Comments & Curios: I’m feeling rustic

April 7, 2017December 2, 2017 rhubarbgreenLeave a comment

Home Tours

Have you seen this show-stopping loft in central Stockholm? Built in the 1800s, the original flooring and beams are still in, and exposed.

Going with the trend, I’ve been looking at rustic and woody homes this week.

First up is this wonderful timber revamp from Western Massachusetts, designed by Ritch Holben. It was made from three old rental cabins that were demolished to make way for the more modern house. I can’t say if it were a good decision to demolish the old buildings, but what’s left is a very bright, open, spacious, and clean design, and the timber frame gives it sterling character! The only issues would be clearing the occasional spider web and changing light bulbs. And there are tools for those tasks.

Second to come is this modern rustic NZ pad, covered in ‘pohutukawa’ trees. More to come is this cosy warehouse conversion in London, and this luxurious converted barn. I feel like this house in the Sonoran desert, that mixes contemporary with rural French style, would go with all of the above as well.

Song for the weekend

Tennesse sounds so positive, it’s my song for the weekend because it talks about a lifestyle that these rustic style houses reflect. Cash actually lived in Tennessee too.

Comments & Curios

March 10, 2017March 10, 2017 rhubarbgreenLeave a comment

Today’s the day I share some of the interesting houses I’ve seen on other sites over the week.

Home Tours

I was revisiting some of my past tours, and I saw this magnificent wood-heavy and light-touched German interior. I’m really digging the built-in fittings here like the shelves and the fireplace.

Going with the style, I’ve been looking at lighter and brighter and more fun homes this week. First up is this gorgeous guest room makeover, with an ombre statement wall. Second is this pastel-styled Dutch home, with some really cool touches.More to come is a refreshing Melbourne home which somehow managed to make pink and green look sophisticated together (credit to Fiona Lynch). I feel like this cool sideboard would go with all of the above as well. Also, I’ve just discovered this interior/architecture photographer, Annick Vernimmen, go check out their site.

Song for the weekend

I really love Zero 7! The spaces I saw this week reminded me of them. It feels like I’m in a soothing space-age church. Perfect song for a chilled Friday in.

Comments & Curios

March 3, 2017 rhubarbgreen1 Comment

This is a round up of some of the things I saw this week.

Home Tours

This week a picture from one of our tours was featured on a Reddit community with nearly 400,000 subscribers! You can see the full photo set here. I’ve also updated some of the post thanks to suggestions from commenters, including where to buy the gorgeous print in the other photo below.

Meanwhile, I am in such a mood for smallish apartments and tiny homes this week. Maybe it’s because the homes are so small in my city? Bella Mumma posted a dreamy apartment a while back, which I like because it doesn’t look as ‘modular’ or compact as many of the small apartments I tend to see. There’s also a very pretty studio flat here which is very IKEA heavy, and a slightly larger apartment with glass doors to die for.

Song for the weekend

Sébastien Tellier is one of my favourite French artists. The song below is one of the tamer parts of an album called ‘Sexuality’, which is eerily reminiscent of Serge Gainsbourg’s seductive songs from the 70s. Have a nice weekend!

Style: Functionalism

February 11, 2017March 14, 2017 rhubarbgreen1 Comment

It’s often seen as more of a cliche than an element of style, but the paraphrased maxim, that form follows function (or at least that it should) is an essential primer for all forms of design. It’s the idea that an object’s use should determine the way it is built and placed. There’s a contrast in the image above (credit: SEIER+SEIER) that perfectly highlights the difference between functionalism and other styles. The famous maxim comes from Chicago architect Louis Sullivan, shown in this excerpt:

“Whether it be the sweeping eagle in his flight, or the open apple-blossom, the toiling work-horse, the blithe swan, the branching oak, the winding stream at its base, the drifting clouds, over all the coursing sun, form ever follows function, and this is the law. Where function does not change, form does not change. The granite rocks, the ever-brooding hills, remain for ages; the lightning lives, comes into shape, and dies, in a twinkling. It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things superhuman, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognisable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law.”

Sullivan explains that the size of a building, the spacing of its features, and so on, should as a law only be driven by the building’s function – ‘the life is recognisable in its expression’. An example of this is the two pictures below. The building is very simple, and there is no ornamentation. It’s implied that if you follow the law of functionalist, the end result will be aesthetic. And it is a specific type of aesthetic – very pared back, understated, clean, yet elegant. Some people find this boring, but there is still opportunity for variety in colours, and the surroundings of a building – the excitement is more subtle.

rimage-24 — Credit: Stadshem (Gyllenkrooksgatand 13)

Yet what does ‘form follows function’ mean for interiors? This is the foundation on which a lot of Scandinavian design is based. Below is part of a library designed by Alvar Aalto, a Dane, in European Russia. The room would be relatively plain if it weren’t for the wood used. The plants could be described as ornamental, and maybe in this regard the room isn’t purely functionalist, but to me it’s about softening the gap between the outside and in. That has purpose.