A Bright Space

The 244th Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition opens on 4 June 2012.  It is the world's largest open-submission contemporary art show and ends on 12 August.  Don't miss it! Installation view of Gallery I, Summer Exhibition 2011. Photo: John Bodkin/DawkinsColour

A cinema room in your own home is considered a luxury by most people, but it need not cost a fortune.  This is an ingenious conversion of a loft, a bright relaxing space, which can instantly shut out the light to become a dark, cosy cinema room, either after dark or when the blinds are down.  Even if you don't install proper stairs to the room you needn't worry, less chance of being disturbed during a great film! Photo: John Shepherd Another private home cinema room to inspire you..... Photo: Watersons Hope you have a great weekend.  Thanks for watching!  : )

Completing an interior design job is made all the more interesting when a client has attractive, individual artefacts to place within the scheme.  This brilliant, beaming Buddha was picked up on one of my client's trips abroad and it really looks perfect within this display. Bright Space Design

Marimekko create some amazing wallpapers. This giant lily-pad design made this living room looking absolutely stunning. The paper has such a top quality feel and look to it, which is hard to portray in any photo.... Another wallpaper design with exquisite detail...  and I love the bright colours in this example.... Strangely, Marimekko don't make a point of advertising the fact that they make wallpapers but as they use an Italian company, Sirpi, to manufacture their papers, you can view some of the designs on the Sirpi website.   

How would you like to have a kitchen like this one?  A runway-style work surface for all your creative culinary skills, and light flooding in through the expansive glass section.  I particularly like the off the floor units on the left hand side and the masses of hidden storage space which help to keep the room minimal and clutter-free. Tusculum Residence by Smart Design Studio in Australia

Here's a quiet reading corner with a comfortable view to the exterior.

A house which looks like it is built into the earth with an upper storey that defies gravity.  The simplicity of the slate cube against the sky looks sharp and crisp next to the green, soft grass.  Personally, I'd have preferred real, rather than fake grass, but the effect is still magnificent.  Enjoy the photos....

A stunning home in Aspen, Colorado, America, located an an elevation of 9,200 feet.  Energy sources for the house consist of 72 geo-thermal wells and a generator, enabling it to function almost independently of any outside services.  The geo-thermal wells heat the pool, house and driveways during the cold winters and cool during the summer without depleting any fossil fuels. Wildcat Ridge Residence by Voorsanger Architects Inside the Wildcat Ridge residence.... Photography by Paul Warchol, Thomas Damgaard, and Paul Bardagjy