Tag Archives: Home Tours
Estate Tours: The Rare Musical Instruments Of Holdenby House, England
When you visit a stately home like Holdenby, you expect the pomp, the glamor, the sense of history. Less expected, perhaps, is a museum for some of the rarest musical instruments around.
Holdenby House is a historic country house in Northamptonshire, traditionally pronounced, and sometimes spelt, Holmby. The house is situated in the parish of Holdenby, six miles northwest of Northampton and close to Althorp. It is a Grade II* listed building.
From An American Aristocrat’s Guide to Great Estates: https://bit.ly/2YK7Yn4
Culture & Design: 15th C. Tuscan Villa, Siena, Italy
Even now, the approach to the 1,200-acre property is just as it must have been centuries ago: a long, winding ride through pale, undulating fields, leading to a dignified hilltop retreat. The three-story ivy-wrapped building is ringed by 20-foot obelisk-like cypress trees — a private citadel entered through a wrought-iron gate. Beyond the vista of olive groves, another fortresslike outcropping is visible in the distance: the mottled russet city of Siena, three miles away.
WHEN RENÉ CAOVILLA, the 82-year-old Venetian shoe designer, was first shown the Tuscan villa he bought in 1977, he fell in love with it instantly. He wasn’t only taken with the house, a 15th-century red brick monastery that had undergone a slow transformation into an austere 20-bedroom private home in the 17th century, but the Chianti landscape as well — the whole of classical history evoked in a flash.
Renaissance Villa Tour: Pistoia In Tuscany, Italy
Magnificent and elegant luxury villa in Tuscany built in 1893 in the late Tuscan Renaissance style that dominates the plain of Pistoia and offers a spectacular panoramic view towards Florence. The exclusive villa near Florence is a testimony of the aesthetic culture of the end of the century and of the taste of high society of that time, with the creation of unique and exclusive artifacts and locals for the most important persons of the nobility and of the rich international community that, at that time, was attending Florence.
The most famous artist-decorators then active in Tuscany, such as Peter Baldoncoli Francesco Morini, Mariano Coppedè and Giuseppe Michelucci, participated in the realization of this residence, which is typical of Sixteenth-century style and it was celebrated as a dwelling worthy of the Renaissance. The interiors feature rich finishes, beautiful antique furnishings and wonderful wall-paintings.
Top Architectural Tours: ‘Shelter Island, New York’
91 Ram Island Drive is the culmination of twenty years of work by internationally renowned architect William Pedersen. A triumph of contemporary design and expertly crafted by Wright and Company Construction, the house sits on almost 3 acres of rolling native meadow that gently slopes onto over 220 feet of pristine beach, with Gardiners Bay beyond.
Based on a multi-axis linear framework and emphasizing the contrasting textures of the primary building materials of concrete, wood, copper and bluestone, the structure is at once both awe-inspiring and effortlessly comfortable. Set at the convergence of three distinct landmarks – the lighthouse in Gardiners Bay, Gardiners Island and the entrance to Coecles Harbor – an unparalleled 360-degree panoramic view unfolds in front of the property.
The house itself seems to rise like an island from the water, as was the conceptual inspiration for the design. Clad in stone and sheets of standing seam copper, the 3-bedroom residence offers an open flow between the public spaces at the heart of the home, the expansive outdoor entertaining areas that define the summer lifestyle and the long passageway of the private bedroom wing. Singular in design and function, 91 Ram Island Drive is, in every sense, a habitable work of art.
English Country Homes: ’16th Century Chocolate Box’ In Bedfordshire
This lovely house — Grade II-listed — was built four centuries ago, when (no doubt) all around was rolling fields and endless Bedfordshire skies. Today, it’s a couple of hundred yards up a country lane, that comes straight off the main A505 heading from Hitchin to Luton, with a large cemetery just along the road.
So not quite a countryside idyll, then, but at least you know the neighbours will be dead quiet.
Balancing the house and the location is always part of the fun with any property, of course. And if you’re after a place truly in the country, then a thatched cottage such as this one at the other end of the county — a delightful two-bedroom beauty at £435,000 — is really in the middle of nowhere.
Floating Home Tour: Seattle, Washington
2017 Seattle Magazine & AIA Home of Distinction Award: A refined minimalist sculptural statement by Vandeventer + Carlander Architects. This exquisite floating home is located in an outside condo-owned slip in Roanoke Reef with west views to Gasworks Park.
A reverse plan allows light to pour in from all sides while maintaining privacy & capturing its amazing views. Open living, dining room+kitchen with Afromosa wood cabinets. 2 outdoor decks & a rooftop deck marry the home with its surroundings.
English Country Homes: ‘Morley Manor’, Hamlet Of Shermanbury, West Sussex
According to its Historic England listing, the present Grade II-listed manor house dates from the 17th century or earlier, although the original manor of Morley was one of three Shermanbury manors listed in the Domesday survey.
Restored, enlarged and partly rebuilt over the years, Morley Manor stands in 14¼ acres of pristine gardens, grounds and post-and-railed paddocks, with southerly views to the South Downs.
It offers more than 6,900sq ft of sumptuously refurbished living space, including a large reception hall and four reception rooms.
The equestrian facility includes a stable courtyard with 11 stables, a heated rug room, a horse wash-down bay with hot and cold water, a heated tack room (what bliss!), a separate oak tack room and two first-floor apartments.
Design Tour: Interior Designer Alidad’s London Mayfair Home (Video 2020)
Join us in London for a behind the scenes visit with interior designer Alidad in his sophisticated Mayfair home. With a passion for textiles, antiques and history, Alidad has created timeless spaces that are a testament to his wide ranging interests and tastes. See how his love of opulent color and pattern translates to a different effect in every room. Learn how he segued from his position at Sotheby’s as the youngest departmental director for Islamic works of art and textiles to opening his own studio.
Alidad is an award winning interior designer, world renowned for his opulent yet supremely comfortable interiors.
Alidad first decided to establish his interior design studio whilst working at Sotheby’s where he was the youngest departmental director for Islamic works of art and textiles. Whilst there, he realised that his interest lay more in styling the space than the actual objects within.
Alidad’s design style is inspired by an idyllic childhood spent in the ancient, rich and mysterious land of Persia. His deep appreciation for history means that he can completely immerse himself in any true design aesthetic from Baroque to Neo-Classicism, Chinoiserie to Art Deco.
English Country Homes: ‘Adshead Park’ – 136 Acres In The West Berkshires
…Adshead Park, a striking Arts-and-Crafts-style country house set in 136 acres of formal gardens, woods and farmland in the hills above the west Berkshire village of Lower Basildon, three miles from Pangbourne and eight miles from Reading.
Adshead was the realisation of a dream for its owner, the charismatic businessman Sir John Madejski, whose ability to see ‘the bigger picture’ led to the foundation of a diverse business empire. It started with the motor classifieds magazine Auto Trader —launched with £2,000 in the 1970s and sold for £260 million in 1998 — but went on to span publishing, hotels, restaurants, radio, a top flight football team (Reading FC) and property.
Dealing with business is one thing; dealing with planning applications is another matter entirely, and it took all of Sir John’s legendary skills to negotiate the labyrinthine process required to build a new country house on virgin farmland in one of the most heavily protected areas of the Home Counties.
Boomers Daily 