Category: Interior Architecture

 Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne
A Lalanne desk
Many people would argue that the word ‘classic’ can only be given to furniture influenced by or, created at a specific style period. I think classic furniture can also be what does not go out of style and what is coveted and pursued by collectors or design aficionados worldwide, be that art or furniture. François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne’s furniture fall into those two categories; they’re art and furniture at the same time. Pretty much every design lover has seen those lovely whimsical sheep made out of bronze and wool as well as the impressive surrealist rhinoceros desk or bars designed by the deceased François-Xavier Lalanne. Claude, Lalanne’s wife, designed beautiful botanical-inspired furniture. Even when the husband and wife duo started creating sculptures in the late 1950’s, their fantastic and innovative work does not represent the 50’s style but a unique style of their own.

If you live in Coral Gables, FL Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is currently having the U.S.’s largest outdoor exhibition of Lalanne’s sculptors through May 31st.

Marble Shower Design steven gambrel via belle vivir
Steven Gambrel via Elle Decor

Remember my dilemma with not having enough space for a deep bathtub in our master bathroom. Well, after I figured out how to make it work (by replacing the adjacent bathroom’s door by a pocket door and taking over 5 inches); I sat down and thought why all the hustle and bustle for a bathtub that is not going to be deeper than 17 inches? Unfortunately bathtubs start getting deeper after 6′. So I decided for a shower instead with a wooden bench to sit on and give myself my own pedicure. That’s what we have right now anyway and it’s worked pretty well. It’ll only be a lot nicer. All these images are more than inspirational and even our bathroom won’t be lined in Onyx or in any of those one-of-a kind marbles that Kelly Wearstler seem to love; I’ll let you know later what I’ll use.  I also love all the glass doors in these showers.  Steven Gambrel (above) via Elle Decor seems to favor travertine marble for the showers he designs.
Kate Spades is my kind of girl because she rather have bigger common spaces like a living room, library and bedroom than bigger baths. I prefer that too. The spacious shower below also found at Elle Decor is like a personal gym also.
Marble Shower Design via belle vivir

 

Marble Shower Design  Nathan Egan via belle vivir
In this bathroom designed by Nathan Egan the walls are covered in marble and the floor seem to be covered with penny or hexagon marble tiles.

 

marble shower design via belle vivir blog

The basketweave floor tiles have no competition because of the use of lucite/acrylic legs as sink base.

A complete covered shower in onyx.

 David Jimenez used white subway tiles on the walls and marble mosaic on the floor in this all white bathroom.
 

While reading T magazine over the weekend I came across this house and it literally took my breath away. The Georgian mansion called Dinder House sits on 23 acres in Somerset, England. Chris and Jo Mycock bought the house and all their request was to have a house fun and child friendly, a place where their 4 boys can spread around and run. As consequence a modern home designed by Ilse Crawford was the result, complete with lego rooms, a basement dedicated to a more than imaginative playroom and a table tennis room with an oversize colored-glass Venini chandelier hanging above it. Now wait until you see what they did with their kitchen. I’m more fond of traditional kitchens but what Ilse did with it, it’s such a clever and innovative idea in order to not alter the architecture. To read more and see more pictures of this gorgeous house go here.

This uber chic cabinet depicts the story of the house in a custom marquetry job by Studio Job. It doesn’t get more customized while child friendly than this.
The herringbone floor, the gilded Georgian oversize mirror, the Eames dowel leg chairs in different colors and the Rody Graumans’s 85 chandelier juxtaposed perfectly. I mean, in my opinion this room is perfect.

Love how playful the hand-blocked wallpaper from Paris looks when used together with modern furniture.

Not all of us are lucky enough to live in houses with good architecture but there are many simple and non-permanent ways of incorporating it in our homes. Now I know that the image on top is full of exquisite details (only the herringbone floors would be enough to impress) but what caught my attention was the unusually low dado rail. I think that unique detail would make any room more interesting and would bring an unexpected touch to it as well.

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Bita Daryabari, Bita Daryabari's home, living room designed by Steven Volpe via belle vivir blog

In the most recent issue of Elle Decor, we saw the London renovation that Steven Volpe and Bita Daryabari collaborated on. I loved the elegance of the house and because the article said they had worked together before, I was intrigued to see what would a 17,000 square foot residence designed by the more than talented Steven Volpe would look like. My search was fruitful and I found the images at A Thoughtful eye. The place is perfection at its best especially today that it’s snowing here again and the open fires in the coziness of this home make me want to stay in and light a fire as well.

Bita Daryabari, entryway designed by Steven Volpe via belle vivir blog
Bita Daryabari dining room designed by Steven Volpe via belle vivir blog
Bita Daryabari home designed by Steven Volpe via belle vivir blog
Bita Daryabari
Bita Daryabari bathroom designed by Steven Volpe via belle vivir blog

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Interior Designer Jacques Grange’s Paris home is nothing short of perfection.  And I”m not only saying this because Grange is my top favorite designer.  The classic details of the 18th century architecture sings in perfect harmony with a mixed of Art Deco and contemporary furniture with 18th and 20th century pieces and Objects D’Art.  “Harmony is a question of eye and personal feeling; there is no recipe” says Jacques Grange.  And he sure knows how to accomplish that to perfection.  His book, Jacques Grange: Interiors, published in 2009 was one of the first International Interior Designers book I got and it’s still today a major sourse of inspirations for me.

Jacques Grange's Paris home, library

Jacques Grange’s Paris home overlooks the lush gardens of the Palais Royal and it used to be home to the novelist Colette.  Colette’s stepdaughter offered the apartment to Jacques Grange in 1990.  Grange, not having the money to buy the apartment back then, he instead rented and finally bought it in early 2000’s.  The oack paneled library above is warm and inviting.

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