Homedit.com Interior Design & Architecture Inspiration Newsletter

A 1940s Sydney apartment renovated by CO-AP Architects
The House on Stairs
The Italian MATTO restaurant in Shanghai
Beautiful Indian Retreat by Mancini Enterprise
A charming residence from the 70s in Marbella, Spain
The Multifunctional Tre Stool
Unique Color Combinations For The Kitchen
Bold Urban Remodel by Amerikka Design Office
Wooden Handcrafted Sidebar
The Colorful Union Jack cube

A 1940s Sydney apartment renovated by CO-AP Architects

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:30 AM PDT

This chic apartment is located in Sydney, Australia. It dates back to the 1940s and it has been recently renovated by Sydney-based design studio CO-AP Architects. Even though it's quite old, the apartment preserved few traces of its past. It currently has a modern interior with many stylish details.The owners' main request was to open up the apartment. They wanted the architects to transform the three-bedroom apartment into a one-bedroom apartment. They wanted them to open up the room and to maximize the views over the harbor.

They also wanted a large open plan with a flexible design. The rest of the space needed to be converted into a guest/AV room for their grandchildren. In order to make the necessary transformations, the team had to demolish many of the existing walls. The only structure that remained untouched was the fireplace core.

While restructuring the apartment, the architects also reorganized the rooms. They managed to make a division between the sleeping and the social area. They integrated a wall of European oak joinery with sliding wall panels that provide access to the main bedroom and the utility areas. The wall also incorporates part of the kitchen. The owners opted for a minimalist interior décor with pale colors and a luxurious feel. They also chose chic and eye-catching accent features such as those beautiful chandeliers and artwork.

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The House on Stairs

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 08:27 AM PDT

Who said you can’t build a house on a steep terrain? In fact, the house would look more interesting. For example, the architects of the design studio Westphal & Kosciuk Architects managed to complete the DLW House in 2011, in Florianopolis, Brazil. The main desire of the owners of this amazing propriety was to keep some of the rooms in line so the natural light and the ventilation would circulate better. And of course, the solution came fast, and they had to lift the living block onto a cantilever that floats above the driveway. It was also the perfect thing to preserve the view of the city and the sea, and keep a nice atmosphere around the house.

The home has three levels. The first one has the lovely terrace from where you can watch the amazing view. Also, on the first floor you can find the kitchen, the service area and a workshop that has an access point to the yard. The master bedroom is upstairs, near the guest's bedroom and an office. As for the low level, of course here is the garage, the entrance hall, a warehouse and an indoor play quarter separate from this space. As you can see in the pictures, the grey color separates this level from the others.

The modern and fancy furniture fits perfectly with the well positioned rooms and give the home a very nice and cozy atmosphere. And the most amazing thing is that from each window you can see the amazing surroundings. So, imagine the lovely evenings when you`ll spend time with your family and you watch the city lights shining.

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The Italian MATTO restaurant in Shanghai

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:24 AM PDT

Located in Pudong , Shanghai, the MATTO restaurant has brought the delicious flavor of true Italian pizza to China. It was a project by Yenn Wong, the entrepreneur and mastermind behind the JIA Boutique Hotels. The restaurant was opened in May 2012 and has been a big success. Only three months after tis opening, it received the culinary honor of ‘Shanghai's Best Pizza’ in the 2012 Food & Drink Awards.

The restaurant brings not only the flavor but also the architectural beauty of Italy. Inside it features a custom-designed pizza oven imported from Naples. The oven was hand0built on site. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. In order to be able to recreate the passion and the true flavor of Italian pizza you need to be in an environment that recreates the atmosphere as well and you need to use authentic tools. The restaurant has an internal space of 253 square meters and it incorporated two large terraces.

The style chosen for the restaurant is eclectic but with a modern look. The architecture is not purely Italian. However, the architects managed to recreate the same atmosphere and beauty without overwhelming the people of Shanghai with obvious Italian features. The interior of the restaurant is a mix of industrial materials with organic shapes and rustic details. The team used materials such as natural wood, concrete for the walls, travertine from Italy, iron and metal.

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Beautiful Indian Retreat by Mancini Enterprise

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:39 AM PDT

Mancini Enterprise designed a gorgeous retreat that will leave you speechless. Located in Sikkim, India, this superb residence is ready for its final curtain call. This alluring house is the best place to pass time, relaxing, with family and friends.

This lovely retreat consists of a 4000sqm compound that is being turned into an interior world of three houses, swimming pool with pavillion, small forest, rocks and suspended gardens. Everything was created to provide stunning views of the nearby holy mountain and yet allowing privacy in its different indoor and outdoor spaces.

The unique building draw on a traditional construction technique combined with large roof-overhangs and high thermal mass thus ensuring cool interior in the hot climate of the south Indian countryside. The architects had all architectural and interior elements custom designed by local craftsmen. Furthermore they wanted to ensure environmental sustainability, so their infrastructural elements depend on technology.

This beautiful retreat has a lot to offer. It presents large, airy rooms with contemporary, minimalist furnishings and floor to ceiling windows that bathe the place in natural light. What’s more, all of this is topped by a sunken garden around a deep well and a savana. What do you think?

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A charming residence from the 70s in Marbella, Spain

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 03:38 AM PDT

This is a house that was originally built in the 70s. It's located in Marbella, in southern Spain. However, when you take a closer look at it you realize that there's not much left from the original structure. In fact, except for the main walls that have been preserved, the house is an entirely new creation. Even so, it manages to preserve some of its original charm through modern means.

The property occupies a surface of 400 square meters. Besides the actual house there's also a series of beautiful gardens and a lovely patio. The exterior is quite bold. The orange façade is not exactly a common feature but it captures the essence of the area it's located in as well as the character of the owners. The interior is very elegant and stylish. The furniture is exquisite and so are all the details and decorations. The residence has two living rooms on the ground floor. On the same level there's also a dining room, a kitchen with a pantry, a bathroom and a guest room.

The architecture of the residence has Andalusian influences which are visible in all the elements, including the color of the façade and that of the interior walls. The style is a mix of Mediterranean elements and the color palette includes soft but refreshing tones. The antique furniture pieces are featuring details from the 17th to the 19th century and they come from Belgium, Italy, France and Morocco. The property is beautiful designed and it's as charming on the inside as it is on the outside.{found on nuevo-estilo}.

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The Multifunctional Tre Stool

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 01:30 AM PDT

One way of making a piece of furniture versatile is to give it a simple, neutral design. This works all the time. But there's also another way. This option involves the creation of a multifunctional piece of furniture that could allow it to be useful in several different situations and environments. One such example is this tre stool.The stool can be used both as a desk and a bar stool. It's just as useful in both situations.

Usually, desk stools, mainly those used in offices, have a design that doesn't really allow them to be sued anywhere else. But this time the designer of this stool managed to combine some of the characteristics of a desk stool with those of a bar stool and this was the result. The style chosen for it is a mix of vintage and industrial.

The stool is also a customizable piece of furniture. It can be crafted with your choice of wood. The price differs according to the type of wood you choose. Some of the most popular options include pecan, walnut, maple, cypress and cedar but other options are also available. The average price is $325.00 but it may differ. The stool has a metal frame and wooden seat and back. It also has a wooden triangle-shaped structure that serves as footrest.

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Unique Color Combinations For The Kitchen

Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:28 AM PDT

Wanna refresh your freshest space? Try out some of these unique color combinations for the kitchen! Try putting something together that you’ve never done before or doesn’t exactly “follow the rules.” You’ll have fun, trust us!

1. Grey and Brown.

The rule says they don’t go together, but in the kitchen they sure do! Stainless steel appliances, wooden cabinets and neutral grey walls makes for a very sleek, chic kitchen with a dash of masculinity. It’s completely different than the usual and will definite add an element of surprise to your home.

2. Royal Blue & Gold.

These glamorous colors will make you feel just that … glamorous. They’re loud, they’re bold but they’re still very chic and stylish. You’ll feel regal and refined in a kitchen shining this brightly.

3. A mix of it all.

If you can’t decide on a color combo, or just don’t want to … use them all! Take a bit from every shade you love and create an artistic, eclectic mess that’s fun, playful and functional. Everyone will love to hang out in such a cheerful, unique space.

4. Purples and plums.

Take a purple and grab a plum and you have a newly refreshed and regal kitchen! Make sure to add some neutral walls to make your choices pop!

5. Yellow & Red.

No not like McDonald’s, we’re a bit more sophisticated than that! Evoke a sense of Tuscany by pairing a crisp, muted yellow and a deep red. It’s new and different but still very functional and fun.

6. Gold & Silver.

Use these beautiful metallics in the kitchen to stay neutral .. with a punch. Keep your wooden cabinets to tone things down a bit, then go all out with the decor.

7. Pink & Black.

A fun, popular color combination already, pink and black brings the funk inside the kitchen. Wonderful hot pink cabinets with black counter tops enhance each other and keep things stylish. It’s definitely a unique choice.

8. Butterceam and Blue.

For a light, fluffy style, try out buttercreams and blues. It’s neutral enough to use any type of cabinet and appliance but different enough to add personality to the space.

9. Wine & White.

For something crisp, clean and a little bit country (with those baskets and patterned floor) try out red wine and diamond white. It adds a burst of light and personality.

10. Chocolate & Lime

One of the most unique ideas is to use chocolate brown and lime green. It’s definitely eclectic and adds something funky to the room. They also compliment each other well on countering walls.

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Bold Urban Remodel by Amerikka Design Office

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:44 PM PDT

Chico’s Restaurant is a bold blend of urbanized artwork with industrial fixtures and details located in Espoo, Finland. Re-designed by Amerikka Design Office, the restaurant chain offers patrons North American style cuisine.

This gorgeous restaurant has a great atmosphere that diners and staff have felt. It is a visual expression of the melting pot and richness in American culture. Vibrant murals of portraits and cityscapes painted by painters Juha Lahtinen and Samuli Suonperä are scattered throughout the entire place creating a statement. Moreover, due to its new design it is now easier to serve clients and this is reflected in the business figures.

But wait, that’s not all! The architects used exposed ceilings, raw wooden booths and hanging metal light fixtures for the dining area to add to the urban decor. Throughout this amazing restaurant you can see an eclectic mix of furnishings and details that make it an extremely superb place to dine. All in all the restaurant’s look is modern day USA, marked by bold expression, beautifully fading surfaces and genuine materials.

Chico’s Restaurant is a success for both staff and customers. It is the perfect place to enjoy a meal with family or friends due to the fact that it’s bursting in eye-catching aesthetics.

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Wooden Handcrafted Sidebar

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 10:00 PM PDT

I have always though it is a very good idea to have a mini bar at home where you can stay for a drink with your friends without having to get out of the house and where there is no closing time. However, those home bars with Martini glasses hanging from the shelves above my head and the open bar are a bit uncomfortable for a responsible person with kids moving around the house or a person who has the business meetings at home. So I realized that maybe it is a better idea to have such a bar combine with a closed cabinet. This is the perfect example of what happens when you combine the two: Wooden Handcrafted Sidebar.

This sidebar is a very special piece of furniture because it is actually a wooden cabinet with a sliding side panel that allows you access to glasses and drinks. There is also a pull-out drawer under this panel that contains everything needed in a bar, all the tools a bartender should have. The sidebar is designed by Darin Montgomery and Trey Jonesand is the result of a beautiful collaboration with Teroforma. It is nicely manufactured of walnut and stands all proud and graceful on the four leaning legs. You can order it for $3,100 from Urban Case.

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The Colorful Union Jack cube

Posted: 29 Aug 2012 08:17 PM PDT

A while ago we showed you a Union Jack accent cushion. We said then that it was a creative way of adding some British flair to your home. Following the same idea, we now present you the Union Jack cube. It's a creation of Chateau Designs and it's also a great accent feature for the house. This one is also functional and can serve as an extra seat for your guests or a nice place to rest your feet on after a hard day at work.

The Union Jack cube, despite its name, does not feature the traditional colors. It's an ottoman that features pink, green and white tones and it's a reinterpretation of the original, a variation on the same design. The ottoman has a cubic shape and it measures 24'' w x 24'' l x 24'' h. It weights 12 pounds and it's a beanbag ottoman. The filling is made of polystyrene foam beads. The cover is removable and made of polyester chenille jacquard. It has zipper closure and it can be easily removed for washing. It should be dry cleaned only.

The ottoman is something that you could use to spice up the decor of any room. The color combination and the colors themselves are not those commonly found in most homes and this might make the ottoman hard to match with other furniture pieces. However, it was designed to serve as an accent piece so it would look great is a more neutral décor where it can stand out.

House Design News

Thursday, August 30, 2012