Spectacular House Renovation in China Blends with the Seascape

Beijing-based Evolution Design took on the challenge of rehabilitating two decrepit buildings located in a scenic village in Zhoushan, China. The houses, which had been unoccupied for 70 years, are oriented toward the sea and offer panoramic views.

The architects combined the existing structures into a continuous space with a modern layout. “The new residence is composed of bedrooms renovated from the two old houses plus a studio converted from an old kitchen with collapsed roof that is now replaced by a glass ceiling,” the developing team explained.

One of the design highlights is a reinforced concrete “box” facing the sea, which serves as an open space living and dining area. This architectural element is also a link between the upstairs master bedroom and the two guestrooms below.

“The new house is built with reinforced concrete and is a perfect match in terms of both structure and space while remaining free of excessive decoration,” the designers said. “Concrete was specifically chosen to help the house withstand erosion stemming from the harsh sea climate.”

The interior design is a hypnotizing merger between old and new. Wood, concrete, stone and glass have been tastefully put on display to celebrate this distinction. Do you find this rural house renovation as captivating as we do? Photography by JianPing Yang & Yong Zhang.

The post Spectacular House Renovation in China Blends with the Seascape appeared first on Freshome.com.

from Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Magazine https://freshome.com/house-renovation-china/

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Best of the Best! Top 10 Posts of 2017

As 2017 draws to a close, we’ve revisited this year’s archives and consolidated the most popular posts just in case you missed something. While we’ve already reviewed the best of each category, we’ve taken it a bit further and rounded up the best of the best. Take a look to see which post was the overall most read post on Design Milk in 2017.

10. Panama Banana: A Quirky, Rocking, Outdoor Hammock
Look familiar? This hot pink and wood lounging rocker has appeared in a couple of other Best of posts recently, which is no surprise. It’s a fun rocking hammock that lets you rest and then lets you be active by flipping it over to become a soccer goal.

9. A Minimalist House Designed for a Couple Desiring a Downsize
A couple in Seattle made the choice to scale back and simplify their lives so they hired Suyama Peterson Deguchi to design a minimalist house without all of the excess.

8. A Modern House in Taichung That Combines Work and Home Life
A house in Taichung, Taiwan, was renovated by T.M Design Studio to meet the needs of the owner who needed a space to double as his office and home.

7. A 600 Square Foot Apartment That Maximizes Every Inch
An unfinished apartment purchased by a couple gets a maximized renovation after hiring Anthill Studio to incorporate their ideas about how to make the most out of such a compact space.

6. IKEA Releases the YPPERLIG Collection from HAY
Design brand HAY designed the YPPERLIG collection for IKEA, which blends their Danish aesthetic with IKEA’s accessibility and it includes seating, coffee tables, lighting, textiles, and accessories.

5. LA’s New Museum of Ice Cream Is the Coolest
For those not able to visit the traveling Museum of Ice Cream, we virtually visited the LA one which featured 12 different rooms, each with quirky installations that are right out of Willy Wonka’s playbook.

4. Netflix’s “Abstract: The Art of Design” Demystifies Design
Netflix launched a new series that attempts to avoid the tropes of “serious” design documentaries with playful profiles about the luminaries of modern design.

3. A Compact Apartment in Kiev with a Glass-Enclosed Bedroom
This modern, compact apartment is located in the center of Kiev with a light and airy feel that’s helped by a bedroom enclosed in glass.

2. Le Refuge: The Most Instagrammed Thing at Milan Design Week
Le Refuge, a pink, jungle-like daybed designed by Parisian/Italian artist and designer Marc Ange at the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition space was the most Instagrammed thing during this year’s Milan Design Week and we checked it out.

Drumroll, please… And the most popular post of all posts in 2017 is…

1. Nostalgic Lofree Keyboard Brings Back the Touch and Sound of Typewriters
This typewriter inspired, retro-styled Lofree Keyboard delivers that pleasurable and resolute tactile and auditory feedback with every keystroke and readers couldn’t get enough of it!

from Design MilkDesign Milk https://design-milk.com/best-of-the-best-top-10-posts-of-2017/

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Keeping Warm with Hoodies from Society6

All of the sudden, it seems like Southern California caught up with the rest of the world in figuring out that it’s winter. There’s a sudden chill in the air that have caught all Southern Californians off-caught (we get thrown off when it’s anywhere less than 80 degrees). To help keep warm, we can all turn to Society6 for stylish hoodies (for both men and women) to keep warm and support emerging artists – it’s a win win situation!

Pug Yoga hoodie by Huebucket

Galactic Female Rebellion by FSDisseny

Black and white face hoodie by Tas Lima

Little Gentleman French Bulldog hoodie by Gabriel

sneaky cat hoodie by Laura Graves

Bear In Whimsical Wild hoodie by Picomodi

Into The Wild hoodie by Andreas Lie

Hi Bear hoodie by beccatapert

In an ongoing effort to support independent artists from around the world, Design Milk is proud to partner with Society6 to offer The Design Milk Dairy, a special collection of Society6 artists’ work curated by Design Milk and our readers. Proceeds from the The Design Milk Dairy help us bring Design Milk to you every day.

from Design MilkDesign Milk https://design-milk.com/keeping-warm-hoodies-society6/

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Best of 2017: The Best Painted + Patterned Walls

We love a good patterned wall here at Design*Sponge. Whether it’s wallpaper, a mural, hand-painted styles or another unexpected material used to create something unique, we can’t get enough of interiors that embrace pattern. Today I’m sharing 15 of our favorite home tours from 2017 that use pattern and painted walls to create amazing spaces. Enjoy! –xo, Grace

Image above: This Austin, TX home uses a sophisticated patterned wallpaper to create a black and white mural-feel in the master bedroom.

The cheerful tree wallpaper in this Portland home tour really helped to add color and warmth to the kitchen.

We loved the polka-dot wallpaper in this Portland bungalow’s dining room.

This amazing home in Mexico uses palm frond wallpaper not only on the walls, but as an accent on the dresser, too!

This incredible painted headboard makes for a dramatic statement.

We love the patterned cactus wallpaper in this Tampa, Florida home.

Flamingos and swans had a real moment this year, and this dining room nook makeover highlighted painted birds in a bold way.

This Ohio rental’s bathroom really shines because of hand-painted floral wallpaper.

This London home uses botanical wallpaper to accent a sweet guest bedroom.

This Colorado home used folklore-inspired wallpaper to decorate its entryway.

This Cleveland home needed a little oomph, so the homeowner’s friend painted a floral mural on top of the existing wallpaper!

This Atwater Los Angeles home belongs to two photographers who embraced flamingo wallpaper and a warm peach color palette.

This Los Angeles rehab used accent walls of amazing floral wallpaper in several rooms.

This Southwestern home uses chalkboard paint to allow for constantly changing custom murals in the master bedroom.

Last but not least, this Mississippi home uses gold and white floral wallpaper to accent a beautiful bedroom alcove with vaulted ceilings.

from Design*Sponge http://www.designsponge.com/2017/12/best-of-2017-the-best-painted-patterned-walls.html

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Best Home Furnishings Posts of 2017

We cover just about everything you can imagine when it comes to home furnishings, from desks to outdoor loungers to designer doors that upgrade your IKEA pieces to cat furniture. Yep, cat furniture – so basically a little bit of everything. Take a moment and dive back into these 10 posts to see what were the most popular posts in the home furnishings category in 2017.

10. A Storage-Packed Desk So You Can Keep Your Workspace Tidy
Designed by Gonçalo Campos for Wewood, Metis is a solid wood desk that’s outfitted with lots of compartments and sections you can use to stow your gear.

9. The Delirium Collection Brings Playful Patterns to Your IKEA Sideboard
Superfront can elevate a basic IKEA sideboard with new fronts by Swedish artist Klas Ernflo, who created the non-repetitive Delirium Collection.

8. A Modern Cat House They’ll Love and You Won’t Mind Having Around
Krab launched minimalist cat houses that your cats can escape to to feel safe, while also blending in with your modern decor.

7. Objects Inspired by Japanese Tradition for the Modern Nomad
Gerardo Osio created a series of transportable objects inspired by Japanese culture designed to be taken from place to place so you always feel at home.

6. The Latest Minimalist Collection From Artifox
We looked at Artifox’s latest pieces, a desk and shelf, which fell right in line with the brand’s minimalist designs, and both featured cool mix and match accessories for added functionality.

5. Muista: A New, More Evolved Way to Sit at Your Desk
Muista is a work chair that looks more like a stool, but it allows your body to stay more active by allowing for different sitting positions.

4. This Is Fur Real: Say Hello To Singapore’s First-Ever Cat Furniture Design Show
Appropriately named 9 Lives, this cat-themed furniture design exhibition was full of practical and aesthetically pleasing furniture for indoor cats.

3. Panama Banana: A Quirky, Rocking, Outdoor Hammock
Lithuanian designer Agota Rimsaite’s Panama Banana makes for a quirky, yet fun outdoor, rocking hammock that can also be used as a soccer goal.

2. IKEA Releases the YPPERLIG Collection from HAY
Danish design brand HAY brought their aesthetic to the YPPERLIG collection for IKEA, including seating, coffee tables, lighting, textiles, and accessories.

And the most popular home furnishings post of 2017 is…

1. Le Refuge: The Most Instagrammed Thing at Milan Design Week
The most Instagrammed piece during 2017 Milan Design Week? Le Refuge, a pink, jungle-like daybed designed by Marc Ange at the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition space.

from Design MilkDesign Milk https://design-milk.com/best-home-furnishings-posts-of-2017/

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Fashionistas, Brace Yourself! Chanel Opened a Private Women’s Club in NYC

Coco Chanel, famous for her black-and-white signature fashion and accessories, may be long gone but she would love the latest venture in her name: the Coco Club. The private, invitation-only club is the first for the brand and opened in the Soho neighborhood in New York City.

The invitation to the Coco Club opening in New York City. Image: Eventbrite

Coco was always a feminist. She embraced men’s clothing and used men’s tailoring in her designs. So a private women’s club inspired by a gentlemen’s club would be a natural progression for her brand. And the club’s design is inspired by one of her most iconic watches — the Boy-Friend. The colors of the interiors are graphic black and white with cream and gold accents everywhere.

The entrance to the Coco Club. Image: Chanel

Lucky members receive a gold card for access. There’s all sorts of fun and unusual services at the Coco Club to keep the ladies who have it all intrigued, such as an on-site numerologist (Chanel was obsessed with numbers) ready to offer personalized readings. There’s a beauty room to glam up in, with Chanel makeup artists ready to give you the perfect red pout. A ping-pong table, pool table and photo booth keep things fun. Check out the interiors of the Coco Club:

Chanel Coco Club lockers

The lockers feature the signature look and typeface of Chanel. Image: Chanel

The game room

The bright and cheery game room features Chanel’s signature logo on the game tables. Image: Chanel

The cafe

Minimalist but polished, the understated cafe offers anything a club member may be craving. Image: Chanel

Pool table

A black pool table is a hotspot at the club. Image: Chanel

A sitting area at the private club

The design is inspired by the typical, masculine smoking room of a private gentlemen’s club. Image: Chanel

Hallway

Some of Chanel’s most famous sayings are featured throughout the club. Image: Chanel

The Boy-Friend Bar

Named after the iconic Chanel watch that inspired the design of the club, the Boy-Friend Bar serves up drinks — and watches.

The library

The library displays vintage objects on the long table that anchors the room. Image: Chanel

The post Fashionistas, Brace Yourself! Chanel Opened a Private Women’s Club in NYC appeared first on Freshome.com.

from Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Magazine https://freshome.com/private-coco-club-chanel-in-nyc/

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Best of 2017: Our Favorite Kitchens + Dining Rooms

As the saying goes, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where we prepare and nourish ourselves and our loved ones and it’s the place where so much of our time is spent, whether it’s talking over a cup of coffee or feeding our pets. Going through our favorite kitchens and dining rooms from 2017 was particularly inspiring for me because these spaces seem to hold so much of the family love and welcoming energy of each home tour. So I hope you’ll enjoy 15 of our favorite kitchens and dining rooms from this year’s home tours. xo, Grace

Image above: This Milwaukee home had one of my favorite kitchens (and dogs!) of the year. I love the combination of copper, sisal and black and white. 

Not only was Candis Cayne’s home our most popular home tour of the year, it was one of our community’s favorite kitchens. That amazing green blue paint on the cabinets combined with incredible tile and lighting was a home run.

This Vancouver dining room might be my favorite of all time. That crystal sailboat chandelier is the coolest. 

We loved the natural beam detailing in this Washington home’s dining room.

This Boston home’s sunshine yellow dining room was one of our favorites. Those minty green chairs are a great moment of color against the yellow, too.

This Brooklyn home’s sliding library ladder was an incredible touch. That dining nook looks like a great place to settle in with a cup of coffee and the morning paper.

The warm wooden walls in this Vermont cabin add so much warmth and character to this kitchen.

We loved the bright and airy feel (and all those great house plants!) of this New Jersey dining room.

This Boston loft combined a lot of heart with an amazing chalkboard wall.

We loved the rustic detailing in this Nevada City home’s salvaged wood paneling.

This MCM home featured some amazing modern lights in the kitchen. We love their retro-meets-contemporary feel.

This Denver kitchen makeover accented a cascading marble countertop with a beautiful green wall.

We loved the cozy sailboat-feel of this cabin’s petite kitchen. Everything has a place and a purpose, and the materials used have tons of texture and history.

This modern kitchen makeover combined modern lighting and a stunning wooden countertop with minimal and MCM details.

Last but not least, Orlando Soria’s Hollywood home has a bright and sweet kitchen with great stripes, brass detailing and a fun spice rack.

from Design*Sponge http://www.designsponge.com/2017/12/best-of-2017-our-favorite-kitchens-dining-rooms.html

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