Single Family House

Spacelab Architecture have created this contemporary residence in 2012 for a family located in Athens, Greece. The designers have configured the home to maximize the outdoor space, because of the site’s awkward triangular shape.

"The scheme was developed on two levels. On the ground floor, big glazing surfaces allow for a dialogue between the interior and the exterior. This level houses the sitting and dining areas as well a the kitchen".

"The first floor appears to be more protected, with smaller openings. Thus, privacy is achieved for the three bedrooms that are located there".

"The facades if the house were treated with a layering of overlapping materials. Apart from the glazing, the solid parts of the walls are covered with tadelakt. A second layer of metal frames with wooden plank infill is added on. The fencing of the site is done by a series of vertical metal plates with a second layer of armed glass to reduce the street noise".

Throughout the interior, different types of wood has been used. Oak flooring, black pine cabinets, antiqued oak for the kitchen cabinets and knaki lacquered oak for the staircase.

Special thanks to HomeDSGN for the above images and information.

Shadowboxx

This contemporary residence is a 2009 project by Olson Kundig Architects and is located on Lopez Island, Washington, USA.

"The walls can be opened and part of the roof can be lifted to provide the occupants with the experience of camping outdoors while enjoying the comforts of home".

"Shadowboxx responds to a desire to facilitate an intimate understanding of its setting and explorers the tradition of gathering around a fire".

"The site for this island retreat is a remote, windy point of land in the San Juan Islands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Tucked between a thicket of trees and a rising bank, the house angles toward the bluff with its fifty-foot drop to the sea and view of the Olympic Mountains beyond".

"Composed of several elements - living space, bathhouse, and private guest room - Shadowboxx sits in a natural clearing created by the strong winds that force back the trees from the rocky bank".

"Inside the home, layers are revealed slowly. A gallery runs the length of the house, with rooms spilling off it. Two steel-clad doors slide open to reveal the main living space, called the cloud room for its ever-changing atmospherics".

"A steel chimney pipe opens to both the cloud room and the gallery and kitchen area, and doubles as a structural support. Exterior awning shutters face the water; they can be closed for protection from the elements or for the security when the owner is away".

"Tactile materials are used throughout, including rammed earth floors, reclaimed oak floor planks, unpainted gypsum board and steel walls, corrugated steel siding and roofing, and reclaimed scaffolding planks for the ceiling".



Special thanks to HomeDSGN for the above images and information.

One Oak Chalet

This One Oak Chalet is located in Combloux, near Megève, a town which well-known as a ski resort for its proximity to the Mont Blanc in the French Alps.

"The house itself is made of rustic wood, but its decoration brings in a touch of modernity and quirky character that makes the chalet truly singular".

"Everything is larger than life in 540 square meters of pure, a 3 floor property with endless views of the Mt Blanc, its mountain range and the Chamonix valley".

"The Chalet accommodates 12 people in 6 bedrooms. It has 4 double bedroom suites with en suites, bunk bed room and the Master suite on its own floor".

"All bedrooms have floor to ceiling windows and their terraces with their own dramatic views of the mountains and the rolling country side".

A traditional, natural feel runs right through the chalet, thanks to the use of natural materials such as the oak flooring.

"The chalet is situated in Combloux. It is 5 minutes drive to the famous Princess ski lift and 7 minutes drive to Megeve village".

Special thanks to HomeDSGN for the above images and information.

KNRDY Restaurant

Suto Interior Architects have completed the design of this steakhouse and bar, located in Budapest, Hungary.

"The base for the design was a high headroom 250 m2 space partly encompassing the inner court of the more than a hundred years old building. The most spectacular of the restaurant is the guest area, it can sit 40 guests, with its great glass portals it allows us to take a look inside. From the street we can see the cross-sectional view of the restaurant, through from the wardrobe, which is hidden behind the SICIS mosaic wall picturing a city view of New York, until the bar. Before entering we can take the pleasure by seeing the collection of chairs and tables from Tom Dixon, the red bar chairs designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and the classic lights by Artemide Tolomec unusually placed above the leather benches".

"The counterpoints of the light coming through the wide shop windows are the black and dark grey wall surfaces and the dark materials. The contemporary furniture look more elegant in front of the plastered white and brick walls, which are slackly left at their original states, as the lights are more extraordinary directed on them".

Warm, clear oak flooring has been laid into a parquet pattern, and is surrounded by Mirahe Heritage collection of gres tile surfaces bringing back the atmosphere of age old abbeys.

Special thanks to Contemporist for the above images and information.