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.

Simply elegant Victorian flat in Notting Hill

This stunning Victorian flat in Notting Hill, London was designed by interior designer Katrina Phillips and her assistant Georgiana Huddart. The owner is a movie producer who chose to purchase the home to share with his wife and daughter as a vacation getaway. The Victorian facade gives way to the interior with a cozy and quiet elegance. The deep respect to the architectural heritage, the history and aesthetics of the building, guided throughout the project, but distribution, setting and treatment of the spaces start from a contemporary concept.

They selected the latest technology for comfort and safety, and a deliciously timeless style. In addition, an interesting work of research was conducted for each space: choice of colors, fabrics, furniture, decorative objects, nothing was left to chance. For example, they decided on a color palette of stone, ivory, antique gold, oxide red, ocher, which was the advice of an expert in historical painting. The treatment of light and colors was inspired by those used by the Italian painter Caravaggio and also the work of the master of the modern decor, the Belgian Axel Vervoordt.

Stylishly designed contemporary home in London

Blake House is a spectacular property in London, England that boasts a spacious open floor plan, high ceilings and bright spaces. With a loft-like feel, the apartment features a master bedroom retreat with a staircase that leads down into the voluminous space, with a two-story ceiling height, en-suite bathroom, and private home office. The apartment is perfect for entertaining, with a wall of glass paned windows that separates the living room from the fully equipped kitchen with breakfast nook. The home is decorated with a predominately neutral color palette with bold pops of red color scattered throughout.

Enjoy this inspirational home and be sure to leave us a comment of what you think of the decor!

Photos: Courtesy of 1st Option

Stunning renovation in London: Book Tower House

Walls of books fold around a wooden staircase in this renovation and extension to a north London home by Hackney studio Platform 5 Architects. Book Tower House is a typical late Victorian mid-terraced house in Hampstead, London. The original property contained some Arts and Crafts influenced decorative aspects, which the owners were keen to retain and highlight, while introducing contemporary interventions.

The main feature is a double height library space at the heart of the house, created by combining the original rear reception room and a first floor bedroom.  The feature staircase, wrapped in oak bookshelves, leads up to a built-in desk and study area with views over the ground floor.

To the rear of the house, a side extension to the existing kitchen was formed by resting an oak rib and skin structure, externally clad in zinc, onto the brick party wall.

“We used exposed brickwork in the extension to link the room with the garden by continuing the garden wall into the interior, London stock brick is an essential part of the character of the city and it forms a beautiful backdrop to a domestic interior.”

A cozy seating area with slide-away corner glazing creates a space where you feel surrounded by the garden.

A kitchen island counter is made from exposed concrete, which the architects also used for the surface of the floor. “The robust finish sits comfortably with the muted tones and texture of the exposed brickwork and oak.”

Photos: Alan Williams

Beautiful eco-house in rural Bedfordshire

Meadowview house, designed by Platform 5 Architects, is situated on the edge of a ribbon development village in rural Bedfordshire, United Kingdom and is surrounded by mature trees, hedgerows and arable fields.  The first floor, clad in sweet chestnut, overhangs a solid masonry and glass plinth; from across the fields, it looks like it is floating over the hedgerows.  Internally, the living spaces are arranged to relate to different garden spaces and the wider landscape. The house incorporates sustainable technologies such as rainwater recycling, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and photovoltaics on the roof.  The landscaping forms a transition between the domestic and agricultural environments.

The sweet chestnut clad box overhangs the ground floor so that from across the fields it looks like it is floating over the hedgerows.  The deep recessed balcony acts like a lens hood, framing sunsets over the countryside.

A meandering route through the house creates a sequence of gradually more private internal and external spaces.  The entrance hall offers visitors views straight through the house to the pavilion in the back garden whilst screening off the living areas.  As you progress though the ground floor, the space expands into a double height living room that is overlooked by the first floor study.  From the living room, you can gain access to the courtyard garden where more delicate plants can grow protected from the wind and cold.

To the rear of the house, swathes of long grasses and meadow flowers are animated by the breeze giving the terrace a wharf-like feel.  An area of the garden is given over to food production in raised beds, providing all of the household’s fruit and veg over the summer months.

The concept of a hovering building is continued into the details of the ash tread stair that is cantilevered off the wall in the entrance hall.

The house is well insulated, fitted with photovoltaic panles and also incorporates mechanical ventilation with heat recovery to reduce heat losses whilst a rainwater harvesting tank supplies water to the WC’s and the garden irrigation system.

Photos: Courtesy of Platform 5 Architects

Contemporary barn conversion in the Cotswolds

Brotherton Barn is a stunning contemporary conversion of a Grade 2 listed detached Cotswold, England stone barn originally constructed circa 1759. The 3,229 square foot structure was designed by The Anderson Orr Partnership, whose clients wished to have an effortless connection between the open plan living area and the secluded master bedroom suite without detracting from the height and volume of the vaulted spaces of the barn.

The second key element for the barn conversion brief was how to design the entrance. With most barn conversions you find giving the building its own distinct entrance difficult because you’re working with the original openings and these tend to be large openings to the sides of the building.

For the principle entrance a single storey element already existed. Both the architects and the client felt they could utilize this element for the entrance by opening up the roof with glazing and inserting a pod which neatly houses the utility and cloakroom. What has been created now gives the approaching visitor a sense of arrival and an idea of what can be expected inside.

More than half the building to the rear section of the barn was lowered into the ground to ensure two storeys could be accommodated within the existing envelope of the barn. In addition the original buttress and stone walls were sensitively repaired and rebuilt; the original roof had also fallen to disrepair and in places collapsed.

To provide the effortless connection between the open plan living area and the secluded master bedroom suite, a floating oak staircase and gallery was designed.

Photographs: David Stewart

Stylish mews house in Knightsbridge Village

11RMS is a mews house located in the heart of Knightsbridge village, London. Designed by Elips Design, the internal planning responds to particular needs of the occupants. The design concept is driven by the willing to connect with one staircase the 3 floors to maximize the space. The living spaces were designed as open space to allow the natural light to enter, as well as through skylights. The ground floor can be used as a studio, for this reason the staircase, the fulcrum of the project, has a sliding panel created into the structure to divide the space between office and living, if required. Light is a dominant theme, both the natural one and the artificial one, designed in collaboration with Viabizzuno. The facade is left to preserve the visual integrity of the mews as a street.

An eccentric London refuge in Notting Hill

Originally encountered on Elle, this flat with a British air is the Notting Hill, London refuge of Bea Deza, the creator of signature fashion house Sister Jane, which is as eccentric and cool as she; daring and inspiring with custom made designs. Bea gave her living room an English lounge atmosphere, with a Katrina Phillips sofa and an Ikea sofa in leather and velvet. Bea has sought to create the perfect atmosphere in her home for inspiration. On the wall of the living room a deer head has been hung and warheads made with newspapers from Anthropologie. Freedom and eclecticism is breathed in the kitchen and in the living room.

The kitchen is a mix between pub bar and English country house, with tears lamp of Les trois garçons, shelf with antique books and a mirror.

The stools are Philippe Starck for Kartell.

Full of surprises, Bea applied an English forest atmosphere in the bedroom. Wallpaper is Katrina Phillips and the upholstered headboard was a custom design of Bea’s.

The quilt on the bed was woven by girls from Calcutta. On the wall is a portrait of Bea by Australian artist Steve.

In the window is French lace from the 18th century and green velvet curtains.

Round House on the idyllic Thames Canal

Nestled in the beautiful Golden Valley, the Round House and its idyllic setting evokes an overwhelming sense of magic, intrigue and romance in Stroud, Gloucestershire, a county in South West England. It is one of five such Round Houses, built in the 1790’s, along the now disused Thames and Severn Canal. Originally, a Linesman’s cottage, the horses were stabled on the ground floor, and the family lived on the two floors above. The 861 square foot (80 square meters) house retains a wealth of period features such as Oak beamed ceilings, a beautiful Georgian range, striking Gothic style windows, as well as unique stained glass windows, surrounded by gardens on all sides. An 18th Century child’s silk shoe, left hidden in the house since it was built, was rediscovered when the house was modernized. This remains in place and is to be passed on through generations for good fortune.

There is a spacious reception room with original Georgian range, with views overlooking the duck pond, church and across the front garden. A delightful light kitchen features a window overlooking an ancient magnolia tree in the side garden. A garden room with exposed washed beams is currently being used as a studio / bedroom. French doors leads directly into small patio, overlooking the main garden. A stone spiral staircase from the ground floor leads to a beautiful light and airy master bedroom with exposed beams and stunning views from both sides of the house. An attractive wooden staircase leads to the second floor where there is a second bedroom with views of the Golden Valley, currently used as a music room/bedroom.

The garden is idyllic, with huge willow and lime trees, sweeping lawn, a newly planted tapestry hedge, and the most unique water feature; a mill race flowing through the center of the garden, surrounded by lavender hedging. Following the path to the left of the house is a private cottage garden; with a thriving raised vegetable patch and herb garden; and a wooden garden shed.

This unique property is listed for sale at $482,100, from here.