A new blog for vosgesparis

 

we are working on a new blog design and will be back soon!

xxx desiree

A light home with a beautiful court

Suffering from a broken shoulder I am not updating the blog as much as I would like, let alone finishing the projects I am working on at home. Patience is what I need to practise over creativity in the coming weeks. Luckily some great things are on it's way too. A new website is in the make, and to be launched any time soon, and I got an email from Zachit Tshuva.

I previously showed a home she designed which you really loved: A monochrome home with soft and natural materials and I love to show you one of her latest renovation projects. She also kindly provided me with the text for the blogpost explaining the project, a real help when all goes slow!
Thank you so much Zachit.

A renovation project of a 95 square meter house that was originally built in 1950. A simple and modest one floor plan with an innocent looking roof tile. The construction of the roof as well as the height of it were hidden above a thin layer of "Ravitz" ceiling which is basically iron mash with plaster. The height of the interior space was really law and felt unpleasant, only 250 cm and uneven surface due to sinking and physical deterioration over the years. 

From a small door that leads to the space of the roof we had a very dark and dusty look to the construction- it was very unique sneak peek – beautiful concrete beams treasure. Since we did not have the original plans, we tried to understand the construction. One of the neighbours told us that the roof was brought as a full shield by a lever and the builders leant it on the walls which means that most of the walls are constructive and we should be careful with the new plan. 

 

First thing we decided to do is to reveal the beams and gain height. The revelation was overwhelming, the height really changed the whole feeling and proportion of the space, the presence of the concrete was impressive but at the same time felt too industrial – the challenge was to balance the presence of the material and the repetitive riddim but to find a way to keep the whole picture quiet and not too crowded. Since I believe that a living space should be calm and relaxed.

The solution was to expose and enjoy the uniqueness and the beauty of concrete and to close with white plaster between the upper beams to achieve a gentle and soft feeling. As to the plan; the original kitchen was a narrow room and we wanted to create a more open and young approach of living : The new kitchen is facing the living room and the court yard.

   

We opened a maximum window wall with two wide iron frame doors between the living area to the court yard to gain maximum natural light and to connect the outside with the house.
In order to have these changes we had to add iron construction that add another texture and character we created an home office in the corridor that leads to the master bedroom and open an inner window between the living and the corridor to let natural light in.

We chose a wood floor to hold all the materials together and gave everything an intimate and warm atmosphere. We were very careful with the rest of the windows we enlarge them but kept the intimate feeling of the old house. 

I like renovation projects because they have magic layers from the past and the challenge is to reveal it and respect it. I find the combination between old and new as a potential for interesting meeting points The kitchen tiles are Moroccan zelig tiles I just fell in love with the pattern and I love hand made products it brings a human touch.

I give a lot of attention to furniture and art because I think that it is a layer of living and very significant to the the whole atmosphere. Most of the furniture are modern monochromatic colours with beautiful materials and textures like wood and leather. The art is mainly oil paintings that feels like small windows. And graphic monochromatic patterns.

design: Zachit Tshuva / architect photo: gadi Yosef / furniture: arco collection / art: Nir Haaron and Shay Avivi  

 

Top picks from Fine Art America

Where I previously had some real gallery walls, I now prefer to have a few spots at home where I combine art with books and accessories. These corners give me the possibility to create the still life's and styled corners I love so much. And of course there is always a spot left on my wall for that one favourite artist, holiday or family picture.

Most of the time I get to know new artists through Instagram or blogs, or they approach me personally, also art websites are a favourite of mine. Art is something really personal and most of the time for me it is the more abstract minimal drawing in simple muted colours that I love most. Black and white portrait photography is something you will always see in my home, either from fashion artists and musicians I love or shots from beautiful authentic people that make me dream of travelling to, for me, unknown countries. 

On art websites you can often find something for every taste, and using their search machines can help you find that one piece you're looking for when using the right keywords. When Fine Art America asked me to have a look at their featured artist and art, I used key-words as ‘Minimal’ and ‘Line art’ and soon a few favourite wall art pieces were found. Shopping for wall art by room, theme, medium, product type, and colour is another option if you are looking for inspiration.

Fine Art America

The World's Largest Art Marketplace and Print-On-Demand Technology Company Fine Art America is the world's largest art marketplace and print-on-demand technology company helping artists sell wall art, but also home decor and other products and are home to hundreds of thousands of artists, photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, and iconic brands to choose from.


While strolling through the many options I selected a few favourite artworks I loved to give you an impression and that hopefully inspire you to create some new corners or a complete new art wall yourself. Fine Art America even has an augmented-reality mobile app that helps you see the artwork in your space before you complete your purchase! 

Open your own shop

If you are an artist yourself, you can open an account, upload your images, select the products that you want to sell, set your prices, and begin selling to millions of buyers worldwide. Fine Art America fulfils each order on behalf of the artists - taking care of the printing, framing, matting, packaging, shipping and finances. Each product is manufactured at one of their 16 global production facilities and delivered "ready-to-hang"
In addition to providing an online marketplace and fulfilment service there is much more Fine Art America can do for each artist, have a look here for an overview on how to open your own shop. 

Written in collaboration with Fine Art America