Möllmann Residence

Wannermacher + Möller have designed the Möllmann Residence near Bielefeld, Germany.

"The Möllmann residence is located in a residential area, mainly comprising detached houses, outside Bielefeld. The traditional regional architecture served as a point of orientation for the exterior of the house. In accordance to the barns that are popular for agricultural use in this rural region the residence was designed as a lengthened, rectangular structure with a double-pitched roof without overhang. The masonry facades on three sides in quarry stone also refer to the traditional architecture in rural regions".

"Although the house includes formal references to regional traditions the character of its interior is still consistently modern. The open plan allows the rooms to flow into one another and the complete glazing of the side of the building shell that faces the garden allows the inside to melt into the outside. Numerous built in storage elements, benches and storage rooms provide sufficient storage inside the house to allow the main living ones being kept free of objects for everyday use".

"Reductions to only a few materials and colours - Italian sandstone for the floor, white plaster for walls and ceilings, oiled oak for the benches and glass and grey aluminium for the windows - gives the rooms a soothing calmness. With the support of a minimum of furnishings the architecture develops an ascetic austerity.

Special thanks to Contemporist for the above images and information.

Contemporary Vancouver Penthouse

The designer Robert Bailey has completed a penthouse apartment in downtown Vancouver, Canada. This place is designed as a luxurious space that can be the perfect place to entertain family and friends.

"Situated on the 47th and 48th floors of the Fairmont Building in Vancouver, this 6400 square foot penthouse is an amazing oasis of peace and relaxation. The designer understood the client’s needs immediately due to the previous collaborations and knew this home had to be comfortable and visually quiet".

"This contemporary loft has soft, warm, neutral tones, huge floor to ceiling windows, gorgeous views and a simple, yet sophisticated style". The designer chose to use neutral materials, such as wide plank oak flooring in a bleached style, walnut doors and millwork, taupe stone and marble. Moreover the space is very functional and well divided. There is an open floor plan, the living room and office being separated by a wall which has a stunning painting on one side and hi-tech television on the other side, both of them being centrepieces of each space.

Special thanks to Decoist for the above images and information.

Glen 2961 House

The Cape Town based studio SAOTA has recently completed the Glen 2961 House in collaboration with Three 14 Architects. This three story contemporary home is located in Oranjezicht, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.

"The clients who lived in an existing house on the property needed to rebuild the house in order to suit the demands of their family. The site on Glen Avenue in Higgovale faces in a Northerly direction, with its boundaries on the South East. Although the wind conditions are tough, the site’s moderate slope allows the design to engage with different levels of the garden adjacent to the areas of the three level lounge".

"The client appointed SAOTA - Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects to complete the design of the new home. The clients bravely followed their architect’s advice to see the bigger picture and re-start on a clean slate. The new home was to respond to the site and garden closely, to allow enough space for the family’s diverse requirements - whilst create separate private spaces within the house, and respond to the fierce winds which seasonally hurtle down Table Mountain yet provide a relaxed, homely character in the spirit of Higgovale".

"SAOTA relied on robust uncluttered finishes of off-shutter concrete for soffits and various walls, painted bagged brickwork, specialised polished concrete topping and oak cabinetry and ceilings. To amplify the sense of openness of the rooms and the gardens, the living rooms have large openings of sliding aluminium doors - this openness is further enhanced by glass handrails to successfully blur the boundaries of interior and exterior. The kitchen remains the focus of the first floor area, and the main outdoor braai terrace is a generous layout with outdoor sitting and dining areas. The upper level of the house - to which one approaches on arrival at the property - accommodates 4 en-suite bedrooms with good views and a large study/library area. The garage screens the courtyards from the street".

Special thanks to HomeDSGN for the above images and information.

Haus am Weinberg

The Amsterdam based architectural practice UNStudio has recently completed the Haus am Weinberg project. This 6,650 square foot contemporary home is located outside of Stuttgart, Germany, between the town and a terraced vineyard.

"The Haus am Weinburg is located in a setting that is at one time rural, yet suburban. The location of the villa affords pastoral views of the stepped terraces of an ancient hillside vineyard on one side and cityscape vistas on the other".

"The inner circulation, organisation of the views and the programme distribution of the house are determined by a single gesture, ‘the twist’. In the Haus am Weinberg the central twist element supports the main staircase as it guides and organises the main flows through the house. The direction of each curve is determined by a set of diagonal movements. Whilst the programme distribution follows the path of the sun, each evolution in the twist leads to moments in which views to the outside become an integral experience of the interior. This is enabled by the building’s load bearing concrete structure which is reduced to a minimum. Roof and slabs are supported by four elements only: elevator shaft, two pillars and one inner column. Through the large cantilever spans, a space is created which enables all four corners of the house to be glazed and column-free.".

"The interior of the Haus am Weinberg is arranged into spaces of varying atmospheres and spatial qualities, with the four glazed and open corners allowing daylight to reach deep into the house. The materialisation of the interior of the house further accentuates the overall atmosphere of light by means of natural oak flooring, natural stone and white clay stucco walls speckled with small fragments of reflective stones".

"Custom made features and furnishings are also integrated to blend with and accentuate the architecture. In contrast, at the core of this light and flowing structure is a multi-purpose darker room, dedicated to music, masculine conviviality, and the hunt. In this room the ceilings and walls have especially designed acoustic dark wood panels which transform from an articulated relief on the ceiling into a linear pattern as they descend the walls and meet the dark wooden floors".

"The volume and roofline of the Haus am Weinberg react and respond directly to the sloping landscape of the site, where the scales and inclinations of the slops which sculpture the vineyard setting are reflected in the volumetric appearance of the house. The design of the garden landscaping extends the organisation of the house, with the garden forming a continuation of the diagonals of the floor plans and each division creating different zones for function and planting"

Special thanks to HomeDSGN for the above images and information.

Dalene Cabin

This beautiful cabin, which was designed by Tommie Wilhelmsen, is located in a spot which offers privacy along with the view of the sea thanks to its secluded location. Located on the island of Rennesøy, the cabin is laced extensively with floor-to-ceiling windows in its top floor which offer those who reside the perfect view of the blue waters.

The Dalene Cabin opens up towards the south to offer plenty of natural ventilation and sunshine while it uses dark firpannels on the outside. Oak flooring and oak features are used on the inside to ensure the aesthetics of the home are just about perfect.

"Concrete is used wherever necessary, but it seems like the designers have mostly preferred wood with the one used on the outside being more resistant to the rough weather that can hit the region once in a while".

Special thanks to Decoist for the above image and information.

Garage Conversion

Owned by Darren Issac and located in Camden, UK, this bright and beautiful home, once a garage, was designed by Knott Architects to perfectly use every inch of space to make the home look much larger than it actually is.

Downstairs there is a bedroom and a wetroom which is nicely separated by glass screens and a large wardrobe that also acts as a divider. A small office is also present which overlooks the street, whilst also doubling up as a guest bedroom whenever needed.

"A staircase leads to the upper floor and is made of rolled steel with a patina of rust. Fireplace logs are stored underneath the staircase. The calf skin LCW chair and the typographical tramlines poster form excellent additions that bring in an element of vintage outlook to this house".

The upper floor consists of a living room, a dining room and a kitchen area. The floors are made up of engineered oak boards over the top of an underfloor heating system. The bookshelves and the kitchen cupboards have been built into the pitched roof.

Special thanks to Decoist for the above images and information.

Casa YM

The Italian studio Es Arch has recently completed the Casa YM project. The architects have renovated this penthouse located in Rapallo, a city in the province of Genoa, in Linguria, northern Italy.

"The penthouse is located above a block of flats, built in the sixties. The flat area is smaller than the lower floors, due to the façade withdrawing that generates a great terrace, all around the flat. Every room is connected with the exterior ".

"A flat roof defines the volume, closed by a sequence of walls and large windows. A larger quantity of light comes in the interior spaces from these windows, which offers a favoured view on the hills of the up country and to the coasts ".

"The glazed kitchen, that seems polished by water, with glazing lavastone floor, is strict in shapes and refines in materials. Visible through the glazed sliding doors, it’s a quiet presence that change the space of living room, becoming an extension of the latter when the doors are open ".

"The oak floor, chairs, wooden furniture, some walls paint, suspension lamps, take up the colour of sand. Suspension lamps remind naval lanterns, emphasised by the contrast with other more discreet lights, as recessed lamps. Three elements organise the corner with the sofa. Green colour that remind underwater landscapes, the contrast between the different colour of the walls, and the upper bookshelves that change the measure of the wall. These solutions cancel the corner perception ".

"The same ‘sand theme’ characterises bedrooms and bathrooms".

Special thanks to HomeDSGN for the above images and information.

Pearl Valley 334 House

Antoni Associates have designed the interior of the Pearl Valley 334 house for a young family in Cape Town, South Africa.

"A young family re-locating to the Western Cape was looking to change from city living to a more relaxed country lifestyle in which to bring up their young family and settled for the exclusive Pearl Valley Golf Estate located near Paarl, just 30 minutes away from Cape Town".

"The initial architectural footprint for the house was designed by Gauteng based architect, Gardiol Bergenthuin. The owners approached Antoni Associates to create an interior that was modern but with an emphasis on ‘barefoot luxury’ and use of natural materials".

"The house has been designed around a central landscaped courtyard with a reflective pond. On entering the house, one crosses a foyer bridge which is flanked by wet-walls cascading down ribbon-stone clad feature walls. The formal lounge is a large double-volume cathedral-like space with a trussed ceiling which is overlooked by the mezzanine study situated above the formal dining room". The dining area features a horizontal strip-fireplace which has been placed level with the european oak dining table. A feature hooped-glass chandelier cascades over the waney-edge French oak table.

"The family entertainment level flows out onto the front terrace and infinity pool, incorporating a number of entertainment areas such as a TV lounge, an indoor grill and a bar adjacent to the courtyard. Floating steps over the reflective pond lead to the bar area, which has a decked spa overlooking the pool. The bar area is also linked to an outdoor ‘boma’, which is a casual enclosure with seating area around a fire-pit".

Special thanks to Contemporist for the above images and information.

Olive Grove Small House

The New York based Cooper Joseph Studio has designed this small guest house overlooking the Dry Creek Valley near Sonoma, California.

"The house, only 850 square feet, is situated towards the top of an olive orchard. The siting takes advantages of the prevailing breezes and shade, while utilizing an existing open area so that no trees were removed. The goal was to create an energy efficient, compact dwelling where the clients could sit in shady areas, entertain, and enjoy views across the local agricultural lands".

"The house balances soft textures and grey tones with bold dramatic forms and select moments of color. Nestled into a field of (recently planted) lavender, the Small House has an all-seasons tempering microclimate. In addition to the lavender on the south and west, native grasses and varieties of rosemary maintain this native, reductive palette both inside and out".

"The house is organized on three levels that descend with the hillside. The entry level contains a full hallway bath as well as a bedroom with a bathroom and balcony. The mezzanine contains the kitchen and an eating counter, with direct connection to a dining deck at the same level. On the lower level is the living room at grade with an adjacent deck. Floors, steps and wall tile are a soft grey limestone. The woodwork is oak, stained grey with inserts of clear acrylic resin. The resin catches sunlight as it moves across the cabinetry face. The metal is painted steel and the countertops a grey eco-composite".

Special thanks to HomeDSGN for the above images and information.