Madeleine and her team at Madeleine Blanchfield Architects (MBA) recently refurbished an existing 1950s house in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs for an art-loving young family of five. The client wanted to ‘fix’ the dark, disconnected parts of the south-facing house, and create a home that embodied the family’s unique character. Their client’s brief was a 17th century lithograph of five little fish with human faces swimming “Marvels Of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects Of Things Existing”. The notion was to create a home that was whimsical, calm, inspiring, slightly quirky and deeply personal. They gutted the existing house, leaving only the structural columns and beams. They created huge windows onto external courtyards and removed most of the walls to flood the spaces with light. The problem with removing walls is that there is nowhere to hang art. This became the driving concept and approach behind the design – bringing art into the architecture. Every piece of…
Part of a traditional farmstead that dates back to 1842, TypeO Loft is an intimate retreat that provides the perfect escape from the fast-pace of urban living. Designed by Magnus Wittbjer and Micha van Dinther of TypeO studio, the one-room bed and breakfast is located in a separate area of the stone farmstead and offers complete privacy. The area, in a remote part of Skane in southern Sweden, introduces guests to a bucolic landscape with rolling hills and traditional dwellings visible in the distance. While designed to provide an ideal getaway for couples, this private retreat perfectly represents a new age in hospitality. You can book a stay here!!!! Photography : Mike Karlsson Lundgren . . See also : https://house-diaries.com/esperinos-guest-house-a-personal-approach-to-short-staying-in-athens-greece/
A new build fishing house on the River Test in Hampshire by Stiff + Trevillion. Traditional construction methods including green oak frame, hand made bricks, roof tiles and charred timber cladding were brought together to form a contemporary reinterpretation of a rural barn. The house sits in the grounds of a listed Manor House and is designed in context to reflect the hierarchy of the adjacent structures whilst also picking up on the local vernacular of details and materials of the hamlet at large. The house is run using sustainable natural resources including ground source heat pump, rainwater harvesting and recycling, solar and photovoltaic cells ( Published with Bowerbird). Photography : Kilian O’Sullivan See also : https://house-diaries.com/bloomsbury-house-refreshing-a-90s-apartment-in-london/
A double-fronted Edwardian house has been updated and extended by Found Associates Studio, in dramatic fashion for a television and radio presenter and his family. This four storey villa sits on a corner site with unusually large gardens to the rear. The renovation and reinvention of the villa reinforces the sense of connection between house and garden. Unsympathetic additions to the back of the property had been added over time and these were removed and replaced with a single storey pavilion that sits alongside the original house, while opening out to the adjoining terrace and gardens via a wall of glass. This contemporary, open plan addition hosts family living space, including the kitchen, and has become the new hub of the home. The original living rooms and bedrooms of the period house have also been updated and restored in a sensitive and sympathetic manner, including an attic conversion to create…
Large sky windows define this attic apartment in Sweden. Because of these windows this attic apartment isn’t small and dark but flooded with light. The way the home has been decorated certainly helps as well, with a light oak floor and light natural colors with a hint of black this only enhances that light look. The interior features a striking contrast between its crude wooden beams and its crisp white walls. Enjoy it!!!! See also :https://house-diaries.com/modern-apartment-in-black-tones/
Head to Latvia, more precisely to the coastal town of Jurmala, 20 kilometers from Riga, where design studio Agnes Rudzite Interiors has refurbished a former 1930s mansion. Eclectic design between past and present. Terrazzo floors, arcades, oak veneer, period chandeliers, terracotta and olive tones… The atmosphere is dictated by the Baltic architecture of the 1930s and the legendary codes of Italian villas. A project filled with strong colors and noble finishes such as marble, lacquered cherry wood, arches and doors, oak veneers and green marble portals, all very chic, stylish and funky. A renovation that will have lasted six years in order to leave the monument in its own juice while giving it a retro-contemporary aesthetic. Photography :Mikhail Loskutov See also :https://house-diaries.com/a-country-house-where-time-stands-still-in-moscow/
The new project by Athens based, self-taught artist-designer Stamos Michael, – under the title hybrid design rental -, introduces a tactile and personal approach to short-staying in the city of Athens, one that revisits lapsing notions of inhabitation of the old neighborhood, with a contemporary, informed gaze that disrupts the normative expectations of standard design form. It was an abandoned family home before its owners invited the designer to turn it into a one-bedroom rental property; you can book it nightly like an Airbnb, but it’s not exactly on Airbnb. From November to April, it’s used as an exhibition and program space for Grace, the agency and arts organization run by Michael and three of his fellow Athens creatives. Filled with designer furnishings and local contemporary art, it’s almost like a gallery you can (sometimes) pay to sleep in. Simple and graceful classic exterior here is decorated with an unusual light blue shade with olive shutters – an…
An existing private residence is transformed by John Henshaw Architect Inc. into a thoroughly modern home with a restrained yet luxurious contemporary style finishing. The overall design scheme was inspired by the South Pacific resort style favoured by the client, with abundant utilization of natural materials and cool colour palette. The existing home was constructed and finished in the 90’s with excessive use of brass, shiny materials such as glass and stainless steel, and drop ceilings. After numerous discussions with the client, a mini resort was created for living and entertaining. The client is a busy executive with a young family with the need for hospitality and still to be close to the family. The renovation is tailored to suit the client’s exact specifications: to have good public entertaining space while his family can also enjoys a relaxed private life. Existing double height space was eliminated to create more intimate…
It was Zara Home that invited photographer Frederik Vercruysse to take the shots for its new autumn winter 2020 campaign “Interiors with a soul”. They took place in the private residence of master craftsman Eddy Dankers in Belgium. Here timeless is celebrated, and past and present are mixed in harmony with a decoration based on beautiful materials and neutral tones.
Located an hour east of Toronto, The Farm, by Scott Posno Design, occupies a 65-acre site amidst the peaceful green fields of this Southwestern Ontario agricultural region, adjacent to a large conservation forest. It serves as a weekend and vacation home for the client, his grown children, and a variety of friends and family who frequent the tranquil property for relaxation and enjoyment year-round, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Comprised of several buildings and structures spread over the property amidst a plethora of natural landscape features, The Farm aims to engage the history and physical attributes of the site while amplifying a relationship with the outdoors. The materials were selected from a palette which most of the original farmhouses in the area also use. Stone, timber and metal were applied in a way that complimented and defined the contemporary style of the home. Concrete floors and…
La Bionda is a great 8 room boutique hotel located in the centre of Begur, Spain for travellers seeking something special, unusual and inspiring. The 17thth century building has been restored down to the last detail by Quintana Partners Studio. The house has been renovated preserving the original architecture and focusing on sustainability to ensure minimal impact on the environment. The design of the house tells the story of a woman who, in the 1930s, housed influential women of the time in this home : intellectuals, writers, actresses, singers, artists, sportswomen, women from all over the world who held a prominent position in the early 20thth century. There are 8 rooms decorated in a style that combines textures and colours, creating a different atmosphere in each room. Each room is unique and tells the story of one of those influential women from the early 20thth century who stayed at La Bionda.…