Loft Love – Casa Olivi

Feeling loft love today…and this one is exquisite.  A journey to Italy brings us to the Casa Olivi.  This gorgeous minimalist loft was designed in a 300 year old farm house.  The breath-taking design was done by Swiss architects Markus Wespi and Jerome de Meuron, who I feel did their finest in keeping the architectural details of this house intact.

I absolutely love the rough stone and brick walls that vault to the second floor. Every room opens out with arched doorways bringing in 360 degrees of lush Italian country-side views. A kitchen so minimal and clean. Unbelievable.

Second floor bedrooms with gorgeous white fixtures and windows that open to the view. Peaceful and lovely. Love the wood beamed ceiling.

One of the best parts about this loft: the outdoor terraces for relaxing and entertaining. And check out the view with those rolling hills. Sigh*

The terrace area features this unique infinity pool…This loft is available for holiday let.

Anyone care to go to Italy with me?

More of this gorgeous loft via Loftenberg

Cheryl Crow Goes Deep

Cheryl Crow’s unique Spanish colonial hacienda is a feast for the artistic eye…and heart. She purchased the 11 acre estate in 1997, when she was fresh off the success of her first two albums. The estate sits nestled in the Hollywood hills, a landscape with three homes, and a few tree houses to boot. She now shares her home with her two young sons, Wyatt and Levy.

When she first moved in, she lived with almost no furniture for a year, giving Crow “a feel for airy spaces, poetic light.” Slowly, “she began to fill the rooms herself, piece by piece, taking a highly personal, richly layered approach to interior design.”

“This is an incredibly magical place. It has the best of everything California has to offer, but there’s also something deeper. The land has a fascinating energy.” – Cheryl Crow

“I wanted to get away from using heavy drapes and keep the place light,” says Crow.

“I’m a collector of oddities, stuff that is somehow off-center or off-kilter, things that have their own inner lives and implore you to use your imagination.” – Cheryl Crow

Ray Azoulay, owner of Obsolete, a Venice, California boutique, says of Crow: “There’s a fearlessness and a bit of irreverence in her style, but that’s what makes it so refreshing.”

“There are a lot of people who think of me as very straight, very middle America and conventional, so I imagine this place will come as a surprise. I’d hope it would make them think, I need to get to know this person better.”

We agree.

Article source: Architectural Digest: Good Vibrations

Apartments I Like

Bucks County Tavern Featured On Food Network Monday Night (via CBS Philly)

The fabulous Pineville Tavern in Bucks County Pa will be featured tonight on The Food Network….

WRIGHTSTOWN, Pa (CBS) – A Bucks County tavern, which has been popular with locals for decades, is making its national television debut Monday night on the Food Network. The Pineville Tavern is located just off of Route 413 in Wrightstown. Drew Abbruzzese, executive chef, says his family bought the tavern in 1989, but the building has a long history. “The original building has been here since 1742. It has operated as many different things from a f … Read More

via CBS Philly

The Arts in Doylestown PA

If you leave your Doylestown apartments and drive around you cannot miss this building because, well, it’s a castle!  The Mercer Museum and the Fonthill Museum are creations of Henry C. Mercer (1856-1930) and his creative vision is kept intact by The Bucks County Historical Society.  At the museum you can view collections from American daily life preserved with great care, ranging from hand tools to horse-drawn carriages.  The six-story concrete castle was erected by Mercer in 1916. Each level of rooms houses its own unique perspective of exhibits, with small alcoves for small exhibits all arranged according to Mercer’s illuminating classifications such as: healing arts, tinsmithing, dairying, illumination, etc.  Visitors will view objects in a new way. Before heading back to your Doylestown apartment, be sure to check out the Fonthill, Henry C. Mercer’s home that was built in 1910 which houses Mercer’s famed Moravian tiles produced during the American Arts & Crafts Movement.  The Mercer Museum is located at 84 Pine Street in Doylestown, Pa. The Michener Art Museum has been called the Art and Soul of Bucks County, Pa.  When venturing out of your Doylestown apartment to view some art be sure to visit this museum located on South Pine Street.  This museum offers exhibits, events and programs for all ages, as well as creative art classes for families and children.  A museum shop is featured and volunteer opportunities are available.  Check out their website for more information. Present exhibits include an American Icons photography collection, artist Si Lewen, and abstract painting exhibits.  Artwork above: William Schwartz, oil on canvas, “Come to Me All Ye That Are Heavy Laden.”

If you’re not the big museum type, when you head out of your Doylestown apartment you have many other options and The Chapman Gallery on East State Street is perfect.  Founded in 1989, the gallery specializes in original artwork and fine prints by Bucks County area artists. The galley exhibits oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, and pottery.  They also buy and sell past Pennsylvania Impressionist and New Hope Impressionist paintings.

print by Daniel Garber

The Gallery offers custom framing and restoration of oil paintings, watercolors, and antique picture frames.

The highly informed staff will help you when you venture out of your Doylestown apartment and visit the Chapman Gallery.

For more information check out their website.

If you are a renter in Doylestown Pa, or looking to move to the Bucks County area, visit Apartments I Like for renting and moving information to make your move as easy and stress free as possible.  Landlords with available apartments check out the website and list for free!

Unique Amsterdam Loft

This unique loft we find totally sweet….that is mainly because it is situated in an 18th century sugar warehouse in Amsterdam.

Built in 1763 and located on the Bloemgracht canal and in the Jordaan district (the hot spot for lofts we’re beginning to realize) the loft also boasts a panoramic view overlooking the city. But an important note on the interior is it continued to remain in its original state for almost 250 years until the owners decided to add their own design tastes and choices. Uxus Design has this to say about the loft: “In keeping the original open-plan layout we created a series of dramatic curtain walls that could be opened and closed according to the needs of use. Made of luxurious Italian linen, the curtain walls are opaque when lit from the front yet transparent from behind. At night, the space becomes a series of glowing tents, creating the effect of a surreal interior landscape.”
—from Loft Life Magazine blog

We love that the designers kept the original beams intact and worked with them, giving this space an updated, yet rustic feel.  Love the chandeliers, over the beds too and the modern living room area.  Visit Loft Life Magazine for full article. (link above)

If you are looking for an apartment to rent or are planning to move, you can find a wealth of advice and ideas to help make the transition a smooth one.  Check out Apartments i Like, Moving Made Easy for tons of information.  Or check out our Renters Corner at the upper-right of this blog.

In and around Reading, PA

It is easy to step out of your Reading apartment and see the sights, and the Reading area has quite a few sights to behold.  This picture, taken by Stinkfoot, shows a view of the downtown from a tourist attraction called the Fire Tower.  I think I can see my Reading apartment from here….(just kidding!).  But a short distance away I find the coolest attraction in the area: The Pagoda.

Love this picture by Ethan Carl.  The Pagoda was built near the turn of the century by William Abbott Witman.  He hired his friend Charles C. Matz to build this wonderous structure on 10 acres of the southern tip of Mt. Penn.

The Pagoda, when built, was intended to be a luxury hotel.  Mr. Witman was inspired by a post-card sent by Matz, and the magestic red brick and tile structure was built in the style of a Shogun Dynasty battle castle.  There is nothing else like it in the United States.  But Mr. Witman was not granted a license to serve liquor by the state, so the hotel plans never materialized.  Instead this feat of architecture stood empty, and eventually fell into the hands of a local bank.  The Pagoda then became owned by the City of Reading shortly afterward.  It was used as a signaling tower before radio became commonplace. Now it is one of Reading, Pennsylvania’s biggest attractions.  Come out of your Reading apartment for a while and drive up to see this one-of-a-kind castle.

There is so much to enjoy living in the Reading community…

Lovely waterways and recreations areas for taking a picnic.
Images by Janet Sobczak.

And in the evening, why not take a short drive north and visit The Christmas Village in Bernville.  Leaving your Reading apartment will be a treat any time of the year as this little shopping town boasts of everything with a Christmas theme.  Christmas year around – who could want more?!

Enjoy living in your Reading apartment or house and enjoy the wonderful sights in and around Reading, Pa.

For information on rentals available or for listing a rental check out link here.

Apartments of London

London may be voted as one of the most expensive place in the world to live, but the living space is so beautiful….So it may cost you 15 bucks at the cinema, but it’d be worth it. Above is a street in South Kensington, one of the nicest areas of London.

Love this apartment interior….white, fresh, simple, with a touch of elegance…

Exterior of the Dolphin House Apartments…

Living room space….

Mayfair House Apartments on Shepherd Street….

and what is this breath-taking city without its fog….?….

Last image: Skippy.com

Visit: Stuck in London for info on living in London.

Rome Delights the Eye

Check out the beautiful architecture from one of the most traveled-to cities in the world… Rome.

With this wondrous city being a major tourist attraction and inhabited by millions of residents, space here, of course, is at a premium.  (About $5,000 a month for something really nice…)

If you love art, this is the place to live. As a neighborhood, Piazza Navona’s atmosphere is full of artistry, small boutiques, restaurants and bars, street cafes, and a mix of all age groups. The beauty in architecture refreshes the eye.

Images: www.rome-accom.com and  marilyngelfandphoto.com