Shimmer Like Gold » Architecture & Interiors

Ryan Korben’s Apartment

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:00:58 +0000

Ryan Korben has a wonderfully weird little apartment, don’t you think? There’s a giant zebra in his living room! And a white peacock just hangin’ out in the bedroom. And don’t forget a second feathered friend just chillin’ on a side table like it’s no big deal. Nothing like a little menagerie of animal buddies to keep you company. No doubt, they’re a pretty polarising bunch when it comes to interior decor, but I dig his bravery to be bold and completely off his rocker with the things he surrounds himself with in his apartment. Who cares what everyone else thinks, right? It’s his space, and if he digs it, that’s what counts! Throw in a contrasting neutral palette of whites and blacks offset with a bit of gold to up the glam factor… I’m diggin’ his digs too. His place is eclectic, sophisticated and clearly full of his distinct personality. I say, thumbs up!

Images via Harper’s Bazaar.

A Contemporary Spanish Apartment

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:00:39 +0000

You see this dining room?

Ya, this one. It and I, we’re kind of having a bit of a love affair going on, oh probably a year or so. It was love at first sight for me, and if I had the means, I’d be all over plopping this beauty spec for spec right down in the middle of my apartment. I love it. I want it. I need it.

So you can imagine my sheer delight when, after all this time, I found the rest of the interior space it belonged to! Oh, happy day! And the rest of the apartment is just as drop dead gorgeous. It’s filled with copious amounts of light, beautiful mouldings, rich wood tones, an array of textures at every corner, an envy inducing mid-century modern chair collection (jealous!), and of course, that gorgeous, gorgeous dining room.

And you know what else really tickles my fancy? The light fixtures in this apartment. They make the entire space. No room is forgotten; it’s just one perfect fixture after another. The shapes are simple, the lines are sleek, they’re the perfect combination of basic geometry and elegance. Plus I love the various bursts of unexpected colour with the yellow one in the living space, and the gold in the dining room.

Watch out dining room, these light fixtures might give you a run for your money!

Images via Houzz

A White Studio Space

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:01 +0000

Folks, I’ve found my dream office. Right down to the smallest detail, I’m positively smitten with this white-filled studio space. My, oh my, my heart beats just a little bit faster at the sight.

This is the studio space of Daniella Witte and from this day forth, I’ll be super duper jealous of her and her gorgeous work space, from the gorgeous wood floors and bookshelf wallpaper, to that giant modern work desk and copper pipe light fixture. And, obviously, all of that white! Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin…

Images via Daniella Witte.

Twisted Frozen Yoghurt Shops

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:00:36 +0000

Remember English frozen yoghurt chain, Snog, that I fell madly in love with last year? Well now my love affair has passed on to its Australian cousin, Twisted, an equally as delightful frozen yoghurt shop in Sydney, Australia!ⁱ Kya and I visited it for a tasty little treat while I was down unda last July, and it certainly lived up to and surpassed our expectations! Delicious! So delicious, in fact, it was 110% worth the bus fare out to Bondi for nothing other than a cup of frozen yoghurt. Yummmm.

With summer in the northern hemisphere just around the corner (sorta… spring needs to get on up in hurr first), meaning ice cream time, I was re-reminded of how awesome the design of this place was. I love it. I love the shapes, I love the colours, I love the geometric & graphic elements. It’s just a rad place. And I can 100% attest to it being just as rad in person since I actually did visit instead of just constantly lusting through my computer screen like I usually do! Score!

Add someday designing an ice cream/fro-yo shop to my list of “spaces I someday hope to design” (along with a hair salon – that’d be super fun too!).

Images via Morris Selvatico.

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P.S. Hey look, I was a nutter and submitted my lowly little apartment to Apartment Therapy’s Small Cool contest this year. I have zero aspirations of winning, but if you feel so inclined and want to be my BFF forever and ever, I would lurrrrve it if you’d throw a little favourite-action my way. :) Kristi’s Head Over Heels in the International Division — shh, pretend my name isn’t misspelled. It’s still me. ;)

That’s not to say they’re related companies. Because as far as I know, they’re each separate entities. They just happen to both be whimsically designed fro-yo shops.

A Shared+Lofted Studio

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:00:16 +0000

Ermkay, so I kinda have a huge, huge crush on this studio space featured on Apartment Therapy earlier in the week. It’s delightful! I’ve had lofts on the brain like crazy lately, so it’s only natural I’m superduper enamored with this space. (I’m even designing a lofted guest suite into my hotel for university – seriously, lofts on the brain.)

This little (or rather, big) gem is the shared studio space of a handful of creative ladies and gents, and it seems like such an inspired place to head off to each morning. Classic pieces of furniture, an industrial edge, hints of vintage, and lots of bright bursts of colour throughout. There’s so much personality! It’s pretty rockin’, isn’t it?

P.S. Happy Easter weekend!

Images via Apartment Therapy.

Starbucks Concept Store Amsterdam

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 13:00:56 +0000

Call me a freak of nature, but I do not drink coffee. Never have, likely never will. But it doesn’t take a coffee drinker to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with Starbucks’ concept store which recently opened in Amsterdam. I’m awestruck! I want, scratch that, I need to be on a plane across the Atlantic right now to see this space for myself in person! As photos typically do not do justice to interior spaces, I can only imagine just how AWESOME this space is in the flesh. It’s so easy to forget that there’s so much beauty in simplicity and natural elements, and this design has embraced and championed that concept throughout. I love it and wish this Starbucks was in my local neighbourhood. I’d consider taking up liquid insomnia for an afternoon here. ;)

Images via The Contemporist

Abigail Ahern’s Home

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:00:01 +0000

You want to hear a little story? Maybe 6 years ago, I got a book for Christmas. I don’t remember the exact book now (I have a lot of books), but I remember a feature in said book. I was about the home of decorator/stylist Abigail Ahern. Instant love. And a love that’s been going strong ever since. I don’t know how she does it, but it’s like she has the magic touch and everything within her reach is rendered stylish and wonderfully odd. She has amazing taste, and I adore her whimsical, quirky, tongue-in-cheek, eclectic, a little bit modern, a little bit Victorian, super British, mega dramatic style. She has such a light-hearted way of pulling together traditional and modern pieces and creating the perfect mash-up of the two. And I always appreciate a space with a little humour. Her London home is no exception. Check it out!

Lotsa grey, funky light fixtures, a whole whack of dog-related miscellany, a two-storey wall covered in a trompe l’oeil bookshelf wallpaper, cooshy seating, exposed brick… I could go on and on. Case in point, miss Ahern is a genius decorator and I want her brain. (But in a non-creepy way.)

Images via The Selby

Semiramis Hotel, Greece

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:55:47 +0000

It’s been a crazy busy week folks, so I hope you’ll forgive me for being a little slack on my postings. I had this whole sob story prepared with much begging and pleading of forgiveness. But, I think I’ll spare you the patheticness, and instead distract you with the wondrousness of the following… Feast your peepers on this explosion of AWESOME.

Can I get a resounding: YES and PLEASE. Or perhaps that should be a YE$. ;) Either way, how supremely RAD is this hotel design? Wowzers! It’s called the Semiramis, and is located in beautiful Greece. As if I needed another excuse to want to pack my bags immediately and head off to the Mediterranean. Again, I say, wowzers! This is the sort of hospitality/commercial design that excites me head to toe, inside out, upside down, top to bottom, etc. etc.. Look at those bright, saturated colours! The clean lines! The 70′s space-age kick back! The ultra modern materials! Everything about it reads as pure delight, cheer and fun. I love it. I want to live there. Permanently. Who’s with me? I call dibs on the lounge chair closest to the pool. And maybe one or five of those puffy marshmallow lobby chairs…

Images via YES! Hotels

A White+Rainbow Scandinavian Home

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:00:30 +0000

Can we briefly talk about how stinkin’ badly I want to live in this modern Scandinavian white and rainbow infused apartment? Because, um, hello lover. It’s a DREAM. All caps necessary. It’s like a bright and fluffy white ice cream cloud of perfection with dollops of artful rainbow sprinkles throughout. Delish.

Despite my all-consuming slightly-borderline-frightening obsession with white, it’s the vibrantly coloured abstract art that give this interior its unique jolt of personality. It’s spaces like these that make my constant inner battle of “all white” versus “rainbow bright” a real war of the design personalities. Seriously, I think I have like… design bipolarity or something. Scary stuff, you guys.

Jokes aside, I love this apartment to pieces – from the white-washed architecture, and sleek, modern materials, to the rustic, knotty wood floors, playful light fixtures, and Tollix dining chairs. When can I move in?

Images via Damask et Dentelle.

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P.S. Have you checked out my new blog, k., yet? My second post is up and involves a bit of serenading, a looot of doodling, and a hint of photography. Enticed?

Jenna Lyons’ Townhouse

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:49:56 +0000

So. Who wants to give me $3.75 million dollars? It’s for a good cause! The Krissy-needs-to-own-this-townhouse cause. This townhouse (belonging to the one and only Jenna Lyons, creative director and president of J.Crew) is up for sale. And I kind of want it x a lot because I’ve been on the envy train for aaaaages. It’s been in my folder called “Dream Houses… swoon!” for as long as I can remember. (No lies, I actually have a folder on my computer called that. It’s the best folder known to man-kind.)

It’s just such a gorgeous townhouse inside and out, it’s almost mind-bogglingly perfect. From that architecturally gorgeous (white, bonus!) exterior and the beautiful blossom filled backyard (with concrete paving stones which are my FAVOURITE thing in the entire world when it comes to outdoor spaces)…

… check out that stunning minimal industrial-feel kitchen (mmm, concrete counter tops)…

… the delicious black coated bedroom and enjoining master bath…

… the entire-room-is-a-closet room! (Do the shoes come with the purchase of the home? Pleasepretty?)…

… and, of course, my FAVOURITE room in the entire house, the living room! That chandelier! That couch! That rug! The moldings! The fireplace! Everything!!

Wistful sigh. Yeah, I just really love this place. It’s perfect. And I’m jealous of whoever gets to live in it post-Lyons.

Most of the images in this post via Fashionologie. Some are from my own archives from aaaaages ago back before I even started my blog, so unfortunately, no source. I want to say they’re from Domino though.