Diana Stark is an architect and interior designer from Israel and this is her apartment in Netanya she shares with her husband and 3 year old daughter. She kindly sent over these photos for us to share with you. The space used to be several small rooms with an enclosed kitchen but she brilliantly came up with a more open-concept and kept it very modern and neutral so she could add interest in the details – a bit of bold (and not so bold) wallpaper, some really gorgeous tile laid vertically (love that!) and some glass elements. It’s a stunning mix of hard and soft, modern and vintage. (Photos: Hagar Doppelt)

If you would like to participate in the Monday’s pets on furniture series please send photos, your name, location and a brief description to kim[at]desiretoinspire[dot]net, or hashtag your photos on Instagram with #DTIpetsonfurniture. Thanks!

A couple from me. Mimin basking in the afternoon sun in the living room and Lucky taking advantage of freshly washed bedding.

Nothing beats a backdrop of an industrial loft. Add in some vibrant colours, patterns, textures, and vintage furnishings and you have an eclectic and sophisticated space. This gem is located in a building in Madrid built in 1935 and was transformed by architect Peyo Basurto of Ping Pong Estudio, interior designer María Ruiz-Mateos and stylist Mercedes Díaz de Rábago. It is TO DIE FOR. Via Nuevo Estilo. (Photos: Pablo Sarabia)

There is something so sexy about a black and white space. Make it a downtown LA loft with exposed wooden beams, steel trusses and original hardwood floors and it doesn’t really get much hotter than that! Designed by avant-garde, minimalist interior designer Lukas Machnik.

I was at it again a few weekends ago, going to town on my living room walls. As much as I love some dark paint, having a dark grey living room after about 3 years was getting to me. The cave-like effect had lost its initial appeal. Here is what it looked like before the transformation:

That was Downpipe by Farrow and Ball – high gloss on the trim and fireplace and estate emulsion on the walls (and Plummett on the ceiling) . Luckily I didn’t need to change anything but the walls (gawd I hate painting trim – and it’s high gloss so I may be stuck with it forever!). I am not a faux-finish gal but I have always loved the plaster walls the talented duo behind Jersey Ice Cream Co. always use in their projects. So I thought I would give it a go. Due to my busy schedule and general laziness when it comes to painting projects, I came up with a plan. I went to Home Depot and bought a couple of cans of Rustoleum’s Chalked paint – a medium grey (Country Grey) and a concrete coloured grey (Aged Grey). Then I bought many packs of cheesecloth, at Jo’s suggestion. I did a rough, thin coat of the medium grey over my dark grey walls, letting a bit of the dark grey show through. Oh – chalk paint dries almost instantly so I added a bit of water to it. Then I brushed on the lighter grey in small sections and immediately started dabbing with the cheesecloth. And voilà! It looks like concrete/plaster!

Here is a quick snap I took on my phone during the process:

And here is how it looks now! (I know some people may think the dark was better but trust me, a room with larger windows that let in more light would have been much easier to live with)

I was inspired by a photo I saw recently while doing blog research and found this simple solution for hanging art in a not-so-average way. I bought some small black chain at Canadian Tire which I attached by little eye hooks into the bottom of the molding left it hang down (I might hook it into the baseboards to straighten it out a bit). Those beautiful frames I found at Highjinx. They had awful still life paintings in them so I painted over them with some leftover paint I had stashed away.

(I really want to sell the awesome leather sofa under those tablecloths and get a new one more suitable for this space. Maybe this? Or this?)

Sources: raspberry vintage sofa + brass base side table + pink tufted chair – The Pale Blue Dot; Moooi carpet by Marcel Wanders – The Modern Shop; sheepskins – Cowboy Kate Outpost; Knoll tulip table + black tall plant stand + blanket over back of sofa – Alteriors; floral pillow on raspberry sofa – Wild Rice Designs; knitted pillow – Hana Waxman; embroidered bat art – Caitlin T. McCormack; large portrait over sofa – photo by Amanda Margareth; ceramic cat + black base side table – Highjinx; pink blanket and remaining pillows – Homesense; FLOS aim pendant by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Everything else random vintage finds.