Heavenly home

Sorry couldn't resist the pun. If you've been reading Desire to Inspire for a while you'll know that I have a thing for church conversions. Some have been fabulous, some not quite. This one though .... oh be still my beating heart. Spatial problems have been solved by a raised floor for open plan living. Bedrooms which need to be private and cocooned are contained underneath. A series of voids, glass railings and glass walls open the space and celebrate the soaring ceilings. A separate wing reached via a walkway and deck breaks out of the space and allows the outside in.

realestate.com.au

Stalking

I'm out. I'm loud. I'm proud. I real estate stalk! Truth be told one of my favourite forms of exercise is to walk (stalk) the neighbourhood checking out homes. If the curtains aren't drawn and the door open even better :) Today's stalk is a church conversion in Sydney. This is one apartment but although beautiful it leaves me a little puzzled as to why they thought they had to maximise floor space while losing the majesty of full height windows. (Developer vs. designer?) The light well cut outs seem a little "twee". Still if someone bought it for me I wouldn't complain.

realestate.com.au

Barn conversion inspiration

Penny wrote us recently with what I'd have to say is the toughest request yet: "In the next few months, I am going to begin renovating a big barn on my property in France to turn into a "great room" (kitchen/living room). I have been trying to collect photos from magazines with modern kitchens/living rooms in renovated barns, but I have only come across a few. Do you have any such photos that you could post on your blog?" The simplest answer to Penny's question is no. But what I did find are photos of lofty spaces that are multi-purpose, that might help with ideas on layout. Penny - are you ever lucky! A barn conversion would be a blast! Hope this helps get your creative juices flowing.

Åsberg Interiör & Styling	Eugeni Pons
fernlund + logan	Film Locations
Gorlin Architects	Nelson Kon
New York Social Diary	The New York Times
Philippe Starck	Shoot Factory
Style at Home	Toshiko Mori
Urban Spaces	William Hefner
House of Pictures	Lagerlings

Slice of heaven

Dreaming of a heavenly home? A little piece of paradise? How about this converted church in my home town of Brisbane? The living areas are open plan with soaring “cathedral ceilings”. Of course the kitchen is an altar to all things gastronomical. I’m not going to make any baptism jokes about the plunge pool because it’s just so perfect for our subtropical climate. Currently on the market it would be a sin not to buy. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a cellar room for the altar wine.

Images from realestate.com.au