If I ever had any doubts about using pastels in a home, they have all been washed away. I had to share this home in Stockholm because I am going to dream about it allllllll day. And all weekend. So damn pretty!!! Via Bo Bedre, photos: Jonas Interstedt.

It’s been a crazy week (I won’t delve into it as I’m sure you’ve heard enough, but my day job involves the website that our friends to the south crashed which ended up all over the news) and before I get into this post, I just wanted to make quick mention of this special day. Today my Grandfather who was a decorated war veteran is in my thoughts along with all those who fought and died in the line of duty. I unfortunately did not know my gramps very well before his passing several years ago as he lived on the opposite side of the country for the majority of my youth, but he was a pretty cool guy and I was really proud of what he did for this country. Anyway, this week has been very emotional and continues to be, so I don’t know about you but I could use some eye candy as a distraction, if only for a few moments. Thanks to the team at Studio Fotografico Francesca Pagliai for sending along these beautiful photos of an absolutely delightfully decorated boutique hotel in Florence called Velona’s Jungle. (Interior design: Studio Sgroi)

Savor the flawless comfort and unique style of the guest suites at Velona’s Jungle Luxury Suites, where many of the elegant objets d’art and furnishings date from the mid century, when the family’s patriarch – a respected Florentine art dealer – began collecting pieces during his travels in Italy and abroad. His fabulous finds from trips through Florence, Rome, Naples, London, Paris, and Vienna in the 1950’s were paired exquisitely with the prestigious antique and period furnishings from his gallery, creating a one-of-a-kind home.

Subsequent generations added to the original collection, carefully selecting works by contemporary artists, fabrics and decorative accents by favorite designers, and choice books and sculpture…each chosen with the same care and passion as their grandfather and together creating the glorious whole that is now Velona’s Jungle.

This dining room is soooooo fabulous!!!!

More architecture I can get behind. Quite a bit different in methods than my last post, here it is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional style in Poznań, Poland by architecture firm mode:lina. Form of this house: two blocks with a sloping roof and an asymmetric garage cube. It is complemented with simple, raw materials: bricks, concrete and sheet in shades of gray. The street facade has the least windows, protecting the inhabitants from the noise and gives them peace. In addition, various kinds of fences give them the sense of security. That’s where the house got the name from: the Fence House. The shape of this building was dictated by its function. Household members, parents and two children, wanted to live independently. Hence the idea of dividing it into two parts. Separate area on the first floor allows adults to enjoy tranquility while kids can go crazy in their “own house”. Ground floor is a common part for all inhabitants. There’s the unique kitchen extended into the garden and a large living room with mezzanine, reaching the attic. An unusual feature is the window in the hallway, which exhibits the owner’s unique car (my car buff husband says it’s a Lotus/Caterham 7) inside a graphite garage cube. 

(more work by mode:lina here)

I absolutely adore these spaces, and love the philosophy of architecture firm Hacket Holland (based in Notting Hill, London). Our approach is not dogmatic but responsive. We hope our buildings have ‘good manners’ in relation to their neighbours and natural setting. We reject the fashionable late 20th Century notion of Architecture as ‘objects in space’. We believe that in the future successful Architecture will be defined as that which responds to its immediate surroundings and to the wider environment in a meaningful way. Our aim is to create forms and spaces that are beautifully proportioned, considered, responsive, functional, practical and formed using good quality sustainable materials. We believe that this approach is truly modern – in the best sense – and that as the absolute necessity for sustainability becomes recognised on a global level, so ‘industrial’ modernism and current vacuous architectural fashions will become redundant.

When a dog is the perfect finishing touch to a space. Perhaps this is why I have so many cats – I need one to match each room. 😉 Via William McLure