As my crazy, busy, mad, mad , mad work week draws to a close you’ll still find me daydreaming of escapes and holiday homes, B&Bs and exotic places. Today you’ll find me in Lucerne, Switzerland in the stylishly domestic Bed & Breakfast 9. A small guesthouse that promises respite from the madding world, beautiful simplicity, a gentle stay. It doesn’t always have to be about cutting edge and high fashion. Sometimes it is about hearth and home and welcoming hosts. Bliss.

Classic and contemporary. Old and new. Dark and light. High, high, high and a touch of low. (Is that an IKEA rug I spy in the study?) I’m not sure if this one has been styled down, pared back for the photo shoot or not. I love the steel doors in the old part of the house and the sleek lines of the modern extension when viewed against the Edwardian gingerbread cottage lines of the old. Stalking old and new in Melbourne. Link here while it lasts.

Sometimes when I’m overwhelmed by work, exhausted and almost ready to burst into tired tears I go to my virtual happy place. Today (and for a very long time in fact) my happy place is this bathroom by Made by Cohen. You would have seen it before on the blog. You may have even saved it to your inspiration files. Now excuse me as I shut the door. I have a virtual bath to soak in.

This extension to a Victorian house plays with volumes and materials, providing the young family who lives there with new living areas, a studio space and new rear entry from the laneway. Another clever design by Rob Kennon Architects. You never really know what is just down the lane.

Time to escape to a tropical island getaway on the Great Barrier Reef here in Australia. Bedarra Island Villa, a private beach house, a perfect slice of tranquility. Can you see a theme developing in my posts this week?