It's all about the light with these images by photographer Jean Allsopp. Natural light. Clear, crisp, warm, real. Whether elegant and restrained colour palettes in stylish southern homes or rich saturated hues and vibrant children's rooms Jean Allsopp takes the light and creates something special. Ambiance and clarity, honesty and a beauty.
Uxus crafts experiences that people fall in love with. Brand strategy, architecture and interior design. "We fuse rational design solutions with artistic sensibilities, striking a perfect balance between emotional connection and tangible results." What they really do is design beautiful dreams ... like this farm in Mallorca, Spain. Rustic counterbalanced with sophistication. Historic with new. Cooling, cave-like interiors with dramatic exteriors. Luxury with simplicity. Chiaroscuro balanced with harmony. An undeniable beauty. (Kim featured their Amsterdam canal house 3 years ago and it still sits in the front of my inspiration file ... exactly where this house is going too.)
Domus Nova is an independent estate agency in London with exceptionally fabulous properties for sale or rent. I was emailing the other day with someone who works for the company (thanking them for featuring our blog in their magazine they print a couple times a year) and begged for photos of a property I fell head over heels in love with that was featured on both their website and their magazine. It's a fabulous juxtaposition of classical architecture with contemporary and vintage furnishings. This 5 bedroom freehold townhouse located in Notting Hill is to die for, with bold colours and even bolder artwork throughout each space. It's "vibrant elegance" they call it has me utterly smitten. And for a cool £4,250,000 it can be yours! (I'll take it!!!)
P.S. I'm hoping to hit them up for more photos of other properties they have listed so stay tuned!
Once upon a time a princess, let's call her Princess Jo decided she needed her own castle, a Château in fact. Somewhere in Provence. Something simple. Nothing too flashy. She may be a fairytale princess but she had her feet firmly on the ground (yah right!). She asked her fairy godmother to find her something. Spare and simple, almost monastic but always breathtakingly beautiful. Her fairy godmother ended up being Anzhelika from Miss Design. (Go visit her blog she may grant your wishes too.) Château de Moissac is too gorgeous to be true ... but it is. Fairytales do come true.
I saw this home on Yatzer about a week ago and nearly peed my pants. I think I've seen it on a couple of blogs already but I had to include it here because I freaking love it. Built in the 18th century, it's now owned by designers Britt Moran and Emiliano Salci of Dimore Studio, who set up their studio on the ground floor and their residence above. If that was mine I wouldn't want to ever leave it either. It's understated level of coolness is mesmerizing. Totally unique and edgy but timeless at the same time. (Photos by Emanuele Zamponi)
Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers! This week Yammie wants your 2 cents worth and yes, even though the obvious answer is clean up your room girls, she promises to mend her messy ways ... or she will once the room is gorgeous.
I share a room with my sister. We have two twin beds .... Sorry the room is so messy and the pictures are so low quality. I just snapped them quick before I left for work this morning. I guess my main issue is that I want it to be bright and unique, but if I get sick of it, I don't want it to be tooo hard to change. I want to have white or other neutral colors for the walls and bedding and then just have bright fun accessories. Also, like I said, I would like to paint the side tables bright colors like turquoise maybe with some green, pink, and or purple. I'm also thinking about lighting. Something unique and fun like low hanging lamps or paper lanterns would be cool. Any ideas? Thanks!
More photos after the jump. It's a lovely bright room and I'm sure Yammie and her sister can create something special ... with your help :)
Hello? Hello Complaints Department? Yes hello. I would like to know where the weekend went to. 48 hours. I was promised 48 hours and I'm certain it was far less. Friday I was at work and "poof" it was Monday and work again. Sorry? Not your problem? Quality Assurance Department? It's not the amount of time but how I spend it. Now you tell me! If I had known I would have spent the weekend at Son Gener on the island of Majorca. A mixture of old and modern. Austere and elegant. There's a pattern appearing here in my recent choices. Simple luxury. OK Complaints Department put me through to Welcome Beyond. Thanks!
If you'd like to send us photos to include in next week's "pets on furniture" post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture that you want to show off...and your pet happens to be sitting on it. And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it's dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos, your name, location and a brief description can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don't send closeups of your pet!)
Lex just loves sitting on top of this rustic buffet where he can enjoy a nice courtyard view... or simply sleep and dream of being at least as high as we are :-)
- Nelly
Here is our dog Ouray on our vintage green reading chairs. We found these chairs at a garage sale for $30, and immediately shaped our living room around them. And as you can see Ouray agrees on how comfortable they are.
- Sam & Candace (Pella, Iowa)
JD the 7 month old Phalene lounging in our Cotswold Cottage. The couch is from Finland. JD fancies himself more French than Scandinavian, or English, for that matter.
- Karena
This is a day in the life of Atticus. When he is not looking out the window watching for birds, playing with his little brother, or scarfing down "good boy treats", you'll find him doing this. The dog needs his rest.
- Cassi Lanie (Salt Lake City, UT)
I took this photo yesterday and thought I should include it (cause it meets all my rules listed above!). Felix, the beached whale (and #6 of my 7 kitties), sitting on my leather Eames chair next to the front door (it's his favourite spot).
A couple of weeks ago I was stalking a church conversion in Adelaide. Modern behind a traditional bluestone facade. A little too modern for some. Want to join this congregation instead? Such a pretty little church and definitely loads of space for preaching to the converted. Just outside Adelaide this time in Houghton. A divine transformation? Link here while it lasts.
I was SO EXCITED the other day when I received an email from Gillian, a local Ottawan who at one time had grand plans to turn a boring 1945 2 bedroom Ottawa bungalow into something modern and spectacular. Sounds kind of familiar. :-) Luckily for Gillian her plans were put into action and completed in November of last year - and the results are FABULOUS!! (and I'm totally going to hit her up for advice throughout my renos). Here's the scoop from Gillian:
The objective was clear: build an edgy, modern, sustainable home. The wish list included: 3 bedrooms; an open concept, chef’s style eat-in kitchen for entertaining and doing heaps of cooking; an ‘urban great room’ across the back of the house to let the sun shine in and provide main floor family space; a custom, “wow” open staircase (non of that pre-fab stuff!); a mudroom; a dog bath; and an exterior that pushes the envelope. And so ensued the design process and renovation by Moneca Kaiser Design Build.
The idea was to be able to stay put, and not be forced to move in future, ‘cause that’s a whole lot of waste.To do this, for example, we put the master bedroom with ensuite on the main floor, which also features an accessible bathroom, at the side entry, that presently does double duty as a dog shower! The 2nd floor loft style family room on the ‘kids’ level’ can also easily be converted into a master bedroom (for now it’s our family room/ gym).
Using sustainable products, like bamboo flooring and parallam beams for the staircase (and it is “wow”), as well as choosing greener options, such as spray foam insulation and a condensing hot water tank (among maaaany others), we aimed to take a practical approach to sustainability.
This forward thinking was carried right through to the decorating, where we opted to make the investment in well-designed pieces with nice clean lines that are totally timeless. With the exception of our One Stools by Magis, we chose an all-Canadian roster of designers, with the help of two amazing Ottawa-based home stores, Alteriors and Blueprint Home. Proudly, our furnishings are among the coolest designs by IMZ Furniture, Gus Modern, LucyAu and William—all Canadian. The work of Louis Helbig, an abstract aerial photographer and fellow Ottawan, ups the edge factor, and its organic, context-free composition pulls the interior together in an uncanny way. (Sources mentioned above are listed at the end of this post!)
Below is a before photo of the exterior (bleh), a couple after photos (WOW!), and one peek at the interior (YES!). The rest of the photos are after the jump.
It's all about layering. Starting with a neutral base and adding texture, objets d'art, personal pieces, gallery walls, books, even colour as yet another layer. It's definitely not minimalism but it is also stepping back from the edge of maximalism, of knowing when to stop. It's about luxury with the everyday, comfort with contrast. It's all about adding one more, carefully, just so. Sigh ... yes just enough. It's layers of meaning, of how the client lives. It's all about interior designer Ashli Mizell.
This reader request was sent in a while ago by Kristina: My mother is really struggling with adding a wall of built in shelving around her fireplace in her living room. I told her I would try to find some inspiring reference photographs. She wants to add a wall of bookcase shelving around the (brick) fireplace, hoping to put the TV above the fireplace. I suggested some double doored cabinets to put the DVD player surround sound etc. The room has HIGH ceilings so the bookcase wall would go all the way up, pretty vast. There is also a slanted ceiling, which is driving her crazy. I suggested a decorative round piece on the top shelf to tie in the slant. Any pictures would be helpful!! I am so glad Kristina added in that last sentence because despite looking at hundreds of photos of living rooms, I could not find any photos that were perfect for her mom's dilemma. Instead I grabbed all sorts of photos simply of built-in bookcases/shelving around fireplaces to hopefully help with ideas - and for anyone else looking to provide storage around a fireplace.
the selby
design*sponge
Jerry Jacobs Design
Nathan Egan
Colombe Stevens
Warren Heath
Dana Wolter
Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers! This week it's Cris who, after years of making do, has a flat with great bones and loads of potential. I know you'll have lots of ideas for her.
Let me tell you a few words about me. I am an assistant professor in organic chemistry and in 2007 I joined the faculty of the University of Zürich. So far I lived in couple of "just for sleeping" flats cause I was far toooo busy with the science. But three months ago I was able to find (and rent) a fantastic apartment. It´s just a dream, my dream come true. And this is also why I write you, cause ever since I cannot make up my mind on how to decorate the dining room as well as the connected living room. I desperately need the Crew´s help!!! For reasons too long to explain I had to buy some furniture to the previous tenant. Those are all the dark-brown wooden pieces you see in the first two pictures (table, 6 chairs, 2 high + 1 medium shelves), which I decided to put together in the (smaller) dinning room. The other pieces you see in the third and fourth pictures (big linen sofa + caravane cushions, old walnut chair and table, sewing machine, etc…) are my beloved pieces, those that I really feel MINE.
This is a long weekend here in Canada, to celebrate the Queen's birthday. It's the biggest party weekend of the year, as it's the first long weekend of summer and everyone attends cottage parties and BBQ's, as we Canadians love to enjoy what little summer we have! Yesterday was the first day the whole family got to spend time at my little sister's cottage together. Jen and her husband Dave bought their cottage this past fall and have had a TON of work done to it and the major work was finally completed a few days ago. We spent most of the day getting beds set up, hanging curtains and artwork, stocking the kitchen and all that fun stuff. There are a bunch of little things that still need to be done but it is AMAZING how much work we did (while watching 3 small children), while still being able to enjoy a bit of the gorgeous weather we had and go for a couple of pontoon boat rides. So instead of my typical blog favs post, I thought I'd share some before and after photos of the cottage (there are more, particularly before photos in a Flickr set here).
Here is the cute facade (the porch stairs have since been rebuilt).
Now the interior was SO dark and dingy, with nasty industrial carpeting everywhere and icky varathaned round board all over the walls. I begged and pleaded with them to have all the walls painted white and they listened thank gawd. Here are a couple before shots of the kitchen area:
...here is the kitchen removed and carpeting torn out, and the adjacent living room...
You'll have to see the transformation after the jump. :-)
Once upon a time in a far away land (everywhere is far away if you live in Australia) lived a stressed out princess who really, really wanted to swap places with Sleeping Beauty if sleeping meant napping in these beds. The French seem so good at it. Rustic wonderlands with super comfy down filled, linen clad beds, sunny outsides and cave like insides. History, laidback luxury, warm winds blowing, great wine, fabulous food, warm pools for between nap dips and too cute pets. Move over Sleeping Beauty I'm taking over your bed! Le Logis de Puygaty, a fairytale of a getaway.
If you'd like to send us photos to include in next week's "pets on furniture" post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture that you want to show off...and your pet happens to be sitting on it. And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it's dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos, your name, location and a brief description can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don't send closeups of your pet!)
Before I begin with the photos, I had to mention how excited I am that my pets on furniture series was mentioned in the latest issue of Modern Dog magazine!
:-) So keep sending in those entries people!!! Ok, now on with the show.
Meet Max, my gorgeous red tomcat, fast a sleep after “a night on the town” on my round wicker chair. When it is not taken, this is the perfect place to lounge with a good book and a cup of cappuccino.
- Sandra
This is Grigio enjoying some late afternoon sun.
- Linnea
Baylee cozy on her leather sofa...enjoying her afternoon.
- Debra (Seattle)
Deeply dark and masculine. Elegantly neutral. Inside and out, light and shade. Always luxurious but equally liveable. It's linen and marble, wicker and wood, found objects and vignettes, wool, cashmere or silk, as well as hammered iron, textured wallpaper and glass. Tactile and tailored, down filled stylishness , global influences and Australian living. It's interior designer Marco Meneguzzi. I'm in love with the dark tailored room above. Throw in a tribal rug and I'd be in heaven.
The folks at Domus Nova (the London estate agency I blogged about here) kindly send over some photos of another of their properties. This time it's an incredible home in terms of it's architecture, with several glass walls and roofs. The central feature of the 4 bedroom property is a massive 2 story atrium with a glass bridge. I have to say the decor is not really something to write home about. I appreciate the global vibe but the main furnishings are pretty bland and really could be much funkier to blend with the cool, modern architectural details. That's ok though - the glass walls and roof sections are doing it for me.
Take a stark white shell and have some fun. Exclamation marks of colour restrained by dark floors and blindingly white walls. Push it even further with purple psychedelia in the bedroom then blow the whole thing apart with a bathroom that is definitely a knockout. Interior designer Craig Spencer is known for his broodingly dark portfolio. His latest project in Pott's Point takes his dark luxury and turns it inside out. Serious fun for the seriously brave. (You can see more of Craig's work on Desire to Inspire here, here and here.)
