n my earlier post on Dark Decor, I posted an image of a large ceramic stove in the Et Hem Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. I was quite intrigued by this huge, beautiful contraption so I decided to do some research on it. It turns out that this kind of stove is called a “Kakelugn”, Swedish for a tiled stove.
s opposed to some of the ultra-chic interiors I like to post here, I am also drawn to the old-industrial vibe as seen in all those beautifully renovated old lofts. The nonchalant, innately cool mix-and-match, arty blend really speaks to me. Also, the visible ductworks and bare brick walls really add to the charm factor. These are places where real living goes on, spaces for creative minds, long diners with intellectual conversation and wild parties. If you are thinking of moving to a loft, let me point out some pro’s and con’s:
all has started, temperatures are dropping and wood stoves or fireplaces are taking a lead-role again this time of year. One of the benefits of a wood stove versus an open fireplace, is that wood stoves radiate a lot more warmth. That’s why you see a lot more stoves, as opposed to open fireplaces, in the colder countries in the Northern hemisphere (think Scandinavia, Canada).
hat’s not to love about panorama windows? These floor-to-ceiling glass beauties can be such an enrichment to a space, connecting interior with exterior. Provided of course, that the view the good enough. In a city, this can be challenging. But if you’re situated high enough the views can be very impressive indeed. My personal favourites are panorama windows in contemporary structures situated in the middle of nature, with views on forests, lakes or oceans.
ouble volume ceilings give any room such a feeling of space. Combined with large windows (think city lofts) light will flood the room, which make for lovely bright interiors, ideal for the Northern hemisphere. But in warmer climates, the design of a house calls for protection of too much daylight entering a space. Such was the case in our former farmhouse in South Africa, where we created a double volume space as well.
e have all seen the famous Le Corbusier tubular steel Chaise Longue LC4 in one interior or another, or the Grand Confort, a cube-shaped armchair whose leather cushions are held in a chrome-plated steel corset. Most of us also know that these pieces of furniture bear the name of Le Corbusier. But few of us know that these pieces were actually the brainchild of Charlotte Perriand, the 24-year old French modernist designer who was hired by Le Corbusier immediately after he saw her furniture creations of steel and aluminium which she designed for the Salon d’Automne in 1927.
Mies with a model of his masterpiece, the Crown Hall on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Architecture in Chicago, USA
udwig Mies van der Rohe, “Mies” as he was commonly referred to, would have been 128 years old today. He was born as Ludwig Mies in Aachen, Germany in 1886 but moved to the USA in 1937. He was one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture, along with Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto and Frank Lloyd Wright.
on’t you just love the elegance of steel windows? Once upon a time only found in old industrial buildings, they have been moving into our homes more and more. The strong steel makes it possible to make the mullions so much more smaller, creating larger areas for the (sun)light to shine through. Steel windows are beautiful in both modern and traditional architecture, as you can see in the images below.
stumbled upon this über bling bling house, whilst browsing the net. It is so unusual, I have never seen anything like it before. I love the aluminum shiny material used for the exterior, love the design with the large windows and definitely love the location.
s I am writing this post about Contemporary Architecture, I realize that most of the houses that I feature here, are actually situated close to the sea. I guess that this building style works best when implemented with free-standing structures in natural surroundings, preferably with water close by. Why would that be? Well, these houses tend to have those super large floor to ceiling windows.
