The beautiful interiors of this four-bedroom, 2,720-square-foot Greenwich Village condo is the handiwork of not one but three standout designers. The $7-million place is set in an historic, 1928 building designed by architect Emery Roth (who developed many landmark hotels and apartments in Manhattan in the 1920s and '30s), and has fresh, modern interiors by notable New Yorker Victorian Hagan. Most recently, Fawn Galli introduced her own whimsical aesthetic, but the whole place still looks cohesive and enviably gorgeous.
The heavy beamed ceiling has been painted white so it appears to float, rather than hang, overhead.
I don't know if the light fixtures are included in the asking price, but the one in the dining area is certainly worth keeping — it has a wicked texture and contrasts perfectly with the light and airy space.
The principal bedroom has a restful feeling with its calming, Cole & Son wallpaper. Clearly, the dog agrees.
How could you not enjoy having butterflies fluttering across your bedroom wall? The Nina Campbell Farfalla pattern is fantastic.
For more information on the house, contact Stribling Private Brokerage.
Photo credits:
1-3. Stribling Private Brokerage, photography by Emily Gilbert Photography
A friend of mine is looking for a house and recently invited me to check out a potential place. It was a cute, three-bedroom Victorian with bright, spacious rooms and warm hardwood flooring, but one thing struck me as particularly strange: all the baseboards in the living and dining rooms had been removed, leaving an unsightly gap between the drywall and the floor. Basically, it looked like a face with no eyebrows — something was definitely missing. It got me thinking of the myriad ways that my friend, who doesn't like a lot of fuss, could use baseboards to add character to the house. Here are five options:
Sometimes simple is best, like the painted white square-cut baseboards in Bonnie Brooks' understated urban loft.
Similarly minimal but much warmer, designer Ashley Botten and her photographer husband Christopher Wahl recessed hardwood baseboards into the wall for a clean but casual look in their home. The reveal above the baseboards is particularly sharp.
The unfinished baseboards in the Georgian Bay cottage of Juli Daoust and John Baker — the couple who run Toronto's Mjölk — have a rustic charm.
Traditional, unpainted wood mouldings will never go out of style.
Stylist Sasha Seymour faced her kitchen cabinet toekicks in brass, doubling as vintage-looking baseboards. I like how the metal shimmers against the herringbone floors.
See our Painted Trim photo gallery for even more inspiration.
Photo credits:
1. House & Home November 2011 issue, photography by Virginia Macdonald
2. House & Home June 2011 issue, photography by Christopher Wahl
3. House & Home June 2011 issue, photography by Stacey Brandford
4. House & Home May 2012 issue, photography by Angus Fergusson
5. House & Home September 2011 issue, photography by Michael Graydon
If you have ever dreamed of moving to France, hiding away in a tiny Parisian pied-â-terre and living off of red wine, Sartre and Édith Piaf music, then this is clearly not the apartment for you. If, instead, your dreams are something closer to being a marquis in the court of Louis XIV (save for the wigs, of course), then this 10,700-square-foot, nine-bedroom, eight-bathroom mini palace is most likely your fantasy come true. It overlooks the stately Place des Victoires — a royal square built to honour the Sun King — and was recently, carefully restored to its 17th-century lustre.
The place was originally built as a residence for French nobility, which is easy to see from all the ornate details. The french doors, beautiful mouldings, oversized mirror and elaborate chandelier create a distinct sense of luxury.
Is this what your home office looks like? No, mine neither, although I wouldn't complain if it did.
If all parties end in the kitchen, wouldn't it be nice if they ended in this one, with its casual-yet-refined feel?
For more information on the house, contact Christie's International Real Estate.
Photo credits:
1-3. Christie's International Real Estate
Anyone hoping to nab the recently listed Alphabet City home of author-editor Sue Hostetler might have to get in line behind Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig. The movie star couple has reportedly toured the 6,500-square-foot, $8.5-million mansion, and it’s easy to see why they might be interested.
Hostetler — who writes about art and decor — clearly has a sharp eye for design, and has crafted, over four floors, a series of boldly graphic but livable spaces. Plus, the house has many features completely unheard of in the middle of Manhattan: a 900-square-foot patio, drive-in garage and wood-burning fireplace (in the above great room).
The black-and-white striped walls makes a strong statement in the living room, and are softened by a casual woven rug, coffee-and-cream sofa and timeless Eames chair.
Beautiful, inky-blue walls create an intimate, romantic dining room.
But, really, if this was your principal ensuite, would you actually spend time in any of the other rooms in the house? Not only do the pale, aqua blue walls pair perfectly with the two-tone tiled floor, but there is room for a daybed (just in case you need a place to lounge as the tub fills with water).
For more information on the house, contact Town Residential.
Photo credits:
1–4. Town Residential
I’m not really one for living way up in the air. My own apartment is on the ground floor of a four-storey low-rise, and that suits me perfectly fine.
Recently, however, I fell for a Vancouver tower designed by famed British architect Norman Foster. It's striking enough for me to wish I lived 20 floors up. Called Jameson House, its façade is made of four side-by-side cylinders that give the building a unique character. But while the tubes add punch, they create a difficult interior design challenge: what do you do with a circular room?
Circular rooms can be tricky for the obvious reason that most furniture is designed for rectilinear spaces. In some of the units at Jameson House, Foster (who oversaw the interior design as well as the architecture) smartly divided the space with an angled wall — allowing for both a living room and bedroom in the same area — but still played with the shape by using a curvy sofa, side tables and coffee tables.
There is something interesting about the contrast of the curved and straight walls.
Jameson House got me interested in how other designers deal with circular spaces. The above dining room by Peg Berens is gorgeous. The dramatic silk wall covering is beautiful, and works particularly well in the bow of the wall.
This living room isn’t a true circle, but I like how the sofa echoes the gentle curve of the window in this Montreal space.
What I admire most about Patrick J. Baglino Jr.'s living room design here is the wit in the carpet choice, which nods at the whole tension of circular rooms in a world of squares.
Photo credits:
1-3. Foster + Partners, photography by Nigel Young
4. Peg Berens Interior Design
5. House & Home February 2009 issue, photography by Angus McRitchie
6. Patrick J. Baglino Interior Design
Unless you have a penchant for heat, snakes and cactus pruning, living in a desert might seem like a daunting idea. But this $875,000 two-bedroom, 1,500-square-foot abode makes moving to the desert seem desirable. For starters, it's just on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona — not in a remote part of the Sahara. And, with its elegant, maple-panelled interiors and wall-to-wall windows, it's undeniably luxurious.
When the house was first constructed in 2005, it's critically-acclaimed architect, Rick Joy, described his creation as an "art piece." It's easy to see why: the series of weathering steel boxes dotting a cactus-filled site creates a very sculptural effect.
To keep the focus on the other-worldly desert view, the palette was kept simple, but because the floors, walls and ceiling are all maple, the place still feels quite warm.
The bedroom faces south-west for beautiful sunset views. Thankfully, the house is in the middle of a sprawling, 4.46-acre site, so there's no chance of nosy neighbours peeking in.
For more information on the house, contact Crosby Doe Associates.
Photo Credits:
1-3. Crosby Doe Associates, photography by Liam Frederick