Straight to the top of the class

Inspired by the beautiful spaces they encountered in their day jobs, architectural photographers Anne and Jean-Luc Laloux converted this Belgian school house into fun, quirky and fab accommodation for up to 21 people. This isn't your rustic group holiday share. It's an exercise in great design and a great time with friends. Too cool for school? I don't think so. Straight to the top of the class. La Classe that is. Via Urlaubsarchitektur.

  

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Stalking in the Land of the Long White Cloud

Sammy is a regular reader and commentator on the blog. Sammy is a Kiwi. Sammy shares my real estate addiction and Sammy goes stalking when she is bored.

Gloomy winter day here in Auckland and it's my day off so I decided to do some real estate stalking and found one of my favourite homes is up for sale. It was featured in a magazine a few years back and I must have ripped out the entire article for my folder once I stopped drooling! I probably couldn't afford the garage but hey we're all dreamers at heart. It certainly made me think of summer.....love the slick tropical feel with ethnic touches and worn timbers. Yum.

I want to see more pictures! I want to see bigger pictures! Hey I want to see better pictures! Sammy I want to see those torn out magazine pages! Dreaming of a beachside bolt-hole. Actually, like you, I'm dreaming of summer down here in the southern winter. Link to this North Shore, Auckland home here while it lasts.

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A larger slice of heaven

Remember the minimalist church conversion last week? Well the owners traded up ... to a bigger church. Again by Zecc Architects. (Thanks for the heads up Zecc.) Still the clean minimal lines with respect to the original structure. Look at those stained glass windows, the plaster work. It's a play on spatial qualities, lines of sight, the enclosed and the soaringly open, the secular and the religious remnants. Monkish in how spartan it is but elegant in its restraint. And if they trade up again will it be a cathedral?

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Stalking on a Saturday

Not sure how I feel about today's stalking house. I want to love it. I think I do then something jars and I wonder what exactly is wrong. I love the textiles. I love the art. I love the courtyard. The playing card plunge pool doesn't do it for me. The bathroom is great but the tile is all wrong IMO. The place just seems cluttered but I know if I walked into this house I would want to explore everything, pick up the vase, touch the pillow, rub my toes into the rugs. The lighting is wrong and the photos are stretched but I still like it. Just need to pack some of it away ... and save up to change the pool tile ;) Maybe I just feel whingy  and whiny today. Link to this Malvern, Melbourne home here while it lasts. Thanks to my secret real estate stalker. You know who you are. Keep up the good work.

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Heavenly light

Can't get enough of church conversions and this one is very special. A series of living spaces are positioned lightly within the historic building. Clean minimal lines allow the church's structure to shine. The light spilling in through the ornate stained glass windows splashes the sparse modern interiors with rich colours. Furnishings are almost monastic but be sure they are luxurious at the same time. The soaring ceilings, the stonework, the open space! Imagine cranking up the stereo in a place like this. Heavenly bliss. And just when you think you have entered the heavenly light the flesh is pampered in a daring, dark overindulgence of a bathroom. Sinful? Church conversion in Utrecht by Dutch architectural firm Zecc.

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