Summer House in Greece

Second post today, dears and we are going all minimalistic. You have been warned!

Interior designer Marilyn Katsaris is the owner of this house on the island of Tinos in Cyclades, Greece. Designed by Greek Zege architects it is located on a mountain in the old residential site of Triandros. It is actually made up of two separate houses which have been brought together through a picturesque veranda. Pigeon whole windows, curved white forms of structure and exposed stone formations are the examples of this typical form of architecture.

In an open plan layout almost everything is built in with the spaces made up of strictly 2 materials: cement detailing throughout and wooden beams decorating the ceiling. Books are placed in the built in compartments, the radiators exposed in niches and in the kitchen the plates and glasses are placed on open built in shelves.




























Photography Yiorgos Kordakis
All images and information from here.

Rustic House in Bordeaux

A former winery, this restored house is located in Sauternes, a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It is a wine region within the Graves portion of Bordeaux. A soft palette throughout the house (except for the red room), rustic furniture, lots of natural light and flea market finds in nearly every corner. Come and have a look. And judge.



Stone façade.


Original flooring and stone staircase. The door on the left leads to the living room.


Lots of natural wood in the rustic kitchen and dining room area.Herringbone wooden floor.


Flea market finds are displayed on a weathered white console. Modern and rustic furniture blend. The cat also blends well.


L-shaped sofa. The upholstered chaise lounge by the fireplace seems to have sustained a head injury. Just kidding, but the cover does look like a bandage to me.


Two single bed headboards were put together. Soft tones and many flea market finds.


The red room.

Photography Christophe Rouffio.
All images from here.

Summer House in Sweden

Only seven families live in the small village of Vettershaga which is just 100 kilometers north of Stockholm. And this is where I'm taking you today to tour this summer house. Styled by Katrine Martensen-Larsen with a beautiful garden and very close to a quiet lake, an inviting place to spend a holiday.











































If you'd like to see another house styled by Katrine go here.

Photograph: Stuart McIntyre
All images from here.

Colourful Villa on Isla Taboga

Have you ever been to Panama? No, neither have I. So, let's go together to this lovely, small mountainous island 12 miles south of Panama City, in the Bay of Panama. Here interior designer Diane Burn transformed a modest little shack planted on a fine piece of hillside property overlooking the town, San Pedro into a warm and colorful villa. The architecture, says Burn, “is a fusion of colonial, tropical and Mediterranean influences.”

A verdant garden, landscaped by Tony Urrutia, borders the front steps.

Pleased to meet you, Diane!

The living room, which leads to the terrace, is “lofty, airy and light,” Burn says. For the interiors, she brought together pieces collected around the world with local furnishings and textiles, many of them purchased at Galería Vida, a “chic” furniture shop in Casco Viejo, the old quarter of Panama City. Notice the stacked coffee tables which can be used as trays as the one on the couch.

A late-19th-century transom found in Panama City crowns the large-scale window in the kitchen/dining area. Burn raised the ceiling four feet, then treated the surfaces with a rustic cement finish.

Warm colours in the covered terrace.


The outside dining area has views of the village, an uninhabited island and the mainland of Panama beyond. The chairs, which were made in Panama City, were modeled after a set of 19th-century French wrought iron garden chairs Burn acquired while living in Paris.

A guest room opens onto a private courtyard “complete with an exterior shower surrounded by high tropical palms and an oversize hammock that will make the guest feel like they’re in their own little Shangri-la,” says Burn. She bought the paintings at a Guatemalan co-op.

“Gossamer and romantic,” is how the designer describes the master bedroom, which has an 18th-century French baldachin. Here, as throughout the villa, decorative artist Karin Linder painted the walls for an aged effect.

Masks make a statement on a courtyard wall.


Local builder and artisan Armando Lopez crafted a large banquette for the covered terrace.

And now we go back home. Enjoyed the tour? See you tomorrow!

Photography by Michael Calderwood
All images and information from here.