Friday Fun: This Is How the Light Gets In

At certain times of year, we just can’t wait for the light to show up and flood our homes and rooms. Time to come out of the cave!

A conservatory-kitchen leading out into the garden – who could resist – especially if there’s some kind of shade to prevent it getting too hot. From MBPeyer Design.

Double height ceilings and an ocean view certainly make for a a beautiful light-filled room, from houseofturquoise.com

Another conservatory kitchen, with a window seating area for all your friends, from Elle Decor.

This looks real but is apparently a ‘concept home’: Casa Antibaia in Sao Paolo, Brazil. From The Spaces.

While this one looks like a concept home but is apparently real, a modernistic hobbit house half-buried in the ground, from imgur.com

Friday Fun: Minimalist Desks

Can you just imagine what masterpieces I might write at these super-tidy desks if I didn’t have random pieces of paper, piles of books, ten leaky pens, heart and car crafty pieces by my sons and a million other things competing for space on them? How did that saying go about a clear desk leading to a clear mind – or an empty one, possibly?

This is the picture that kicked off the dream – a desk set in a landscape of calming green, what more could you want. From dwell.com

Of course, if you have a corner, you might want to make the most of your desk space and go all the way round. Get more comfy chairs, though! From dwell.com

This house in the Blue Ridge Mountains, known as the Piedmont Residence, demonstrates that you can have a desk in your bedroom without a problem. As well as a view, of course. From trendir.com

Another modest corner desk – this one at least hints at writing and reading getting done here. Designed by Bloxas from architectureau.com

The Italians do everything so stylishly – this desk ‘hidden’ in the corner of the room, facing out into landscape, perfect for deep thinking. From living.corriere.it

This Napa Valley house also features a desk in the bedroom. Perfect if you have no partner, I believe. Or separate bedrooms. From StevenHarrisArchitects.com

This is a Swiss holiday home, so I don’t think the desk is designed for daily use. Just as well, since I don’t think I’d get much writing done with that view to contemplate. Photo credit: James Silverman, interiordesign.net

Friday Fun: All the Bookshelf Joy in the World

What’s the point of having a house without bookshelves filled with books? Here are some of my recent favourites (by the way, I have to keep on deleting old pictures, to make sure that I have enough space on my WordPress site, so you may find some posts are missing pictures, although I am trying to delete those rogue empty posts).

Don’t let a few pesky windows put you off having bookshelves on those walls, from Tumblr.

Tall shelves always look good, from Architectural Digest.

Having a long, narrow room doesn’t mean you have to give up on a windowseat and bookshelves. from Houseawards.com.au

The longest desk in the world and a lot of lovely tall bookshelves, from Laya Decor.

Mountain chalet would suit me perfectly, from beautifullyseaside.com

These shelves are far too empty, but those chairs look comfy, and the reading light seems good too. All I need is a footstool… From delightfull.eu

Friday Fun: In Search of the Perfect Shelf

Of course bookshelves are the best kind of shelves, but I have to admit that I’m nosy and like to see what people put on any kind of shelves. Here are some shelves where you can proudly display your favourite things.

Corner office in your bedroom, although I do wonder how you can reach the top shelf. From curbly.com

Another cute little office, although the shelves are rather high. From DesignerTrapped.com

Would love to have this in my hallway (if my hallway were big enough). From handymano.com

It’s not all about the books – look at these amazing window shelves, from homestratosphere.com

No corner is wasted here, from cottagemarket.com

Shelves around the windows are just my favourite thing – although I do occasionally worry the books might get mouldy. From Instagram.

Friday Fun: You Don’t Need a Palace…

I’ve often said I don’t need much more than a little cabin or hut to house myself once the boys leave home. Although I might need another cabin or two just to house the books…

All you need in one small parcel, from tinyliving.com

A rather classy, high-end vision of the cabin, with amazing windows. From dorisleslieblau.com

It clearly doesn’t work for a couple (actually, for a single person with an occasional guest), but everything is neat and has its place. From TinyHouseMarketplace.com

An old barn feel to this tiny, but practical cabin – it even has a fire extinguisher! From tinyhomesbuilder.com

Finally one that satisfies my book cravings… from decoholic.com

Friday Fun: Life at the Top

What would life be like if you had high enough ceilings to fit in a mezzanine? Here are some suggestions of how to go about planning and decorating.

Industrial loft decor, room enough for a bike without tripping over it, from DesignMilk.com

A 1950s vibe to this decor, dog not included though! From Yatzer.com

This one seems to stretch over several floors – and we have books at last! From Wit and Whistle.

This feels more down to earth – and of course we have books and clutter too. From DorisLeslieBlau.com

As long as everyone keeps really quiet around the house, I could live with a mezzanine study. From pinimg.com

But my Prize of the Week goes to this cabin in the woods in Poland, which is a reader’s paradise. From LivinginaShoebox.com

Friday Fun: ‘Twas a light…

… that made darkness itself appear a thing of comfort. (Robert Southey)

I dislike and fear the dark winter months, but luckily, working from home means I can go out for a brisk walk at lunchtime and actually see some light outdoors. For my escapist images, I chose the wonderful play of light and shadow inside houses.

What a hallway, with light coming from all sides, from Pinterest

Now this is a bath I could spend hours in… from twuss.com

Speaking of scenic and light-filled bathrooms, this Japanese-style bathtub in a Brazilian home has me dreaming, from casaclaudia.abril.com.br

The interplay of light and plants intrigues me in this Asian house from sohu.com

Just imagine waking up to this every morning, from Curious Doodle.

It doesn’t always have to be bright: the shadow patterns are fascinating too, in this office entryway from Marie Claire blog.

Friday Fun: White Sofas

In a galaxy far, far away, before I had children and cats, I used to have a white sofa and I followed a blue/turquoise and white colour scheme. Now I can but smile at the uncomfortable lifestyle of people with white sofas – they clearly don’t sit on them much! Although each of the rooms below has something that appeals to me, for once I will focus on their flaws (sour grapes, anyone?).

Very long white sofas are perfect for placing all your guests in a row to admire the view. From casalibrary.com

If you can get them to turn their backs on the view, you might even have a conversation. From casavogue.globo.com

Maybe don’t paint your walls and shelves the exact shame shade as your sofa, or you may find it becomes invisible. From crismatec.com

Perfect symmetry at a distance – for those strained family conversations. From Elle Decor.

You can get away with anything when you have a window and a view like that. From iping.com

No words! Just, wow, just the place to feel cosy when you are on your own. From onekindesign.com

Friday Fun: Travelling the World of Interiors

I’ve always been fascinated by interior design from different countries. In an ideal world, I’d want a house or two on each continent, decorated in the traditional style. Is that cultural appropriation? Well, I certainly would feel more at home in any of these environments, rather than that same bland magnolia or silver decor that I so often see in houses for sale on Rightmove.

Indian-inspired interior from Architects’ Diary.

Moroccan blue and white will always undo me, from Pinterest.

Not sure where in the world this is, but it seems faintly Sri Lankan to me. From sacred-dwelling on Tumblr.

Chinese bedroom you can order from 3D Export, apparently.

The minimalism of Japanese traditional homes, from pufikhomes.com.

Dining room in Bahia, from planete-deco.fr seems fairly simple, traditional.

But then there is also the prospect of modern Brazilian decor, especially against that backdrop. Studio Arhtur Casas, from archdaily.com

Friday Fun: Turquoise to Lift the Spirits

When life and all those around you give you the blues, you can respond with a similar but much more cheerful shade of aqua. Turquoise is a mood lifter for me, hopefully for you too!

You can go the full turquoise paint treatment, as in this room via Architectural Digest.

Or a mere accent of the colour on your tiny balcony, as shown in Designrulz.com

It looks fresh and fun combined with red in a child’s room. From Pinterest.

Or quite classical with white sofas. From Impressive Interior Design.

This reading corner would keep me cool on the warmest of days.

But it’s at its best when you combine with a seascape. From Southern Studio.

So that it melts into the view, as in this house on the Turks and Caicos. From House of Turquoise.