Hackett Holland and responsive architecture

I absolutely adore these spaces, and love the philosophy of architecture firm Hacket Holland (based in Notting Hill, London). Our approach is not dogmatic but responsive. We hope our buildings have 'good manners' in relation to their neighbours and natural setting. We reject the fashionable late 20th Century notion of Architecture as 'objects in space'. We believe that in the future successful Architecture will be defined as that which responds to its immediate surroundings and to the wider environment in a meaningful way. Our aim is to create forms and spaces that are beautifully proportioned, considered, responsive, functional, practical and formed using good quality sustainable materials. We believe that this approach is truly modern – in the best sense – and that as the absolute necessity for sustainability becomes recognised on a global level, so 'industrial' modernism and current vacuous architectural fashions will become redundant.

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Spaces of note by Luigi Rosselli

EPIC BATHROOM!!! I want to stare at this the rest of the day.

This marble is unbelievably beautiful. And with a thin profile it could not be more perfect in this kitchen. 

There is nothing fancy about this dining room but the combo of the Thonet chairs, pale yellow walls, and light fixture are simply yummy, and then you look up and BAM!

These chunky stairs. That glass framed wall. The tumbling block tile. YES YES YES. 

If I ever decide I want a graphic backsplash, THIS IS IT. 

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Beach house + a book lover's dream by Luigi Rosselli

A beach house on stilts. Impeccably designed stairs with storage. A book lover's dream. This beautiful home is creation of Australian architect Luigi Rosselli. Behind the white picket fence on the front street, a circular stair leads to a relaxed timber veranda , ultramarine weatherboards and the original white timber windows make for a breezy, summery house. Bleached interiors reverberate with crisp and clear classical violin practices and hold a myriad of books encased in every wall stud and recess. At the back of the house, facing into a small tropical garden dense with palms and ferns, there is a garden room with a massive sliding shutter that can be secured, and protects the fully furnished room when no one is at home.  The stair takes position centre stage in the house, supported by a solid stud wall filled with bookshelves and bathed in natural light.

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Echoes of Old Hollywood

I have had a long love affair with the Spanish Revival style. I think it has to do with the Old Hollywood glamour that I associate with these distinctive houses. Brown Design Group's renovation of 1920s Inverness is beautifully sympathetic but still with more than a nod to contemporary tastes. A perfect marriage between the heavy oak pieces of the era and modern overstuffed linen and leather sofas and statement modern art pieces. Still it's always the wrought iron work, the terracotta and the intricate ceilings that get me as well as the pool side entertaining. Speaking of ceilings what about that original tiled ceiling in the kitchen!

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A serene exuberance

There is an exuberance, a riot of colour, pattern and texture that defines Los Angeles based interior designer Betsy Burnham's work. In this house though, dark wood and black framed steel and glass windows and doors anchor an uncharacteristic neutral palette. Colour is expressed subtly in public areas while in the private bedroom and bathroom areas it makes a playful return. An eclectic style is perhaps best described as Rajasthan meets Myanmar meets Moroccan and Spanish Mission. An exotic yet elegant and serene house. Mt. Olympus by Burnham Design.

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