When Geoff, an Australian, and Sarah, originally from the United States, found a beautiful plot of land in a small coastal town near the town of San José in Uruguay they decided to settle here. On their premises located between the sea and a lagoon and surrounded by pine and eucalyptus forests they created a private camp site with several cabines and tents so that family and friends can come over to enjoy their piece of paradise. How lucky their guests are!!
This beautiful home located in Amagansett (NY), one of the small beach towns in the Hamptons, is designed by Portland-based Jessica Helgerson Interior Design who transformed it into a light-filled, Scandinavian-inspired home. The designer: “This Hamptons home was a departure from the historic homes we often take on. With significant changes to the floor plan and finishes, the home transformed in to a light filled Scandinavian inspired getaway for our clients. We designed cozy sitting rooms with built in sofas on each floor and expanded the kitchen to include space previously occupied by a screened porch. The palette is very restrained with pale wood, white painted wood, handmade white tile, marble and brass. We took our cues for furnishing the home from our stylish clients; incorporating timeless Danish pieces with some more modern touches.”
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Behind the nostalgic exterior of a monumental farm house near Amsterdam you will find Den Burgh, a stylish restaurant with international flair. Restaurant Den Burgh offers venues for closed meetings for 10 to 250 people. The board room, the upper room and the old kitchen in the vestibule as well as the two rooms on the first floor offer a unique location for a private dinner, training, meeting or event. The “Kamer van Biesheuvel” is the former farmhouse’s living room. Authentic details, such as the brick walls and the thick beams on the high ceiling give a special atmosphere to the room. The room overlooks the beautifully landscaped garden surrounding the farm. Through the old box bed you enter the warm “Opkamer”, with a warm orange colour pallet and a view to the farm’s front garden. The upstairs room is an intimate space for a private dining or a smaller meeting. The old kitchen connects these two rooms, creating a space in which you can have a drink between meetings. The wine cellar for wine tastings sits below the old kitchen. The design of these beautiful spaces has been created by Amsterdam based interior design firm Nicemakers.
Perched on the cliff edge in Plaka, the main town on the Greek island of Milos, this 19th century house (it was built in 1813!) has been carefully restored by K Studio to provide a London-based family with an authentically traditional yet practical summer retreat. Originally the house was divided into 2 zones; the ground floor as the main living and entertaining space and the basement, dug out of the mountain rock, as storage and utility space. The cave-like lower level has become a quietly calming guest suite, separated and private yet just a few steps down from the main house. Walls are roughly finished, following the natural surface of the stone, the floor is laid with organically arranged slate stones and natural light is low due to the small openings and reduced ceiling height.
Inside simple, raw finishes provide cooling respite. Slate and timber flooring and unpainted walls allow the house to breathe and bespoke crafted furniture and fittings respect the local style whilst incorporating state of the art appliances and technology. This is particularly true of the kitchen, originally within a smaller room elsewhere it is now a large, professionally equipped yet traditionally designed space for everyday use as well as extended family gatherings. A new mezzanine in the children’s bedroom frees up useful play space and provides the opportunity for an en-suite bathroom and wardrobe whilst in the living room a new fireplace creates a focal point and helps transform the house into a welcoming, family home.
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I often get questions about the art that I have in my home (you can see some images here). All the paintings are aboriginal art that I have collected over the years. I have spent some time in Australia (and travelled through the entire country) and here is where my love for aboriginal art started. I love the use of colors and symbols and that (a large proportion of) contemporary Aboriginal art is based on important ancient stories and symbols centred on ‘the Dreamtime’ – the period in which Indigenous people believe the world was created. The Dreamtime stories are up to and possibly even exceeding 50,000 years old, and have been handed down through the generations for all those years.
Finding art for a home can be a challenge and it can take a long time before finding the right piece(s) but when I am asked for advice I often tell people to look into aboriginal art as most paintings fit into various interior styles (from eclectic boho chic to modern interiors). In the images above and below aboriginal paintings are shown in different spaces such as a bedroom, living room, kitchen and even in a bathroom. If you are interested in acquiring a piece of aboriginal art, I am selling part of my collection as I do not have enough space for the pieces I have. Next week I will dedicate a blog about the paintings I have available.
This lovely little cabin in the woods in North Zealand, Denmark, belongs to award-winning wildlife photographers couple Uri Golman and Helle Olsen. Every room of this 65m2 cabin (made of Larch wood) is filled with beautiful items that the couple collected on their travels around the world, creating an interesting, warm, eclectic atmosphere.
I love the cushions in a mix of various fabrics and patterns. Similar cushions made of vintage kilim fabrics can be sourced from Le Souk (use CUSHION25 for a 25% discount).
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The most striking feature of this apartment in Barcelona, Spain, is the use of tiles on the floor. These types of graphic tile designs can be found in many houses in the city. Walk into a bar or restaurant in Barcelona and chances are that you will encounter a beautiful tile pattern on the floor. In the late 19th century, mass reproduction of intricately designed floor tiles became possible, and they became a common feature in the interiors of buildings in cities all around the Mediterranean. In Barcelona, the design of such tiles reached its peak in the age of Modernismo, the Spanish variety of Art Nouveau, in the early 20th century
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