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The Modern Barn by Emilio Eftychis

Built around a courtyard on a farm in Irene, Pretoria, South Africa, this concrete home, designed by Emilio Eftychis, is a modernized version of a traditional barn-style house.

A pool is built into the wood deck of the courtyard. Now you see it….

And now you don’t. A removable part of the deck covers the water making the pool disappear when you want more space. I love how the main floor is so open that you can see straight through the house.

The house incorporates many eco-friendly practices, like solar panels for water heating and collection of rainwater for drinking and irrigation.

By building the structure around a courtyard, it allows for all of the interior to be filled with sunlight.

On one side of the house, the second floor hangs over the first, which is typical of vernacular architecture of South Africa, allowing for a veranda-type patio.

Exposed concrete continues through the interior of the house with the walls, polished floors, and the base of the staircase.

The ceilings are also made of exposed concrete.

Notice the books in those wood and glass boxes on the second floor railing?

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.