Instant Attraction: Manhattan Apartment of Nate Berkus

The November 2012 issue of Architectural Digest ran a great before and after article featuring Nate Berkus's gorgeous Greenwich Village apartment.  I love the neutral color palette and the mix of graphic and rustic elements.  Nate is always amazing with giving his spaces character.  I've included a couple of my favorite shots here, and there are loads more over on the AD site.

Love the way he super cleverly disguised the oddly placed and proportioned windows in the office (above) (see the "before picture below).

Good Idea: Wrapping Countertop Material

Both of these images illustrate how you can wrap your countertop material around the cabinetry.  This is a great solution for instances where you want to change counter height (top) as well as when your countertops don't end into a wall.

Images from Canada's Style at Home magazine, October 2012.  Top image is from a redesign of a hospital lounge that was done by the magazine.  Bottom image from the article "Opposites Attract."  Photo by Monic Richard.  Styling by Nicola Marc.

Instant Attraction: House Beautiful - Naturally Modern

Love the color and materials palette of this project.  Lots of texture, pattern and natural materials.  And I LOVE the groundcover in the deck area.  It is called Baby's Tears, and I want some.

Images from House Beautiful, July/August 2012.  Interior design by Mark Egerstrom.  Photos by Lisa Romerein.  More photos of this project after the jump...

Instant Attraction: Barn Raising (New York Times)

This beautiful barn was featured on the New York Time blog on May 4, 2012. It's so beautiful, with those big windows, and the light, bright (yet not stark) interiors. With all of the Marimekko and that sophisticated Scandinavian look, it's no surprise that one of the owners, Tiina Laakkonen, is Finnish (and a stylist at that).  And she has a great philosophy on design. In the article she says that she likes "when you can still see the person’s hand in things. Anything that is made by hand will age better than something that has been manufactured."  Love it.

More pics of this Amagansett home below and on the NYT blog.  All photos from www.tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com.

Bulthaup Kitchens

The organizer in me just LOVES the way these kitchens are perfectly compartmentalized to accomodate all of your kitchen appliances, plates, glasses, food, and kitchen tools.  You open it up, cook your dinner, then it all folds back up into a pair of sleek, warm, modern armoires (see below).

b2 by Bulthaup.  Images from www.bulthaup.com.

Fish Scales!

Jarrod Lim - Koi Lounge Chair; Property

I've been seeing fish scale patterns popping up everywhere lately, and I'm loving it.  That chair above is amazing.  Here's another fun shot.  Check out those shadows!  More fish scale items below...

African Wave wall stencil from royaldesignstencils on Etsy.

Mansour Modern, Ben Soleimani Hyde Collection Zeus Black Rug

Mecox Gardens - Fishscale Chest of Drawers

Plantation - Lafayette Side Table

Kitchen with fish scale wall pattern - Sorry, I don't know the designer.  I know I have

seen this image before, though, so I will keep digging!

Instant Attraction: Home of Alfredo Paredes and Brad Goldfarb

I love everything about this apartment.  It's in the East Village, has a KILLER terrace, the architecture is so lovely, and the design that was implemented is gorgeous.  I want it all.  The materials palette, those windows!, the fireplaces, fixtures, millwork, furnitures, fabrics, the floor-to-ceiling wraparound draperies in the master bedroom.  And that dog is a muffin too.  What a retreat it must be to come home to this place. 

All images by Miguel Flores-Vianna, from www.architecturaldigest.com.  Featured in Architectural Digest April 2012, "Partners in Style".

Super Cool - Studio Gorm Flow Kitchen

This "living kitchen" by Studio Gorm is pretty amazing.  They explain it best on their website:

a living kitchen where nature and technology are integrated in a symbiotic relationship, processes flow into one another in a natural cycle, efficiently utilizing energy, waste, water and other natural resources. it provides a space not only for preparing food but an environment that gives a better understanding of how natural processes work. a kitchen where food is grown, stored, cooked and composted to grow more food. 

the flow products can be used independently but are far more effective when they work in concert as part of the larger system. the individual objects are relatively uncomplicated, acting as simple vehicles for the more complex natural processes to do the work. this kitchen is developed as a flexible system where resources are reused by several elements creating a dynamic flow between the products. 

the water from the dish rack drips on the herbs and edible plants, which are grown in the planter boxes places below the rack. the counter top features a built in waste bowl, which can be utilized to dump the scraps while preparing the food. once the bowl is full, it needs only to be tipped to transfer the waste into the worm bin composter, which lies beneath the counter top. as the waste is lowered into the composter, the worms convert it into nutrient rich fertilizer, which can be put back into the plants.

Image and text from www.studiogorm.com.

Instant Attraction: The Home of Amy Butler

The home of Amy Butler was featured in the November 2011 issue of Living Etc.  Photographs by Matthew Williams.  

I LOVE this living room.  So light and airy.  Very crisp and clean, but very homey and bursting with personality.  I love the wide plank wood floors and jute rug and other woven accents throughout.  Those cats really seem to enjoy those large ottoman cubes topped with pillows.  The far wall features one of Amy's wallpaper designs for Graham and Brown.  

A look at Amy's kitchen after the jump...

I love this custom made table by Pamplemousse Design.

Large, small, and medium kitchens from Dwell.  The white/warm woods combo (first and last images) is always beautiful.  The cool gray and cabinets and washed out palette of the mini kitchen is also very appealing.

Snaidero E-Wood kitchen system.

I love the way the white and stainless cabinets combine with the warm woodwork and pops of green in this bright kitchen.  From Living Etc April 2011

I'd really like to see this kitchen system in person.  It seems to use space very efficiently and also be beautiful!

It's a common myth that a dark color makes a room look small, but see here!  You only really see the light blue walls, the dark one just sort of falls away and you don't notice it.  Very clever!

Poggenpohl

 

I love the gray-brown teak wood used for the Poggenpohl Teak Décor Lava kitchen range.