As if time stood still

I just love the relaxed atmosphere in these images from Hill End in Australia. Once a large settlement, Hill End has shrunk to a small village - but the pull it exerts on artists brings new life to its historic homes. Visiting artists find Hill End unique and paintable. These images are from Haefliger's Cottage built in the 1860s. Read more about this village here. 

Hill End has recently seen a second renaissance via a popular artists-in-residence program, where artist can stay for a month in two of the cottages. 

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Rustic and refined in lakefront Barn living

The skeleton of the house is outlined inside in reclaimed wood. 

The 2,900-square-foot house is a beautiful blend of rustic and refined.

Antique oak staircase

Both designer and clients wanted to respect what was already on site, 

from the buildings to the landscape to the overall scheme. 

All images from the article in the Boston Globe

WABI SABI Lisbeth Williams @ Williams Design
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Old railway sleepers in new design

Already June 2014! It's been an amazing year, with major changes in my life, including re-decorating my home and studio, and more travels than before. And this blog has suffered. But now I back, and plan to give you weekly updates on art, architecture, design and photography, from a wabisabi angle. Let me start with this stunning copper colored house in Portugal, designed by Atelier Data, where they've recycled old railway sleepers everywhere in the structure.

The house is oriented and designed to protect the home from strong winds from the north, while allowing great views of the valley and the city towards the east and the south. More info on Atelier Data's facebook page. 

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Rustic and raw living Wabi Sabi Style

I love visiting my friend's old farm in Östersund, in the north of Sweden. There are all together eight houses on the land - three of them are homes, dating back to 1710. The big house (above left) was built 1816. As you can see from my photographs I can't get enough of all the naturally aged materials. Wabi Sabi living, if ever there was one! I will show you more images from this wonderful farm in coming days. Until then - enjoy the holiday season wherever you are.  

Above: love the way someone has practiced his signature on a piece of paper found in the house. Below: the view from the train of the passing Swedish countryside

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Successful DIY home renovation

It takes a bit of planning - and some serious thinking, to make a small apartment look this spacious! With a strict color scheme and using mostly natural materials, the owners Frag and Naomi Woodall turned this tired two bedroom apartment into a very beautiful, Scandinavian looking, home in Sydney. A very successful DIY, I dare say! 

All photos by Terence Chin

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Relaxed and Creative Living in Brisbane

I recently came across Australian stylist/photographer Kara Rosenlund's Pinterest board, and it was love at first sight! Just look at these photos of her house and movable caravan shop. What a clever idea - a shop on wheels, where she sells old home wares. 

Her lifestyle reminds me of the dream I had, before buying my current house. I wanted to buy a caravan, and travel across Europe: see new places, meet new people. 

But my caravan life has been put on hold. In the mean time I enjoy looking at pictures of caravans. And of Kara's beautiful, relaxed and creative Brisbane home, which include chickens! All images are from Kara Rosenlunds Pinterest board. 

You can read more about Kara Rosenlund's life and work on her blog. And if you want to follow her facebook page, this is it. 

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Mix and Match in Copenhagen home

Welcome home to danish fashion designer Yvonne Koné. Her turn of the century apartment in Copenhagen is a creative mix of old and new - and recycled material. More photos where I found these. 

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Simple living in the south of Sweden

Last spring I showed you some photos from Swedish glass designer Ingegerd Råman's summer home in the south of Sweden. Now there are some new great images of the same house in the design mag Sköna Hem, showing us the latest changes. 

It's taken Ingegerd and her husband almost twenty years to get the "simple" and relaxed feel they wanted for an easy summer living in the country. 

They've stripped the surfaces of all recent additions, and brought the interior back to the 1920s, when the original school building was erected. All walls are white washed, and the furniture is mostly Scandinavian design classics by Saarinen, Alvar Alto and Arne Jacobsen, mixed with international designers like Marcel Breuer. The result - an old building with modern accents for a no-nonsense living.  What do you think? Is this YOUR kind of a summer house? 

All images via Sköna Hem

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