
Rough luxe, rustic yet modern, traditional married with minimalism. Indoor melds with outdoor, concrete and stainless steel, glass and pebbles and everything washed with beautiful natural light. The gallery and dwelling of Valerie Traan in Antwerp, Belgium by LENS°ASS Architect. Subtle beauty, the preservation of the old and the juxtaposition of the modern in a sympathetic way and always the presence of repeating patterns of brick or herringbone or block. After the jump a few more images from the firm’s design of a GP surgery in an old brick barn like structure.










Just kidding… about the house that is… and your birthday is the 24th and I’m a day late but nice house eh? Historic stables with modern extension in East Melbourne. Just a few hundred meters and you are in the CBD of Melbourne, one of the most amazing cities in the world. Bluestone, brick, timber, steel and glass. Yum! Needs a little touch of Kim style here and there (ditch that wallpaper, move in your new leather sofa and please do something with that bedroom) but the bones are fabulous. Happy belated birthday buddy!
P.S. If someone really does want to buy this house for Kim you can find it for sale here.











Late afternoon. The sun is hanging low in the west. A cool breeze nips and snaps to remind me that winter hasn’t quite gone yet. I’m sitting waiting for friends to arrive. Wine, cheese, light the fire when the sun goes down. Jazz and chicken pot pie for dinner. Maybe mushy pies. A movie with orange almond cake during the interval. (Remember intervals and choc top cones?) Easy going, relaxed and just perfect. A bit like this warehouse space. Warm, cosy, real. Perfect for a Saturday afternoon with friends. Found at the always inspiring Airspace Locations. The Shoe Factory.












I have been a huge fan of lofts for as long as I can remember (still dream about owning one someday) and I got my hands on some photos of a fabulous Vancouver loft designed by architect Omer Arbel (Jo featured an amazing home of his design here). Here are some details from Omer: The project consisted of a seismic upgrade and restoration of a heritage building in Vancouver’s historic gastown district, and a loft interior design project. The loft is organized around a new courtyard open to above, inserted into the heritage fabric of the building, allowing light into the centre of the very deep plan. All other interior elements are rendered crisply using precisely machined elements, conceived to stand in strong contract to the rough heritage fabric of the existing shell. The massive amounts of exposed brick, the beamed cielings, concrete floors – it is breathtaking, and yet not at all cold. W O W.
Photography by the talented Martin Tessler (we showed him some love too here and here).










Modern and sculptural. Brick plays off concrete and timber, linear patterns meet sweeping curves. It’s a funky Melbourne house by Clare Cousins Architects that takes the raw to a new level. Bright, fresh and sun filled spaces with an indie vibe. New and now. (Photography by Shannon McGrath.)






