Design

Two LA-based interior designers fell in love with Cape Breton Island, in a remote corner of Nova Scotia, and decided to build a romantic wood-shingled getaway home for their family. The design of this charming coastal cottage was based on the color palette of blue, gray and green – the colors of land and sky. It was inspired by local barns combined with pure Scandinavian aesthetic. This 2,400 sq. ft. house is all about the outdoors, with large windows framing views in every direction. A lobster-crate-style deck wraps around the exterior, and inside, maple floors are all stained white. The open plan kitchen features a beautiful birch table and maple stools with goatskin seats; the light filled living room offers plenty of space for two rattan Foglia chairs, a maple Toothpick table, a channeled window seat spanning the width of the living room, and a rustic work table. I love the small details throughout this modern cabin, like the rug with a pattern inspired by the reg...

Shipping container homes are awesome; they’re affordable, stylish and most of all sustainable. Three friends – a designer, an architect and a developer – decided to create a collection of container homes for the modern dweller; they define it as “one of the smartest ways to house yourself”.from the small ALP320 to the spacious 1280 Hella (priced at $39,900 – $128,000), this new collection is all about ‘modular, environmental, kinetic, assembly’ – or in short Meka. House models vary from 320 to 1,280 sq. ft., incorporating 20-40 foot container units, featuring pine cladding for the exterior and solid bamboo for the interior, closed cell spray foam insulation for walls, ceilings and floors, insulated glazing units, kitchen, bathrooms, lighting and more. Meka claims that final on-site assembly can be achieved in under 7 days. ALP320 VOR640 THOR960 HELA1280 Here are a couple of photos of the ‘MEKA ALP320’ home that turned up in the corner of Washington and Charles street, in t...