Fun With Colour

The beautiful home of Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan has been featured countless times in various design magazines and blogs, but coming across it again the other day I felt that it's really worth revisiting — the joyous arrangement of colour, shape and pattern are a great reminder of how decorating can simply be fun. More here on Elle Deco.


(photography by gilles trillard)


P.S. Check out Jonathan and Simon's fab weekend retreat in a 2008 post of mine, too.

An Italian Jewel

A stunning 16th century house in Lombardy is a fascinating example of how modern an austere older style of architecture can look — the contemporary Italian furniture looks completely natural here. More here on Elle Decor España.


(photography by fabrizio bergamo)

Spanish Stunner

When I spotted this beautiful Spanish space on Houzz, I just about swooned. It's the country home of designer Mikel Irastorza and it's pretty much perfect, I think. Read all about it (and see more gorgeous photos) in the Houzz post by Vanessa Brunner here.


(photographs courtesy of Mikel Irastorza)

Lofty Inspiration

Love this amazing loft space, converted from a defunct 100 year old electrical switching station. I especially like some of the innovative ideas used in the renovation, such as the huge living room window — the architects installed a stationary fire-station-style garage door in the opening that was formerly used by trucks to drive into the former powerhouse. More here. Via Chicago Home + Garden.


(photography by Alec Hemer)

A Happy Blend

Victoria and Jonathan were at first a bit apprehensive about moving into their present home as it previously housed two generations of the Beckmans, the famous Swedish design family (and founders of the Beckman Design College). They were not only aware of its history (Victoria actually attended the College for a while), but the bold use of colour they found there was outside their comfort zone — Victoria describes it as a real "hippy house" before they moved in. Interestingly, when they began to renovate they discovered that the earlier Beckman generation shared a similar aesthetic to their own — Victoria loves black and white, and they found black stained wood floors under the beige parquet flooring installed in the 1970s. Now their home is a serene blend of old and new — but above all a comfortable family home. More here from mixr.

(photography by Patrick Miller)

Big Style, Small Budget

Neither Camilla, who is a child care worker in Copenhagen, nor Peter, who works at a catering company, have careers notable for making a lot of money. What they do share is a highly developed talent for finding beautiful things and arranging them to great effect in their home. Their look, Camilla says, is all about mixing styles — investing in a few items of good quality (found through online auctions) with more affordable pieces discovered in local second hand shops. "There's no reason to buy everything from new," is Camilla's sensible explanation of how she and her boyfriend can surround themselves with great things on a relatively modest budget. The result is a home that's fresh, pretty and definitely inspiring. Article (in Danish) and more photos here. Via Boligmagasinet.


(photography by Tia Borhsmidt)

Pattern Recognition

Love the attention to detail in the light filled Finnish home of a stylist and a musician — colourful and pattern-filled little vignettes everywhere make this minimalist space endlessly interesting and personal. More (in Finnish) here from Plaza magazine.


(photography by Kristiina Kurronen)