A breathtaking barn transformation is born from creative reuse.

Here is a dose of design arithmetic to swirl in your brain. One barn, plus one shed, equals design perfection, especially when you factor in scenic Seattle. SHED Architecture & Design designed the transformation of an antique barn into a modern living space (complete with luxuries like guest quarters).

SHED is a hands-on firm that literally built this project and cradled it through a breathtaking renovation. The dedicated design team even lived on-site, allowing practical inspiration to organically fill their design calculators.

The adaptive reuse of the original barn provided a living space, kitchen, upstairs apartment, lofted bedroom, and bunk room. The exterior shell was punctuated with windows and skylights to absorb every ray of sunshine and capitalize on the scenic wonder of Whidbey Island.

The original external perimeter was maintained and the previous exterior siding was brought inside to envelop interior walls while the exterior was wrapped with new cedar to age gracefully. The interior is bursting with natural materials and a calm palette including original floor joists that were salvaged and carved into stairs, trim, and countertops.

The intricate barn doors throughout this project are a beautiful mixture of traditional elements with modern creativity.

One of SHED’s design principles is embodied perfectly in this project, “Design solutions are more than the sum of their parts.”

If you love the charisma of a barn renovation, drool over this artist’s studio.

Images: Freshome

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Soak in the androgynous details of this space.

Does your interior have a sexual identity? Lounging in Paris, is an interior with a perfect mixture of masculine strength and feminine daintiness. The harmless over-generalization of sexual characteristics is rampant within the walls of this Paris flat, home to fashion designer Martin Grant. The resulting androgynous space is a balance of everything distinctive and nothing inconsistent.

The crisp white walls are the attic enclosure of a house from 1880. Just in case a historic attic in Paris isn’t romantic enough, he also boasts a view of Paris ridge from this humble home in the Marais district. The private sixth floor home is entirely detailed, right down to the olive tree on the patio. Grant’s interior mimics his fashion style, “Both reflect his refined sense of texture, volume, and choice of classic fabrics.”

More contrasts in the form of rugged wooden beams and the earthy, rustic textures of natural wood planks are the definition of masculinity while the soft glisten of silk drapes and sensual curves of the Parisian fireplace are classically feminine. While when it comes to sexuality, more androgyny sprinkled throughout with polished stainless steel surfaces adjacent to a supple pink counter top and clean modern lined upholstery embellished with floral prints and delicate patterns.

Martin loves to peruse second hand stores, flea markets, and antique shops. His home even contains a Scandinavian chair he found in a trash container (which proves my theory that everything is better in Paris, even the trash).

What about your home-Is it masculine? Feminine? Brilliantly androgynous?

(Images beautifully shot by Birgitta Wolfgang Drejer for Vartnya Hem.)

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This Swedish home has a great foundation and floods of natural light. Pristine white walls and light wooden floors ensure the streams of sunlight are bounced around the space. The all white finishes provide a great blank canvas, and the home owner has painted it beautifully.

The entire interior is lovely, but the magic is in the details. The little touches in each vignette that lend life and personality to the space keep it from feeling cold and modern (sometimes harsh geometry and modern lines in all white can feel uncomfortable). Long dangling pendant lights visually lower the ceiling and make the space feel warm and sheltered.

One of the least expensive and effortless ways to breathe life into a space is to literally bring life into a space. Flowers, plants, and any sort of live leafy greens or blooms perk up a space and sprinkle a dose of energy. The perfect combination of longevity (houseplants) and fleeting petals (cut flowers) is on display in this living area.

This dwelling is an artful balance of minimalism and disorder. The furnishings are nominal. The accessories add an element of comfort without taking away from the spacious effect of not having excess furniture. The color is another element of balance in this delightful space. Almost every piece of furniture and each accessory is a saturated color to balance out the white walls, white fixtures, and pale floors. There is something to be said for the contrast of white and color (if you have bold paint on the walls, embellish them with neutral furnishings for a harmonious effect).

The attraction of this space is in the brilliant styling. There is evidence of occupation – a shirt hanging on the door, toys on the bed, and the throw blanket haphazardly thrown over a lounge chair are an open invitation to settle into this space and inhabit the interior.

For more inspiration, check out our archive of home tours.

(Images from Stadshem via Stylizimo.)

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Of all the 2011 shelter trends, this one is near and dear to my heart. There’s something about riads, Marrakech, and Morocco that make me swoon (you can likely blame Casa Blanca). I have long been obsessed with the Kingdom of Morocco. Watching the vivid patterns and geometric shapes of Moroccan culture infiltrate interiors and design is pure bliss.

Here’s an example of a riad (a traditional Moroccan house with an interior garden) in Medina that will have you swooning for Moroccan details, too.

The space is exotic and elegant, combining tradition with minimalism. The delicate details and sensual doorways can come live at my house any day. And don’t even get me started on the bed. I want that bed.

Here are five gorgeous products to bring a hint of Marrakech into your own space.

1. Moroccan Hanging Lamp – Viva Terra, $149
2. Kasbah End Table – Anthropologie, $598
3. Facet Glass – Tine K Home, £8
4. Antique Trays – John Derian, Call for pricing
5. Moroccan Leather Pouffe – Graham & Green, £129

Moroccan influence is only the first part of the global eclectic trend I think will take over interiors. The second component is Bohemian style, complete with gypsy ephemera. The vivid colors and patterns of the Bohemian style have graced the pages of EcoSalon several times before. Get inspired by bold colors in Arild or eclectic details in Stockholm – both previous EcoSalon Home Tours from Sweden.

Don’t forget to read about the rest of our 2011 shelter trends.

(Photographs by Paola Miozza for Marie Claire Italy. This riad was spotted at Desire to Inspire.)

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Each year the definition of excellent design gets a little further away from those matching bedroom suites where the nightstand, dresser, armoire, and bed frame are the same polished wood boasting identical brass handles; this makes me elated. Dare I say it’s my favorite 2011 shelter trend? It seems when interiors get more eclectic, they get more intimate and personal. Each piece in your home can be something you love, even if your mustard yellow side chair doesn’t quite match the goldenrod pillows on your couch.

Freedom from the demands of matching allows your imagination to run wild with the possibilities of your personality. You can find a tufted sofa to catch your elegance and combine it with a sleek solid wood side chair – an improbable match to make your own.

The best part about these eclectic spaces is the complete originality. When you peruse local flea markets and thrift stores for furniture and accessories, you’ll never walk into your neighbor’s house and find the same dining table (complete with six matching chairs and an analogous hutch for added boredom).

This deliciously cohesive interior full of conflicting components was created and designed by Jarlath Mellett (photographed by Patrick Cline for Lonny). The soft tones and understated elegance is the perfect illustration of how to mix without matching. Plus, the soft tones and calm palette is in stark opposition to the chaotic Bohemian stereotype that usually flutters to mind when the word eclectic is involved.

If matching an ornate old world chandelier with modern streamlined upholstery makes your pulse quicken with anxiety, devour the EcoSalon Style Clash series by Kim Derby. Ms. Derby will painlessly guide you through mixing and matching.

Stay tuned as I guide you through the rest of the 2011 shelter trends.

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There’s something perfectly balanced about the combination of exposed wood, raw metal, and plump plum upholstery – all perched on pristine white floors. Besides the crisp white floors (my pragmatic side is all too aware of muddy dog paws), I could move in tomorrow, maybe even today.

The entry to this regal house is the single best vignette in the house. From the antique floor covering made of rushes and leather to the eclectic combination of candlesticks, the sunlight bounces magically around the foyer (click here and learn how to utilize mirrors to capitalize on natural light in your own space).

Tine Kjeldsen is the creative icon behind Tine K Home (based in Denmark, but trickling across the globe). Tine’s personal dwelling (styled with some of the gorgeous products from Tine K Home) is captivating, explore the visual delight (I highly recommend it). Here are a few delicious glimpses.

The most alluring facet about this interior is that you can gather all the details for your own space. Most of the furnishings and accessories are straight out of the Tine K Home catalog. I’ll take one of everything (especially that metal and wood shelf, complete with dishes and ceramics).

(All images from Tine K Home. Journey to Desire to Inspire to see more of this tour.)

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We’re still knee deep in a week of home tours and today we’re going abroad again, to France. There’s something about a Parisian apartment that makes my heart flutter. They’re intricate, delicate, and versatile. Here are two abodes with similar details, but entirely different feelings.

The common ground is literally common ground – perfect little herringbone puzzles. The walls are framed with an abundance of crown molding and punctuated with gaping glass windows.

The first home is full of vintage finds and tulip chairs. An eclectic collection of artwork, furniture, and accessories is highlighted by a gorgeous chandelier for an artistic and comfortable interior. This is the home of landscape architect Gabriel Wick and partner Olivier (read more about this enviable home here).

The next home is elegant and graceful with soft monochromatic textures. Slip covers and fireplaces lend a certain romance to this Parisian haven.

Both of these interiors began with a blank canvas, a beautiful blank slate. This is aesthetic verification that interiors are made by the occupants and their style, not the canvas (but a lovely Parisian canvas never hurts).

Tomorrow we’ll look back at our favorite home tours of 2010.

Catch the rest of the New Year home tours here or enjoy our home tour archives here.

(First interior spotted on Design Sponge – images by Braden Perkins. Second interior spotted on This is Glamorous – images by Amador Toril.)

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This week at EcoSalon we welcomed the brand new, shiny year with a week of charismatic home tours. To wrap up the inspiration, here’s a look back at five of my favorite home tours from 2010.

1. Blissfully Arranged Chaos

2. Not Fickle, Just in Love

3. Sex in a Convent

4. Gold Chairs and Bond Girls

5. Bohemian Rockers in Stockholm

Keep scrolling to see each home tour in its entirety.

1. Blissfully Arranged Chaos

Brace yourself. Your eyes are seconds away from falling on an interior simultaneously wearing composed white walls and a chaotic chromatic rush – radiant pockets of vivid hues embellishing a blank shell. This bold serving of design is the London flat of Liza Giles. Ms. Giles has borrowed brilliant color and feminine details from her profession as a senior designer and stylist for Designers Guild.

Ms. Giles has arranged isolated tufts of seemingly unrelated elements that coalesce for a sense of overwhelming cohesion. Each vignette is a gathering of shiny new objects and flea market charms (which, by the way, has me yearning to locate her blissful flea market resources). Once again, James Merrell‘s photography has flawlessly captured endless design details with his talented lens.

This flat literally sings to me; gushing and admiring comes easily when the space is this perfect. I still remember the first time I set eyes upon this interior. Love at first sight. Every time I view these images, I find a new detail that makes it even more endearing (like the unassuming charcoal lace quietly dangling over the living room window). I would move in immediately, forsaking all personal possessions and arriving with only one suitcase and one husband. I have adored this space on my personal (humble, little) blog more than once. I still love it.

I am smitten with the sense of unintentional variety laced with deliberate eclecticism. The subtle whispers of color (through muted artwork) adjacent to the not-so-subtle shouts of color (reflected through gleaming metallic teal wallpaper) form a palatable, delicious tension. All this contrast is balanced into tranquility by the overwhelming silence of stark white walls, floors, and ceilings.

Still craving more? Gain a little more insight (or at least an additional opinion) with these features on This is Glamorous and decor8.

(Photography by James Merrell via decor8.)

2. Not Fickle, Just in Love

With time, things change. Not too long ago, I shared my (once) beloved interior – the home of Liza Giles. Ms. Giles’ home is still lovely, but no longer holds the title of my favorite. I’m not fickle, and I don’t use the word favorite frequently. Meet my new love – this ravishing home is wooing me with unique details and vintage embellishments. The combination of charismatic artwork and industrial elements is inspired. Totally my new favorite.

These beautiful walls enclose the dwelling of Virginie Denny and Alfonso Valles in Paris (in case you needed another reason to visit Paris). The vignettes of imperfection create a cohesive and deliciously livable perfection. There is something charming about a space that screams with personality and boasts vintage botanical prints. I would love to take a seat at this desk, stare into a wall of wire typography, and churn creativity daily.

These gorgeous photographs were captured by Petra Bindel for Elle Interior Sweden. The talented Emma Persson Lagerberg is the stylist and writer behind this feature. Is it too much to ask to have coffee with both of these artistic geniuses (preferably in Paris)?!

(Thank you for introducing me to this interior Pure Green!)

3. Sex in a Convent

Meet fashion designer David Delfin. Meet architect and photographer Gorka Postigo. Rest your eyes on the stunning space these gentlemen share. Once a convent, this audacious Madrid residence was conceived and designed by Postigo. Tina Komninou lent this space a compelling description, “The minute you enter this house you appreciate that its owners are comfortable with who they are and express it with no inhibitions.”

This isn’t the type of place you want to scour in a ten page spread; this is a home to be experienced in three dimensions. I want to walk through this space and soak in the details, study the exposed white structure, ponder each art piece, and peruse through each book lounging on every horizontal surface. The simultaneous adjacency of retro furniture and fresh modern artwork is delicious. The effort put into this perfectly curated collection of artwork is as palpable as the bondage ropes dangling from the bedroom ceiling.

The amalgamation of rhythmic ingredients like antiquated oversized industrial light fixtures, natural wood, dramatic details, and provocative photography combine in price proportions for sincere cohesion. Natural light floods each room with innocence and sultry shadows of masculine silhouettes.

(This space was captured through brilliant photography by Manolo Yllera. This gorgeous dwelling of drama and edge was discovered lingering at the lovely Wabi Sabi. If you are bold enough to covet any of the artwork in this stunning apartment, click over to this post by Tina Komninou on Yatzer for more information.)

4. Gold Chairs and Bond Girls

Confession. I don’t always buy organic (gasps abound). But today I found something organic that was literally irresistible; it looked fresher, toxins were nowhere in sight, and it certainly left a delicious flavor on my taste buds. I am talking about the supple and fresh Organic Interior Design. Kelly LaPlante is the genius behind this firm. Yes, genius. And no, I don’t use the word genius lightly. Ms. LaPlante’s biography and resume are gleaming with a shine that rivals her gold dining chairs. I can’t decide if I am overwhelmed with awe and esteem or choking on my jealousy. Either way, there’s no debate about the gorgeousness of LaPlante’s Los Angeles Loft. Devour these images by Thomas J. Story.

Visit the original article on Sunset for more information, including thirteen ways this space is green.

The wildly talented LaPlante is in the midst of creating Standard, a periodical publication. The magazine is based on LaPlante’s thought that, “green is a standard, not a style.” I wait with baited breath.

(Thank you Automatism for introducing me to Kelly LaPlante.)

5. Bohemian Rockers in Stockholm

My heart belongs in Stockholm along the streets of Södermalm. This lovely little place in the northern hemisphere is considerably more charming because the influence of the southern hemisphere is all over the walls. The Moroccan details lounging in this Scandinavian home are the perfect influence of crisp, clean, ethnic, and complicated.

Amelia and Andrew Lonngren Widell are a stylist and photographer duet, so it shouldn’t be surprising that their home is full of delicious little vignettes, perfectly composed and perfectly styled. The global influence in the furnishings comes from travel and shopping trips to Morocco. What makes this home different from a home bursting with souvenirs from foreign bazaars? Amelia shares that the couple has, “a personal relationship with everything in the home, it is not a tourist hop.” It is clearly a flawless collection of deep travel, love, and interest in interior design.

Amelia and Andrew have coined their aesthetic Rock Bohemian. Their style is composed of individual items they inherently love, not items they find that fit their style. Their design philosophy is, “to build on what exists and make the best of it.”

Get acquainted with Google Translate and sift through the original article on Skona Hem.

If you love the mixture of Scandinavian and Moroccan elements, you’ll adore our recent Style Clash Series by Kim Derby.

(Images from Lonngren Widell Photography.)

Have a peek at the archives of home tours. What’s your favorite?

Oh, and Happy New Year!

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Yesterday we kicked off the New Year with a fresh start and a clean slate of Scandinavian modernism. This week we will be serving up handfuls of home tours full of style and charisma. Today we’ll supply heaps of color with a side of optimism and eclecticism.

This is the home of interior designer Marie Olsson Nylander in Arild, Sweden. Nylander has gathered bold colors and vivid patterns from around the globe, all nestled beautifully inside a historic canvas.

A table from Egypt, a door from Denmark, a kitchen island from the Czech Republic, fabrics over 100-years-old, and a vast collection of vintage hats all reside under this roof and all just a few hundred yards from the beach.

Devour the original article (from Swedish magazine Residence) with the help of Google Translate. Nylander generously shares her sources and the story of how she landed in this simple and intricate country home.

Come by tomorrow to see two different sides of Paris in a French dichotomy.

(This charming gem was spotted on Desire to Inspire. For more on this delicious design blog, click here.)

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A brand new, shiny year is laid out in front of us. At EcoSalon, this means a fresh start and a clean slate. This week we will be serving up handfuls of home tours full of style and charisma.

Two of my favorite artists have collaborated to create a space that easily defines my aesthetic inspiration for 2011. Pia Ulin lends her talented lens to capture this space perfectly styled by stylist Lotta Agaton (for Swedish magazine Elle Interiör). These brilliant Scandinavian ladies have sculpted a space where monochromatic isn’t boring. Supple grays and rich materials provide an immaculate slate of crisp, clean inspiration.

It isn’t often that stark modernism and clean lines conspire into such warmth. The Eames chairs framing the dining table and typographical artwork dancing on the dining room walls is almost as charming as the eclectic collection of chairs in the kitchen.

The wire globe floating over the living room leaves the space in perfect balance.

The vignettes sprinkled throughout this home are the mark of Lotta Agaton’s pure, simple, and flawless styling. I have perused her portfolio and cannot seem to find a single blemish. In my mind, Lotta can do no wrong (her blog is an endless stream of priceless inspiration).

This glimpse of metallic typography, an industrial light bulb, pristine white, and a few leaves is gorgeous.

If negative space and monochromatic musings aren’t your style, stay tuned. Tomorrow we’ll serve up a whimsical bohemian space bursting with color.

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