apartment

purity and honesty

Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus refurbished and extended the ground floor of an 18th-century hillside townhouse located between Lisbon’s medieval castle and the Romanesque-style city cathedral. “The estate illustrated a period and an identity that were clouded due to extended neglect,” explained Manuel Aires Mateus – one of the two founders of Aires Mateus Arquitectos.  The garden made it possible to enhance the depth of...

Little Jewel

John Jacob Zwiegelaar set up John Jacob Interiors in 2005. He has since made his name as the creator of highly bespoke and glamorous work underpinned by attention to detail – truly tailored spaces. His apartment in Fresnaye in South Africa is no exception. The apartment is modest in footprint however Zwiegelaar has manipulated the space to look...

Such Great Heights

The Vietnamese firm MM++ Architects are known for their highly creative and individualised approach to design with outcomes that produce distinctive homes that connect their client to nature and capitalise on the surrounding environment. This recently completed project in Ho Chi Minh City is a perfect example for everything the firm believes in. Set on a narrow site and...

unified spaces

Located in Hong-Kong this apartment designed by  NC Design & Architecture is an open and tranquil space defined by a 16m long sinuous wood wall, strong axial views luminous ceiling oculi, and special hidden built-in wall features accommodating the specific daily routines of its residents. The residence is structured around a continuous communal area of the living room, dining...

taste and realisation

When an architect, Joaquin Vaquero, and gallery owner combine forces to create a home you know the results are going to be amazing. This apartment, produced by joining two neighbouring pads and located in Madrid, was designed with a particular ethos in mind – namely that the space created was large and airy and allowed for a range of...

Ornate austerity

Set within the ninth arrondissement and in a Georges-Eugène Haussmann building – whose vision still dominates central Paris - this 19th century apartment by Double G has employed a careful architectural reconfiguration and an eclectic mix of furnishings to achieve an entirely contemporary home. A classic French interior filled with modern furnishings, this “New Minimalism or “ornate austerity” is captivating....

Show and Tell

The Kips Bay Show House is perhaps the most well known in America. This year, celebrating their 43rd show house, the organisers have unveiled another incredible mansion on the Upper East Side with rooms completed by over twenty renowned designers and as always each room pushes the decorative envelope with wallpaper, light fixtures, upholstery and over-the-top accessories coming together in an explosion of styles and colour. A...

floating on The river Thames

A Floating House designed by Nick and Steve Tidball for Airbnb has taken over The Thames this week and will be docking at Putney Pier on 22 May, to celebrate new rules to support home sharing in London. The one and only Floating House at Number 1, The Thames, offers bespoke living quarters including two bedrooms, a bathroom and a living room, as well as...

luxury at 30,000 feet

We can all do with a little more luxury in our life even if your at 30,000 feet. Lufthansa Technik and Mercedes Benz Style, are first time collaborators in this project. The goal was to fuse Mercedes design language into the Lufthansa Technik aircraft, and fans of Mercedes can see the obvious design dialect here. There are points of influence from plenty of Mercedes...

Light filled volumes

François Champsaur is a pretty big deal. Born in Marseille, this French interior designers work is influenced by his Mediterranean roots. From his earliest projects namely the Hotel Vernet – which I have posted about previously, François has displayed his ability to transform any space, considering each and every aspect from an architectural angle to the last detail. He intelligently reworks space, playing with light and...