Displaying posts labeled "Outdoors"

It’s almost impossible to imagine that this light-filled family home was once a dank, dark derelict Victorian-era diary. The conversion by Beth Dadswell of Imperfect Interiors is nothing short of miraculous. Unique and full of character it’s a wonderful mix of modern day family living and its industrial roots.

Photography by Chris Snook

A dacha is a country house or cottage in Russia, typically used as a second or vacation home. I found this dacha owned by designer sisters Ilona Menshakova and Irina Markidonova at Architectural Digest Russia and I am completely in love with the outdoor spaces, particularly the use of black which adds a modern edge. And well, black is always a winner in any application. 🙂 The interior is beautiful too – a mix of rustic cabin, antique glam with a Swedish touch.

Photos: Mikhail Stepanov

Today I’m stalking a rather grand but rather bland terrace house in Sydney’s salubrious Darling Point. I suspect the house is vacant and it has been styled tastefully but sparsely for sale. Good bones but nothing too special until you reach the enclosed courtyard. I’m staring at the pictures and daydreaming about what I would do with this space. Have you seen Rose Uniacke‘s Pimlico House courtyard? Or Sera of London‘s own home but the inside translated to the outside (here and here)? Nice time waster for the weekend. Link for the house here while it lasts.

What a dreamy ranch this is! By San Francisco firm Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects. Hupomone Ranch is an original 160-acre homestead located in the Chileno Valley, just three miles west of downtown Petaluma. The ranch had been fallow for over 30 years and the owners, a young family with three children, wanted to build a barn house that would reflect their commitment to sustainable farming, draw on the natural serenity of the site and build on the sense of place in western Petaluma where farming and ranching are still a part of people’s daily lives. The site has a wonderful balanced quality to it, and the simple grounded form of the barn is sited to compliment this setting and capture the long views to the coastal range beyond. Set into the more opaque north side, the entry provides shelter tucked under the loft above and frames a view through the house to the meadow beyond. The light-filled living area opens up to the long view south and gathers the bedrooms and kitchen to either side. The kitchen has slide away windows that open directly to the garden.

I was recently searching for landscape inspiration because my yard is a pitiful mess and came across the portfolio of New York based design-build firm Brook Landscape (Jo featured their work before here and here). They are one of my favourite sources for small-space, urban landscaping. They create such beautiful, creative and incredibly useful spaces that I think my idea of an old-style English landscape to match the style of my 1950’s craftsman house may be out the window. Note: I can’t stop staring at those stairs above!!!

I absolutely LOVE this idea of one of the steps becoming a huge bench