Singapore architectural firm FARM took two independent homes and reimagined them into one coherent whole.

Called The Wall House, the homes actually span two blocks and are separated, as requested by the retired clients. One two-storey block contains the main living and master bedroom area and the single-story block contains the entertainment area.

A huge central courtyard made of granite links the two sections together under an organically-shaped oculus and minimalist landscaping.

Type: Residential
Services: Architectural Design / Masterplanning
Year: Completion 2013
Team: Tiah Nan Chyuan, Lee Hui Lian
Collaborators: KD Architects, Locus Associates with Base6 and Terre Pte Ltd
Photographers: Bryan van der Beek and Edward Hendricks

The Fagerström House, designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune Architects, is a curved L-shaped residence located in Sollentuna, Sweden. Built for a growing family, the home had to be large enough to accommodate their needs, while at the same time preserving an old oak tree that was growing in the middle of the property. So, an L-shaped design was born.

The exterior is clad with vertical boards that transition in color from ocher (wide boards) to dark red (narrow boards). The color inspiration came from a Swedish children’s book entitled “Where’s the Tall Uncle’s Hat?”.

If they’d stuck with a sharp corner instead of the curve, the flow would have been broken up. The curve also gives the exterior a sculptural feel which is something the homeowner asked for.

In the tall end of the house, there are two floors with the bedrooms being on the top floor that you access via a curved stairwell. The two-story end gradually transitions to a stopping point where there’s a balcony overlooking the living room (above). It gives the living room high ceilings where the top floor would have been.

The placement of the large windows was strategic as to avoid the visibility of the neighbors. It helps give the home a feeling of being located in a more rural location than it is.

The middle of the structure houses the open kitchen that flows into the living room, all with access to the outdoors and with views of the oak tree.

I love how they incorporated the curved bookcase into the stairs, all blood red and matching one of the shades on the exterior.

The downstairs floors are made of Carrara marble and laid perpendicularly to the main facade.

The bathrooms are covered from the floor, ceiling, and walls with various patterns from Marrakech Design’s collection that Claesson Koivisto Rune designed.

Photos by Åke E:son Lindman.

This month we head to Portugal for a Destination Design that lands us by the Tagus River in Eastern Lisbon to a hotel that’s all about business and pleasure. Designed by architect Nuno Leónidas, the Myriad by SANA Hotels boasts 186 rooms featuring bright, bold colors and to-die-for views of the Tagus estuary. The “futuristic oasis” stands over 143 meters (or 469 feet) tall, making way for a massive vertical transparent atrium in the center of the hotel that provides a light-filled interior. Let’s take a tour of this glimpse of the future…

The glass paneled lobby creates a light and airy space to welcome visitors.

The interiors were designed by Teresa Leónidas, who brought in modern touches and the bold pops of color you’ll spot throughout.

The wide open space of the atrium allows for some unusual lighting to be installed. Jellyfish-like chandeliers remind the guests of being by the water.

The hotel is composed of 150 deluxe rooms, 26 premium rooms, nine suites, and one presidential suite, each with modern furnishings and the hotel’s signature red color.

Are you packed yet?

What: Myriad by SANA Hotels
Where: Cais das Naus, Lote 2.21.01, Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal
How much? From approximately $300 a night.
Highlights: Beautiful views of the Tagus River.
Design draw: Sleek modern decor with bright, airy rooms. Geometric, modern architecture.
Book it: info@myriad.pt

Go virtually on vacation with more design destinations right here.

The firm of David Guerra Architecture and Interior Design took over this massive (350 square meters or 3,767 square feet) apartment in Belvedere, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and turned it into a cozy, yet urban, home for this family with two children. The couple moved to this apartment in the city when their first child became school age and kept their country house for the weekends, so Guerra set out to bring a bit of the country coziness to these sleek city digs.

Walls were removed to create an open concept living plan between the living room and the former balcony. The balcony became a sitting area and a gourmet bar/kitchen for when they have friends over or for a quick breakfast with the family.

They brought in warm woods for the floors, and in some cases, up the walls, mixing well with the gray Mister Cryl Silestone that gives an industrial feel.

The furnishings are kept pretty neutral with shades of brown and gray throughout, interspersed with various metals and glass that create a cohesive vibe.

There are plenty of fun elements though, like the addition of the Moooi Raimond chandeliers above the long wood dining table.

Various woods were used, like mahogany field, pink mahogany, cedar, and cinnamon, creating an almost striped panel treatment on the walls.

The kitchen features an array of gray and silver finishes, including graphite Silestone on the floors, silver Silestone on the countertops, and black and gray hydraulic tiles on the walls.

The architect also brought in a wooden table he designed, as well as some bright yellow Papilio chairs from B&B Italia.

In the master bedroom, they created an oversized headboard out of mahogany.

Photos by Jomar Bragança.

A small house located in Japan’s Yamaguchi prefecture has a bit of surprise located in the center of it. House J, designed by Keiko Maita Architect Office, was built for a client that longed for privacy and seclusion from the outside world. The narrow lot meant building up since it’s surrounded by other residences, so three floors were built around an interior garden.

All three floors lead to a roof terrace that allows the family to look down on the inner garden or to look out and enjoy the city views. It also adds to the outdoor space they have available.

The inner garden gives each floor a bit of nature to look at through the interior windows.

The main floor contains the family room, kitchen, and dining room, along with access to the garden.

The second floor has a small terrace as well.

The second floor has a study and reading space. You can even reach it via a ladder in the kitchen.

The top floor houses the bedrooms. The multitude of windows keeps each floor light-filled.

Photos by Yoshiharu Matsumura.

House Apelle is a single family home designed by Casagrande Laboratory located in Karjaa, Finland. It’s situated in what is a natural harbor, much like a boat, surrounded by bedrocks and mature trees. The house, both long and narrow, is built along the same lines as traditional Finnish architecture, in that the interior is laid out with multifunctional spaces where you do everything from socializing, working, to sleeping, all in the same space.

This house, along with the other homes in the area, is surrounded by and very much a part of nature and the architecture “is a mediator between the modern man and nature.”

The large round windows are similar to the windows you see on ships. The house was built by two local carpenters who not only build houses, they build wooden boats and so they looked at this structure as a boat.

Situated in an area with harsh winters, the home is well-insulated and stays warm with thermal heating and two fireplaces.

Three more round windows adorn the exterior, giving it a ship-like appearance.

There’s even a sleeping loft above the the kitchen cabinets that you access through the bedroom.

A circular fireplace creates a division between the bed and the rest of the bedroom while also being functional.

Photos by AdDa Zei.

With faraway views of the mountains of Switzerland and Austria, the Weinfelden House, designed by k_m architektur, is situated on a sloped lot overlooking the town Weinfelden, from which the house gets its name. Purposefully positioned to face south to encapsulate the scenery, the home appears to almost float by the way it’s rooted in the ground and also how the floors are stacked off-center.

The structure utilizes natural materials, like concrete and glass, and also wood which is the main material covering the exterior. The wood is a natural white pine that is from the local region and it has weathered to a light gray color over time.

The off-center design allows for a series of balconies and suspended terraces on each floor, giving each room access to the outdoors.

The upper floor houses the private bedroom suite for the parents that also includes a rooftop terrace.

The ground floor contains the dining room and living room, which has a really cool stove that acts as a room divider. These public, open spaces are filled with light due to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The interior uses white pine on the floors and ceilings giving the mostly white spaces a bit of coziness.

This floor also has two bedrooms for the children.

The upstairs floor provides an overhang for this floor’s terraces, providing shelter from the summer sun.

Photos by Sabrina Scheja.

Anyone can rig a nozzle up on the side of the shed, controlled by the garden hose spigot. And then there are the simple rinse off spots for a beach house. These outdoor showers take it a step (or two, or three) beyond, with gorgeous landscaping, cutting edge fixtures, and well-thought out design.

Above, a sleek indoor/outdoor design with a pivot door that gives a glimpse of the water view, designed by David Jameson Architect.

Photo by Tim Street-Porter

This gorgeous outdoor bathroom (heck, why stop at a shower), designed by David Hertz Architects, was once an unused alleyway on the property.

Photo by Felix Krumbholz

This minimalist bathroom located in Hassen, Germany, was designed by Ian Shaw Architeckten. It looks to be outdoors, but perhaps it’s fully enclosed, and simply open on top thanks to a clever skylight.

New York City-based firm Resolution: 4 Architecture uses Japanese-style wood slats to enclose a double shower on a deck.

Photo by Eric Staudenmaier

This minimalist outdoor shower, designed by Rockefeller Partners on a property in Nichols Canyon with views downtown Los Angeles, is encased in concrete.

Admittedly, this outdoor shower by Copenhagen-based LASC studio is more back-to-basics than all-out luxury, but we can’t resist its quintessential Scandinavian design.

Tucked around some clever landscaping, and hidden with a frosted screen and wood slat wall, this outdoor shower and patio plan was designed by Mark Tessier Landscape Architecture.

We saw one side of this pool house, designed by architect Robert M. Gurney, in a roundup a couple of weeks ago. No surprise, this island paradise (it’s located on Nevis) has a spiffy outdoor shower space too.

This fabulous home in Los Angeles, designed by Tocha Project, has a screening room, meditation room, wine room, and a pretty fantastic indoor/outdoor bathroom.

Perched on a bluff overlooking Block Island Sound, this vacation home designed by New York City-based Robert Young Architects is bordered on three sides by water, wetlands, and woods. The shower is simple, but sleek.

The Loop by Idiha Design is a freestanding, polyethelene shower system that can be placed on your patio, or even in your house (if you have a gigantic bathroom, that is). You can even order it with colored LED lighting.

We spotted this Long Beach, California residence in an Apartment Therapy house tour. The streaming sunlight and tropical greenery had us fooled—it’s actually an indoor bathroom with a skylight.

For more wet design fun check out Montage: 30 Outdoor Showers on StyleCarrot!

This home in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia was under construction when the homeowners decided that the interior spaces would need to be redesigned to fit the architecture of the house. They brought in the design team at Minosa Design to create a series of interior spaces that would work well for the dramatic, oversized architectural style of the home.

The interior spaces remain fairly neutral but with orange and green repeated throughout to create a colorful, continuous color scheme.

The high ceilings required a plan to address lighting through the living and kitchen spaces. Luckily the massive skylights and strategically placed windows flood the house with plenty of natural light.

In the kitchen, they incorporated a seamless Corian island and a customized hood above the range.

The powder room gets a little extra love by way of a Bisazza Endimione mosaic feature wall that’s paired with a Minosa Puddle basin that looks almost flat.

Green continues into the other bathrooms with drawer units installed for storage. The floors are covered in a Liberian limestone that is full of chocolate tones that really warm the space up.

I love the floating sinks they used.

Master suite

Bathtub storage that’s a dream come true.

A home theater room was given a darker color scheme to create a retreat-like environment for movie watching. Pops of orange are scattered throughout the space.

It even has a bar and a 1000-bottle wine cellar.

…and a nice rooftop view!

The home was designed by architect Andre Baroukh.

During World War II, this site was used as an airbase for the USAF 381st Bombardment Group and Devon, UK-based Timber Design transformed it into a traditional timber frame farmhouse. The unique home still manages to blend well with the surrounding landscape, like it’s been there for decades.

The design is made up of two linear buildings that are connected by two walkways that all surround an interior courtyard. One of the buildings contains the private spaces for the family, which includes the bedrooms and bathrooms. The other building houses the public spaces with a living room, kitchen and dining room, and utility spaces. A separate office is there for the day to day running of the working farm.

By designing a new house, it allowed the family to use modern materials and efficient and sustainable measures during the building process. Dynamic thermal modeling was used to help predict how the house would perform over time and helped with the design of it. They were able to add roof overhangs, work with glazing orientation, and floor construction to help optimize the thermal comfort and performance of the home as a result. The house is actually carbon positive with these efforts and the addition of solar panels.

The tower allows for 360-degree panoramic views of the farmland that surrounds the residence.

Even though it falls into the way a traditional timber frame house is built, they used a structural system with steel detailing. You can see the steel tension rods throughout the home and even though they’re there for the structure, they also add an industrial element to an otherwise rustically modern design.

Photos by Simon Maxwell.

A New York City family of five outgrew their Chelsea loft and instead of moving decided to purchase the identical apartment above theirs and merge the two. The owners brought in Design Development NYC to oversee the construction of the eco-friendly renovation and they incorporated a number of health-conscious systems and sustainable materials and with the help of architecture studio wUNDERground and Damon Liss Design handling the interiors, the family got the healthy urban home they desired.

Both apartments were gutted and the work began to reconfigure the 3,600 square feet of space. The bottom floor was transformed into the public living spaces, including a large eat-in kitchen, a playroom, and a living/dining room. The upstairs features a study, laundry room, three children’s bedrooms, and a master suite.

CityProof windows were installed along the exterior facing the street to improve thermal performance, as well as to help minimize noise. They even used recycled denim as insulation.

Loving the Lindsey Adelman fixture above the dining room table.

The family’s love of contemporary American craft details shows up throughout the space with custom pieces created in Design Development’s millwork shop.

Systems to improve the air and water qualities were installed with various filters for drinking water, showers, and humidifier.

They also integrated toy storage throughout, as well as large storage closets to house strollers, scooters, sleds, etc.

Even though the apartment is kid-friendly, they kept the furnishings fairly neutral with pops of color, like the yellow storage shelf.

Faced with a sloping site and an already existing house, Chris Knapp / Built-Environment Practice was restricted as to what kind of addition could be built onto this Australian holiday house called The Dragonfly. The compact addition adds an additional sleeping and living space, a sauna, outdoor shower, and garden patio, acting as a retreat for its homeowners.

Employing Australian cypress, hoop pine, copper, and glass to blend into the surrounding environment, the extension creates an indoor/outdoor connection making it look like it belongs rather than as an afterthought.

The roof plane and floor plans were strategically designed to highlight the surrounding views of the Pacific Ocean and rugged hillside, while at the same time providing shelter from the sun.

Windows are placed throughout and at varying heights, framing the lush green surroundings.

A built-in writing desk was integrated into the compact room’s design and continues behind the bed creating a headboard.

Photos by Owen McGoldrick.