There’s something about white walls, dark floors, warm wood and period features that makes me go weak at the knees. Throw in a tiny dash of quirk and well, quite frankly, I’m smitten. Midcentury furniture is an added bonus. I could think of nothing better than winding up the staircase of this Clifton Hill townhouse in Brooklyn, NY by Elizabeth Roberts and Ensemble Architecture exploring rooms, stealing ideas, thumbing through bookcases and rolling around on the bathroom sheepskin. Er, um, a bit too much information.

Situated in a 100 year old building in Istanbul is the boutique hotel, Karaköy Rooms. The elegant renovation by Turkish design firm RunArchitecture is a modern take on a once grand past. White walls, often with dark grey ceilings, are balanced by wooden floors. Where original mouldings are missing they are simply replaced or referenced with paint. Perhaps the standout feature of each room is the exposed copper piping that carries the electrical supply. Simply modern and historically fabulous.

Stark minimalism in black and white. Glass walls like a gold fish bowl. Everything on show. Reflective surfaces bouncing light. Hard, lean, buffed. The perfect exhibitionist. But wait there is a softer side. Concealed lighting throws rough bricks into relief. Solid planks warm walls. Could you? Would you? Are you a secret exhibitionist. Bold living by Montreal interior designer Anne Sophie Goneau.

Hanging pallet bed, shutter wall, workbench vanity. Simple upcycling adds another layer to this showcase room by Barasona Design.

(Truth be told I have an obsession with collecting images of pallet beds like collecting church conversions. A decorating tic perhaps.)

It’s rustic and earthy, colourful and casually chic. Can simple and stylish be seriously sexy? I’m daydreaming of bikinis and bare feet, too much rosé at lunch and a long siesta with my lover (don’t tell my husband). A beach cabana by Portuguese interior designer Vera Iachia. Summer time and the living is easy.