A Johannesburg home

 

 

 

I was thrilled to have recently been introduced to the South African design magazine, House and Leisure. I love this home belonging to a Johannesburg couple from the September 2010 issue. An assortment of curiosities they've scavenged from places they have lived contribute to a cohesive look that is all their own. I can't wait to see more homes and design from this part of the world! (photos by Elsa Young, styling by Danette Mulder)

French home in the Paris suburbs

I loved April's issue of Marie Claire Maison! So many inspiring spaces. Here are a few photos of the home of Christophe and artistic director Valerie. They used flea market treasures here found at Clignancourt, and they made cushions and coverings with textiles from the famous Montmartre fabric shop, Marché Saint-Pierre.  Their terrace is my favorite space of the day, likely because I'm dreaming of terrace-friendly weather! (photos from Nicolas Matheus in Marie Claire Maison April 2010)

The home of a collector: Leif Sigerson's New York home

An interesting interior- Danish interior architect & set designer Leif Sigerson's home in New York. Full of vintage finds from all over the place, rustic collected objects, assemblages that mean something to him. I think it's clear he's a set designer- snippets of his rooms could be stage/ film sets for a story. (photos by Ditte Isager/ Elle Decoration Nov 2009)

Vivant sur l'eau: Une péniche des années 30 (Living on a 1930's canal boat)

This French couple found a 1930's canal boat on the internet and took 6 months to fashion it into their own little "cocoon." They filled it with repurposed objects, interesting finds and castoffs that give every piece of furniture in the boat a second life. Now, they live in this cool little intimate space just a stone's throw from Paris! I can hardly imagine living in a space like this- I wonder if it's claustrophobic with the lower ceilings and such? I love their take on decorating it with found, used things, though.
Feeling inspired? check out the boats for sale on www.locaboat.com or www.leboat.fr! (photos by Laurent Durand from Sept. 2009 Marie Claire Maison)

Lush Bella - beautiful creations

Lush Bella creates jewelry and adornments out of lace, trinkets and beads. I especially like her prints sold on etsy where she arranges an assortment of findings that create a colorful, nostalgic compilation. She has such an eye for color and combination- I can only imagine she has must have such an interesting collection of odd bits & pieces found over time.

Chair Couture: antiques and vibrant color

Margaret Elman of Chair Couture recovers Italian and French antique chairs and sofas with contemporary fabrics. These chairs in their updated version add bright color and impact against the classic lines. Nice mix! I'm normally not enthusiastic about French neoclassic lines, but they really work here, since it's not over-the-top. Her home has been featured in a few magazines- this particular feature was in German Elle Deco and Home Beautiful, with photos were taken by Ngoc Minh.

Réclamés: chandeliers

British artist Madeleine Boulesteix creates the most beautiful chandeliers from found objects otherwise used in the kitchen and around the house. Once all put together, they are fascinating.

Having such a small kitchen (minimally outfitted with 3 cabinets), I've got two full sets of china in boxed storage just waiting. All this time I could have put the teacups and saucers to good use. I admire artists who come up with original and inventive ways to use reclaimed objects.
I'd love to hang the blue candle chandelier (lower left) in my small "office/dining" room, though of course, the electrical ones would be more practical.

Well-scrubbed

An all-white kitchen might be seen as a blank canvas on which to unleash culinary creativity. Or, more likely, seen as a consistent struggle to keep clean since every single splatter or speck shows up. I love the idea, but I'm also messy in the kitchen and don't necessarily want to see every blemish.

White makes everything seems so spacious and bright. This kitchen, being larger than my living room, actually is spacious. The well-scrubbed look is attractive, but there is a sort of sterile quality about it. Photo from stylist Atlanta Barret's site, Beach Studios, in the UK.



This smaller cream and white version from Marie Claire Maisons is appealing, partially because I am used to cooking in a small space, where everything is within arm's reach (literally). I especially love that kitchen was cobbled together from used things: the floorboards were taken from the cars of old SNCF trains in France and the marble countertops were dug from a ditch of a former marble worker!