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When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of having a bunk bed. If I were a little girl now, I would dream of having this piece of multi-use furniture designed by h2o Architects all to myself (even though it’s designed to be shared by two children). The entire piece consists of multiple spaces that allow each child to have their own personal space. It’s also a fun-inducing area that provides fun possibilities for climbing, storing, hiding, and drawing.
Remember last week we featured 123DV Architecture’s beautiful Dali-inspired home? Well, The Hill House is another gem by 123DV Architecture that has has quite a bit going for it: Funky looking fireplace: check. Large expanses of glass: check. Floating stairs: check. Cantilever second-story design: check. Totally awesome: check. This home is still a work in progress but you can see where is it going. I would love to see all the furniture in place when done.
Memoria Casa Joaquin is a house located in Spain and designed by A-cero Architects. The rich, pure and volumetric qualities of the forms are also apparent in the structure, which includes concrete walls that create the outlines of volumes. The design process is intended to discover new visions of everyday life directly related to Galician culture, like making life in the kitchen area. The architects sought the concept of a family home and paid equal attention to the urban development, architecture and details.
This residence at the Singel, Amsterdam is yet another amazing project by i29 Interior Architects, one of my absolute favorite interior architecture firms. i29 is innovative in their approach, but they are able to keep their designs so simple by combining materials in such an awe inspiring way while maintaining an incredible sense of calmness. This design takes things one step further outside the box, or maybe I should say inside the walls. This space is made up of freestanding objects and interior volumes. Within the space you feel the openness, but the interior of the volumes feel very intimate. The kitchen and wardrobe are contained within one volume near the entrance. The burled walnut is so rich against the white epoxy floors and white walls. This space seriously takes my breath away!
The “Front and Back” apartment is a single space designed by h2o Architects for a young Parisian advertising executive also avid collector of comics. He wanted his apartment to be fun and fresh, but calming. His original apartment design was very confusing and hodge-podge — it had 6 tiny rooms squished together (the entryway had 7 doors!). I like all the little cubbies — what do you think?
More from the architects:
The new design offers a continuous wide open space which expands, becomes more complex or dense depending on orientations and uses. These variances are defined by the variable geometries and the usable thickness of the casework and walls. A study on sculpting these depths allowed to create a variety of cavities, niches and alcoves. The sculpted shapes vary in size and colors to adapt to multiple functions in different locations. They can harbor either the vast collection of comics or a bar, a bathroom, a closet, and so on.
The front side of each shape always maintains its negative volume on the back. Behind the scenes can unveiled new uses taking place like cupboards, a desk, video, shelves, etc… In this manner, the apartment is continuously renewed and cross-views can become through-views.
Do you have a bib on? You should, because you’ll soon be drooling.
Here is the story from the architects:
This single story house by Marcus O’Reilly Architects is located on a leafy well established street in Kyneton, Victoria. While appropriately scaled for the neighborhood it is a variation on the local typology. Whereas the typical suburban model of a distinct front yard and back yard is the norm in the area, this design focuses the house to a generous north facing outdoor room.
Stretching east to west across the site, the dynamic double skillion roofs provide ample northern light into every room in the house. A central spine between the two roofs splits the house into public and private functions and visually connects the entrance of the home to the sculptural forms of the rear garden. A thickened wall with deep niches for the display of art and random artifacts heightens the experience of passing along the central circulation.
This home, called Villa Dali by 123DV Architecture, is spectacular. It might not be for everyone, but if you love architecture or art (or both) I bet you’re gonna love this one. It was also selected for the WAN long list for Best House of the Year, 2009.
“Home is where the art is” is the theme of this home, which captures the character of Dali, Jugendstill forms, Spanish facades and nautical life in one villa.
The clients asked for a very personal house which would reflect their passions. They are nautical minded and have a love of art, sculptures and especially the work of Salvador Dali. During the initial design discussions 123DV architecture were also shown pictures of ancient Spanish architecture. They were fascinated by the closed white stucco facades and metal fences in Jugendstill design. So, the challenge was to combine in one villa the beautiful Jugendstill forms, the closed facades, the treasures of the diving world and the unique works of the artist Dali.
For the design of the house, 123DV Architecture made use of the Paranoiac-critical method by Salvador Dali (creating optical illusions). The result is a cylindrical white stucco main building with a nautilus spiral structure inside; representing the world of diving. The closed facade facing the street represents the so called Spanish architecture with a blown up Jugendstill pattern in the six meter wooden panel as the entrance. In the center of the house there is a double story cylindrical space. The furniture has also been custom designed. Traces of Dali’s fluid watch art can be found in their design.
In the Dutch village of Bilthoven are villas designed by Cita Architects. They were constructed using wood, stone, and glass, which complements the wooded area where they’re located.
This spectacular home in Columbia County, New York, created by Specht Harpman is just on the perimeter of an old-growth forest. It’s situated so that it takes advantage of long valley views and the natural heating and cooling system (the treelines provide a nice windbreak).
The house demonstrates the sustainable design dictum, “Don’t build more house than you need” and incorporates many energy-saving features and materials. The main house, guest house, and pool/pool house were designed to create an informal precinct of habitation within the 100-acre site.
I just love the boat-like design with portal windows coupled with the mid-century-style roofline.
Simon Winstanley Architects set out to create a contemporary single-story “long house”, which is recessed in the landscape, sustainable in construction, very low in energy consumption, and with the aim for zero net CO2 emission for all energy use in the house.
The design uses lightweight but highly insulated steel and timber frame construction, clad in cedar weatherboarding allowed to weather to a natural silver gray color. The roof uses pre-weathered gray standing seam zinc. Windows and external doors are to be high performance timber, painted gray.
The slope of the roof of the main living accommodation follows the slope of the hillside, with the roof of the rear accommodation meeting the main roof at a shallower angle to allow morning sunlight to penetrate the center of the house.
