#cape-style

#cape-style

"I can't stress enough how much of a revolving door it is," says designer Henry Boyle of the seaside Nantucket compound he recently completed for a Connecticut-based couple, their four young-adult children, and a pack of beloved dogs. "They're local celebrities in this community-it's a constant stream of people."

George Washington Smith, widely regarded as the founder of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, designed scores of houses in and around Santa Barbara during an architectural career that lasted only a dozen years before his death in 1930. Today those houses, with their signature mix of whitewashed walls, red-tiled roofs, balconies, courtyards, fountains, elaborate carved woodwork and wrought iron, are keenly sought after, according to area real estate agents.

"It has been estimated that one million five hundred thousand houses each year for a period of 10 years will be needed to relieve the urgent housing problem of this country. The enormity of such a need cannot even be partially satisfied by building techniques as we have known and used them in the past."

E-1027 is one of the most perfect examples of modernist architecture, with its hyper-functional design and nonexistent ornamentation, minimalist yet thoughtful and deeply attuned to its environment.

Recently I found this darling original painting placed in a vintage frame from an artist on Etsy. I just love it! it reminds me of the island views outside of our own home. This is the kind of decor for our home that we treasure, something that tells our story. Etsy is a wonderful place to find creatives who create special pieces...the kind you can fall in love with and keep forever!

Designed by noted residential architect Roland E. Coate, the home was built in 1926 for Annie Wilson, daughter of pioneering Southern California businessman and politician Benjamin Wilson, for whom Mt. Wilson is named. The gently sloping 1-acre-plus property was once part of the vast holdings of George S. Patton, father of the famed U.S. general.

Pulling off a new build that feels convincingly like an English estate requires more than cosmetic gestures. "The architecture of the home starts with authenticity," says Paragano, who begins projects like this by focusing on the home's massing-its overall form and proportions-and by reestablishing the traditionally defined spaces of a historic house. "Then we reinforce that with authentic detailing through materials," he adds.

I am always on the hunt for cozy coastal cottage decor and love sharing my favorite finds with you.

One of those timeless items is the instantly recognizable federal-style convex mirror. These gilded mirrors have been adorning American dining rooms and foyers since the 1700s, when the centuries-old European style was given a uniquely American touch - an eagle sitting proudly on top. Looking to add a touch of American history to your home? Authentic federal-style mirrors dating back to the United States' earliest days are going to run you into the many-thousands of dollars, there are also reproductions that have been made for decades. Here's what you need to know about federal-style mirrors, how to source them, and how to style them in your own home (even if they're the only Americana piece you ever collect!).

Sometimes the best architecture knows when to turn away. UK studio Denizen Works just completed their first project in Japan, and it does exactly that. The House in Onomichi presents an almost entirely blank facade to the street, creating what founder Murray Kerr calls an "enigmatic quality." But this isn't architecture being rude. It's architecture understanding that privacy can be the ultimate luxury.

Seven years of development allowed Openspace Architecture and landscape designer Paul Sangha Creative to thread a 10,000-square-foot single-story home through mature forest without sacrificing the canopy that defines the site's character - a constraint that ultimately generated the building's gently curving plan and its sequence of connected spaces opening to Saanich Inlet views. The design draws from mid-century West Coast Modernism's timber traditions while incorporating Japanese structural principles that extend beyond aesthetic reference.

Not every home is willing to play a supporting role. Jess Cooney's has always demanded top billing. "It's been a main character in my life-we've had a beautiful journey," says the AD PRO Directory member of her 6,000-square-foot house in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. "And it also drives me insane." More than two decades ago, Cooney returned home from Colorado to the Berkshires with her husband, Joe, and a new daughter in tow.

Text description provided by the architects. On the banks of the river in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Montreal, Mise à Jour Studio undertook thecomprehensive transformation of a heritage home. Formerly divided between a residence and a medical office occupying nearly half of the ground floor, the intervention opens up the spaces and enhances visual connections to the river, while bringing new light into the heart of the house.

Above: In praise of the sunny coverlet. Photograph by Hanna Grankvist, styling by Malena Burman, courtesy of Also Office, from Big Ambitions: A Clever Makeover for a 680-Square-Foot West Village Apartment. Speaking of sunny yellow, click see the cover reveal of Life Inside a Cottage, the new book by our sometime contributor Nell Card (and featuring this favorite!). Obsession of the week: Isabella Rossellini and a collaborator are making blankets and rugs from the wool of her Mama Farm sheep-and they're for sale.