Oberto Gili for Architectural Digest and Martyn’s website)

While I’m bringing plants inside for the winter and praying for every last bit of warm weather we can get before winter hits us like a ton of bricks, I stumbled across the portfolio of Charlotte Rowe and her West London based landscape design and architecture firm. Give me all the gardens and plants and sunshine, especially this project… The new house is of a contemporary design built in an L-shape with a separate indoor swimming pool and garage and guest wing grouped around a large courtyard. The courtyard is a key element of the design of the house and garden. As the courtyard is set on a slope, our solution was to design the space using polished concrete flooring with three water basins divided by formal planting beds set at different levels interlinking a dining area and seating area. The walls of the garage were rendered in a dark grey to set off a row of espaliered pear trees and the whole area is softened by a number of trees including two multi-stemmed Amelanchier trees and three Cornus mas. The rest of the garden has been designed around the house encompassing an unusual gravel garden on the Southern side with views down the site. There are extensive mixed planting beds with shrubs, trees, perennials and grasses all around the house and a small vegetable and cutting garden. One hundred new trees, including many quite mature specimens, have been planted to act as companion trees to some magnificent old oaks on what was predominantly a virgin site. Much of the site is to remain as rough grass and wildflower meadow with mown paths, allowing the natural ‘borrowed’ landscape to take centre stage. (Photos: Marianne Majerus and Eva Nemeth)

Mieke ten Have is an interiors stylist, design writer, and creative consultant who has worked for many top magazines such as Vogue, Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, House & Garden and others. Her talent as a stylist is obvious given these exceptional spaces. What I would do to have her wander my home and work her magic.

Photos: Ricardo Labougle, Douglas Friedman, Stephen Kent Johnson, Sam Frost, Mikkel Vang, Simon Upton, Matthew Williams, William Abranowicz, Pernille Loof, William Waldron, Thomas Loof, Scott Frances, Ricardo Labougle, Noe de Witt

This 1926 Spanish Revival home in Los Angeles is yet another example of Frances Merrill of Reath Design‘s creativity and brilliant use of colour and pattern. This time it is a bit more subtle than most of her projects, but that allows the architecture of the home to stand out and take centre stage. Casual and playful and every detail is worth taking note. Photos: Laure Joliet