Displaying posts labeled "Stone"

Rye Colonial-Revival is a three-story, Colonial Revival house originally built in the early 1900’s on the grounds of a historic country club. Elizabeth Roberts Architects reimagined and reorganized the house to create an informal and light-filled home for a family of six. Priority was given to creating a new central kitchen. Vertical and entry circulation was reconsidered throughout the house by creating a new stair leading from the family entrance near the garage through an entryway with ample storage for shoes, backpacks and sports gear. The new stairway leads directly to the new and centrally-located kitchen and then directly to the bedrooms on the upper floors. On the main living floor of the house, ERA relocated the kitchen to a space which had formerly been a formal dining room to create a large eat-in kitchen with a new cooking fireplace and a generous island with bar seating. ERA created a double height conservatory room by removing the floor from a second floor guest bedroom to create a new two-story space overlooking the garden and pool area.
I continue to be in complete awe of how Elizabeth Roberts can merge old with new and create such livable, functional homes that are perfectly classic yet modern. Also, including that wood burning fireplace in the kitchen was brilliant.

Poised seamlessly between sea and rocky forest this family home in Bandol, France explores the relationship between light and shade, monolith and void, natural materials and minimalism, inside and out. The dichotomy continues. Brutal and spartan but welcoming and cave-like, a sanctuary. By Geneva-based architect Valerie Chomarat.

Photography by Vincent Leroux.

Sophisticated and sexy xeriscaping is not something I thought I’d be sharing on Desire to Inspire but this Californian garden by TERREMOTO is not only environmentally sensible it references the area’s history and it’s fabulous. Think reducing your amount of turf space, installing drought-tolerant plants, and adding more shade elements to reduce the amount of water needed then think hot (no not temperature) and chic. It’s got it all.

Photography by Laure Joilet

On the property there are a total of eight bedrooms with seven bathrooms and three large terraces on different sides and an arched loggia that extends over the entire building. The property includes over 2.8 hectares of land with vineyards, woods, orchards and vegetable gardens, a swimming pool with views of the Apennines and outbuildings for storing equipment. A gravel path leads through the vineyard to the property and a lawn with walled swimming pool. The main stone building dates back to the 13th century and has been carefully restored. At the front of the property is a terracotta terrace that runs the length of the property and leads to the seven interconnecting rooms on the first floor. The first floor rooms have great features such as vaulted ceilings, high wood beam ceilings and medieval stone floors! The entire property extends over 2.8 hectares and, in addition to the vineyard and woods, includes a small apple orchard and a large outbuilding for the storage of vehicles and equipment. In the gardens there is a workshop and a large vegetable patch, as well as numerous fig and walnut trees.
Literally heaven on earth, in Lerchi, Città di Castello, Umbria. This is such a beautiful property. For sale for €1.38M via RealPortico.

“Pacific House is an alteration and addition to an existing 1990’s concrete framed cliffside dwelling. It is exposed to the Easterly facing ocean and closely adjacent similar cliffside dwelling structures. We have replanned the dwelling, adding external amenity including landscape works and a swimming pool. We have also modified portions of the exterior building envelope including doors and windows, cladding, entries, external decks, facades and pergolas.”

A contemporary home with luxe finishes, clean-lined, beautiful and functional in a stunning but sometimes hostile environment. Pacific House by Alexander and Co.