Displaying posts labeled "Rustic"

Kitchens are on my mind at the moment. My own is way overdue for a complete renovation. I’m drawn to these raw but beautifully crafted, rough but luxe kitchens by German-born, Italian-based designer Katrin Arens. Honesty, simplicity. Less is more. Reclaimed and re-used materials, rich with history and patina. Sigh.

No matter how my taste in interior decor changes over the years, one style has never wavered – a very rustic, centuries-old home filled with vintage and modern furnishings. The Ampurdán House whose interior is designed by Serge Castella is absolutely stunning. Pairing Panton chairs (one of my all-time favourites) with a big old reclaimed wood table surrounded by ancient architecture and an oversized piece of modern art for some extra zing is just about the best thing ever. A diamond in the rough. (Previous feature of his work here)

There is something about a home that is left raw and natural that always gives me heart palpitations. I nearly fell out of my chair when I spotted this apartment that was featured in one of my favourite magazines, Milk Décoration. Formerly a watchmaker’s shop in a building constructed in 1905 in Østerbro, Copenhagen, it is the home of Niels Strøyer Christophersen, co-founder and artistic director of Danish design studio FRAMA. The patina, the history peeking out through peeling paint is perhaps too raw for most, but I think it’s absolutely beautiful. Photos: Nathalie Krag

I thought I would follow up the last rustic home with another because WHY NOT. This is an 18th century stone country retreat in Cotswold, U.K decorated by interior designer Caroline Holdaway. It is such a beautiful structure, you could pretty much fill it with anything and I would still be totally smitten. Old floorboards, stone walls, beamed ceilings and some vintage furnishings makes this the coziest little getaway. 

I came across the website of Kurtwood Farms the other day while doing some random googling and my heart just about burst. I love city life, but to have all of this space, to have as many animals as I wanted (and not break any laws like I am now) and to have an honest-to-gawd cabin to decorate would be a dream come true. Kurtwood Farms is located on Vashon Island near Seattle and has everything, a creamery, pond, bullpen, cheese cave, wood fired oven, milking parlor, cookhouse…and this log house. It is breathtaking in all its original and rustic glory.