Floating Sinks

Floating sinks are usually minimal in their design but they constitute a unique centerpiece in every bathroom, either they are constructed from marble or cement...

Tainaron Blue Retreat

In the southernmost geographical point of mainland Europe, in the Cape Tainaron in Greece, a beautiful restored 19th century stone tower, has been transformed into a luxury traditional hotel which has lately opened its doors to the public.

It is situated in a unique place where the rough rocky landscape meets the tranquillity of the sea and the endless sky. 

What I loved most about it, is its bold stone walls combined with cement surfaces, wood in its natural color and contemporary design furnitures.

Contemporary bathrooms which steal our hearts

A contemporary designed bathroom could easily considered in our mind as a strict, stark and cold space, cause of its sharp lines, smooth and polished surfaces... Instead of this, today I present you some super cozy and atmospheric contemporary bathrooms which  have stolen my heart!

Industrial yet so Cozy & Inviting House

When the simplicity of industrial aesthetic meets natural materials such as wood, the interior of a home can become a romantic and peaceful space that evokes a tranquil lifestyle.

This home is, essentially, one that embodies the romantic image of a life of elegant simplicity and comfort. Its use of organic combined with industrialist aesthetics of subtle brick walls and cool metal tones, invites you to seek a state of simplicity in which happiness is grounded not in the objects owned, but in the stress-free, cozy lifestyle the home elicits.

Hand painted floors

This is the lowest cost and most inspired way to make a change in your home's floors if you have been bored of them or they are in need of renovation and you cant't afford it now. 

So, you have only to decide which colors you will prefer to use in your floors' renovation, what kind of designs or patterns you will paint on them and in what dimensions. The next step is to go buying the colors and start working...

I think that I would working on this project without stoping until finish it, as I would be desperately impatient to see the result of my effort.

Today, I took inspiration from Paola's Navone holiday home in the island of Serifos... Her home is traditionally constructed according the Cycladic architecture with stone walls, whitewashed surfaces, wooden ceilling and of course cement floors both inside and outside home. 

Traditionally, every year the inhabitants of Cyclades used to whitewash not only the external surfaces of their homes, so as to protect them from the hot sun rays, but they used to paint  designs on the floors of their homes' patios or on the alleys with the same pigment, made by plaster and water!

In the same way, Paola Navone modernizing this method of Cycladic floor painting, created very interesting floors for her home. In some spaces she used a white pattern on the grey cement background. But, I found brilliant the idea of painting faux carpets on the floor... 

Plan an escape in...

 

...Nisyros, where a special house cough my eye!!! You can't but fall in love with this house by the first sight, as it excuses a warm and elegant air from the past.

It's about a 1890's residence's restoration, where the architect and owner George Koukourakis showed a great respect for its history maintaining its main characteristics. These are the original 1890 cement tile flooring which is dominant in the majority of the house's spaces, the vivid palette of colors used on the walls, the traditional wooden ceiling panelling and the wooden openings.

As far as the house's decoration there is an adorable mix of past and future. Old pendant lights are present to every room, an old console welcomes the visitor in the entrance and some meters away they are standing an elaborate stove, an antique mirror and other excellent pieces of another era. All those decorative items and furniture combined perfectly with some vintage pieces or a set of modern tulip table and chairs.

My favorite room is the lemony painted kitchen with its custom made old style cupboards in my beloved color of mint!

Dream kitchen

Ohh... yes!!! This could be the kitchen of my dreams! Bright with a floor to ceiling window that allows to the sun rays invade to the space and warm it; a long cement island in the centre, a lot of vintage dinner sets and metallic boxes that help you store the supplies, placed in the kitchen's shelves and finally, a majestic chandelier that brings the air of another era to the space! 

Family home in the heart of the nature

This dreamy home is owned by a Norwegian family who decided to move to the Italian countryside near a lake... After a thorough renovation, the owners respecting the character of the old construction and maintaining the old details which made it a unique rustic house, they created an amazingly renovated country house ideal to accommodate a family! What I loved most about this house is its living room with the unique glass roof which in combination with the floor to ceiling opening, gives you the  impression that you are sitting outside while you enjoy the fireplace's warmth!!! A house with enormous yet cozy  internal spaces due to the use of natural materials and colors such as the wooden  off-white beams, the stone wall and the grey cement floors covered with hand made kelims and cow skins for more warmth. And what about the claw foot bathtub in front of the large opening with this breathtaking view to the garden? I would really like to spend some days in this tiny paradise...!!! You?

Here everything is for sale!

Many hotels allow you to buy the bathrobes, but how you feel when you hear that everything in this hotel is for sale? The only thing you cannot buy here is the building itself!!!

So, if you 'll go to Items B&B in Belgium and you are madly in love with an original furniture from the 50's or 80's signed by Verner Panton, Arne Jacobsen or Charles and Ray Eames, you have the opportunity to buy them. It's a brilliant idea!!! Each time you will visit this hotel, nothing will reminds you, your previous visit, as everything will be different...

A home perfectly decorated for Christmas

I really adored this living room from the first sight ! It's so perfectly decorated for my favorite season of the year…of course Christmas!!! I love the enormous illuminated christmas tree, filled with hundreds of twinkle lights that looks so magestic during the night and the double sided stone fireplace with its inspired decoration. 

And...of course I believe in Santa (photo 1 & 5)!!! :) I 'm waiting for my gifts!

I imagine myself hanging out on that cozy leather couch, enjoying the fireplace's warmth and the atmospheric light of the christmas tree, drinking some hot aromatic gluhwein! 

Mixing Styles

Mixing different styles is my best... and this is a really good example of what I mean!!! An industrial space constructed by red brick walls and cement floor is equiped with a vintage Papa Bear Chair and its ottoman (a classic piece designed by Hans Wegner in 1954) paired with a tribal side table and a deep red kelim rug which gives life to the room... The result is a unique space with strong "personality" where a lot of us could like to live!

Rustic house with ethnic touches

This is a really cozy place to spent your weekends.... A traditional construction with bold stone walls, build-in bathroom equipment and beds (ohhh.... I love so much the bedroom of the 6th photo) and off course an enormous fireplace in the living room that offers its warmth into the space during the cold days and nights! 

Look at that amazing hanging chair near the fireplace... It looks so comfortable and inviting! I'd like sitting there right now!!!

What I like also with this house is the vivid colors used in throws, pillows and towels which create a very interesting contrast with the natural colors used in the construction and the furnishings.

Folder: Bathroom

When I am looking at this bathroom, I feel the serenity and the relaxation that a bubble bath will offer to my body and my mind too... This is exactly the bathroom of my dreams! An eclectic chic bathroom with grey cement polished walls, black and white hand made retro tiles, wooden roof, a chic pendant light and off course a claw foot tub to offer you the best bubble bath of your life! I imagine it infused with my favorite essential oil (I love the jasmine), by candlelight, listening a relaxing music... Oh, this is magical!!!

Spanish 14th century restored villa

Spain is one of my favorites destinations and I love also the charming decoration and the design of its restored houses. So, today we will make a mind-trip in this wonderful country and especially in the historical region of Emporda, in Girona, where a lot of the old country houses have been rescued from oblivion by their owners, who love this area.

A house like those, we will visit today... A 14th century building which rehabilitated fully respecting the original materials of its construction. Its thick stone walls and stone curved ceilings (photo 9 & 11) consist an important part of its decoration. The plastered walls and ceiling blocks of the living room are painted in a vanilla hue in order to help the natural light be reflected in the interior and make an interesting contrast with the natural color of the stone walls and the cotto tiles.

What I liked also about this house was its built-in counter tops finished in polished cement both in the kitchen (photo 7) and the bathroom (photo 11), and then the built-in bench (photo 2) in the living room, topped with a beam of reclaimed wood, completed with a mat and numerous cushions, creating a comfortable nook for social gatherings or reading...

Other interesting pieces in the decoration are the old recovered trunk coated with fabric and used as a side table in the living room (photo 3), the old retro leather chair (photo 4), the rescued aged suitcases (photo 6) and off course the stone sink in the kitchen (photo 7).

Round Windows

A totally modern home in design can seem so cozy... I love the twin round, tube like windows which have been transformed into a super duper comfortable nook for relaxation while you can gazing at the garden or enjoying the warmth of the central round fireplace, during the cold months of the year!

Image via tumblr.com    

A Charming House in Costa Brava

In Costa Brava, Spain, it is situated this fascinating rustic house! As it is mostly a summer house, emphasis has been given in its outdoor spaces... I like the cozy built-in seating area near the pool and the large rustic dinning table with the benches in the semi outdoor area near the BBQ. Stone walls, cotto tiles, cement and raw wooden beams gives a charming note to the house, bringing thoughts of old Mediterranean mansions!

   

Images via el mueble

A modern home built in a monastery ruins

In the ruins of a 12th century monastery, situated in a tiny village in Provence France, Roger Anger (a well known French architect) created a unique modern home! He restored the medieval architectural elements of the building (the old brickwork, arches and columns) and he combined then with 18th and 19th century antiques, selected mid century classics and modern materials as steel, glass and cement.
The result is unique... I love so much the contrast of the antique furniture behind the modern dining table with the Eames chairs in the dining room(image 1). I would like also have the opportunity to sit in the Eames lounge chair(image 3), which fits perfectly with the medieval surrounding of the room and gazing for hours at this breathtaking view which is offered from the enormous windows...

San Giorgio Mykonos Hotel

San Giorgio Mykonos is a member of the Design Hotels that represents the most beautiful, original and luxurious hotels of the world... It is about a small paradise where you can spend your holidays relaxing in its wonderful spaces which reminds more a friend's summer house than a hotel. 

It is constructed according Cycladic architecture and decorated in a Bohemian Chic style in order to make the visitor feel like home...

White washed walls help sun rays brighten the internal spaces of the hotel and give the impression of freedom and freshness. I like so much the white built in beds and sofas covered with crispy linens and pillows embroidered with colored traditional motifs which give a vivid touch to the rooms! Ethereal mosquito nets enfold beds in order to protect you from the insects and offer a more romantic atmosphere while Moroccan decorative items give an exotic touch...

Mantri Cottage

Set in a serene landscape on the quiet southeast side of the island, Mantri Cottage enjoys a privileged location between two of Serifo's most attractive beaches... Lia and Agios Sostis!

Constructed by the local stone without the use of plaster  in its exterior, has the advantage to be harmonized with its surroundings, while the blue color of the openings remind us the blue color of the Greek sky. In the interior, the traditional character of the house is stronger, as there is the addition of a lot of everyday objects of another era combined with some contemporary accents.

Summer Semi-terrace Area

A unique summer house's outdoor dining area, where you can spend a lot of hours during your holidays... I love the white raw plaster on the walls and the cement floor which indicate the home's traditional character in combination with the tree trunks and canes on the ceiling and the bold built-in seating and dining table. The addition of rattan accessories and linen cushions and tablecloth in off-white and black hues transform this semi-terrace area into the absolute summer nook!!!

Image via purplearea.blogspot.com

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