This house has all the “State of the art” features a luxury house should have: High tech phone center, alarm system and computer network, in-floor heating controlled on each floor, central A/C temperature control in every room, Dolby surround home cinema in living room, playroom and master bedroom, hi quality built in ceiling speakers in living room, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, central satellite system, central vacuum system, self cleaning Pilkington windows, heated swimming pool with natural pebble finish, outdoor Jacuzzi, extras featured in the kitchen such as garbage disposal and instant near-boiling water faucet, pantry etc. The house also features an in house waterfall, custom lighting as well as indirect lighting scheme in all the main areas including the bedrooms and the 2 master bathrooms which feature an under the furniture lighting effect. More information please visit Dimitris Economou website.

via – Dimitris Economou

Some elements are clearly defined as freestanding objects, the garden room, gym and garage building slide alongside the existing walls, the new raised upper story is overlaid, with a folded larch roof and wall floating over the castle-like structure of the existing walls. All the forms create new and intriguing courtyard spaces, allowing the creation of a variety of sheltered spaces to allow our client to engage in his passion for gardening. Two south facing courtyards have been created, the eastern courtyard terraces down in insitu-concrete walls inhabited with plants to a small burn. The western courtyard allows evening light to be drawn through the depth of the house, through an existing tree that has been preserved, and also became the axis for this series of spaces.

The internal spaces are typically one room deep, with simple linear circulation, capturing light at adhoc points where existing openings remained. Where possible stone walls have been preserved internally, allowing a look through the layers of the structure. A three storey timber “tower” sits at the southernmost part of the house, rising from formal dining room, to sitting room, to master bedroom, which has a high level 270 degree view of the wider countryside. The master bedroom is accessed by a stair that floats alongside the old rough stone walls, and cantilevers out from a massive larch wall.

At all points the houses axis are terminated by events, light, and occasional symmetries. The existing fabric has been treated with respect, however this has occasionally required major surgery, for example the new arched window to the formal dining room has been cut forcefully into the existing fabric, recalling not only the water wheel, but also the art deco furniture collection contained within.

A family retreat, created to both experience and be protected from the elements and nature, providing a sustainable fulfilling lifestyle, and maximising sea-views. The pavilions are linked, forming a protective backing to the central space – the ‘campsite heart’ – as a gathering space, providing comfort, protection and connection with the land and activities. Main pavilion invites relaxation and nourishment, raised to acquaint with the coastal islands. Adjacent is the protective sleeping pavilion being adaptable for experiencing the ambience of the campsite and outlook; or being closed off for privacy.

Nitsche Architects have designed modern condo situated at Sao Paulo’s coast with protected rainforest area. The structural concept of the home was enthused by little stream bridges characteristic from this litoraneal area. Rising from the foundation in humid soil, concrete columns support the Steel beans which support the wood frame. The wood frame volume is the “private” part of the house, therefore on the street side it is enclosed by opaque boards, glass panels along with a nylon curtain, and on the forest side, aluminum sliding doors opening the rooms to a common veranda. This volume creates a shadow on the slab, and we used that shadow for the social area. This “middle” floor is almost an open space, protected on all sides by transparent temperate glass sliding panels, so the forest can be seen at all times. The intention was to minimize the difference between inner and outside space, making it work all as one integration area.

The DG House designed by DOMB Architects with two characteristics; Simple and Modern. The house facade is very narrow, and at back of the lot a public park. From the entrance, a wooden deck leading from the street, through the living room to the garden in the back of the field. Huge doors open to the volume, which bring the views to the pool, and leave in the center of the house- a double height central space that connecting all house activities and is the meeting point of the house.

The intermediate space, double height- is the living room. It connects the two wings with overhead bridges and staircase. In its space was important for us to use huge glass walls- that allow natural views and lights to the home life. The kitchen is in the public part of the ground floor with dining area from which go to the yard with BBQ Outdoor unit. Near the dining room is a spacious family room- that allows mom to be in eye contact with the children while she is busy in the kitchen. | DOMB Architects Website

The building masses are arranged in a dynamic composition, across and counter to the contours of the landscape. The building acts as a windbreak, protecting the pool from the south-easterly winds raking down the mountainside in summer. The ground floor opens up entirely to the landscape and the interior and exterior finishes are continuous, to minimise the distinction between inside and outside and enhance the experience of the building as a light platform in a vast landscape. Formally, the building comprises a number of separate sculptural forms in a dynamic composition. The base of the building, incorporating pools, relaxation rooms and guest accommodation is entirely of concrete. The superstructure is of steel construction, which is clad in afromosia shiplap boards on timber studwork.

The brief called for a place of entertainment and relaxation both for the client and his occasional guests, who would also be accommodated there. It incorporates swimming pools, guest accommodation, spa facilities and general living and poolside areas. The house is conceived of as a hovering set of elements, suspended over a large waterscape, which forms an extended terrace on the mountainside. Water constitutes the primary experience of the building. The floor planes are arranged to provide contrasting experiences of water, and the underwater spa with large viewing windows into the pool has a sense of stillness and mystery. The guest accommodation block hovers dramatically over the water and projects into space towards the mountain and sea. The dining area is submerged below water level, and pool decks are arranged as islands in a sea of water, connected by a bridge.

Reff – Metropolis Design

This contemporary “Cliff House” situated in Gig Harbor – Washington, designed by Scott Allen Architecture. The new structure replaces an old guest house and boathouse, and was limited in its size by an agreement through a regulatory process.

The design solution makes the roof of the new structure an extension of the upland lawn, with a glass-enclosed elevator providing access to the two levels below. To the south, an outdoor living space is set between the house and a new boathouse. Stairs lead down to the water and are incorporated into a series of decks, terraces, and bridges that create spaces for living and entertaining. This area also features a wood-burning pizza oven and an outdoor fireplace.

Inside, the main level has the feel of a boat’s cabin, with warm Douglas fir ceilings, walls, and trim. Large oversized windows and doors invite the outside in, and allow for a completely free flow during the warm months. The exterior materials were selected for their abilities to withstand this marine environment, including copper, concrete, metal window cladding, and cedar. Sustainable techniques such as sunscreens, a green roof, and complete envelope integrity are featured.

Italian kitchen designer Simone Micheli created IT-IS, modern minimalist kitchen for Euromobil. The IT-IS characterized by minimalist designs and the use of linear, geometric themes. This design style extends to the kitchen cabinets as well, in these elegant kitchens. The IT-IS kitchen made in Italy,defined fluent curves, which renovate the aesthetic features of the contemporary kitchen. State-of-the-art technologies and finely crafted details: tall units with central coplanar sliding doors and a curved tables with differentiated thickness provide excellent design. New drawers and deep drawers are in cord lacquer or stainless steel. Their fronts have oblique top edges, patented by Euromobil, for an easy grip. Extractable doors are equipped with a raised back for unparalleled sturdiness. A large spaces for an elegant IT-IS relaxation and living area, with original Désirée sofas.

[ via - Euromobil]

The project of this house in Bologna stems from two fundamental requirements of the clients, to avoid the housing stereotypes of the area and to build s technologically advanced house. To meet the firs requirement, the team of architects has focused in the study of different divisions to keep the environment cozy and private. Hence, they’ve devised barriers of green hedges that strongly divide this house from the surrounding context, recreating a new and unspoiled space where the interiors can dialogue with the exterior through large windows. The living room, which looks like a cube of glass, opens up on the swimming pool. The water of the swimming pools illuminated and enlivened by a cascade lamp. The rooms follow one another in a continuing dialogue: the bathroom opens on the bedroom, the kitchen on the living room and this one rises toward the loft, creating a spatial and visual continuity. The lightness of the construction is counteracted by the materiality of the stone wall that invites to enter, emphasized by a wooden footbridge. To shield the more private rooms, some slatted wood elements and sliding panels create sort of mobile wings. A steel and wood blade detaches from the building, creating a sheltered outdoor area.

The flat roof is designed as a hanging garden for the sole use of the rooms. From a technological point of view the house is fully automated, thanks to a domotic system which enables to manage every function, even from the distance, thus ensuring security, comfort control, well-being and energy-saving.

Taking a look at a monitor one can verify in real time if there are lights on, what the temperature in each room is, watch if there’s somebody in the house, making sure the irrigation is in operation, the gas turned off and the windows shut. A sort of electronic butler that moves inside your home, manages, does things and monitors. The furniture is all design and reflects the characteristics of the house. The colours are bright and delicate, the floors reflect the light that comes imposingly from the large windows and the walls are very bright white. Surprising the main bathroom is equipped with a floor-level Jacuzzi, illuminated from below by immersed spotlights.

The rear of the house, with the living and dining rooms, and master suite, explodes into the woods, opening views to the steep hill that plummets to the water below. The rear terrace, an outdoor room defined by the “L” of the house, leans out into the maples beyond.

The master bedroom is the “tree house” of the new rear addition, pushing the expansion of the house vertically. But it’s the visual and organizational connections between the split levels of the house and out to the landscapes beyond, opening up the spaces to one another, crossing the boundaries between front and back, inside and outside, above and below, that makes the whole out of the parts. | Photos by Hoachlander Davis Photography