Canadian architect Paul Bernier explores the ideas of distillation and purity in his designs. He questions whether floors need to be solid, walls fixed and how a door opens. This does not make his designs gimmicky though. The simplicity of line and the use of natural materials particularly timber make his homes intimate and personal. I love the slatted floors in both these houses, the amazing overhead shot of planted roof and shady garden below as well as the bathroom with wall slits in the second home. Spaces that are interesting as well as beautiful.

Bold contemporary lines. Floor planes intersected and connected by vertical timber elements. Mass and void, solid and transparent, open and shut and in and out. Luxury open-plan family living perched above Cape Town, South Africa with views to infinity and the infinity edged pool to relax in and enjoy it all. Who else but SAOTA – Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects.

A terrace house in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Stripped back to bare bones, renovated with steel and timber. A modern, minimalist home rising from the old shell. Spare and clean lined, relaxed, cool, calm. From it’s ground floor TV den though open plan living and kitchen up to its zen like top floor chill out zone it is the perfect answer to tropical living in a hectic Asian capital. Design by Jessica Lim, Tony Heneberry and Jo England of JTJ Design, a KL based design and development company.

“You spin me right round, baby right round like a record… “

Apologies to Dead or Alive but how cool is this rotating shelving wall, the UnWaste bookcase, a collaboration between architect Ben Milbourne (Bild Architecture), eco-designer Leyla Acaroglu (Eco Innovators) and specialist furniture designer David Waterworth (Against the Grain). (Photography by TM PHOTO.) It divides the open space into living and sleeping areas while allowing light and airflow between the spaces and providing much needed storage in a warehouse conversion. The bookcase is built from reclaimed plywood from construction site hoardings providing surface design interest through the remains of old advertising posters and stencils.

“Terrat Elms was founded on the principal that successful design is not about just making something beautiful – it’s about helping clients build an experience they love, and never want to leave. It’s about mixing new and old, expensive and everyday, the crazy fun and seriously sentimental. It’s about opposing the typical and falling for the unconventional.”

Yes, true but still crazy beautiful. Dee Elms and Andrew Terrat are the Boston based design duo behind these wonderful homes. Inspiration, aspiration and fabulous.