Reader's home - Luis' colourful apartment

I have another reader's home for you today. Luis just completed his living and dining room and wanted to share it with our readers. Here's a quick intro: I wanted to give the space some character that reflected my personality. I love the use of textures in a room. I included wood, fabrics, leather, glass, metal, woven material and even a wooden cube covered in zinc that serves as a great seating piece! All of the photography and art on the wall is unique, done by local artists or friends. All are pieces that I have collected through the years. Even the coffee table books have a story. I collected them during my 5 year stint at the corporate advertising office of a high end specialty retailer. They are autographed by fashion designers Carolina Herrera and Giorgio Armani. I really love the colours Luis used. Perfect guy's pad with the dark woods. Impressive!

Reader's home - Iris' apartment for sale

Back in May of last year we shared with you Iris' apartment in Sweden. Turns out she's selling her completely renovated apartment because she bought a house - that also needs alot of work. Her realtor took some fantastic photos (listing is here) and it looks like Iris tweaked some of her decor since last year. It's amazing - and I'm in love with the flooring! She is going to have no problems selling it. :-)  

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Design Crew

Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers! This week's problem is from Tiago.

I just moved to a small apartment near to São Paulo's center, and I'm struggling to get something out of it. It has 1 very small kitchen that is opened to a living room, a bathroom and a bedroom. My main problem is the living room. It has 3,75mx3,75m and faces a 1,80m sliding door to a small terrace. There is a counter (30cm) that watches the kitchen, and it helps sometimes (to eat) but is very annoying in other (my computer doesn't really fits on it).  Right now I have a small table in the middle of the room with my TV on it and a 2-person sofa looking to it. But, as I'm a architecture student, I need somewhere to work, and it's very hard to find this space! Do you have any recommendations, photos or ideas?

Reader's home - Hong Kong

Mariel lives in an old apartment down a quiet little street in Hong Kong. I'll let her explain.

My apartment is in a 50-year old building on a quiet pedestrian-only street in the center of one of Hong Kong's busiest commercial districts. The neighborhood makes me think of New York. Thus, I wanted my apartment to have a "New York feel". I also wanted to keep some of the Asian/Oriental pieces that I've collected over the past ten years. At the same time, I was aiming for a somewhat more modern vibe. I asked my decorator-friend Richard Raymundo to help me make this happen. There is a big post almost right smack in the middle of my living/dining room. What a big challenge that was. In the end, we put one of my Asian sideboards there and made a beautiful tablescape of my Thai Buddha, some flowers, and candles. And to the left, we placed my LC4 , so I feel that I can enjoy a bit of privacy when I am lounging there.

Photography by Xavi Barca.

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Reader's home- Taiwan

Do you like peeking into homes from around the world? If you are like me you certainly do. Scandinavian countries, Brazil, Israel, South Africa and more. Today is our first Taiwanese home. reader Yin lives in this ground floor 100 square meter apartment owned by interior designer Lin of RHdesign. I love the serenity of Yin's home. The rainbow of floor cushions in their own little niche is a clever introduction of colour to the otherwise neutral space. It's clean lined contemporary take on apartment living.

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