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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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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Red house

It may be Swedish white but it's red as well. Like a shiny apple just ready to be plucked from the tree. How adorable is this 1905 pilot's house in Smögen, Sweden. Ship's pilot obviously ;) Apparently this particular pilot had travelled to America and included gingerbread touches here and there that make it a little different from its fellow houses. Seaside haven. Tick. Historical house. Tick. Scandi white and painted wood. Tick. Relaxed lifestyle and something just a little bit different. Tick. Not just one but at least three ceramic stoves including a green kakelugnar that I need to fondle. And to top it off it's RED! Ticks all my boxes. Definitely immigrating to Sweden .... or at least visiting for the summer. For sale here. If only I could buy it!

  

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Quickie ... teeny, tiny cutie for sale

... with a massive price tag. Ouch Australian house prices are crazy. Pinch its cheeks so cute Clifton Hill cottage for auction. Link here while it lasts.

Reader's home - a local reno

I was SO EXCITED the other day when I received an email from Gillian, a local Ottawan who at one time had grand plans to turn a boring 1945 2 bedroom Ottawa bungalow into something modern and spectacular. Sounds kind of familiar. :-) Luckily for Gillian her plans were put into action and completed in November of last year - and the results are FABULOUS!! (and I'm totally going to hit her up for advice throughout my renos). Here's the scoop from Gillian:

The objective was clear: build an edgy, modern, sustainable home. The wish list included: 3 bedrooms; an open concept, chef’s style eat-in kitchen for entertaining and doing heaps of cooking; an ‘urban great room’ across the back of the house to let the sun shine in and provide main floor family space; a custom, “wow” open staircase (non of that pre-fab stuff!); a mudroom; a dog bath; and an exterior that pushes the envelope. And so ensued the design process and renovation by Moneca Kaiser Design Build.

The idea was to be able to stay put, and not be forced to move in future, ‘cause that’s a whole lot of waste.To do this, for example, we put the master bedroom with ensuite on the main floor, which also features an accessible bathroom, at the side entry, that presently does double duty as a dog shower!  The 2^nd floor loft style family room on the ‘kids’ level’ can also easily be converted into a master bedroom (for now it’s our family room/ gym).

Using sustainable products, like bamboo flooring and parallam beams for the staircase (and it is “wow”), as well as choosing greener options, such as spray foam insulation and a condensing hot water tank (among maaaany others), we aimed to take a practical approach to sustainability.

This forward thinking was carried right through to the decorating, where we opted to make the investment in well-designed pieces with nice clean lines that are totally timeless. With the exception of our One Stools by Magis, we chose an all-Canadian roster of designers, with the help of two amazing Ottawa-based home stores, Alteriors and Blueprint Home. Proudly, our furnishings are among the coolest designs by IZM Furniture, Gus Modern, LucyAu and William—all Canadian. The work of Louis Helbig, an abstract aerial photographer and fellow Ottawan, ups the edge factor, and its organic, context-free composition pulls the interior together in an uncanny way. (Sources mentioned above are listed at the end of this post!)

Below is a before photo of the exterior (bleh), a couple after photos (WOW!), and one peek at the interior (YES!). The rest of the photos are after the jump. (Photos via Gordon King)

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