Transforming a stiff, unyielding late-medieval fortress into a dynamic family home: that was the challenge that Gert Voorjans faced in the Bavarian town of Coburg. The commission was anything but obvious: the moated Schloss had in no way been renovated to current standards of residential convenience.
Once the seat of an aristocratic family, the oldest section of the house dates back as far as the 16th century. However, various ad-hoc adaptations and expansions that were started in the 20th century had left the property an eclectic hodge-podge of architectural styles.
Gert evidently embraces the eclectic hodge-podge and ran with it, which makes this fortress of a home so dynamic and unexpected and filled with spaces that are pleasant to the eye each in their own way. Love it!
Traditional Spanish tiles, mid-century pieces and a riot of colour. Shouldn’t work? Hell yes, it does. Packed with personality and fun San Sebastián-based interior designer Mikel Irastorza respects the traditional Spanish roots of the building then starts layering … and layering … and layering. Fabulous fun!
After living in the heart of Paris for several years, designer David Jimenez spent 2 years searching for a country home for weekend retreats. He ended finding a place so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes. It is an expansive 8-room private apartment in a centuries-old manor house on the grounds of a 16th century château near the village of Saintines, on hour north of Paris. It is decorated in classical David style – filled with layer upon layer of the most beautiful antiques and textiles and lighting. (Photos via Veranda, by Xavier Bejot)
He recently launched a book, Parisian by Design, published by Rizzoli who kindly sent me a copy and this is a MUST HAVE book. Featuring several of his design projects and sooo much more, I devoured it in an afternoon and was quite smitten with it. There is a photo of the castle and its moat that alone is worth every cent this book is being offered for. (Find it on Amazon here)
“Sequenced over three levels, this dream-like oasis weaves tangible tales of faraway lands and ancient cultures through eclectic manipulations of materials and styles to convey charismatic reinterpretations of the past.”
It’s fun, fresh, quirky, spirited, confident and trend-setting. It’s mad. It shouldn’t work. It’s a triumph. “Home and Away” by in my opinion the most exciting Australian interior designer Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem of YSG.
Photography by Anson Smart
New York based interior designer Harry Heissmann can do it all, and then some. Harry moves effortlessly from traditional to contemporary and everything in between, which prompted him to describe his style as ‘client-centric’. With a penchant for maximalism, whimsy and an apparent obsession with exotic animals, his spaces are destined to put a smile on your face.
(Photos: Dan Cutrona, Anastassios Mentis, Christopher Delaney, Kris Tamburello, The Ingalls, William Waldron, Johnny Valiant, Russ Gera, Peter Rymwid)