Grey Loft attic reconstruction in Prague by OOOOX

Grey Loft is the brilliant reconstruction of an existing attic apartment in Ostrovského, Prague, Czech Republic by design studio OOOOX. The designers slightly modified the 1,097 square foot (102 square meters) layout, especially in the bathroom where they connected the glazing to the bedroom. The center box with bathroom and toilet is separated distinctly by colored dark pearl paint. The other spaces throughout the apartment are bright in color with various hues of gray in accents walls and furnishings, bleached wood floors, industrial light fixtures and a stainless steel center island in the kitchen.

Photos: Martin Zeman

High glamour and spectacular views in Pacific Heights

The clients were not in the market for a new residence but when the wife noticed an open house sign she couldn’t resist checking out this condominium in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California. One glance over of the light-filled space which occupies one floor of an Art Deco building with views of every San Francisco landmark from the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz and they were sold. After purchasing the property, designer Candace Cavanaugh was hired to achieve their vision of a quietly elegant decor that focused on the views and provided for a suitable backdrop for their abstract art collection.

The apartment had not undergone any renovations in almost 40 years. The designer worked in collaboration with architect Gary Jerabeck of Architectural Development and contractor Design Line Construction. The space was transformed, leaving the original footprint intact, the project entailed a complete remodeling including new fixtures, tile, hardware, moldings, lighting and wallpaper throughout. The designer also raised the ceilings in the foyer, living room, dining room and library, creating architectural interest that has been further embellished with hand-wrought detailing and moldings.

Cavanaugh repurposed a guest bedroom into a cozy home library and office for the husband (shown above). The space features a distinct masculine neoclassical theme with custom cabinetry finished in a black wash to allow the wood grain to show through; the library shelving is in a classic X-motif and strong statement fabrics such as the zebra-patterned linen velvet chairs by Ralph Lauren and mohair by Christopher Hyland, have been used to highlight the space.

Color choices were selected by using San Francisco’s legendary sunsets and ethereal rolling fog as a continuously changing backdrop, selecting a quiet palette of soft grays, golds and charcoals and translated them into opulent finishes and textural fabrics, with artworks and accent pieces providing pops of color.

The panoramic bay views are the main attraction in the formal dining room. The other units in the building all feature breakfast nooks in the kitchen, but the architect chose to extend the dining room to provide a multipurpose space that encompasses the view.

The homeowners can pass through from the dining room to the butler’s pantry and into the kitchen where a gallery of satiny-back cabinetry with antique mirrored panels frames a scenic bay view. The designer’s choice of opulent finishes, such as the glossy black subway tiles by Waterworks, imparts glamor, while her deer-leg bar stool design is an unexpected design choice in this space.

Photos: Matthew Millman

Little Venice House showcasing playful design details

Little Venice House was designed for a family of four by Andy Martin Architect in Little Venice, West London, England. Warren and Claire Johnson live in Little Venice with their two young boys Charlie, three, and Jake, two. Their apartment is set on the ground floor of grade I listed mansion terrace overlooking one of London’s most beautiful garden squares. With ceilings reaching 4.5 meters, the space has been designed and converted to suit their busy work and family lifestyle. The architects were appointed to help achieve this.

Private rooms moved to the north and public living spaces to the south overlooking the gardens. Every area has been remodeled to offer abundant storage and walls purposely left free to offer space for their expanding art collection. Existing details were removed from doors and walls and reinstated the moulded ceilings and parquet flooring. New elements are made obvious by the use of color or texture, and are designed more like interventions.

Contemporary design in Mexico City: Vidalta

Vidalta Apartment was designed by design studio Kababie Architects in Mexico City, Mexico, completed in 2012. The interior of the 4,843 square foot (450 square meters) home was generated with a full atmosphere that describes perfectly the lifestyle of the family who lives in it. One of the major challenges was the selection of furniture and accessories that, in combination with the finishes and the color palette, shaped each one of the different ambiances.

The living and dining room area is flanked by large windows on one side and the hallway leading to all areas of the apartment on the other. To increase light and height, a mirror plafond was installed across the whole ceiling resulting in a dramatic effect, intensified by the glare of the light marble floors. The dining area is emphasized with a long row suspended lamps with a slight variation in height to give a subtle movement on top of the rectangular and square tables that conform the dining table.

In this space also stands out the combination of leather, wood and glass of the different furniture in both environments, creating an atmosphere full with dark and amber colors and textures broken only by the contrast of the warm purple carpet in the living room. The thick wall that divides the living room from the family room is covered with slabs of black stone whose motion give a nice texture enhanced by the light from windows and ceiling.

The first thing that catches your eye in the hall is a wall covered with copper foils that leads the view in to the apartment.

One of the most important concepts for the design of the kitchen of this apartment was the incorporation of details that refer to the tradition of the family differ from the established parameters. On the ceiling was placed a classic Persian carpet framed in acrylic, giving the room the warmth of the fabric and textures, and a bold splash of color. Another important issue was the distribution of the cooking areas in accordance with the canons of the religion, for which two separate islands were installed, one for the preparation of food that includes meat and other for the preparation of food including dairy products.

The three bedrooms were located in the private area. The guest room has a very simple style generated with a group well selected elements. The secondary room was developed according to the user’s personality and needs.

The master bedroom is also simple, but with elements carefully selected to enjoy the stay in space. The master bedroom has a generous bathroom with dressing room with a nice combination of natural and artificial light.

Photos: Courtesy of Kababie Arquitectos

Crisp and clean three-level urban apartment in Kiev

This urban apartment was constructed in 2012 by Olga Akulova Design created from a C19TH building, on Basseynaya str., Kiev, Ukraine. The 861 square foot (80 square meters) home has been spread out onto three levels over an arch and a road. On the first level, the designers organized the guestroom and the kitchen area. The two stairways lead to the second and third levels where the master bedroom and dining area are situated.

Photos: Roman Shyshak / Stylist: Anna Polyushko

Exceptionally beautiful duplex apartment in Sweden

This unique and completely renovated duplex apartment spotted on Alvhem is situated in Linnéstaden, Sweden. Old and new are combined in an exemplary manner between the two floors that are connected via a white and almost floating white painted custom built staircase with a fitted wardrobe underneath. Quiet and protected on the top floor, one can enjoy fantastic views from the sunny terrace into a beautiful inner courtyard. The 979 square foot (91 square meters) home also features a fully renovated luxurious bathroom, separate laundry area, renovated open kitchen, plenty of storage and a subtle mix between the turn of the century details and modern design. Freshly painted white walls mixed with an exposed brick wall and painted white wooden floors runs like a thread through all the rooms on the lower floor, clean and very tasteful. The kitchen and staircase is at the heart of the home and on the upstairs level there is an impressive living room with dark heated floors, electronic operable skylights with rain sensor, inset spotlights, exposed beams and a glazed side which can be opened up completely to the lovely terrace with views of the open courtyard, and the neighbor’s rooftops.

Modern apartment renovation in Rome: Casa-O

This stunning modern apartment renovation called ‘Casa-O’ has been carried out by the architectural firm Alvisi Kirimoto + Partners in the Villa Bonellia of the Italian capital in Rome. A typical seventies style apartment, the home was revised and restructured in every detail to make a living space suitable for a couple with two small children. To give life to the restoration project was a ‘ female ‘ team of architects with feminine intuition and with great professionalism was able to interpret the needs of the entire family. Developed on a single floor and with a surface of 1,614 square feet (150 square meters), the home is characterized by the division of public and private living spaces.

Bleached oak flooring extends throughout the apartment and the white color of walls and ceilings as well as much of the furnishings, including many custom made designs by the architects, give aesthetic continuity in these two units. The large L-shaped balcony that runs along the outer sides of the living room and a second smaller terrace which looks out onto the master bedroom were paved with teak planks that fit in perfectly with the brick facade. Suspended ceilings incorporate lighting, a stereo and video surveillance. The architects have given great attention to design of every small detail of the house-or, managing to turn it into a harmonious and bright apartment, made of lines and details typical of the minimalist Japanese culture and other archetypes of the living.

Modern Palazzo del Mare Residence on Fisher Island

This exclusive modern apartment called Palazzo del Mare has been designed by Miami interior designer Pepe Calderin Design. Pepe and his talented design team demonstrate their flair for creating uber luxurious interiors in this magnificent Fisher Island residence in Miami, Florida. The entryway to this lavish apartment features Calacatta floors, stainless steel and a stone water fall on the right, mirrors on the left and a satin glass ceiling with LED lights suspended with metal rods. The double doors are from Lualdi porte and on each side of the entry doors there is a dolma light from kreon lighting.

Here you can see the effect of glass ceiling and the dolma light on the wood panels. The red wall is a custom glass wall created especially for this unit by the design firm.

In the dining room you can see the red custom glass wall. On the left there is a glass with LED lights
and a wood grid to simulate a window.

The kitchen is comprised of wenge wood and calacatta marble.

The master bedroom retreat features Peter Link photo ceiling details, satin mirror to the left and a B and B lounge chaise.

This custom built media unit features back panels made of leather with a glass shelf. The unit is made of wenge wood and the two speakers are Ferrari.

The master bathroom boasts an Infinity tub by Kholer, blue custom mosaic pattern, ceiling coffer with LED and wenge wood.

The powder room boasts white calacatta floors and a gradient of red to white mosaic light ceiling detail and a custom macassar top with Toscoquattro sink and faucets.

The rug is a custom area rug. You can see the ceiling detail with LED lights.

Photos: Courtesy of Pepe Calderin Design

Apartment Place de la Madeleine in Paris

 Sitting on the top two floors by Paris’s Place de la Madeleine, this 1,500 square foot (140 square meters) residence was created by unifying 12 maids’ rooms on two levels. Designed and owned by architect Michael Herrman, the result is a three bedroom duplex apartment that both preserves the character of the 200 year-old building in which it is located, yet is a uniquely loft-style space in the heart of Paris, France. The apartment is based upon the concept of a museum: the original limestone walls and oak beams have been excavated and displayed with archaeological precision. The addition of a glass floor and walls allows each room to retain a powerful sense of openness, to be visually connected with one another and with the views of the sky and rooftops of Paris.

In one corner of the apartment there is a courtyard terrace, surrounded by five-meter tall glass walls. The terrace appears to be an interior room, containing an antique marble fireplace, mirror, and chandelier against the backdrop of the living “wallpaper” of a seven-meter tall vertical garden that rises up through the two levels of the apartment. The courtyard was conceived as a large glass display case containing a traditional salon of a mid-19th century Parisian apartment. In contrast, the interior fireplace, stair, and other details are contemporary. Inside and outside are strongly contrasted through their design while at the same time the edge between the two is blurred by the vertical garden that continues inside and the floor tiles which appear to pass through the glass and continue outside.

The apartment takes on a surreal feeling through this blurring of the edge between the interior and exterior, as well as the multiple layers of transparent and reflective glass surfaces. All of the elements in the apartment are functional, whether inside or outside, including the exterior fireplace. The use of glass is carried through the design, and includes the glass cabinets in the kitchen, and glass tiles, counters, and fixtures throughout the apartment. The three bedrooms are located on both levels at the opposite end of the apartment, served by private bathrooms, and organized around a separate courtyard.

Photos: Courtesy of Ateliers Michael Herrman and Filippo Bamberghi/Dwell Magazine

Exquisite SoHo TriBeCa loft features must-see details

This luxurious apartment is situated in a 6-year old boutique building that offers a modern European design sensibility in the heart of Hudson Square, just steps away from the vibrancy of Soho and Tribeca, New York.  Residents and guests enter through iron gates into a zen-inspired private courtyard. This loft-like apartment boasts 1,863 square feet of living space on the 8th floor with three bedrooms and two full baths and an over-sized storage/laundry room.

The spacious living/dining room contains floor-to-ceiling glass windows and high ceilings, and features a stunning, hand-applied floor-to-ceiling, edge-to-edge wall of silver leaf and an extraordinary bronze surround for the elevator entrance.  Solid walnut wide-planking flooring has been ebonized for a modern counterpoint to the luxurious finishes. Custom linear diffusers replace standard air conditioning vents with a sleek architectural detail.

The kitchen features high gloss cabinets, state of the art appliances and brushed stainless steel countertops. The intelligent layout affords a whole western wing to the master bedroom, accessible through a hidden door of silver leaf.  The en-suite master bathroom is light-filled with a Duravit soaking tub enclosed in Pietra Sienna stone and a separate walk-in, glass enclosed shower with a river rock floor. There are two bedrooms on the eastern wing. Adjacent to the second bedroom is the oversized laundry/storage room. A second full bath with walk-in shower is located on the eastern corridor.

This incredible apartment is listed for sale at $3,450,000, from here.