Mews 04

Like a theatre set of brilliant white, this modern extension to a double fronted mews house in Hyde Park, London allows the owners' pieces to take centre stage. Art Deco meets decadence meets minalism with neoclassical whimsy and luxury. Sinuous and sensual and at times stark. Part folly, part living space, part sculpture. I have a vision of an operatic fat lady in vintage Paco Rabanne and house slippers gliding across a minimalist cube towards a Fornasetti milking stool while warbling Wagnerian lieder and sipping Nespresso. And I mean that is the best possible way! Love it. By Andy Martin Architects.

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Wake me up

Wake me up when Monday is over. No go away. I'm serious. I want to stay under the covers and slip back into my dream. The one where I live in a small but perfectly formed beach house in Portugal. Simple and stylish, layers of texture and colours of the sea. A wonderful dream where there are never any Mondays, never any Mondayitis. A dream designed by Vera Iachia of course.

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Bijou and bright

A dark green lacquered entry opens to light and bright living space in this little jewel box of an apartment in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. (It's only only 75m².) Rooms are entered in a circular, almost wandering fashion with each space defined by texture and colour, white marble, green lacquer, blue tiles and oak.  By Septembre Architecture.

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Smitten

There's something about white walls, dark floors, warm wood and period features that makes me go weak at the knees. Throw in a tiny dash of quirk and well, quite frankly, I'm smitten. Midcentury furniture is an added bonus. I could think of nothing better than winding up the staircase of this Clifton Hill townhouse in Brooklyn, NY by Elizabeth Roberts and Ensemble Architecture exploring rooms, stealing ideas, thumbing through bookcases and rolling around on the bathroom sheepskin. Er, um, a bit too much information.

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Karaköy Rooms

Situated in a 100 year old building in Istanbul is the boutique hotel, Karaköy Rooms. The elegant renovation by Turkish design firm RunArchitecture is a modern take on a once grand past. White walls, often with dark grey ceilings, are balanced by wooden floors. Where original mouldings are missing they are simply replaced or referenced with paint. Perhaps the standout feature of each room is the exposed copper piping that carries the electrical supply. Simply modern and historically fabulous.

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