A modern take on tradition. Antonio Martins‘ master bedroom for the 2014 San Francisco Decorator Showcase pays homage to his Portuguese heritage but this is no dusty old museum piece. Hand painted, oversized blue and white tiles jumble across the walls while the show stopper is an 18th century rosewood bed. Showcase rooms are always over the top. They push the limit, shock or overwhelm. They are part art installation, part interior design on steroids but they are also great sources of inspiration. The crisp blue and white, the play of oversize images cut and pasted. Did you notice the old letters in the acrylic boxes? The play of the jungle of green against the blue?

I’m always excited when I see an email from Inside Out magazine’s managing editor Lee Tran Lam. It means that the latest issue is about to hit the stands and that we are getting a sneak peek at one of the homes within the cover. And what a home! Be still my heart. Here’s what Lee Tran had to say.

Over the years a jumble of 19th century barns were moved and remodeled, added to and almost disappeared beneath new work. Owners came and went until the current occupants engaged architectural firm Christoff : Finio to add their layer to the buildings. That’s what so many old buildings are… layers. Layers of new work and old, layers of materials, layers of lives and layers of meanings. Creating a new home from this jumble of layers doesn’t always mean stripping back to basics. Sometimes it just means rationalising, reworking, rearranging and revealing to reveal the beauty.

It may take a lot of discipline to live the minimalist life (and in this case a lot of money) but, oh, how beautiful is the simple line, the intersection of positive and negative, boxes balanced on manicured lawns, glass walls throwing privacy to the wind. Austere luxury by AABE (Atelier d’Architecture Bruno Erpicum & Partners).

If I was a teenager and this was my room I’d never come out. OK OK. Most teenagers never come out of their rooms no matter what the room looks like but this is a special case. Trapeze skills anyone? Too cool for school. By New York based architects and designers Christoff : Finio.