House tour- Tory Burch in Southampton...

 A 25 room palazzo, stretching a staggering 180 feet from end to end with a very formal architecture is lovingly transformed into an open, inviting home fit for a modern  family, while still retaining its essence and old-world charm. Have a look at Tory Burch's new home in Southampton..yet another feather in this uber-talented lady's overcrowded hat!

An avenue of sugar maples leading up to the main entrance of the 1929 antique redbrick mansion that Tory now calls home...

A former ballroom is now beautifully redecorated . Though it could still fit in well with the decor of  the 20's , the formality has now been replaced with approachability, comfort and warmth...

Tory in her Iznik-inspired dining room...which reminds me of the library at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul... 

The solarium with its beautiful mix of patterns and textures...

A dining table in the poolhouse rotunda...

Tory restored the trelliswork of the pool pavilion...

Tory and her sons...

To read the complete story, please visit here.

House Tour- Picture perfect in St. Bart's...

A mountaintop aerie on the rarefied island of St. Barts, aptly named the Peak, is the vision of fashion and beauty photographer,Wolfgang Ludes.

Even though it is only the third home design that Ludes has been a party to, yet the organization of spaces, the use of natural light and spectacular views bear testimony to the fact that he is a perfectionist and also a natural. Let's take a peak inside his beautiful villa...

A view of the sorroundings from the pool area.

The living area is a study in elegant minimalism.

Hans J. Wegner chairs flank the dining table.

Wenge wood is combined with absolute black granite counter tops in the kitchen.

Travertine floors lead up the the wenge panelled bedroom in which a platform bed is draped in cotton netting.

The sitting area of the master suite.

The shower in the master bath opens out to a garden.

A guest bathroom window frames a craggy expanse of the cliffside.

 

It is the kind of chic minimalism that I would love to embrace...maybe when we build our second home...A girl sure can dream!

For the complete article please visit AD.

Fresh prince and his lair...

You will be excused for mistaking this gorgeous living room for the lobby of an exotic hotel...the scale and the setting are such...

The serene location of the gazebo... ideal for spening time with one's thoughts...and this is where Will Smith often finds the answers...its not hard to see why...

The immensely talented and gorgeous people who call it home...

all images via AD.



House tour- relaxed elegance in Nantucket...

Built in the 1860's..a family's favourite rental home is finally bought by them and beautifully renovated in a style that is 'Nantucket meets Miami'..to create a modern summer retreat which is "young, fresh and fun". Let's take a tour of the house they call 'Sandhill'...

A contemporary yet warm aesthetic dominates the library and permeates the whole house which looks wonderfully relaxed and welcoming ...

The predominantly white palette..lends a crisp and fresh look to the interiors...while the slightly beaten look of the floors is a nod to the sand-duney nature of the site...

The beautiful minimalistic breakfast area features the iconic Saarinen chairs...

Isn't this kitchen gorgeous...

The all-white master bedroom is punctuated with pops of orange...

The master bath features a free-standing bathtub made from volcanic limestone and resin...

One of my favourite rooms in this house..the kids' bedroom..it is just perfect!

The office area features a lucite table flanked by a pair of upholstered and skirted chairs...such an unusual detail...

The path from the house that leads to the Surfside Beach....Could it be more perfect?

To read the full article please visit here

all images by Roger Davies for elle decor

House tour- sublime modernity

Modern, serene and beautiful...this family home located in a regional park near Vilnius in Lithuania is a wonderful example of preserving the old while making something new...What at first glance looks like the reflection of a nearby house is actually the original yellow brick cottage that was so ingeniously wrapped in an outer glass structure by the architects at Architectu Biureafter it was discovered that the cottage was made with some valuable old bricks. The discovery led to a complete change of plans and the building of this incredible home...

Enveloped in this shell of glass, the ground floor has an unmatched 360 degree view of the regional park...

The simple yet stunning facade...

A fabulously modern staircase connects all the different levels of the house, starting from the basement...

Another look at the staircase juxtaposed with the original brick structure..such a beautiful contrast...

A modern minimalistic dining area...

Finally, the kitchen with it's fabulous view that must lead to some really inspired cooking!!

I could very happily live here...could you?


Images via cotemaison


P.S.: You'll never guess what all it took for me to compose this post..I have not been able to sign into my blogger account through explorer since this morning on my laptop( which incidentally has all my image files)..my other option was to use the iPad which only allows for composing the post in the dreaded HTML mode..I have no idea how I pulled it off..if anyone knows an easier way of blogging on the iPad, please be kind enough to share!! I have heard about the Blogpress app. but don't know how good it is.

House tour-a moroccan jewel....

Fashion designer Liz Bruce and her artist husband Nicholas Alvis Vega own many homes in different parts of the world but their abode in Morocco ( featured in elle decor ) must certainly be the crown jewel of them all. They found an abandoned half-built riad( a traditional moroccan home built around an interior garden) in a village on the foothills of the Atlas mountains. In their words, it was 'hideous' but had 'great bones'. Using local resources and artisans , Vega, the son of an architect, created this exotic beauty of a home, which the couple proudly calls their 'pleasure palace'! Throughout the house there is a harmonious juxtaposing of Islamic patterns and Swahili design.

The pristine white exterior ( very unusual among the typically light pink exteriors of moroccan homes) with its arched walls and domes is in stark contrast to the exuberant colors and patterns that meet the eye as soon as you step inside....

....the color saturated custom- pink ( appropriately termed 'passion pink' by the couple) sitting-room with its treasure trove of tribal and ethnic artifacts gives you an idea of what is to come...

An Afghan warlord's bed for a sofa and a wool Berber cape for a wall hanging are among the many exotic pieces in this room....

The kitchen is yet another story in gorgeous colors...using locally crafted tiles and cabinet screens...what a pleasure it must be to cook in such a space...I'm loving the herringbone pattern on the floor...

My favourite part of the house is this beautiful bath with the tub in the shape of an eight-pointed star and a similar pattern in the mirrored wall( which is exactly the pattern that I saw on the floor of the inner chamber of the Tajmahal where the cenotaphs are).I also spotted a washcloth/towel with an Indian religious motif on it...looks like an image of Lord Rama to me! And can we talk a little about the color here...it is just too gorgeous...does anybody know what it is called?

The bedrooms however are a study in serenity. The guest-bedroom with its soothing cream -colored walls( with just a tint of pink, perhaps?) and beautiful artifacts from Africa, including the Tuareg bed has locally crafted doors ...can you imagine how beautiful it must look when the light streams through the light-blue tinted glass on the doors!! And yes the ubiquitous eight-pointed star on the floor as well!

Another shot of the guest-bedroom with the African furniture and the latticed door( with the eight-pointed star!). How gorgeous is that light fixture !

The harlequin patterned moroccan tables add to the whimsy. I am loving the hardware on the door...you recognise that pattern?

A Tuareg nomad's bed topped with Syrian mirrors takes center-stage in the master bedroom...The bedcover is Uzbek ikat and the brocade pillow is Moroccan. I can't get over the beautiful crafts from varied places featured in this amazing house!

What is a dream home without a pool? Well how about this natural pool sorrounded by papyrus plants and rose geraniums...exotic enough? There is a profusion of the eight-pointed star pattern here as well...on the bottom of the pool, lounging platforms along the edges of the pool, on the wall beyond the arch....

....as well as the wall sconce !! What a beautiful place to lounge with a glass of wine in between dips in the pool! The textiles featured throughout the house are worthy of a place in a museum!

Finally the main rooftop terrace with the mountains in the background and a plethora of colorful cushions for the perfect twilight soiree with a bunch of friends.

To read the full article and to see the rest of the photos please visit here. I can't recommend it enough!

all images by Simon Upton for  elledecor