Discovered via Mitt Vita Hus: the Strykjarnet Creperie & Logi, located in the medieval inner city of Visby (which dates back to the 12th century), on the island of Gotland. The interior is inspired "by the sea and barren landscape of Gotland"—whitewashed interior, black and white details, gray sheepskins. The creperie offers ensuite accommodations for travelers on the second floor; go to Strykjarnet Creperie & Logi for booking info.
A roundup of airy, light-flooded kitchens from the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory.
Above: New York architect Page Goolrick added a steel, stone, glass, and concrete addition to a 1940s shingled house set on a wooded landscape in Connecticut.
Above: Light animates the Page Goolrick-designed kitchen from many angles.
Above: This below-ground kitchen in London overlooks a leafy garden, via Found Associates.
Above: John Dutton of Dutton Architects brought additional light into this Los Angeles kitchen via skylights.
Above: In this London kitchen, Found Associates created a glass lightbox in the dining area.
Above: In this Berkeley kitchen by Buttrick Wong, folding doors open onto the deck for a full indoor/outdoor experience
London-based David Kohn was named 2009 Young Architect of the Year by Building Design Magazine; in 2010, he won a follow-up award as One-Off House Architect of the Year for his Stable Acre House for gallery owner Stuart Shave in Norfolk. Krohn, who studied architecture at Cambridge University and at Columbia as a Fulbright Scholar, has been heading up his own practice since 2007; before that, he worked at Caruso St. John, a leading London firm. For more information, go to David Kohn Architects. Photos by Ioana Marinescu.
Above: Kohn used purpleheart cladding reclaimed from a Thames pier on the house's exterior.
Above: Throughout the project, Kohn used custom steel Crittall Windows (see Walls, Windows & Floors: Steel Window and Door Fabricators).
Above: The floors are polished concrete and supporting walls are painted brick.
Above: Kohn created a geometric brick entryway and a brick corner fireplace.
Above: Kohn cut display niches into the brick walls.
Above: A narrow skylight brings filtered light into the kitchen.
Above: In the bath, Kohn left the plumbing exposed.
Above: Kohn covered the interior walls in whitewashed wood paneling.
The appealing affordable Klismos Stool from West Elm is available in both counter and bar heights.
Above L: The 30-inch high Klismos Bar Stool in a chocolate or barley finish is $89 (or $169 for a set of two). Above R: The 26-inch high Klismos Counter Stool in a chocolate or barley finish is $89 (or $169 for a set of two) at West Elm.
New York designer Lindsey Adelman makes some of our favorite (but understandably pricey) custom lighting fixtures, so we're big fans of her You Make It series, a line of lighting fixtures for the rest of us. Adelman's trio of lighting projects can be made with standard industry parts and a bit of DIY effort. On a recent visit to New York I stopped in at her studio at 55 Great Jones Street (it's a back-of-the-store workshop at Future Perfect) to see her most recent You Make It creations (see her first project at DIY: You Make It Chandelier by Lindsey Adelman).
Above: Download instructions for the Mobile Light at Lindsey Adelman; all parts are available at Grand Brass, McMaster-Carr, and House of Antique Hardware.
Above: Download instructions for the Clamp Lamp at Lindsey Adelman; all parts are available at Grand Brass, McMaster-Carr, and House of Antique Hardware.
Located in Visby, a medieval town on the Swedish island of Gotland, G.A.D. is a furniture company that makes clean-lined, modern pieces using "age-old joinery techniques and solid materials, which ensure that the design and the quality of our furniture will last for years." Scandinavian architects and designers such as Thomas Sandell (see the cabin interior in Architect Visit: Sandell Sandberg in Gotland and Architect Visit: Beach Cabins from Sommarnojen) favor their work for its craftsmanship, clean lines, and natural finishes (linseed-based oils, soap, or oil-based tempura paints). Selected products are available in the US through Great Nordic Design.
Above: The Faro Bench (also available as a stool) is available in birch or oak with a wide variety of cushion covers, including fleece. Prices start at $767 at Great Nordic Design.
Above: Lau Plant Stand; go to G.A.D. to view.
Above: Ardre Dropleaf Table; $1,798 from Great Nordic Design.
Above: Norrvange Sideboard; $1,998 at Great Nordic Design.
Above: The Fridem Sofa (also available as a chair) features a solid wood frame of oak or birch and goose/duck feather cushions. Available in a range of fabrics, starting at $1,598 from Great Nordic Design.
Hotel Fabriken Furillen sits on a remote islet off the Swedish island of Gotland in what was once a former limestone quarry. After years of traveling as a commercial photographer, Johan Hellstrom and his wife, Ana-Karin, saw the potential in the abandoned quarry and have turned it into a happening hotel, replete with an equally popular restaurant and bakery. The couple used gray hues throughout the interior to provide a backdrop to the natural elements of the Baltic, counterbalancing the spare industrial concrete interiors with plenty of sheepskins and rough wood surfaces. Guests can stay in the main hotel or rent one of several huts dotted around the surrounding property. Go to Hotel Fabriken Furillen for more information.
Above: Hellstrom kept many of the quarry's original features as a testament to the compound's history.
Above: One of the huts on the property.
Above: Images via Flickr and Hapsical.
Strong, sturdy, attractive Iron Wall Hooks from Brook Farm General Store in Brooklyn; $6 for the 4-inch hook and $8 for the 6-inch hook.
Currently coveting: rustic linen Black Provence Hand Towels with not-seen-before charcoal stripes; $19.99 from UK linens purveyor LinenMe; for 20 percent off, go to Remodelista Design Newsstand and click on LinenMe under Remodelista Deals.
In today's House Call: Cornwallville Pottery in New York, we admired the wrought iron candelabra, suspended from a length of rope.
For a similar look, consider the handcrafted Whispy Five-Arm Candle Chandelier (shown below), made of solid brass and available with a black, dark brown, or brown patina; $585 at Metropolitan Lighting. Founded by two architects, Berkeley-based Metropolitan Lighting offers custom-fabricated lighting as well as hand-blown glass shades.
Noticed lately: alternatives to traditional wax pillar candles, either battery operated or liquid paraffin powered.
Above: A flameless, smokeless option from Pottery Barn, featuring real wax candles and a battery-operated flame; prices start at $16.50 for the Four-Inch Pillar Candle.
Above: Q Candles sells hollow wax candles in bulk (they cater to the restaurant and hotel industry); a dozen 2.5-inch-tall Wax Votive Luminaries is $34.80.
Above: Liquid paraffin cells can be dropped in pre-hollowed candles; a Ten Pack of 8-Hour Tealight Liquid Fuel Cell Candle Lamps is $8.99 at Save on Crafts.
Impart a rustic vibe to your bedroom with a lightweight wool blanket; here's roundup of 10 good choices. N.B. Go to Bedroom: Blanket as Bedcover Roundup for more inspiration.
Above: Drawing on inspiration from traditional British textile crafts, Eleanor Pritchard reinterprets the vernacular with a modern twist for her collection of woven woolen blankets. Handwoven at a small traditional mill in Camarthenshire, Wales, Pritchard's Uniform Stripe Blanket in ink (60 by 70 inches) is $335 at Lekker Home.
Above: Single Stripe Woolen Blankets made at a small family-owned woolen mill especially for the Brook Farm General Store in Brooklyn are available in natural or dark natural in a choice of stripes; $225 for the queen size.
Above: Lumberman Blanket of 100 percent wool from Pendleton Mills in Oregon; $124 to $198, depending on size, at Pendleton.
Above: True understated luxury: Winter Blankets form Swans Island Blankets in Maine are crafted of a two-layer winter weave of wool from Penobscot Bay sheep and dyed by hand using all natural dyes. Shown in gray check, also available in pink check, yellow check, solid indigo, and solid white; prices start at $950.
Above: Coyuchi Striped Wool Blanket; $248 for a queen size at Velocity Art & Design.
Above: Hudson's Bay Black Wool Six-Point Queen Blanket; $349 at Woolrich.
Above: The Series No. 7 Natural 5-inch Plaid Wool Blankets is entirely made in Connecticut, from wool gathered from small sheep farms throughout Connecticut. Only about 325 are made each year in a project developed by the Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association; $160 for the queen size through Kindred Crossings.
Above: MacAusland's Blanket is woven in the only mill in Atlantic Canada to still produce traditional blankets using 100 percent virgin wool yarn. Twill weave in french blue or heather gray with ecru stripes at either end, with blanket-stitched edges; £145 at Toast; also available directly from MacAusland (call for ordering information).
Above: Alpaca Queen Blanket in a cinnabar stripe; $475 at The Peruvian Connection.
Above: Discovered via Katy Elliot: the Mycen Blanket of 100 percent virgin organic wool, made in Eastern Europe, a twin size is $160.
Above: Civil War Fort Sumter 100 percent wool blanket from Woolrich; $99 for twin size.
Above: Broad Stripe 100 Percent Wool Blankets, handwoven in Wales, available in seven colors; £129 for the twin/single size at Melin Tregwynt.
New at Anthropologie: One-of-a-Kind Log Cabin Pendants from the Netherlands, offering a new spin on cabin decor. Best of all, enterprising DIYers can use these as inspiration of their own (think pieces of old wool blankets affixed to simple pendant lampshades). See DIY: Velvet Lampshades for information on covering a lampshade in fabric.
Above: One-of-a-Kind Log Cabin Pendant in Light Blue; $598 at Anthropologie.
Above: One-of-a-Kind Log Cabin Pendant in Navy; $598 at Anthropologie.
One of the best solutions we've seen for disguising the inevitable unsightly Christmas tree stand: the Wicker Tree Skirt from Terrain. The Wicker Tree Skirt measures 23.5 in diameter and is $48 at Terrain.
Shorter days and colder weather has us thinking about winter cabins. The second book in the New Style series from Harpers Collins is Cabins: The New Style, by James Grayson Trulove, an inspiring read that illustrates how modern architectural elements can be integrated into a rustic landscape; $23.10 at Amazon.
Calling all Bay Area readers: We hope to see you at the first annual Remodelista pop-up Local Holiday Market on Sunday, December 5, from noon to 4 pm; vendors include Ambatalia (sturdy denim aprons), Dagmar Daley (magical children's clothing), Fearless Chocolate (organic Hot Hibiscus Ginger chocolate, anyone?), and more (see the list below). Plenty of parking; light refreshments; on site wrapping and shipping.
Co-hosted by Remodelista and SummerHouse.
British designer Tom Dixon debuted both his shop and his restaurant at the London Design Festival in 2009; since then, the Tom Dixon Shop and The Dock Kitchen have become permanent fixtures in the converted wharf buildings at Portobello Dock overlooking the Grand Union Canal (which, incidentally, once housed Virgin's recording studios). The shop features Dixon's own lighting and furniture designs as well as the work of other global designers hand-picked by Dixon himself. The Dock Kitchen is a project of Dixon's Design Research Studio and features his lighting and furniture designs throughout the interior.
Just spotted on DesignStory, the online design site offering members-only pricing on home and design products from around the world: bowls by Dutch designer Ineke Hans, who was inspired by the classic Chinese noodle bowl. Designed for Royal VKB in the Netherlands, the bowls are available through November 29th (along with other tabletop items); log onto Design Story to purchase.
Above: The earthenware bowl with spoon is $25 (down from $44).
Above: The melamine bowl with stainless steel fork is $22 (down from $41).
The Interior World of Tom Dixon is a visually compelling tome offering insight into the renowned British designer's approach to design; $59.57 at Amazon.
