Tag Archives: Home

This prefabricated timber home in Barcelona has a bright red-brick building for a base

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Spanish architecture studio Agora Arquitectura transformed a derelict brick building into a sturdy base for a raised timber home and dubbed the structure ‘House on a Brick Base’ – quite appropriately. The home is located on the outskirts of Barcelona on an agricultural site that accommodated a tool shed, and a small red-brick building.

Designer: Agora Arquitectura

The tool shed and the red-brick building were dilapidated when the architects were brought to the site. To bring some life to the site, the studio completely renovated and rejuvenated the brick building and extended it across the landscape. “At the bottom of the site, a small building in ruins invited us to build a new home, recalling old ways of building in its place,” said studio co-founder Joan Casals Pañella. The building’s shell was incorporated with two perpendicular brick walls, that create a T-shape, and divide the interior, while also supporting the timber building above.

A perforated brick wall has been placed around the boundary of the site, and external brick staircases integrated into the sloped landscape, to connect the various levels of the building. “A ramp, which allows access to the lower level of the terrain, or stairs hidden behind the openwork wall, allow for a ceremonious ascent towards the built interior,” said Pañella. “Following the stairs lets visitors discover a 100-year-old olive tree that invites them into the area in front of the main door,” he continued.

A raised garden has been integrated onto the top of the pre-existing structure, with the new volume placed adjacent to it. The newer building was built using prefabricated cross-laminated timber, and clad in whitewashed cork – a sustainable choice of materials. Huge windows with timber frames and external blinds mark the upper level. The rooms of the house have been spread out over the two storeys, that are connected via a steel spiral staircase. The staircase is overshadowed by a large skylight on the top, which allows natural light to freely stream into the home.

“The light also reaches the brick portion of the house,” said Pañella. “It takes advantage of the hole in the spiral staircase, in charge of connecting the built levels, and it is where the brick wall of the plinth can be recognized from the rooms above,” he concluded.

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Home in the heart of Tokyo perfectly merges traditional Japanese architecture with contemporary finishes

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Tucked away in the heart of Tokyo is a modern Japanese home with a traditional touch. Called C4L, the home is designed by Cubo Design Architect and beautifully integrates traditional Japanese materials and details with contemporary finishes. The home is inspired by Junichiro Tanizaki’s book on Japanese aesthetics, In Praise of Shadows, which focuses on “materials and furnishings whose beauty and comfort can only be fully appreciated in the half-light of a traditional home”, according to the team.

Designer: Cubo Design Architect

“We believe houses that are rooted in an understanding of Japan’s cultural context and a respect for the skills and innovations of our ancestors, which can nevertheless be passed onto future generations, are the kind of houses we should be building in Japan today,” the team continued.

The home was designed to celebrate “the warmth of things made by hand”, and was built in collaboration with local artisans specializing in carpentry, paper, and lacquer. As you enter the house, you are welcomed by a shallow pool, and a ground-floor lounge. Polished and natural stone walkways pass beds of rocks and plants and are complemented by textured plaster walls and wooden screens. The first floor employs the same stone and wood palette, but it takes on a more contemporary personality. The stone and wood are infused with Japanese paper walls, while a bedroom carpeted in a dark tone, and a bed covered with braided cords are added to the mix.

The bathroom features a sunken stone bath and a timber sauna. A tearoom has been equipped with tatami flooring and finished using traditional Japanese carpentry techniques. Wood-framed sliding doors lead you to compact balcony areas that provide views of the ground-floor lounge. The second floor of the home features a living, dining, and kitchen area, accompanied by a south-facing terrace.

“We paid close attention to the contrast between light and dark, creating both subdued areas that express the beauty of weak light and more dynamic areas filled with strong light. Traditional artisans transformed soil, trees, and other natural materials into a wide range of architectural forms. Illuminated by beautiful light, these forms became spaces with great depth,” concluded studio founder Hitoshi Saruta.

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This contemporary and spacious home rests peacefully above the treetops of rolling hills in Texas

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Devin Keyes of Keyes Office of Architecture designed the Live Oak Ridge Residence in the rolling and lush hills of West Lake Hills, Texas. The modern contemporary style home is nestled among the treetops, offering stunning views of the surrounding hills, while also ensuring that privacy is maintained. The home has been accentuated with ample amounts of covered outdoor space to help combat the strong Texan heat – including the presence of a swimming pool just a few steps away from the house.

Designer: Keyes Office of Architecture

The home’s exterior is built using pale limestone and black metal panels that seamlessly complement one another to create an aesthetic that is visually intriguing and enrapturing. The volume clad in pale limestone functions as the entryway from the street, and as a hub for the private sections of the home. The kitchen is also located within the stone volume, with one end amped with views of the hills, and the other end with views of the front yard. The soffits have been clad in cedar wood, which gracefully match the decking surrounding the pool.

The interiors of the home are warm, welcoming, and spacious. The lower level features a series of bedrooms and an elegant living room with two glass walls. This space opens up to the outdoor entertaining spaces quite seamlessly. The upper story functions as the main living space, equipped with a kitchen, dining room, living room, seating area, primary bedroom suite, guest quarters, and an outdoor balcony. The balcony is connected to the main bedroom and makes for a good spot to catch the sunrise.

The living room is enhanced with large windows that allow natural light to stream into the interiors, creating a space that is open and free-flowing, while also providing access to scenic views. Clerestory windows at the front of the house also help with this. These smart details and thoughtfully designed interiors create a home that is calm, tranquil, and a sort of safe haven from the aggressive heat of Texas. It’s a beautiful home amongst lush trees that looks like a fish out of water in Texas, but somehow just fits right in.

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Minimal ‘mini’ home in the mountains of Turkey feels larger than it is

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Designed by Bologna-based firm STUDIOFEM, this beautiful 484 square-foot home is called the Mini – a name that does it justice quite rightly in appearance, but not in character. Although the home is still a concept and hasn’t made it to the ground yet, it still manages to be quite a beauty. Architects Francesca Morsiani and Mujgan Merve Rinaldi plan to tuck away the home in the village of Cavusin, Nevsehir, Turkey, surrounded by mountains on all sides.

Designer: STUDIOFEM

The home features a rectangular structure that has been clad in dark brown vertical panels. The box-like form of the home is quite cute to look at it, and the wooden facade gives the home a rather rustic yet cozy look. The panels are intersected with floor-to-ceiling windows, that provide stunning views of the surrounding landscape while lending the space an air of openness and fluidity. The windows also impart the exterior with a sense of sleekness, which in combination with the panels give the home a pretty minimal and clean appearance. The floor-to-ceiling windows also ensure that generous amounts of natural light will continuously stream in throughout the day. They also help sustain a connection between the interiors and landscape, giving the impression that the inside of the home is larger than it seems.

Although the home occupies a tiny footprint, the interior feels quite open and spacious, offering views of the outside from all angles. The living space is open-plan with kitchen cabinets running along one wall before they transform into a built-in bench located at the entrance of the bedroom. It can be utilized to store and displays books and other souvenirs. The walls of the home have been kept pretty simple as well, lined with wooden panels, that add a bit of texture and rawness to the space.

The furniture also seems to be wooden, and it maintains the same minimal and neutral tone that has been followed throughout the home. The furniture pieces seem to be carefully curated, such that they perfectly complement the home, and do not contrast against it. The exterior, interior, and furnishings of the home line up together perfectly to create a living space that is warm, cozy, and inviting.

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Contemporary wood and concrete home in Poland smartly conceals a garage under a hillside

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Nestled in a residential community in Poznań, Poland is a cleverly designed home called the Hilltop House. The Polish design studio mode:lina tried to incorporate the owner’s love for winter activities, automobiles, mountains, and creative architecture while designing the home. This led to the creation of a contemporary-style barn in a matte black color outfitted with a hidden garage in a hill completely surrounded by trees. Pretty neat, no?

Designer: mode:lina

The home is quite a unique one since a smartly concealed garage is connected to the home, to hold the family’s cars. The concrete garage has been artfully tucked away under a hillside that is enthralled with greenery, shrubs, and flowers. The hill was specially built by the studio to hide the garage, an office, and other technical parts of the house. This is some seriously clever designing and planning on the part of the studio, as it prevents the garage from becoming a complete eyesore, and retains the rather chic modern look of the home.

Nestled away on the peak of the hill, is a tinier pitched roof structure that holds the master bedroom of the home, amped with direct access to the slopes. The exterior of the home is masked in wood and concrete, accentuated by dark metal sheeting and huge glass panes. All the diverse components align together to create an exterior that is clean, inviting, and aesthetically pleasing. The interior of the home includes a double-height ceiling and an abundance of windows that lend the space an open and airy feel. The windows allow sunlight to continuously stream in, creating a sunny living space during the day.  The color palette of the exterior is extended to the interior as well with concrete floors, wooden elements, and black furniture.

The kitchen is rather minimal and highlighted entirely in black. A large open wood staircase is attached artfully to a wall, clad in vertical wooden planks, and is supported by black rods, that climbers can hold onto. The garage has been smartly equipped with a carjack, which allows the residents to work on their cars, in their own home.

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This cross-laminated timber desert home rates high on sustainability + good looks

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Called the Octothorpe House, this impressive home in the Oregon high desert area near Bend was commissioned by a couple Mike and Katherine to Mork-Ulnes Architects. Mike and Katherine decided to move out of their home in San Francisco, to a more outdoorsy rural space, as they felt it would benefit their young son. They wanted a home that would harmoniously merge with the desert landscape, and be environmentally friendly as well. To meet the client’s desire for a sustainable home, Mork-Ulnes Architects decided to use ‘cross-laminated timber’ in the construction of the home.

Designer: Mork-Ulnes Architects

The clients came to us with the idea of building one of the first U.S.-produced cross-laminated timber homes,” said Casper Mork-Ulnes. “They were inspired by the sustainability factor.” Now you may have heard of cross-laminated timber (C LT), it is essentially a wood product built from multiple layers of structural grade lumber that are arranged crosswise, and then glued and attached together. What makes this timber sustainable is the fact that it has a strength-to-weight ratio that’s similar to concrete, but it is five times lighter as compared to it. CLT is pre-cut off site, which also reduces construction waste immensely.

The architects utilized CLT to build the interiors and the exterior of the Octothorpe House, this prevented them from releasing almost 15 metric tons of greenhouse gases into the air. The wooden exterior of the home was treated using the shou sugi ban technique – a Japanese wood burning technique that provides resistance to fire, insects, and decay. The interiors, on the other hand, are inspired by Donald Judd’s Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. The interiors feature concrete floors and dusty pink walls. The home includes two bedrooms and two guest rooms. “One of the guest rooms has a hidden Murphy bed so there is an office for the work-from-home couple,” said Lexie Mork-Ulnes. “The enclosed central courtyard, visible from most of the rooms in the house, doubles as an outdoor playground for their son. In the winter, the large garage space becomes an indoor playroom.”

The home has a really spacious and open feel to it, there’s a sense of liberty and freedom that runs through it, making it an extremely special living space. “The layout offers orchestrated glimpses into the central courtyard and ample views of the sky and desert all around. This creates a delightful connection with the surroundings,” said the architects.

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This quaint wooden villa in the Vietnam countryside encourages a serene human-nature connection

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Design practice APS Concept renovated the stunning resort space Villa of the Star, located in the Dalat pine forest, Vietnam. The house was built while focusing on three main factors – connectivity, locality, and sustainability. The unique residence merges perfectly with the forest surrounding it, building a serene human-nature connection. The structure is built using a variety of locally sourced materials, such as stone, pine wood, concrete, steel, and bricks.

Designer: APS Concept

Near the site, there is a low ‘taluy’ river bank, therefore a natural wall was built, to protect the house from landslides and heavy rains. The wall was built using stones, and helps to not affect the natural state. The home comprises of three main volume blocks, two roofed units, and a lower section that functions as the ground floor. The lower portion has been clad in tangled stone and supports the two roofed units. Both the pointed roof components have been built from natural wood – each in a different color.

The material that was selected by the design team for the home is ‘modified pine wood’. Modified pine wood is popular for its moisture resistance, mildew resistance, termite resistance, heat resistance, stability, durability, and environmental friendliness. What makes the building even more interesting, is the fact, that the natural wood used to build it differs in color. The tones of the wood range from light to dark, and have been utilized in different parts of the home. Massive glass windows provide surreal views of the surrounding forest scape and allow generous amounts of natural light to stream in through the day.

The common areas include the living room, and the kitchen, and they are segregated from the private areas through the use of concrete grinded floors. The indoors and outdoors are connected subtly via glass doors, which allow you to exit the home, and enter the outdoors in a flexible and open layout. The whole intention behind the design strategy of the Villa of the Star was to allow the residents and guests to get closer to nature. It was designed to provide an experience where people feel at one with nature while ensuring comfort, privacy, and safety.

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How to give your home a budget-friendly makeover

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Want to give your home a fresh lease of life but worried about costs? Well, it’s a common misconception that refreshing the look of a home is an expensive affair. From DIY ideas to a full-fledged renovation, it’s all about details and creative ideas that are easy on the pocket. Therefore, if you are on a shoestring budget, these creative strategies can help you to achieve a stunning look without breaking the bank. However, before starting any renovation project, make sure to create a realistic budget so that one can save money.

1. Organize the Furniture Layout

Reorganize the existing furniture layout so that the space looks well organized and there is adequate circulation space within the home. Moving the furniture away from the walls is highly recommended to create intimate seating in the living room. Add smart storage and introduce floating shelves to optimum use of the vertical space. For a clutter-free look, increase the built-in storage with modular storage units, storage beds, sofa-cum-beds to name a few. It is highly recommended to purchase practical and functional pieces of furniture from affordable brands.

Designer: ECRU STUDIO

2. Add a Pop of Colour

Wall paint is a cost-effective way to refresh the look of any space. It’s always good to choose a color palette that can create a cohesive look within the home. Go for a bold color or a light color scheme for a compact space to uplift the look. Turn an empty wall into a focus wall by painting it in a bold hue or add a pop of color to one or two accent pieces of furniture and style a neutral space. Breathe new life into old furniture by sanding and repainting it. Patterned or textured wallpaper creates an accent feature behind the bed. Using metallic finishes in gold and silver hues can instantly upgrade the look of any space.

Designer: Regan Baker Design

3. Invest in Soft Furnishings

Enhance the look of the interiors with soft furnishings. Replace old throw pillow covers with bright new cushion covers to add a pop of color. Mix and match colors and create an interesting composition and combine squares and design. Change the cushions with seasons. For example, use delicate floral prints for the spring season and deep colors alongside heavy texture for winter. Reupholstering furniture can freshen the home’s look, and choose drapery that complements the room’s furniture and overall color palette.

Designer: Sweef

4. Add Moulding

Decorate the home with Victorian-style moulding on the walls and ceiling to elevate the look of the interiors. Also, consider wainscoting to upgrade the look of blank walls, as it can work wonders in any room.

5. Introduce Wall Art

Create a statement gallery wall and decorate a bare or empty corner with wall art, photographs, porcelain plates, personal artwork, or a visually arresting painting. Choose frames that work together and create an art gallery-style wall display.

Designer: Lenka Daviesova

6. Accessorize the Home

Create an interesting vignette on coffee tables, consoles, and empty corners. Having a centerpiece with the color and fragrance of fresh or artificial flowers alongside candles, trays, trinkets, and tchotchkes is always wonderful. Source budget-friendly home décor items from antique shops, online portals, and stores during their annual sales. Avoid too many accessories and invest in large-size art to create a grand and impactful space. Style bookshelves by arranging books according to size or color and add art alongside mementos to add character.

Click Here to Buy Now: Modular Flower Tubes ($149)

7. Replace Unsightly Items

Rusted faucets and unattractive hardware like door knobs, drawer pulls, or handles can be an eyesore, so one must polish them to retain shine and sparkle. Alternatively, one can replace these damaged pieces with new sanitary fixtures and stylish hardware and give a brand-new look to the home.

8. Introduce Mirrors

Mirrors are not only meant for the bathroom vanity and dressing table, but they also have the potential to create the illusion of extended space. Install a mirror in a narrow entryway or the end of the hallway to make it look doubly spacious. If the room is dimly lit, place a mirror opposite a window so that it reflects natural light and provides outdoor views throughout the day.

Designer: AC/AL Studio for Petite Friture

9. Add an Area Rug

Introduce an area rug, as it is one of the easiest ways to add interest, color, and texture. Additionally, it demarcates areas in an open-plan home, adds softness, creates a layered effect, and changes the aesthetics of the space.

Designer: Jaipur Rugs

10. Good Lighting

It is important to find the right balance between natural and artificial light. Introduce a layered lighting scheme with a combination of ambient or general lighting, task lighting or focus lighting, and accent lighting to add depth. Swap uninspiring light fixtures with new ones; add dimmers to change the overall mood of the space and give it a quick makeover. From chandeliers and pendant lights to artistic sconces, consider statement wall lighting to conjure a warm aura and transform them into focal points in your home.

Click Here to Buy Now: Starry Wreath ($99)

11. Get Organized

Decluttering does not cost money, and less is always more. The first step is to clean the home and get organized. A clutter-free space looks very nice, and keeping the house clean is one of the most inexpensive ways of upgrading the look of the home. Cut the clutter, as cluttered spaces can look heavy and feel claustrophobic. Add a few pieces that can help in creating an organized space and reduce the number of accessories, display items, flowers, and so on. Before buying new items for your home, always remove outdated or damaged items from the house.

Click Here to Buy Now: Quick-Access Organizer ($69)

12. Upgrade Old Flooring

The flooring design and flooring material sets the tone of the interiors. Replace a shabby floor with laminated wooden flooring, linoleum, or vinyl flooring, as they are budget-friendly, lightweight, and can be laid directly onto the existing flooring. Roll out bright carpets and rugs to enhance the look of drab flooring but remember carpets tend to trap dust and should be vacuum cleaned frequently.

Designer: IM Wooden Floor

13. Conceal Messy Wires

Wire management has become a challenge as more and more electronic devices enter our homes. You can invest in a cable management box, bundle cords behind the furniture, run the TV wires inside the wall, tuck them into tubing, or insert them through baseboard accessories. It makes the house look clean and organized.

14. Go Green

Plants add color and texture and are an inexpensive way to accessorize interiors. They not only rejuvenate our homes by providing oxygen but also come with excellent air-purifying properties. Introduce hanging plants and succulents, or style them on a beautiful stand or in handcrafted planters. Large potted plants are a great way to fill dead corners and empty spaces and make a huge difference to the décor. One can also get inspired by nature and introduce materials like rattan, bamboo, jute, and wood into the home decor.

Designer: Studio Doss

15. Upgrade the Bathroom

If the bathroom looks dull and dreary, upgrade its look with a bright and colorful shower curtain that won’t burn a hole in your pocket. Infuse sophistication and make a statement with a head-turning mirror. Additionally, you can add color and pattern with waterproof peel-and-stick decals on the tiles of the bathroom and even the kitchen tiles.

Designers: Fabio Bortolani, Ermano Righi, Gergely Agoston, RD Agape for Agape Design

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This concrete floating home in Ho Chi Minh City is designed to mitigate the effects of flooding

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Architecture studio SDA designed a concrete-frame home called the Floating House. Perched on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, the Floating House has been raised above the ground, to protect the home against the effects of flooding. The home is located in the Thu Duc district, which faces flooding quite frequently due to a nearby river. By elevating the home one meter above the ground, the studio was able to mitigate the adverse impact of flooding.

Designer: Studio SDA

The home is marked by its exposed concrete framework, which provides protection to the house from the elements. About 70 percent of the home is filled with spaces that are quite open to the outside, through the integration of cantilevered balconies and a rooftop terrace. This creates a serene indoor-outdoor connection. The rest of the home is closed off to the outside with the help of wood-framed windows.

“We composed the house as three slabs floating above the ground. The gap between each floor creates a diversity of spaces indoors and outdoors. Each slab is extended toward the garden, cantilevering in multiple directions, and serves as a terrace or outdoor space, an eave for an opening, and a roof to cover an outdoor staircase,” explained Studio SDA. The home features three levels, which are connected via an external staircase that is sheltered overhead by overhanging floor plates. The interiors of the home are enclosed by folding glass doors with dark-wood frames. This enables the spaces to be deftly interconnected to the balconies. However, the bathroom is fully enclosed and private.

The lower level of the home includes the bedroom. The bedroom is linked to the kitchen, living room, and dining area on the upper floor by an internal spiral staircase. A rooftop terrace is placed atop the home, and it holds seating and outdoor cooking spaces. “In Vietnam, where everything is packed tightly together, including people and things, we believe it is essential to design outdoor spaces that serve as ‘blank spaces.  This house focuses on the active outdoor life in Vietnam, with a new frame and structural design to realize it,” the studio concluded.

The post This concrete floating home in Ho Chi Minh City is designed to mitigate the effects of flooding first appeared on Yanko Design.

This concrete floating home in Ho Chi Minh City is designed to mitigate the effects of flooding

Posted on by

Architecture studio SDA designed a concrete-frame home called the Floating House. Perched on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, the Floating House has been raised above the ground, to protect the home against the effects of flooding. The home is located in the Thu Duc district, which faces flooding quite frequently due to a nearby river. By elevating the home one meter above the ground, the studio was able to mitigate the adverse impact of flooding.

Designer: Studio SDA

The home is marked by its exposed concrete framework, which provides protection to the house from the elements. About 70 percent of the home is filled with spaces that are quite open to the outside, through the integration of cantilevered balconies and a rooftop terrace. This creates a serene indoor-outdoor connection. The rest of the home is closed off to the outside with the help of wood-framed windows.

“We composed the house as three slabs floating above the ground. The gap between each floor creates a diversity of spaces indoors and outdoors. Each slab is extended toward the garden, cantilevering in multiple directions, and serves as a terrace or outdoor space, an eave for an opening, and a roof to cover an outdoor staircase,” explained Studio SDA. The home features three levels, which are connected via an external staircase that is sheltered overhead by overhanging floor plates. The interiors of the home are enclosed by folding glass doors with dark-wood frames. This enables the spaces to be deftly interconnected to the balconies. However, the bathroom is fully enclosed and private.

The lower level of the home includes the bedroom. The bedroom is linked to the kitchen, living room, and dining area on the upper floor by an internal spiral staircase. A rooftop terrace is placed atop the home, and it holds seating and outdoor cooking spaces. “In Vietnam, where everything is packed tightly together, including people and things, we believe it is essential to design outdoor spaces that serve as ‘blank spaces.  This house focuses on the active outdoor life in Vietnam, with a new frame and structural design to realize it,” the studio concluded.

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