DIY Weekend #02

A door for everyone! A door no longer needs to be simple, common and discret. It can be bold, different, the focal point of the room or an art piece.
And I'm not just referring to painting it a different color. You can use two or three colors, create geometric patterns, use washi or electrical tape, cover it with wallpaper or fabric. All is possible! Just let your imagination flow...
So here are some ideas for a different door in your house.

Marta.

half-painted via a beautiful mess

electrica tape geometric pattern via likainen parketti

washi tape door via tretoen

geometric pattern door via camille styles

electrical tape door via i spy diy

chalkboard painted door via lynne knowlton

fabric covered door via how about orange

wallpaper covered door via shelterness

P.S. How cute is that dog?!

Accent walls: more than a painted wall

An accent wall can transform a plain room into something different, bright and even sexy. It’s an alternative to wall art and it can be used to personalize a room’s design and claim it as yours.
The easiest way to make an accent wall is to paint it in a different color. But there are other ways. You can use wallpaper, stencil it, write a poem, cover it with a different material, use washi tape, stamp it, paint geometrical figures, and so on.
In the end you’ll see the difference an accent wall can bring to a room.

Marta.

via cuckoo 4 design

via south by north

via a beautiful mess

via hgtv

via fellow fellow

via vintage revivals

via ann kelle

via julia robbs

Contemporary meets traditional at Villa Extramuros

While visiting the castle of Arraiolos, I notice a somehow distant white building. It's Villa Extramuros, designed by Voar Arquitectura, on the outskirts of Arraiolos, a village in Alentejo, Portugal. 

I drive through a dirt road and, after a while, I reach an olive grove through which I can see a two-floor contemporary building with cork-lined walls and ceilings that bolster the volume of the white walls. 

“The architecture of the Villa, inspired by Roman camps as well as by medieval convents […] pays homage to the characteristic materials of Alentejo: white marble stone, white-washed walls and cork”, as mentioned in their webpage. 

I am welcomed by one the owners, a Parisian man that has settled in Alentejo, that guides me through the common areas: a patio that, as with medieval cloisters, joins the areas that surround it; a dinning area; a lounging area; and five rooms that are located in the upper floor (and which I could not visit seeing they were occupied). In the exterior, one can easily be enthralled by the tranquility of the olive grove and the infinity swimming pool overlooking the Castle of Arraiolos.

The strategy used in the decoration is also very interesting, as it combines design from the 50s to today, with local crafts.

Ana

Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/

Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/

Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/

Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.wallpaper.com

Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/

Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.wallpaper.com

Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.archdaily.com/

Photo ©Adrià Goula. Via http://www.wallpaper.com

Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.wallpaper.com

Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.wallpaper.com

Photo ©Alexandre Gempeler. Via: http://www.archdaily.com

Portuguese Design at Boa Safra

The banners on the façade don't mislead you: you've arrived at Embaixada!
The result of a private initiative (funded by Anthony Lanier's EastBanc), this comecial space in the Ribeiro da Cunha neo-Arab manor house opened doors in 2013. The rehabilitation project harmoniously combines contemporary architecture with the romantic taste of the end of the 19th century. The concept presents an alternative to shopping malls and to the mainstream brands, and showcases several Portuguese-designer items.
And it is here that we will find Boa Safra, a publishing company that is also a designer store. It displays original ecological design pieces, several of these by Portuguese designers such as Carlos Aguiar, Daniel Pera, Magda Alves Pereira, Lu Barradas, Luis Porém, Samuel Pereira Pinto and MOOD.
You can browse the Boa Safra catalogue here.
And, if you would like to see your own design be built, contact Boa Safra through Youdesign and see your dream come true!

Ana

Chest of drawers. Design by Magda Alves Pereira and Daniel Pera
Via: http://revistadesignmagazine.com/block/

Coffee table. Design by Magda Alves Pereira and Daniel Pera

Console. Design by Magda Alves Pereira and Daniel Pera

Zero stool. Design by Luís Porém

Three-legged stool. Design by Samuel Pinto. Via www.noema.pt

Erus lamp. Design by Daniel Pereira

Erus lamp. Design by Daniel Pereira

Woody lamp. Design by MOOD

Woody lamp. Design by MOOD

Decorating with bikes

Yesterday Ana talked about MINI's folding bike as a design piece. And how amazing it is! So today I'll keep with the bike theme...
Have you ever thought about using a bike as a decoration piece? You can use it in a room with a modern, industrial, bohemian or rural feel.  Inside or outside. It can be the center piece for the room's decor and it can be an amazing one!
Hang it, put it in a corner, use all of it or just some parts... whatever you feel like doing! It just needs some imagination.

Marta.

via the dna life

via interior design 2014

via dwell

via garrison hullinger

via cb2

via my scandinavian home

via selectionneurs

via marketplace

via homedit