The great thing about gutting a home and completely renovating it is that you can change more than just the floor plan; you can alter the way natural light affects the spaces and create a whole new ambiance with tone, tints and shades of color.

The Brooklyn Home Company celebrates the spirit of natural light with this stunning four-story townhouse located in the center Park Slope, NY. Continue reading →

A close partnership between the architectural firm of Roderick James Architects and Carpenter Oak Builders resulted in this stunning home built with heavy timber framing. This type of structure blends in with its surrounding landscape and allows more freedom with respect to window placement and cladding materials. Continue reading →

Day light is a magical and powerful design element and in this home it is artfully used to ground the rooms. Double height windows framed in black with crisp square and rectangular divisions fill the main living and lounging area with light. The long living area’s best feature is the window wall and the central black iron wood burning fireplace that rests on a burnished concrete hearth. The fireplace is flanked on both sides by a window sill high black steel framed wood storage unit. It acts more like a work of art and a window seat than practical storage. Continue reading →

I think we all agree that home ownership is a dream we all share and with that typically comes an enormous responsibility to maintain our investment. That’s why I love this house in Sweden that minimizes maintenance by design. Continue reading →

As I write about this island cottage that is just a short boat ride from Stockholm, there are eight inches of snow on the ground outside my home. Designer Carouschka Streijffert’s summer cabin makes me feel a bit warmer with its unencumbered light and I can almost feel the balmy breezes off the water. Continue reading →

This home is perfection for a family who loves to entertain in big stylish ways. And frankly it’s the type of home I dream of when I’m planning a gathering of friends. Created by Galeazzo Design Agency, this Sao Paulo home is expansive and welcoming and not the least pretentious. Continue reading →

In the French “new town” area of Marrakech, a small bungalow melds the best of ancient and modern and global. Caitlin Dowe-Sandes, who along with her husband, Samuel, owns the Moroccan tile company Popham Design, use a bright bold palette and graphics to create a home bubbling over with personality. Continue reading →

This turn of the century, 1800s to 1900s, home in Rindo, Sweden, is decidedly neutral in palette and suspended between historic and modern, providing the luxuries of both. Typically rich in sunlight and volume, the apartment boasts caramel colored parquet carpets with intricate inlay borders in each room.
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What a dream to have found these derelict stone cottages from the mid-1800s and to have restored them to be enjoyed by today’s lucky travelers. Now available as luxury vacation rentals, the twin cottages rest on the shores of Cornwall’s River Tamar and were originally homes for workers on a large estate. Local craftsmen rebuilt the thick stone walls and installed new slate roofs. The real magic lies inside in the charming, bright, modern interiors. Continue reading →

Since I haven’t traveled there yet, I can only imagine the vibrant pace of Madrid, its warm climate, and its rich culture. I would probably delight in a home that creates a bit of a sanctuary, yet doesn’t deny the vigorous city outside. This compact two bedroom, one bath apartment is a wealth of history and style with unabashed dashes of color. Continue reading →