Bridge House nestled in a forested landscape

Nestled in a beautiful forested landscape with a creek running below the home in Cashiers, North Carolina, the Knob Creek Residence was designed by Platt Architecture and built by Schmitt Building Contractors. Designed with traditional style interiors, the rustic home features exposed ceiling trusses, high ceilings, wood planked flooring, exquisite light fixtures and many other intricate details. A stunning spiral staircase leads one from the bottom level to the top level on one section of the house. The house is raised up from its foundation, creating a bridge over the rushing creek, where the living spaces have striking views of the surrounding landscape.

Photos: Kevin Meechan

Surry Hills warehouse converted to incredible dwelling

This exclusive 1850s carriage house is one of Surry Hills, a suburb of Sydney, Australia’s finest single dwelling warehouses, which has been designed by Hare & Klein Interior Design. This unique design encompasses 8,395 square feet (780 square meters) of living space spread out across three levels, embracing a convenient cosmopolitan lifestyle.

The home features an incredible open plan with a Blackbutt featured kitchen, casual and formal living area, outdoor entertaining deck, ground floor studio/gallery, four bedrooms including a master bedroom with deluxe en-suite bathroom and spacious guest wing with en-suite bathroom, four car garage with two tandem internal access and unique features such as beautiful fireplace, chic lighting and exposed timber beamed ceilings.

The home was also a shortlisted entry in the 2011 Australian Interior Design Awards.

 Photos: Jenni Hare

Awe-inspiring Beethoven Hall in NoHo

Beethoven Hall, spotted on Sotheby’s Realty, is an awe-inspiring post & beam industrial loft of unparalleled proportions. Passionately restored, the circa 1860 concert hall is the centerpiece for grand entertaining with its 32 foot high arched ceiling. Design elements include steel, glass, brick archways, wood-burning fireplace, reclaimed wood flooring, marble, imported wood doors beautifully integrate with modern amenities including central air and sound system. The 6,785 square foot home boasts eleven rooms, including a chef’s kitchen, living, dining, and solarium which are perfect for informal gatherings. Terrace oasis provides for circular indoor/outdoor entertaining. The loggia is the gateway to four bedrooms including large master with spa bath. The second level features fitness, media and guest area. High-tech library has state-of-the-art work stations. Film directors, artists and musicians are part of Beethoven Hall’s history. Located in downtown’s hottest hood where couture reigns along with luxury goods and gourmet eats.

This fabulous historical property is listed for sale at $25,000,000, from here.

Beautifully restored refuge in Costa Brava

Near the beautiful town of L’Escala in Costa Brava, Spain is this gorgeous property spotted on Mi Casa, whose original 19th century construction was restored by architect Gloria Duran Torrellas. The distribution and the original state raised challenges that were overcome thanks to the commitment to respect the existing structure, by the recovery of materials such as stone, old ceramic floors, walls and ceilings with wooden beams. The home is distributed over three well-lit floors; each one of them opens to an outdoor space. The sharp contrast between original materials, rustic and modern furnishings with a nearly complete predominance of white color as a means of integration and reflection of clarity is spectacular.

To create a feeling of spaciousness in the home, the interiors were painted white and with the presence of some, rather few, open walls with the exception of the more private areas of the house. On the first floor, one of these walls hides a guest bedroom, while on the ground floor, the kitchen serves as a separation between the living room, pantry and a coquettish toilet. The top floor hosts a magnificent bedroom of incredible vistas, with a wall in place of the headboard behind which is a full dressing room and two twin and separate bathrooms.

The end result of the project with the original elements is a surprising richness, in particular, for its balanced rustic content and design in almost equal parts and the relaxing atmosphere achieved after the change.

Industrial chic loft with open-plan interiors in NoHo

This classic loft tries to maintain its spatiality through the use of materials, brick, wood and steel in NoHo, an historic district in New York City. The 4,000 square foot (279 square meters) loft was designed by architecture studio JENDRETZKI LLC. Instead of conventional partitions from floor to ceiling, free standing volumes house the different environments creating a landscape of intriguing geography of materials, heights, light and shadows. Structural wood beams are lost through free volumes.

The master bedroom maximizes its open space floor plan, giving the sector of bathroom and shower their own volumetric identity. The same shower is between a wall of stone and the brick perimeter wall. Kitchen furnishings are designed in black steel and translucent plexiglass. The loft uses eco-friendly fireplaces of alcohol with and without ventilation. All carpentry work is in mahogany manufactured in Argentina by Guillermo Miraglia and exported to New York in parts for an easy assembly at work.

Photos: Alejandro Wirth

Historic Bilbao flat infused with industrial charm

Found on Nuevo Estilo, this old apartment in a neoclassical building in Bilbao, Spain gets reinterpreted to the typology of the historic neighborhood by interior designer Mikel Larrinaga. To rehabilitate it, the owner wanted to extract all the charm of the structure and at the same time, give it some contemporary notes. The designer is an expert in recovering this type of housing, applying a very current prescription to convey authenticity. Walls were uncovered the expose the original brick to give industrial strength to the house and the false ceiling was removed to achieve height, exposing the old crooked beams.

The walls were given a fresh coat of white paint in order to gain additional light and give a sense of uniformity and harmony. Attention to detail was also given in quality of finishes and materials as well as color selection throughout the home. Old painted woodwork was reproduced and oak flooring was installed, which was given a coat of matte oil that softens its color and gives a true Nordic air. In this way, an environment was created, very neat and full of clarity. Neutral shades were chosen in the fabrics mixed with vintage furnishings and retro flare, along with 20th century lamps and fun bursts of color compose an atmosphere that exudes personality and warmth.

Gothenburg villa gets a magnificent transformation

This stunning Gothenburg, Sweden early 20th century villa, spotted on Hus & Hem, has been rescued from dilapidation by interior designer and owner Wictoria Ostrelius. When the old home was for sale she fell in love with her vision of the potential that the home had. After four years of renovating the 180 cubic meters of scrap and garbage, the plaster was switched to a wooden fascia and virtually all indoor spaces were rehabilitated. Before the home was restored, the plaster had long fallen from the facade, some windows were broken and it was only a matter of time before the roof would start to leak. Behind all this, Wictoria saw the beauty she wanted to recover.

Wictoria worked with her husband on the home, who both put their entire relationship at stake by investing everything on Wictoria’s dream. In the middle of the entire venture their son was born, a second addition to their family. The house made the family learn to live together and during the worst period of the renovation, the job welded the family together. Wictoria’s husband became the leader of 35 artisans who came and went during the first two years of intensive renovation. There was no moisture, mildew or rot, so the core remained intact. The home received a new tin roof and new windows similar to that of the old ones.

Spaces were gutted, sewage pipes and water pipes replaced and the floor was opened up to create an open plan environment. Three bedrooms, a new bathroom, walk-in closet, and a room with a bed loft on top of one bedroom was created. Wictoria referred to design magazines for inspiration, with much of the home was purchased on online auctions. The home received new life with patterned fabrics and a fresh coat of white paint, bringing serenity and breathing space. With a passion for old things with a story, the century-old house became a regeneration process and now breathes new life.

Charming Swedish farmhouse with sumptuous interiors

This fabulous residence, spotted on Bovision was built in 1870 and was just recently renovated in Tomelilla, Sweden. The rehabilitation was inspired by California and France, offering a generous living space of 2,658 square feet (247 square meters). The exterior facade appears like a farmhouse, but once entering inside the home, an ambiance of industrial-chic mixed with French nuances takes over. Materials throughout the home include, French tile floors, visible beams, two beautiful fireplaces. The home is entered through a front foyer with a rounded hallway that brings one in through the spacious kitchen and into a grand living room with a beautiful fireplace, concrete flooring, double height ceiling and a rustic concrete stairway to the upper level. The upper level has a separate office area with wonderful views of the large living room. A long hallway leads to the guest bedrooms with separate shower room and common dressing room. A spacious master bedroom has its own en-suite bathroom and an emergency exit. There is a small stairway in the front turret with a beautiful view of the countryside.

Inviting Spanish Revival bungalow in San Anselmo

This warm bungalow in San Anselmo, California was designed by Alison Davin of Jute Interior Design. The client wished to have a home that felt warm and lived in instead of sleek and with a brand new feel. A mix of vintage items and global decor pieces with history was used throughout the home. The 1,000 square foot home was for a family of three, the client had a Peace Corps background which shaped the design choices in the home. To match the Spanish Revival architecture, the designer added reclaimed wooden beams on the ceiling and a new fireplace surround. The beams add warmth to the space and visually expand the small living room. The eclectic gallery wall was neatly pulled together with a nonlinear arrangement. The frames are of a neutral color palette to minimize a hodgepodge effect.

Very little was done to the kitchen, just a cosmetic upgrade from the previous owners. The drawers were given a facelift with a new coat of paint, and new drawer pulls were added from Restoration Hardware. The yellow and taupe tiles add a splash of color and pattern to the interior’s muted creams, whites, browns and tans. The daughter’s playroom is in keeping with the neutral color palette seen throughout the rest of the home. The playroom features a whimsical tepee, nesting wicker cubes wired together for toy storage, artwork display, kid-size table and stools which makes up for the lack of splashy, playful color punches found in most children’s rooms.

A vintage clock, barrel hoop and gourd-like vessel soften the straight lines of the mantel, fireplace structure and exposed beams.

The dining table is decorated with a collection of African platters from Floreal in San Francisco. The dining table and bench are custom-made from reclaimed pine by Peterson Antiques in Los Angeles.

The pendant lamp is the Teardrop Light from New York-based Tucker Robbins; it’s made from a Indonesian fishing net, lined with rice paper.

A wall shelf features vintage wooden Quranic Teaching Tablets from Morocco.

The designer created an eclectic assortment of different-size shelving units against the wall.

Photos: Matthew Millman Photography

Rustic-chic grand duplex home in TriBeCa

This magnificent grand duplex home, spotted on Douglas Elliman, is on one of the best cobblestone blocks in TriBeCa, New York. The home is located within the historic American Express Carriage House built in 1866, which was originally a stable and converted into 15 luxury apartments, each costing upwards of $3 million. There are two apartments that offer stunning original details blended impeccably with contemporary touches. The duplex is currently setup as two separate and adjacent units with the ability to be combined, both share striking architectural features such as cast-iron columns, oversize windows, original porte-cochere doors, exposed brick walls and voluminous 14-15 foot high ceilings with original beams dating back to the 1500′s. There are a total of seven bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms. Upon combination, this expansive duplex would span the southwest corner of the building allowing the resident to enter the home via the street entrance staffed by a full time doorman or through the homes private. A private parking space in the buildings garage with access to the home is also included in the sale providing the owner with the utmost privacy and convenience.

The two apartments are on offer as a package, after being sold individually in August for $3,563,585 and $1,231,452. The package deal is listed for $15,900,000, from here.