This exotic residence on the beach of Manda island, Kenya may have snakes and sand flies, but it has much much more. It has romance! ?Architectural designer Claudio Modola seems to know how to survive and create beautiful durable structures in this wild, weathered area of the world. Giant sized striped lounging pillows are from locally woven organic fabrics.

A huge daybed sits on the veranda with a view to die for….wow! Talk about communing with nature.
There’s even a desk (everyone needs an office!) Notice the muslin fabric stretched around the perimeter. Its functional here, but also has a great look.

There is almost nothing more romantic than draped sheer fabric. In this case, again, it functions as mosquito netting. But it creates a sensuous mood, especially in the late afternoon light.

The bathroom sink is fashioned from a gargantuan clam shell ?that was collected from local waters. What a great idea! A fabric panel stretches across the ceiling. The structure is made of mangrove poles, palm leaves, mats and rope. Maintenance of this organic shelter requires energy and guts. Floor mats, roofing palms and many other things decay with the elements and termites and need replacing fairly frequently. However, there are those among us who think it might be worth it.

Photographs from The World of Interiors October 2008

There is nothing more romantic than the gossamer drape of sheer fabric, a practical style in this part of the world where insects abound and cool breezes are welcome. This is the Boat Room. The base of the bed is formed from a canoe bought from a Swahili fisherman. The graphic tribal batik is from Ivory Coast. Antique kilims bring rich color to the space.

The ?”tree” houses, which have been crafted from indigenous materials, are practically hidden from each other as they nestle in the thorn trees, cactus and acacia. This land at the foot of the Ngong Hills is just adjacent to the 5,000 acre property once owned by Karen Blixen (pen name Isak Dinesen) and it was there that she wrote her story that became Out of Africa.

Continuity occurs organically within these space and it is one of the reasons these interiors have such impact. The running themes that are repeated again and again are wood or woven grass walls, white netting and woven ethnic rugs. Recycled wood was used for the canopy bed. A metal rocking chair was welded by a local artisan.

A canoe lined with fiberglass makes an exotic bath tub. The metal chandelier was welded on site.

A canvas dining tent is hung with velvet draperies. To me, that is the epitome of the safari life and then some. The lodge and houses feature a variety of pan-African artifacts, fabrics and accessories; batiks, pillows of Kuba cloth, bronze wildlife statuary. We are told that the cuisine is highly reputed with its Kenyan chefs who have studied in Belgium. Ngong House is a sanctuary for many travelers on their way to much rougher wilder adventures.

Photos courtesy of Architectural Digest

We are gazing through three arches here. Standing outside the office, we look over its’ tile table, through the central courtyard, and into the loggia on the far side. Careful attention was paid to creating the longest possible view. Notice how the painting is centered on the very farthest wall.

Surrounding the border of the library the boldly painted motto “The Eye Sees What the Mind Knows.”?Tile floor, darkened wood, and an drum shaped rustic amber pendant lamp repeat the theme and carries through the finishes with consistency.

The kitchen is a lighter brighter room, featuring a pair of wonderful inverted lampshade fixtures in stitched parchment. I love the oversized cactus in terra cotta pots. Exaggerated scale adds quirky drama to any space. Imagine if the cactus were only half the size…..ho hum, right?

Another great addition to a space is a collection of something…almost anything will work to entertain us. In this case, vintage dishes in bright colors make delicous eye candy.

For the fireplace, a simple arch of bricks with a brick hearth makes a modest historically accurate statement. The sofas are actually vintage Monterey pieces. The painting on the far wall is William Ritschel’s 1912 Desert Wanderers.


It’s always fascinating to see the exterior of a house after viewing the interior rooms. This one looks like a big old Spanish mission at festival time. ?Spanish Colonial Revival is one of the most ubiquitous and charming architectural styles in southern California. ?It is easy to spot because of the trademark red tile roofs with (usually) white stucco walls, arches, wrought iron grates, center courtyards, terra cotta tile floors, cactus and bouganvilea. And if they are lucky houses, they will have an owner who treasures them.

Photographs by Scott Frances from Architectural Digest / November 2008

Fruity luscious colors, yes? It takes some guts to use every bright color in the world in a single house. There’s a way to do it right (and there are many ways to do it wrong). Although we are always drawn to these delicious hues we often wonder “Will I get tired of this? Maybe I should just do beige!” we say. Well, rubbish. If designer?Kathryn Ireland can do it, we can do it too. These rooms are in the designer’s own farmhouse compound in Ojai, California. A little barn. A little bohemian. Scroll down.

All the colors in the house are anchored in this sitting room (witness the charming Moroccan ottomans). You will notice that every room contains every color…and all are set against crisp white walls. The white walls are an important running theme that makes this house into a cohesive whole.

It’s not easy to use such an enormous palette. The trick, when using every color in every room, is to?sometimes emphasize red, sometimes green, sometimes purple, so that each room is different and fresh. “It’s all about layering pattern on pattern” says the designers. “That’s the secret. And don’t go for matchy-matchy-matchy. I say, if it doesn’t go, it goes.”

This rocky archway connects the carriage house to an outside hall where we are greeted by more bounteous color. ?Notice how the designer has used her bright hues in fabrics and accessories only, not walls and floors.

If I was ever depressed I’d come into this room and feast my eyes. (I guess I’ll just have to settle for looking at the picture since I don’t think Kathryn is going to invite me over any time soon). Like many fabrics in this home, much of the bedding is from Ireland’s own collections, with the exception of the large bolster pillow which is made from an antique suzani. Flower photo by Oberto Gili.

I love it when the exterior and the interior reflect eachother. That is truly good design.

Close up of an antique hand made suzani from Uzbekistan. Touches like this add that bohemian look to the farmhouse.

Photos from House Beautiful March 2008.

Here is the beautiful couple with their equally beautiful children. As a running theme throughout the apartment, the rich dark wood floors are played against brilliant jewel toned fabrics and extremely gutsy yellow walls. Fabrics are lavish. The couple very much admires the orientalist interiors of French decorator Jacques Garcia and so we see his influences in their choices of furnishings from India, Turkey and the Middle East. We also see a large black-and-white photography collection featuring works by Bert Stern, Mario Testino, Ellen von Unwerth and Thierry Le Goues in addition to Mel Hennessy’s own professional work.

This view of the living room features a Syrian game table in front of a clock which Atlas hoists on his shoulders. The fireplace and mirror are Indian. A pair of chairs by the windows are upholstered in tiger fabric which beautifully echoes the yellow walls and continues the theme of rich exoticism. I appreciate the naked floors. Though I am a big fan of beautiful area rugs, the expanse of “negative space” gives the eye a chance to rest.

More exotica in the dining room: Moroccan cabinets, antique Murano vases, Napoleon III candelabra, and a 19th century painting by Jules Tornai. This is more ornate than I could live with…but what I do very much appreciate is the continuity from room to room. Each space carries the theme into the next space. As we walk through we say “yes, this feels right.” Many people have difficulty making a consistent design statement within a home. Each room is different and the over all effect is hodge podge. The key to great interior design is continuity.

Here is a detail of the other side of the dining room. Did you know red walls are good for the appetite?

Now….here is a sexy bedroom. Wrapped in violet. The wall color is intense, but not much of it shows because of the enormously generous purple silk draperies and the oversized painting (by Gustav Wertheimer). A Chinese cabinet sits by the bed and a Murano chandelier hangs above. We are told this was a gift from Kilian Hennessy’s godmother, the legendary Barbara Hutton. An Indian textile lays across the bed.

The bathroom is sexy too with it’s deep brown painted walls and indirect lighting. The collection of boxes inlaid with bone add so much to the room. Anytime a collection can be displayed it becomes a point of fascination for everyone. Collections are a delightful and entertaining way to accessorize.

Images courtesy of ?Elle Decor October 2008

There is nothing so serene as a farmhouse. Especially if it is surrounded by green fields and grazing horses. And especially if it’s interiors were designed by Brussels/Antwerp based antiques dealer Axel Vervoordt. When it comes to pure timeless eclecticism, Vervoordt is a master.

Against a backdrop of neutral walls, some of which are colored by earth found on the property, furnishings and antiques have been placed sparingly and with great intention. Vervoordt’s taste “spans centuries, continents and economic strata.” ?The rustic is paired with contemporary. Antique objects from simple origins become art. This vignette pictured above is composed of a vessel vase and dog statue from China, a carved piece of stone from India, and a table which the designer created an 18th c. tabletop and his own design for the base.

An arrangement of exquisitely simple Khmer ceramics sits on top of a 17th century Italian cupboard. Through the door in the room beyond is an interesting hunk of metal. It appears to be a rusty old steel plate from some industrial use, no doubt. It makes great “art,” don’t you think?

Every view is a perfectly balanced composition. Here, for example. The graceful little Ming chair tilts to the left of our “picture.” It feels a bit unstable (in a good way). The black door frame is a stable rectangle in the center. ?The two chunky wood sculptures in the right foreground provide a solid balance against the chair. It’s fun to go around and make balanced pictures out of objects in your home. Geometric things complement round things, and they can look very beautiful together. It’s almost as if they “need” each other.

Here is another example of geometric played against curved. The table is very angular and squared off. The Ming chairs that surround it are curved like long horns. Together it’s a wonderful combination. The sandstone head and the terra cotta horse are Chinese. Speaking of sand, this whole house feels as though it has been dusted with the color. It’s a theme that repeats from room to room, creating a serene color flow.

A French stone table sits under the windows. French dining table and chairs. Spanish earthenware dishes.

Below is a photo of the upstairs living space which….surprises me. It is all white! Although it is beautiful and inviting, it needs some sort of visual reference to the downstairs rooms we have just walked through. I think I would have left the ceiling beams natural, rather than whitewashing them. The floor and door would have been better natural as well. But that’s just my opinion. Perhaps I’m a bit of a design nazi that way. What do you think?

Photos from Veranda Magazine October 2008

Notice how the dark ceramic floors / irregular white washed walls / red ethnic rugs spill over from space to space. A continuous theme flows everywhere and we love it. When I look closer at the elements within the rooms I am delighted and entertained by the local folk art and brilliant colors . This is the colonial home (called a finca) of architect Carlos Gronda. It was once a church set amongst tobacco and sugar fields. The sanctuary became today’s livingroom, the owner’s bedroom was the chapel, and the exterior gallery was the cemetery.

This area of the world was inhabited since at least 1200 BC by Indian people who lived and worked the land and worshipped their gods. When the Spanish conquistadors came they brought with them the culture of Europe. The designer is descended from those Spanish peoples though, it appears, derives vast inspiration from the indigenous pre-Spanish aesthetic and spiritual beliefs. The kitchen pictured above houses a whimsically hand painted italian chest which displays a collection of ekekos, Bolivian dolls believed to bring prosperity and good luck. To the right there appears to be a colorful collection of Madonnas and other Christian figures.

The “Tin-Cu” table was designed by Carlos Gronda and Arturo de Tezanos Pinto, partners in Usos, a furniture design studio which creates and “reinterprets” historical design in new and delightful ways. We are told that the table’s name refers to a Bolivian dance and that the colored spheres are a take off on pom poms that lamas wear. ?It’s fun, isn’t it?

This outdoor bedroom has a fascinating combination of fabrics. A Bolivian rug covers the floor. A 1970′s throw lays upon the bed. And a toile de jouy panel hangs on the wall. I love using all different reds together….it’s unexpected. Although I don’t know if I would have combined these particular ones. What do you think?

Turquoise shows it’s bright little face here and there throughout the house. It makes me smile.

I was surprised to see the design of this exterior dining room. It appears to be Swedish inspired, although that is not likely. By the way, if you like Swedish design, don’t miss this post on one of my favorite design blogs, Cote de Texas. Following is a photo of the exterior of this Spanish colonial church turned house. It’s always interesting to see how it all fits together.

Photos from The World of Interiors March 2009

The little Nubian villages are situated along the roadsides in a barren,?flat landscape. Long windowless walls face the thoroughfare providing protection and privacy. These colorful doorways appear like brilliant jewels marking the entry to a home which is usually an arrangement of rooms encircling a central courtyard.

The power of these vivid designs is especially dramatic against the neutral sandy terrain. They are simple, yet unforgettable. Some designs are refined and some are more crudely executed, and all make strikingly different statements. We are told that color is applied by hand with wet plaster, usually by the women of the home. The interiors vary, but they often repeat the exterior color palette within the vivid kitchens, bedrooms and other living spaces.

Enormous unglazed terracotta jars called “gurglets” hold drinking water in this sky blue and yellow room.

These kitchen walls are partially covered with bright purple fabric and contrasting yellow and orange plaster. A small portable gas stove accommodates the cooking. In a culture that has come to use modern conveniences more slowly than most, there is a sophistication and artfulness that speaks volumes about the heart and character of the people of Nubia.

Photographs from The World of Interiors October 2008