Interior Design Sense

Timeless, understated, classic yet fresh and tactile, contemporary and carefully detailed. Sydney architect Madeleine Blanchfield creates bespoke spaces that epitomise the new Australian aesthetic. Unpretentious, casually elegant, functional and fantastic.

We recently heard from Barcelona architect Victor Gonzalez, of TC-Interiors, who wanted to share one of his projects with our readers.
Communicating Vessels is a 250 sq.m complete apartment renovation, located in the Modernist neighborhood of Barcelona. The design layout is a response to the client’s wish for a united, open space that could benefit the natural light form early in the morning to late afternoon. For this reason, all mid-walls were demolished and the windows at the communal side façade were enlarged. The only enclosed department built from the scratch is the Core, which includes the guest room and the service areas, leaving the rest of the space diaphanous. Every use is ‘marked’ by a Lighting Carpet, a customized and highly resolved lighting system. As the floor carpets do, the Lighting Carpets, ‘warm up’ a specific territory of this home while the same time, indicate the use, by their distinct positioning and size. This loft space is HOT. I love the concept of using lighting to delineate a space – much more creative than throwing down some area rugs. 

Like the greenest of green ponds in the jungle sits this gorgeous pool and its pavilions. Busca Vida House by Brazilian architect André Luque sits lightly in the existing vegetation with clearly defined private and public areas contained within two white boxes whose glass walls open to allow for cross ventilation and to let in the natural light. A beautiful home, a clever design solution, stunning surrounds and a seriously sexy pool.

I’ve been hooked lately on discovering cool designers and architects from Brazil – there is so much inspiring Brazilian talent in these fields! Another I discovered recently is architect Gisele Taranto. Her portfolio features several contemporary spaces that are creative in their execution and takes advantage of the beauty outdoors which I think is absolutely necessary in a country that is so freaking beautiful.

Telling a story is important to photographer Scott Frances. Capturing the essence, the atmosphere of a space is just as paramount as detailing the designer’s work. Architecture with mood, images with emotion. You will find my original post on Scott Frances‘ work here but I’m glad I revisited his portfolio. Diving into an architect’s work through the lens of a photographer with a holistic approach.

It’s raining here. Raining, raining, raining. In biblical quantities. What better time to plonk myself in front of the computer and real estate stalk? I’m in Bondi, Sydney. A contemporary home by architect Uri Turgeman and interior designer Shellee Gordoun. A series of rooms in open plan stretching either side of a cental garden atrium and leading out to the garden. Casual elegance with interest brought in through finishes and texture. Light, bright, white and … blue. My imagination is running riot. How would this space look with red or green or black or yellow? A good example of how a neutral base lends itself to painterly strokes of colour to change things up. Link here while it lasts.

Located in a townhouse in Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, the beach house of the architect Fernanda Marques needed some finishing touches like darken the floor, change lighting and paint the walls. She adorned the house with a seaside decor, but very stylish and contemporary taste. Among the pieces selected to give color to the refuge of the architect, she opted for a chair of the Dutch designer Oskar Zieta, a work of Hugo France, in the garden, and Tapestry of Calder sisal and poems by Carlos Drummond de Andrade. When it came to the garden, Fernanda was the one who cared for each piece of it, with various species of plants to give more life to the house. A beautiful combination of modern and natural elements, coming together to create the perfect beach house.

Located in a townhouse in Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, the beach house of the architect Fernanda Marques needed some finishing touches like darken the floor, change lighting and paint the walls. She adorned the house with a seaside decor, but very stylish and contemporary taste. Among the pieces selected to give color to the refuge of the architect, she opted for a chair of the Dutch designer Oskar Zieta, a work of Hugo France, in the garden, and Tapestry of Calder sisal and poems by Carlos Drummond de Andrade. When it came to the garden, Fernanda was the one who cared for each piece of it, with various species of plants to give more life to the house. A beautiful combination of modern and natural elements, coming together to create the perfect beach house.

Ho ho ho! It’s almost time for reindeer and a jolly fat man. I wouldn’t be unhappy if I found anything refurbed by architect/designers Sam Gnatovich and Alexi Rennalls of SIMO Design in my stocking. (OK hard to fit a California Bungalow or a midcentury modern house in a stocking but you know what I mean I love that even while modernising these homes they have retained the original. It’s a young, vibrant take on the family home.

Ho ho ho! It’s almost time for reindeer and a jolly fat man. I wouldn’t be unhappy if I found anything refurbed by architect/designers Sam Gnatovich and Alexi Rennalls of SIMO Design in my stocking. (OK hard to fit a California Bungalow or a midcentury modern house in a stocking but you know what I mean I love that even while modernising these homes they have retained the original. It’s a young, vibrant take on the family home.