Santa Maria House by Studio Gum, is located, together with the church from which it takes its name, on top of the 340 steps that connect the historical centre of Ragusa Ibla with Upper Ragusa, built after the 1693 earthquake. The building plan is longitudinal; the main elevation is southeast facing and all the rooms of the house are very bright because they overlook it.The building is the result of splits and overlays, occurred over time, that prevent to read it as a unitary building from the outside.A couple from Turin bought the nineteenth-century house with its caves in the lowest floor, with the intention of transforming it into a private residence for two people plus four guests.The client’s program also includes the construction of a terrace overlooking the ancient city and the Hyblean Mountains.The intervention is conservative, but also aims at solving the functional, distributional and environmental comfort problems.The…

Exploring Swamp Rock and Cajun music the other day, I came across these wonderful photos of Cajun houses by photographer Don Freeman. Early Cajun style homes were designed to suit the watery, humid, and prone to flooding landscape of Southwest Louisiana. The raised cottages were built of cypress timbers pegged together into rigid frames, placed on above ground piers. The open web of timbers was filled with bousillage, a thick mixture of clay and moss coated with lime plaster (boussillage entre poteaux: infill between the studs). Under pavilion roofs—tent like forms developed in the Caribbean—deep porches surrounded the houses on all four sides, offering a respite from the sun and capturing the cool breezes. Louisiana architect A. Hays Town (1903-2005) reinterpreted the Acadian home taking the climate of southern Louisiana into account using large roof overhangs, an abundance of breezeways, and cross ventilation to provide air circulation. Enjoy the trip!!!! ( Source:…

David Cafiero is an interior designer with a strong sense for eclectic vintage and contemporary materials.  Born and raised in the Hudson Valley, David has been many things: forester in his family’s lumber business; commercial fisherman on New England’s coast; private yacht chef throughout the Caribbean; event planner, café owner, and decorator in New York City. His style is eclectic, pragmatic, quietly sensual, like a Yankee just returned from early 20th century Paris. A longtime resident of Provincetown, he has also been deeply influenced by its salt-air worn woods, shifting, elemental light, and its long relationship with abstract expressionism.Enjoy this virtual tour of his home!!!! Photographed by Don Freeman for The World of Interiors Magazine.

We talk about a house with history. This farmhouse comprises two towers dating back to the 16th century and the main house was added in the 17th century. Fun fact: the towers once served as watchtowers for a nearby castle to look out for pirates coming in from the sea.With such a long, rich history, these towers were placed under national protection, requiring designer Ana Engelhorn to focus her attention on the main house. Even this main building required careful consideration, using specialist builders and architects to restore this gem to its former glory. The studio focused on creating a three-bedroom house using original materials and highlighting historic features, like the stone floors on the ground floor and antique oak boards upstairs. They accentuated the property’s high ceilings to create large, airy rooms that bring the sweeping Spanish countryside indoors.For the decor, they sourced antique furniture from the UK and…

This beautiful and carefully renovated 1770’s house with sea views was on the market by Fantastic Frank. The house has a genuine and classic Gotland feel with well thought out material choices. Gotland is the biggest island of the Baltic sea, situated roughly 60 miles off the coast of southern mainland Sweden.Almost 60 000 people live year round on the island, a number that changes dramatically during the summer as Gotland is one of Sweden’s most popular summer destinations. Beautiful beaches, rich history and a welcoming climate (Gotland is usually one of the sunniest places in Sweden) contribute to the island’s popularity. Enjoy the virtual tour!!!!

Perched on the cliff edge in Plaka, the main town on the Greek island of Milos, this 19th century house has been carefully restored by K-Studio to provide a London-based family with an authentically traditional yet practical summer retreat. Originally built in 1813, the house is effectively a 200-year-old stone organism. Unlike more recent building styles, it is not made up of separate elements, almost every part has been constructed in stone. The architects were keen to respect this organism, leaving the 60cm thick walls untouched and performing a very precise and deliberate surgery on the building with minimal intervention. They removed more recent structural additions to revive the original intention of the design and all new elements have been constructed with traditional techniques using locally sourced materials. Originally used as a storage and utility space, the basement (quite literally carved into the mountain rock) has been restored to a…

Built in 1910 as a Manhattan skyscraper for artists, the 12-story Harperley Hall is the only surviving Arts and Crafts apartment house on Central Park West. Its stately manner and gracious, handcrafted rooms with wood-burning fireplaces and monogrammed doorknobs have attracted media magnates, millionaires, and Madonna. The new resident employed Peter Dunham, “who brings quiet but sublime luxury,” to reimagine the residence. Dunham injected a 21st-century sensibility, embellishing an inviting living room with global-chic touches: midcentury European furnishings, consoles draped in 19th-century Oriental rugs, African accent tables, and ethnic fabrics. Enjoy the tour!!!! Photography by Max Kim-Bee, as seen in Veranda

Behind the doors of an exclusive address in the Big Apple lies the home of a passionate and wealthy connoisseur of modern art such as sculptures by British artists Sir Tony Cragg and Richard Deacon, paintings by Idris Khan and a neon installation by Welsh conceptual artist Cerith Wyn Evans.The interior design studio entrusted with the task – the renowned London based firm Nebihe Cihan Studio – came up with a minimalist concept in which the works of art are integrated throughout the Park Avenue Residence, avoiding an overly “museum-like” effect.The light-filled living room enjoys an unparalleled view of the city skyline. Enjoy the virtual tour then!!!! Photography : Matt Harrington See also : https://house-diaries.com/queens-gate-an-extravagant-family-apartment-by-nebihe-cihan/

Over the past 20 years, Kim Lambert has been involved in design projects around the world spanning high-end hospitality, residential, and retail. Kim has worked with some of the most highly regarded firms in the industry. While we all love to travel, Kim is particularly fond of documenting the moments that make up a trip through photos and sketches. It is these experiences that ultimately inspire and shape her affinity to a timeless contemporary style, classic embellishment elements, clean details and simple lines we can admire in this apartment.Enjoy it!!! Photography : Aristea Rizakos See also : https://house-diaries.com/hoggs-hollow-residence-a-modern-high-grade-gray-house/