I’m always talking about attention to detail and how in awe I am of the skill of designers to layer to many elements in a space that it feels like your brain may explode (in a good way). There is a lot going on in the Indianapolis home of designer Tiffany Skilling and I really REALLY love it. Each space is like a jewel box full of treasures. The kitchen is a prime example. A mural type wallpaper with a fairly bold marble is a little shocking at first but layered they really compliment each other…and then you walk around the corner into a pantry and bar area, and around the other corner another butler’s pantry? I’m dying. I applaud her unique style and brave approach to elegant maximalism. Photos: Sarah Shields.

Slade Hooton Hall

Posted on Wed, 21 Feb 2024 by KiM

This impressive Grade II*-listed house was built in the William and Mary style of the 17th century. Sitting within over four acres of private grounds, the house enjoys far-reaching views over South Yorkshire’s surrounding countryside. Unfolding over 5,500 sq ft, the house has two fantastic reception rooms, a generous kitchen and eight bedrooms, as well as numerous outbuildings. One of the earliest classically-designed houses of the region, a sympathetic restoration has preserved some of its exceptional original features, such as the trompe l’œil painting crowing the main staircase. Complete with a swimming pool, an entertaining hall, orchards and a greenhouse, the house makes for a wonderful self-contained oasis. 
Dear gawd, where do I sign?!?! This home is soooo checking all my boxes. And (massive Aga) then (pool) some (glasshouse…greenhouse…lake…outbuildings…conservatory…fountain…). For sale via Inigo.

In Blauvelt, less than 20 miles from New York City, is the Socrates Zaferiou House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Completed in 1961, the 2,500-square-foot Usonian home has been restored by Sarah Magness, including the period kitchen, batten mahogany paneling, and exterior. An escape from the city, the house is representative of Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius and philosophy that the outside is the inside, and vice versa. Likewise, Sarah wanted the interiors to reciprocate the woodsy landscape. The strict linear components, inside and out, required a simplified, peaceful interior to reinforce the character of the architecture. 
Can you imagine scrolling through real estate listings and coming across a Frank Lloyd Wright being sold by its original owners? I’d pass right out. Photos: Adrian Gaut.


Extreme bookcase envy

Posted on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 by KiM

I am absolutely head over heels in love with this home (a three-bedroom Grade II-listed terrace house of Georgian architecture in Bristol’s Cotham and Redland Conservation Area, with an 18th-century façade, and spans 2,000 sq ft over five storeys). I cannot imagine having this much book storage. I cannot imagine being able to own this many books. What a dream come true. Though I would be filling some of the shelving with pottery since that is another thing I would love to collect and display in abundance. For sale via Inigo.

Archi-textile in Trieste, Italy

Posted on Mon, 19 Feb 2024 by KiM

The project by Marcante-Testa in Trieste, inside a building from the early 1900s in the city’s historical center, covered the renovation of an apartment of about 180 square meters, which no longer held any traces of the period of original construction (other than the internal doors). In the project by Marcante-Testa the textile element becomes material for architecture and interior design, with fabric panels to divide the spaces – as in the living area, between the dining and sofa zones –, textile wall “belt” in the bedroom to set the perimeter of the space at different heights, passementerie utilized to cover radiators in the living room, and even fabric doors for the custom cabinets of the dressing room. All the fabrics (including the curtains) have been specifically designed for the project by the textile designer Aleksandra Gaca, in collaboration with the architects, and produced at the Textile Museum of Tilburg (Netherlands).
As always this firm’s attention to detail is extraordinary and despite this being so much more subdued than their typical projects it still allows their architectural details to shine. I especially love their modern take on ceiling cornicing/molding. Photos: Carola Ripamonti.