Displaying posts labeled "Art"

Another beautiful project (bought and since sold) by the talented team at Les Ensembliers. This house was built on 4 acres of land, surrounded by manicured gardens. After reviewing this project, Les Ensembliers decided to only paint and decorate this home instead of renovating it and risk loosing its soul. The intent was to sell the house but, once the decor took shape, they fell in love with it. The decor inspiration of this project started with the dining room painting which, for Les Ensembliers, represents Giverny and its true character and connection to gardens. Every element of the house was chosen for its references to Monet’s work. This project was about bringing the English garden spirit, elegance, simplicity, and ease inside the house. White painted floors in a old country home is a simple, yet very effective solution, to create an elegant backdrop.

This is one of the coolest homes I have featured in a while (IMHO), and it’s by a Canadian design firm! It all began innocently enough. Architect Maxime Vandal was indulging his penchant for real-estate porn when he came across a listing for a circa-1890 Second French Empire–style home in the historic Westmount neighborhood of Montreal. A week later, he and his husband, designer Richard Ouellette, made an offer on the property. As partners and co-owners of the design-and-construction firm Les Ensembliers, the pair is always up for a new project. But with the Westmount house, they took their time, living in it for a whole year before changing a thing (and then setting up a tent in the living room to sleep in during the renovation).Here, that meant stripping back a 1980s refurbishment to restore the structure to its former glory. Cultivation of the unexpected is a big part of the home’s appeal. The house has become a place for artistic experimentation, where architect and designer can test the limits of a contemporary aesthetic through a traditional framework: Furniture is placed slightly askew in the living room, resulting in a dynamic space that feels more like a salon than a suburban gathering place, and the kitchen’s open shelving continues right across the windows. In fact, much of the house’s design was driven by the duo’s existing range of fabrics for Brunschwig & Fils (their collection of wallpapers is soon to launch), creating a sort of living showroom.

Danish fashion designer Malene Birger should have really started her career as an interior designer. Her 1905 Italian stone house on a hillside with views of Lake Como is decorated with the most incredible maximalist, eclectic style that is blowing my mind. Black, white, brown and the most glorious ochre/mustard/spicey yellow I have ever seen, and a divinely random mix of vintage finds from flea markets and auctions around the world. Via Skönahem, photos by Birgitta Wolfgang.

Haute eclectic in its finest form in a jaw-dropping apartment in Saint-Germain-des-Près designed by Stéphane Olivier. The mix of Italian and Scandinavian mid-century furnishings is stunning with the architectural features. I could certainly do without the rhino head though 🙁 (Photos: Gilles Trillard)

I have spent many years working at this blog, and hunting down photos of beautiful interiors. It tends to leave you a bit underwhelmed at times, and craving some creativity and uniqueness. New York based interior design genius Robert Stilin is one of those designers who makes me want more. I stare at his photos, try to move on to something else, then go back to inspect every inch of his spaces again in case I missed something the first time. This pattern repeats itself about 8 times. And only then am I satiated. The unique vintage furnishings, the bold and always layered artwork, the depth to the spaces is everything.

(We last featured Robert’s work here)