Soaring ceilings and seemingly endless space. A dream loft space in Manhattan. But how to make it work as a living space without losing the beauty of all that openness? Sliding partitions and walls of fabric dissect the loft creating intimate areas. Pavilions encased in cloth and zones defined by glass placed within the void of the loft itself. Open and warehouse like. Enclosed and private. Raw and beautiful, luxurious in its space. An amazing loft home designed by New Zealand firm Fearon Hay.

My new photographer crush Russell Smith was inspired by my recent post to help us all understand how he takes such fabulous photos. I mean look at these photos! Don’t you want to know how and why and “why can’t I”? Russell has put together an interior photography 101 over on his blog with the ins and outs and the juicy photos. Important tips to help you with your interior photography. It gives me an excuse to feature (again) what what must be one of the most blogged photos in recent times and just a few more shots that Russell included over on his blog. Make sure you check out his other posts too. He generously shares ideas and stories on lighting, travel and food photography, digital vs film, post production and so much more.

We concentrate primarily on domestic interiors on Desire to Inspire. It’s all about the home. Actually it’s all about the room porn for the home. Every so often, though, inspiration comes muscling in from commercial designs. Commute Home is a Toronto based design firm and although what you see before you are restaurants and offices, shops and studio space I could with just a tiny bit of tweaking see these designs providing inspiration for your “not so tame” domesticated home. A little indie. A little edgy. Definitely with attitude. Urban cool. Inner city hip.

Yellow that is. Love these photos by Sydney based freelance photographer Nicky Ryan. How about peony pink? Divine.

Like a cave, rock on rock with primordial forest and majestic mountains. Luxuriously monastic and elegant in its simplicity. Serene yet strong. Raw and masculine. Scree, rock and gravel. Warmth, shelter and style. High country with Lake Wakatipu as view. The Mountain Retreat, Central Otago, Queenstown by New Zealand architectural firm Fearon Hay. Edgy and awe-inspiring.

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