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/

This project by Alicia Holgar involved the refurbishment and redecoration of a private apartment in Brisbane City. Located within an iconic Harry Seidler building, the refresh sought to extend and evolve fluid form and function with a European aesthetic, Australian ethic and art as an integrated expression of ingenuity. Echoing Seidler’s sentiments within the architecture, form & function evolved through a play on curves, cantilevers, materiality & art as an integrated expression of ingenuity. Avian Apartment is a home of connected balance, both within its encompassing walls and to the architectural intent that houses them. From its curated contents to the custom wall murals by LA artist Jessalyn Brooks called ‘The Avians’ (in refence to the outlook over the city skyline) a sense of balance prevails. Ali Holgar Interior Design has brought both liveliness and calm to the space and, through an understanding and appreciation of its architectural context, has…

The Allis Residence by In Design International is intended to be an expression of those who dwell there. It’s layered, robust, minimalist, elegantly understated and subtly flows from one space to another, connecting the accumulated personality of the family yet remaining true to individuals. A new build mansion with strong contemporary lines required decoration & design tactics that navigated the contradictions of hard and soft, serious and playful, monumental and domestic. The detailed approach to designing & decorating this home found the synergy between these elements to create a modern, striking yet comfortably beautiful home.Through clever use of architectural forms and thoughtful material choices the home is filled with hard finishes which appear soft, fixed materials which appear to move and solid materials which appear to float. Throughout the house, aesthetic components harness the elements of nature and humanise the monumentality of the house. ( Published with BowerBird ) Project…

This apartment by Konstantin Kildinov is located in the historical center of Budapest near Magyar Allami Operahaz Muveszbecharo where Picasso , the series with Antonio Banderas was filmed.Natural materials were used in order to create space for life. The designer’s attempt to reinterpret the rich history of the building was successful since the apartment maintains the atmosphere of this historic district of Budapest. Enjoy it!!!! See also : https://house-diaries.com/d-m-residence-idea-and-emotion-the-main-parts-of-a-good-space/

The project circumnavigates a local planning restriction by building a half-height roof extension!The clients owned the existing two-storey, two-bedroom property, located on a central London Housing Estate. With a second baby on the way, they needed more space. Priced out of three-bedroom properties in the area they decided to investigate what could be done to create more space in their existing home.The challenge with this property, unlike others on the estate, was that they were unable to secure planning permission for a single-storey loft extension. They received two planning refusals since they were not permitted to build any higher than the highest point of the existing roof, due to its lower profile. Bradley Van Der Straeten Studio approached the design as an interlocking jigsaw. They knew the half-height of the loft was fixed so the design was all about creating two interlocking floor levels in the space of one and…

The client, a single 40 year-old Greek who’s deeply involved in the artsy world, has lived in Brazil for almost 8 years and requested the Atelier PECLAT+CHOW to completely renovate a 1960’s apartment located in the trendy neighborhood of Jardins, in São Paulo. The apartment hasn’t been restored in over 50 years, in that way they proposed a completely different layout.As one enters the apartment one sees itself surrounded by walls and doors wrapped in brushed walnut paneling, as one walks towards the living space you perceive at its heart a floating wooden monolith which seems to have been detached from the entrance hall. This volume embodies the space with a sense of permanence and also acts as an invisible separation between the kitchen and the living room. The old three bedrooms and one bathroom apartment were converted into a two ensuite bedroom with generous space. This was only possible…