What a challenging project this must have been. A sprawling 16th-century residence in historic Bruges has been carefully restored and modernised by Simon de Burbure Architects. The house had not undergone a major renovation since around 1880, so there was an extraordinary amount of history to work with, and to protect.

What I love is that the finished house does not try to hide its age. Original architectural details sit comfortably alongside much cleaner contemporary additions, so you are always aware of both the history of the building and the fact that this is now very much a modern home.

Craftsmanship at the heart of the restoration

Much of the success of this home comes down to craftsmanship and attention to detail. Historic elements were painstakingly restored while new spaces were introduced with a very different, more contemporary character.

There is plenty of luxury here, but it feels rooted in the materials themselves rather than simply added for effect. Rich timber, stone, decorative plasterwork and stained glass meet smooth marble and restrained modern forms. Somehow neither side seems to compete with the other.

Curves, marble and stillness

Curves abound, every material invites you to linger and caress. The marble baths are pretty amazing, and the stillness and calm of the pool makes you wonder whether you would actually want to disturb the water’s perfect glistening surface.

These rooms feel unmistakably modern, yet they do not seem disconnected from the rest of the house. The arches, stone and subdued colours give the newer spaces a sense of permanence, almost as though they have gradually grown out of the older building.

A home rather than a museum

I would love to see how a family would live in it, and how it would soften with the human touch. At the moment, gazing at one beautiful room after another, the whole place has an almost timeless quality.

Perhaps that is what makes the restoration so successful. The history has clearly been treated with enormous respect, but the house has not been frozen in the past. The new architecture has been allowed to have its own voice too, making this feel like another chapter in the life of the building rather than an attempt to return it to a particular moment in time.

Originally found at D Pages.

Very niche to be sure, but it sparked an interest that would span of 12 years covering more than 18,000 miles across 14 countries of the former Soviet Union. The feat was documented by the film aptly titled Soviet Bus Stops, following Herwig as he even tracked down some of the creators.

None of these structures would I really term ‘beautiful’ but there is a creativity here that feels wonderfully experimental. We have moved past the need to shelter and rest while waiting for the uncertainty of public transport, here it’s as if the architects had a little licence for fun, to stretch the notion of what a bus stop could be.

From Moldova, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Georgia to name just a few, these crumbling structures will soon be no more. Some of the designers saw it as a chance for creative freedom, to break from the collective narrative, a little bit of local expressionism and architectural freedom.

Originally found at Design Boom.

This modern interior is clad with oak, smooth, warm and light. Clever windows frame the surrounding hills providing calming glimpses beyond lessoning the feel of confinement. It is quite a feat to me this tiny log cabin can contain a kitchen, dining room, bathroom, bootroom and 3 beds (albeit 2 very small).

Totally a place I would feel comfortable in, cosied up with a hot chocolate, a favourite book, warming my chunky socks by the fire.

Originally found at Ignant.

These three designs have captured my attention today.

This 1970s throw-back is beautiful in its simplicity. The Easy Lounge Chair and Modular Sofa by Ahti Taskinen opens into a bed and can be grouped to create a flexible sofa arrangement. Now back in production, I love the choice of colours and fabrics, the velvety cord looks so comfy!

Sticking with the 1970s, and with the modular style, another sinkable classic. Italian leather and timeless style, the Le Mura by Mario Bellini comes complete with love handles.

Now for something completely different, I don’t even know if I would trust sitting on this piece! But what elegant design. Slithers of marble float mid air, held by sheets of glass. Bringing us right up to date, French designer Frédéric Saulou explores what he calls a ‘technical enigma’ with his new collection Delta.

These beauties were found at Sight Unseen.

It is no secret that I love pattern and vibrant shades but I don’t think even I would be this bold! I do often look at my clean white walls and imagine doodling flowers all over them, especially my hall, here I fancy long elegant silver birch trees against a background of ochre.

This particular hotel has had a refurb and shines brightly in the outskirts of Jaipur. It was originally completed in the 1980s but the venues history dates back to the Mughals.

Inspiring! Originally found at The Spaces.

Its a grown-up house with a confident interior allowing happy moments wherever you look. Considered but homely, I just want to explore.

The building is elegant and rather sprawling, probably a tad daunting to renovate, but I like how Luke brings together art and design across the decades to create a unified space.

That black spiral staircase in the library is particular special and I do love the corduroy sofa!

Images borrowed from Yellow trace, with photography by Tom Ferguson and styling by Claire Delmar.

This installation by Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi is called Simbiosi. Created for Arte Sella in 2019, it immediately made me think of those simple cages packed full of rocks. Tresoldi is known for creating architecture in wire mesh, structures that can look almost like drawings of buildings floating in the landscape. With Simbiosi, though, he introduced local stone into the work, bringing something solid and heavy into his usually transparent architecture.

A ruin that was never there

The idea becomes even more interesting when you realise that this isn’t the remains of an old building at all. Simbiosi was designed as a ruin from the beginning.

Normally a ruin starts as something complete and slowly loses its walls, roof and detail to time. Tresoldi almost reverses that process. His five-metre-high structure is open to the sky and gives us just enough architecture to imagine what might once have stood there, even though there never was an original building.

It’s a beautiful idea. The metal framework hints at what was, or perhaps what might have been. There are echoes and shadows of classical forms, but the walls don’t really shut anything out. You can gaze straight through them to the trees beyond, so nature provides its own towers, columns and changing backdrop.

Solid and almost weightless

That contrast is probably what I like most about it. The stone feels permanent, ancient and incredibly heavy, while the wire mesh around it seems barely there. One part looks as though it could have survived for centuries, while the other seems as if it might disappear when the light changes.

Tresoldi describes the work as a “character within the landscape, embodying the idea of dying architecture in the collective imagination”. That seems just right. It feels architectural, but not quite like a building; ancient, but newly made; substantial and strangely fragile at the same time.

Architecture shaped by nature

It also belongs particularly well at Arte Sella, a sculpture park where art and the natural landscape are intended to change together. The hill on which Simbiosi stands was itself shaped by the storm that transformed the park, and Tresoldi sees the slow growth of nature around the installation as another architecture that will continue to develop over time.

That makes the idea of a ruin even more interesting. Rather than putting a finished object into the landscape and expecting it to stay exactly as it is, the work allows time, weather and growth to become part of it.

Why it stayed with me

I love that something as simple as metal and stone can look so grand and so fragile all at once. There is nothing precious about either material, but put together like this they become something almost dreamlike.

Perhaps I love it because it makes me notice the same things my dad did too: structure, materials and the ingenuity of holding something together. A gabion wall is still a gabion wall, but sometimes it can become a ruin, a sculpture, or just a small reminder of someone.

I first came across Simbiosi on Yellowtrace. You can also see more of the project on Edoardo Tresoldi’s website and learn more about the setting at Arte Sella.

Anything added to Serifos, Cyclades in Greece, might have really jared with the stark, rugged landscape. This building though cuts into the rock rather than jutting out, solving the issue of very strong winds off the Aegean Sea, and allowing the 3,660 sq. ft of space to almost disappear into the hillside.

The interior uses minimal decoration, instead choosing bold and contrasting materials to add to the permanence of the place, cool stone, wood and glass – And those views, well they are something else!

Originally found at The Cool Hunter.

It took three firms to update this family home, Walker Warner Architects, Redmond Aldrich Design for the interior and Scott Lewis Landscape Architecture for the grounds.

There were strict historical restrictions and the building had to be stripped back to its bones for earthquake protection to be added. They have succeeded though in creating an elegant and sophisticated home filled with gorgeous furniture and well-chosen art. I am particularly fond of the window treatments!

Found at The Cool Hunter.

This style of building was the brain-child of Iranian Nader Khalil, they are known as Superadobe. The buildings combine the ancient practice of earth architecture but also allow the structures to be safe by modern building standards for things such as earthquakes. Plus the construction methods allow the local community to be part of the process. Lovely. See more at Eclectic Trends.

This neglected piece of railway line will become a ‘garden in the sky’. Camden Highline is a welcome step towards recovery for a city that has been sorely effected by the pandemic. Attracting people once again to our bustling capital might be a challenge, but with projects like this I think the city has a fighting chance.

The raised garden will run from Camden to King Cross, filled with flower beds, oak and silver birch trees, conversation pits and even trampolines. The working railway passing right by allowing for interesting views no doubt as people jump into the sky! Underneath hanging vines will grow over the edge of the viaduct, hinting to the people below the lush paradise above their heads. I can’t wait to see in place.

Originally found at Dezeen.

Everything had dual purpose, stairs were shelves for example. When it came to safety rails, well there aren’t any, instead there are safety nets which double as hammocks, kid play areas or even extra places to sleep!

The house needed to be wheelchair friendly so there are lots of ramps which gives a lovely feeling of multiple storeys, a layered house that suits everyone.

Originally found at Yellow Trace.

I think that’s what makes this home cool rather than cold, the textures and materials. Marble, wood, linen and my favourite the ribbed glass, combine coherently. That staircase is rather wonderful too!

Originally found at the Dpages.