Archive | July, 2010

Art in architecture

July 28, 2010

When I think of architects, I can only imagine the technicalities they must face on a daily basis when planning and designing homes.



Does the sunlight shine through flawlessly at all times of the day? Will the structure and skeleton of the house fit accurately within the aspired look? Could the ceiling height make or break the client’s brief? The list could go on but the obstacles remain challenges, even for the best of them.


The focus and determination to draft up a home from a hole in the ground has always astounded me, the results even more so. If you think about how, as a home owner, it is always best to live in your house for at least a year before truly understanding the ebb and flow of living in it. So how do the architects even begin to predict the intricacies of life before a brick has even been laid?


The tricks of their trade will always be part of a bigger and more complex science which could, and does, take years to master. In a profession where an architect’s work could be reflected on for decades and even centuries into the future, for now we can only revel in the true beauty of their craft as the building blocks of a what many of us call “home”.


Images from: contemporist, turnbull griffen haesloop architects, contemporist, william o’brien jr., black.white.yellow., elding oscarson, cambridge architectural, contemporist, calderoliver, dwell

Architecture, Inspiration, Interiors • Comments { 10 }

Are you practical in your style?

July 23, 2010

Practicality doesn’t always fit into my vocabulary when it comes to style. I do however think about what needs to be taken into consideration when I design our rooms at home.


Of course, there wouldn’t be a point in making a room picture perfect only for it to be left uninhabitable out of fear of marring that perfection. I am learning more and more as we slowly renovate our home that there are options to keep style in your design that ultimately stays true to your life and its needs.




Having an entire home with wall to wall pristine white flooring has always been my way of thinking that style would certainly override practicality. It would take living it one to really understand the degree of maintenance you decide to accord to it. I can imagine how vibrant and fun these homes must be though once you walk in and are really able to see each and every piece sitting in and against the most neutral kind of backdrop. Almost like a completely blank canvas. Each element lives on its own as if it’s being displayed in an art gallery.




There are so many variations of the look from white washed boards to modern concrete filled rooms. I haven’t seen a white floor that I have not loved. What are your favorites types?

Images from: katrine martensen-larsen, my scandinavian retreat, kitka, sköna hem, tinekhome, sköna hem, kitka, gitteandersen, melificient, dwell, decor8

Inspiration, Interiors, Scandinavian inspired, White floors • Comments { 10 }

Inside or out? I say both.

July 13, 2010

I’m not really considered as the “outdoor type” although I truly do enjoy nature. The inspiration it provides me is by far what I love most about it.


I can stare at the clouds and dream up shapes, I hold up leaves to see the intricacies of the pattern created by its veins, I often revel at the pure whiteness of a new snowfall. Each element nature creates provides detail, colour, pattern that all designers take home with them to eventually be influenced by.


I’ve found spending time outside makes all four of us happier, we feel content. There’s nothing like the smell of sunscreen on the little ones necks and coming home to a nice cool bath. With this heatwave upon us though, we’ve not been able to eat dinner outside in the evenings as much as we would like. These spaces are a perfect and are an ideal combination of nature and shelter.


Sunday morning spent reading newspapers with a warm drink in any of these would be a dream.

A collection of favorite summer spots. What are yours?

Images from, vavrinec mensi, dwell, apartment therapy, owen & wokes, australian design review, arent & pyke, dwell, saltspoon as seen on flickr, marmol radziner, contemporist

Exteriors, Inspiration, Interiors • Comments { 14 }