Andalusian Treasure

Voted the prettiest village in Andalucía, Spain, Frigiliana is a town known for its maze of narrow cobbled streets lined by whitewashed houses, their wrought-iron balconies and planters filled with brilliant red geraniums. Although the structure of this gorgeous home keeps its traditional style, the interior has been completely modernized. Playing with its organic anatomy, the owners achieved a harmonious balance between the historical features and the modern furnishings. I adore the mix match of styles, especially the red leather Mickey Mouse chair sitting in the foyer — the perfect protagonist for the space.

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Haute Couture Spirits

It's been a week since I got back home, and as you might have noticed, I'm still in a Spain state of mind. I had such a great time and found so many interesting things that it's been hard not to share them with you. Walking by fashion guru David Delfin's store in Madrid, I noticed this incredibly elegant and classic bottle of what I thought was his new fragrance. But when I went in the store, I was shocked to find out it was a bottle of Tempranillo wine. Delfin had done it again. He created a product you would never associate with a fashion designer. He turned his creativity to design this very special wine bottle and packaging, making it look like a real perfume — hence its name Perfume de Sonsierra. It is a Rioja wine from Bodegas Sonsierra, harvest 2007.

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A Fab Solar House

In my recent trip to Spain I came across this very interesting article about a solar house contest produced by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, where the Fab Lab House received the audience award for the best of its kind. Because of its organic shape some referred to is as the peanut home, cinnamon submarine, forest Zeppelin or even whale belly. But whatever you might want to call this unique home, its contribution to green living is quite significant as it introduced the most efficient flexible solar panels in the world as of yet — a significant breakthrough in the architectural integration of solar systems.

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Temporary Pizzazz

Wallpaper is a trend that will still be huge in 2011, mainly with the big surge of companies coming out with new prints and fun alternatives like Tempaper. This vinyl coated self-adhesive wall decor was created out of the frustrations of set decorators in New York City who didn't have a source for temporary wallpaper that could be easily repositioned. So for them Tempaper became the apparent solution to many design problems and a fun option to decorating homes. Although not your typical wallpaper, it is printed with traditional techniques and state of the art materials to bring a classic look and feel of conventional wallpaper. It's ideal for those living in rented places where you can add some razzle-dazzle to your walls without being permanent. I recently used it in a client's home and it's phenomenal!

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Bold and Daring

I consider myself a designer who likes to take chances and create out-of-the-box interiors. That's why I have a crush on this home that appeared in the Swedish edition of Elle Interior. Although they used bold colors and very graphic elements throughout, the whole feeling of the home is quite serene, mostly due to the perfect balance between all the visual components and the way they are used. I'm all for using different approaches when it comes to wall art, but this funky mural really does it for me — it's what first caught my eye when I was drooling over this family's pad. And how about those blue kitchen cabinets? How many people you know would go for such a bold statement? I definitely think it's what makes this space a head turner. So my friends, this proves that being daring when decorating your home is a good thing. The smart and unexpected use of color and surprising elements can make any room quite special.

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A Retreat on Wheels

I'm not much into camping or have ever experienced a caravan trip, but after seeing this adorable and über chic camper, this vacationing concept has a new meaning for me. This amazing creation was born from the collaboration between the Spanish company Caravanolic and the interior design firm Viceversa. What started as a one-time project, rapidly became a bigger production of designer caravans, converting them into very personal and unique spaces for a very stylish traveler.

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Signature Starck

While looking for a place to ring in the New Year, the hotel's concierge gave us a list of cool places in Madrid where to celebrate the big night. Among them was Ramses, a fabulous club designed by renowned design guru Philippe Starck — and one of the “it” places in the Spanish capital. Knowing Starck's imaginative style, we immediately put it on top of the list. So we took a stroll to the famous Puerta de Alcala, where it is located, to take a peek before making a decision. The multi-level restaurant/bar/lounge was everything I was expecting, and more. The place has several dining rooms, lounge areas and a club, each more stunning and eccentric than the other.

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A Home of Many Treasures

My dear readers, I hope you had an amazing holiday season and a fantastic New Year. I just returned from a wonderful trip to Spain so I'm still feeling a little out of whack because of the jet lag. However, I came back with lots of ideas and ready to give you a year full of fun and inspirational posts. So I wanted to start 2011 by sharing the fabulous home of Swedish interior designer Marie Olsson Nylander. When Marie and her husband bought this shabby 1970's villa, they decided to open up the entire lower floor and tore off the ceiling in order to create an open floor plan. Their home is full of stories and coziness — and wonderful peculiarities. I love how each room is filled with salvaged pieces of furniture that add a special mood to the house.

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