The starting point was a dignified Victorian home which had been left fragmented and incomplete by a series of renovations. The task for AM Architecture was two fold, firstly to consolidate and reinstate the existing heritage parts and secondly to create a new architectural  language that would transform the rear and become the soul of the new indoor and outdoor living areas.   Internally a generous kitchen larder disappears behind sliding timber wall and the remaining kitchen merges together with the dining and living areas to create a gesture of communal living.  A truss across the rear balcony becomes a decorative structural element, repeating in a grape vine covered pergola that cantilevers over a deep swimming pool and BBQ area to provide dappled light to the table and the waters edge below (Published with Bowerbird). Photography : Dianna Snape See also :https://house-diaries.com/jazz-up-residence-refurbished-victorian-cottage-in-melbourne-australia/

Located in Tel Aviv, Israel, the Garden on the Roof  Apartment was designed by XS Studio for young clients that wanted to enjoy family time, entertain friends, and let their children play. The two-story residence had a layout that wasn’t working so the studio flipped it, bringing the private spaces downstairs and the living area upstairs in order to utilize the roof deck. Upstairs houses the open kitchen and living room which extends out to the outdoor terrace, expanding the square footage. Lots of windows surround the public space to create a light-filled interior that appears larger than it is (Published with Bowerbird). Photography : Gidon Levin See also :https://house-diaries.com/the-pianists-home-creating-an-organizing-cube/

NAME studio’s brief was to create a new home for a family with two young children, who wanted to stay in central Paris but who also wanted the kind of fluid, open, light-filled spaces not often possible in apartment living. Two adjoining apartments have been combined to create a single family sized flat along with a well-designed studio for rental. Layouts have been reconfigured to harness the light available from two elevations, with the living room located along the southern façade to maximise sunlight, and a kitchen/dining space located along the northern façade. Bedrooms and office space are located towards the periphery with bespoke joinery employed to create division but blur the distinction between walls and storage to maximise space. Some Parisian cachet has been lent to a fairly standard space by exposing the original wooden structure.  Finishes are minimal, with Dinesen pine flooring and a palette of whites -…

Minimalist black kitchen, or a large rectangular black island in which every element that makes the kitchen, is really captivating. Contemporary, robust, striking. This example is also great as an inspiration to all those who do not have the opportunity to make an open floor plan of the living room in their apartment. The large white double doors of the apartment that are the link between the kitchen and the living room are also a kind of decoration that blends in with the white walls and makes the space passable and bright. High ceiling buildings really have their charm. Going back to Christmas decorating, I don’t know if you have noticed any branches of various conifers in the interior. I like that simplicity, we associate conifers with the coming holidays, but placed like this without additional decorations they are not too intrusive and look wonderful. Be sure to sketch out…

Located in Port Melbourne, the Stokes Street Residence by Adele Bates Studio, encompasses elegantly layered spaces over two light-filled levels.Home to a young family of four, the interior design combines dark textural timber floors and joinery with statement touches of colour to reflect the client’s personality. Bespoke and unique detailing add scale and finesse to the interior spaces, while marble and polished plaster offset the dark tones to create a sense of balance.Within the bathrooms, tactile marble and tiles complement the elegantly simple joinery forms. Custom-made fittings in a brushed rose gold finish provide an unexpected accent to a lush palette of textures (Published with Bowerbird). Photography : Chris Warnes See also :https://house-diaries.com/brookville-road-residences-classic-forms-with-modern-luxury/

Located in a 190 year old Grade 1-listed building, this Brighton based property underwent a more recently refurbishment by the interior designer Cat Dal to create a light-filled, contemporary home. Building on the solid architectural bones, their brief was to reimagine the space, to create a beautiful, informal and inspiring home for the client’s family. Taking cues from the landscape and playful energy of the seaside town, the studio set out to create a highly eclectic space filled with layers of texture, pattern & colour balanced with clean lines and a modern sensibility. Their efforts focused on highlighting and reinstating architectural details throughout, mixing their client’s heirloom pieces with vintage & modern classics, and incorporating new bespoke joinery wherever possible to provide ample storage. Photography : The modern house See also :https://house-diaries.com/roupell-street-house-a-wonderfully-idiosyncratic-approach-to-the-transformation-of-interior-spaces/

Tasked with unifying a prized Edwardian property that suffered from flawed contemporary intervention, Elsternwick Residence by Chelsea Hing tells the story of two halves becoming whole.Grounded by a respect for Edwardian classicism and a desire to honour the home’s heritage, the project started as a minor kitchen renovation but soon enveloped the entire property. While the original residence retained many of its charming features, it was disconnected from the modern extension to the rear. To establish a seamless transition, solid oak timber flooring was introduced throughout, carrying the eye from the front door to the rear-established garden.Elsewhere, original character was celebrated; notable examples include the pressed-metal ceiling, enhanced in a new high-gloss finish, and striking curved windows renewed in finishes and furnishings that allow the view to become hero.Elements of surprise, such as the powder room dramatically swathed in Kelly Wearstler wallpaper, ensure this highly functional home is also an…

The elegant Georgian terraced houses that make up the Roupell Street Conservation Area are some of Central London’s most recognisable streets. This two-bedroom house was completely transformed and extended by architect Stefano de Martino in 1986, creating a series of innovative and minimalist interior spaces within the building’s period proportions.  The houses on Roupell Street were built for artisan workers in the 1820s by John Palmer Roupell, a gold refiner. Grade II-listed, the houses remain almost identical from the outside. On entry however, the wonderfully idiosyncratic approach taken by the young architect to transforming the interiors of this house becomes evident. De Martino’s practice is concerned with ‘spaces in transformation’ and the architect designed this house for his own family. It remains almost entirely as imagined by him in the mid-1980s. Stefano de Martino is dean of the Faculty of Architecture University of Innsbruck. He was educated at The Bartlett,…

 Welcome to this breathtaking 19th century apartment in Stockholm, modernly renovated to modern perfection with about 3.60 meters in ceiling height, beautifully arched windows, eye-catching cassette ceilings, high floor plinths and period stucco on the ceiling. The luxury home has generous living areas, a stylish kitchen, three tiled stoves, a marble bathroom and a dreamlike large walk-in closet. The combination of modern and classic in this apartment make it absolutely unique!!! See also :https://house-diaries.com/living-in-a-flat-on-stockholms-tallest-building/

Looking for a new house which ensured comfort and quality for their family, the clients contacted the TN Architecture team to develop a unique project, that reflects the personality of the family, with a cosmopolitan aesthetic and a lot of colors. Sectorized in three pavements, were used colors and the boiserie at the ground floor, creating a sophisticated atmosphere and simultaneously endearing, with touches of rose coral and yellow colors, in a witty and inviting way. Which, along with the signed objects, makes the ambience elegant sophisticated and unique. In sum, the Cosmopolitan House, is characterized by bringing diverse elements which when combined make the residence sophisticate, welcoming and eccentric, having a cosmopolitan and elegant air which the clients whished. The house reflects the soul of the residents, and that is what makes this project so unique and special (Published with Bowerbird). Photography : Eduardo Macarios See also :https://house-diaries.com/petropolis-apartment-interior-renovation-project-in-porto-alegre-brazil/

The house of Anastasia Casey of The Collective Identity, located in Texas, is decorated in white and natural for Christmas to evoke the snow that is absent in this part of the country.  Fir trees, oil tree branches, Christmas wreaths and lights combine with the neutral atmosphere of this place in a soft way: beige color, natural materials, lots of greenery, and all this on a white background.  Photography : Madeline Harper See also :https://house-diaries.com/traditional-christmas-in-blue-in-an-old-english-house/