Gleaming

A client, of British interior designer Harriet Anstruther, once said this about her work:

She knows the importance of the quality of small things; a handle on a door, a switch on a wall. The parts of an interior that we touch every day are the parts we see every day and remind us if we love or hate where we are, if it works or grates. It shows attention to detail, a love of what she does and a wish for the client to continue to love their home long after she has torn up the snagging list and gone home."

Here is Anstruther's 1840's London town house, which she resurrected from shambles to sanctuary...

See and read more here

Train Station Convert

Once a busy terminus in rural Switzerland, now a beautiful home...

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Carrara

No bathroom (or kitchen counter for that matter) can have too much Carrara Marble in my opinion. This particular example from India Mahdavi’s book, entitled Home Chic...

Sculpture by Lamberto Corregiari, photo © Derek Hudson (via Yatzer)

Socialist Chic

How is this for off-the-charts cool? Rick Owens' Parisian apartment was once the headquarters of the Parti Socialiste and in particular the office of President François Mitterrand. Notwithstanding the slightly austere nature of the rest of the apartment, this room (photographed below) is a perfect example of contemporary style that retains the elaborate detail in the embellished walls and cornice. And, of course, what's not to love about the cheeky taxidermy monkey thrown in as an amuse-bouche...

See more of the apartment here. Photography by François Halard

A-Brisket, A-Brasket...

Via here (Kathrin Koschitzki)

Chandler House

Popping into Chandler house is like receiving a generous infusion of instant happy-meds. It is akin to walking into a beautifully curated English home - the perfect mix of unpretentious elegance, eccentricity and whimsy. In fact, in a bout of languor, all one desires is to curl up in one of the swallowable armchairs with the Brothers Karamazov. Paintings stand out against the inky blue walls and are surrounded by a plethora of antiques and collectibles from Dominic Touwen, plus colanders, plates, scatter cushions, furniture and not to mention an assortment of ceramic phrenology heads, all bedecked from... well, head to oesophagus, by the talented pen of artist, Michael Chandler in doodles of exquisite detail. Everything is for sale, which is practically sacrilege, should one disturb the perfection that is every room...

Visit the website here (Chandler House, 53 Church Street, Cape Town)
Photos by Philippa Berrington-Blew

Refuge...

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