I’m having a design crisis. I’m finding myself drawn to brown. Not just brown but neutrals, no… naturals, maybe wood… and stone… maybe brick. Grass and feathers and gnarly old branches next to turned bowls of eggs and seed pods. It’s clutter and collections and brown…. brown… natural… oh and copper and brass and antiques and hemp and sisal and hand made furniture and back to brown. It’s driving me crazy but I can’t help it. I found this home in the countryside just outside Berrima in New South Wales on my regular real estate stalking and I should be running screaming shouting “no”, “no”, “no” but… I’m kind of hooked. It bothers me but perhaps it shouldn’t. Link here while it lasts.

Matthew Hranek gets people. He gets the spaces they live in and the lives they lead. He gets it. Then he captures it through the lens of his camera. Homes are lived in. Homes are the people that live in them. Homes live. Just like these three homes from his portfolio via his rep’s site.

Caterpillar House, a modern interpretation of the ranch style house with a serious mid-century riff. It’s low slung and open planned, sitting comfortably in its surrounds. A rammed earth home rising from fields of waving grass. Environmentally sustainable and good looking. Caterpillar House by Feldman Architecture.

I’m lost in the London listings on onefinestay. “A fresh alternative to a hotel for a short stays, live like a local without compromising on service and comfort.” May be a slogan but it seems to be true. Look at this oasis in the bustling city. Love the grey walls (the listing says duck egg blue but my monitor is definitely reading more grey… I’m fantasising about that blue though), the pared back furnishings, a scattering of vintage and the historic details. Simplicity and style. So refreshing. Excuse me while I pop over to Beresford Terrace for a few days stay. I really need to straighten that sofa cushion ;)<

A beautiful little house perched on a garden allotment in Groningen in The Netherlands. A wonderful getaway on a tiny lot in a communal setting. Don’t pop a portable shed or generic lock up on it. No. Create something as special as the eccentric gardens that surround it. Garden house, summerhouse, shed and hide-away. A marvellous mini villa by Haiko Meijer of Onix, perfect for architect and family.