Japanese Cob Home..

A Japanese Cob house with the most stunning natural wood kitchen

A beautiful Cob house in Japan

The home of..... Moon Juice's Amanda Chantal bacon

The home of Moon juice founder Amanda Chantal Bacon

What I love about Amanda Chantal Bacons L.A house is well....  pretty much everything. Its warm and relaxed, with mostly relaxing neutral tones but just enough colour to keep it interesting.

I am always excited to see pictures of the homes of what I would call 'successful hippies'. I guess this pride stems from watching films as a teenager where the 'alternative' character ends up conforming, becoming popular and bagging the bland jock character.  Yawn!

If you aren't aware of Amanda and her wonderful brand Moon Juice then you can check out her site here and her previous home featured on Moon to Moon here.

To see the full article and set of photos visit Vogue here

The home of..... Inge King and Grahame King

King House and Studios (1952-64)

So for the first time in 9 years I took a little unplanned break from blogging and it was really nice to disconnect for a while and focus my energies, or lack of energies, elsewhere. A couple of months ago I found out that my recent issues with extreme tiredness, nausea and a range of other physiological symptoms, including fertility issues, were the result of the return of a Pituitary tumour that I thought I had seen the back of in 2013. It is not cancer, and it is treatable but it is was still a bit of a kick in the teeth as I had really wanted another baby..... but alas some things are just not meant to be !

My break from blogging, although much needed was also a bit of a silly move as I find it strangely therapeutic .... so I am back. I have found some beautiful homes, and also beautiful products that I would like to share with you all, and as I have been for some time thinking about the concept of 'home' as both an external and internal space, have contacted some wonderful conscious women to interview for a new series of personal interviews..... so watch this space :)

So for my return I have chosen this beautiful home and sanctury of husband and wife Sculpturist Inge King and Artist Grahame King designed by Architect Robin Boyd. I was brought up in and therefore have always been a fan of 'period' properties but since moving into my 1960's home have really started to appreciate the large windows and more open plan vibe to properties of the middle of last century.

What I really love about this home is that it has huge windows that look onto greenery, such a luxury for a city dweller such as myself. The couples collections of pottery, textiles and artwork are all beautiful rich warm earthy tones that fit in perfectly with the building

Below I have included an extract of the original text by Nigel Bertram, I would strongly urge you to head over to Architecture au to read the full article and also to see the full collection of photos by Dianna Snape

"Robin Boyd’s King House and Studios in Warrandyte, designed for sculptor Inge King and artist Grahame King, was completed in three stages in 1952, 1955 and 1964. The plan for the first stage of this house is an almost-square rectangle, four bays by three, about 120 square metres. The plan is a little confusing at first glance; it does not have a particularly recognizable figure or clear hierarchy of zones. It seems a bit loose and even empty, like an industrial building. There is one main room, with a small bathroom, porch and “bedroom” (which isn’t used as such). The kitchen, raised platform and bathroom each take up one structural bay in an offset, abstract arrangement, which gently partitions the singular space into implied zones. The plan is structurally determined, blunt and logical. It does not easily imply domesticity – making us question, in fact, what a “house” is.

As Inge King explains, after the plans were first submitted to council the “bedroom” was added because the authorities would not permit a dwelling of only one room. The raised bay to the north of the main space is labelled as “painting platform” but was apparently most useful as a dance floor for the Kings’ infamous parties. The underfloor space, which increases in height under this platform, is labelled “food store” but has been used as a workspace and studio – a space entered each morning and left sometime in the afternoon, a true home office. Here the ceiling joists in the main area are barely 1.8 metres above the floor. The exposed structure serves as racks for tools and welding clamps, or places to hang work in progress. Adjoining underfloor space up the slope has been fitted out with watertight cupboards and flyscreened cross-ventilation panels. Large plate glass windows to the north, salvaged from shopfronts, unite the lower workspace with its corresponding raised platform living space above. This underfloor workspace, which extends to a level gravel terrace outside, appears to function as the heart of the house – the engine room."

The cosy yurt home of... Alexandra Fuller

Photography by Laura Joliet

The yurt in question belongs to Wendell Field, a 49-year-old artist. Ms. Fuller went to see him about a painting last spring, and never left. As cunningly put together as the inside of a sailboat, this Hobbit house is one of a dozen in the yurtian community that Mr. Field calls home, where each yurt-dweller pays a little less than $400 a month for a spot. (Other neighbors include bison, antelope and the odd rampaging moose.)

Mr. Field inherited his yurt eight years ago from a friend who died in a climbing accident. The other day, Dilly, an elderly corgi, and Edgar, a dog of indeterminate provenance, dozed breathily on what little floor space there was, as Mr. Field served tea made on his diminutive wood-burning stove. Ms. Fuller, clearly exhausted, drifted in and out of a nap.

To read the full story and see more photos visit the NY Times here

The Home of Painter... Christian de Laubadere

I love finding the source for one of my favourite photos and then discovering more of the same home. The top photo has surfaced many a time on Moon to Moon but only now have I discovered a full set of photos of Artist Christian de Laubadere's Shanghai home photographed by Ricardo Labougle for World of Interiors. This beautiful home is wonderfully eclectic and I just love the layers of rugs and textiles in de Laubadere's home...

Below is a small excerpt from a 2013 interview with the French artist and his girlfriend from the Global Times

"I like the kitchen very much, which I think is the symbol of a family," de Laubadère said. "The only thing I always kept from my hometown in France here in Shanghai is a cookbook about French cuisine."

Several years ago, in order to create a huge painting for a hotel in Lhasa, de Laubadère had to move out of his small residence and studio on Huashan Road. He rented a deserted factory warehouse hidden on the ground floor of a commercial building in Changning district and converted it into a house, painting the exposed brick wall white and filling the 220-square-meter space with odds and ends he has collected over the years.

"This is our third residence in Shanghai, and the largest one," de Laubadère's girlfriend told the Global Times. "He was so excited after finding this space since it finally gave him an opportunity to display all of his Chinese porcelain, antiques and handicrafts which he bought from the antique and flea markets on Fangbang Road and Henan Road in Shanghai, and also other places he's traveled to, like Tibet, Taiwan and India."

Entering through a thick cloth curtain door, the space is divided into a living area at the front and the painting studio in the back. The living area consists of a reception space, a kitchen and a bedroom above built by iron and wood beams. Through an iron staircase, the bedroom connects itself with the space below to form a loft.

The home of.... Nicolas Lefebvre and daughter Anahi

 How stunning is this beautiful Parisian apartment of Nicolas Lefebvre and his 6 year old daughter Anahi found on French blog The Socialite Family?

Nicolas spent much of his early life traveling around the globe, which is evident in his choice of decor. I love the warm natural hues, the natural seagrass carpet and mix of textiles from around the world, so relaxing!!

Images Constance Gennari 

The Home of Kurumi and Kazuaki

A home belonging to a chef and an interior designer... what a total dream!

 All Images of Chef Kurumi's and Interior Designer Kabuki's Hayama, Japan home found via The Selby