It is something about Sydney terrace renovations that I fall in love with everytime. . and hope I can own one, one day. What was once a narrow, dark terrace house in Sydney’s Double Bay has been transformed into a home characterized by the interplay of volumes, planes and light. The main focus for architects Tobias Partners in transforming the four-metre-wide property into a family home for its client was to introduce much-needed natural light into the centre of the site with an elegant architectural insertion. Heritage constraints meant the late-nineteenth-century facade had to be retained in its original form and that there could not be any newly built elements visible from the street.
Via | Houses
Weee! a few more days before our holiday with friends & family… Hello sunny days, paradise decor and white sand beaches… I cant hardly wait… I wish you a fabulous weekend! Xo
Marcio Kogan’s StudioMK27 designed the Ipês house in São Paulo, Brazil.
In the design and construction of the House of Ipês there is exposed concrete. In this house the material is used in a radical manner throughout the upper volume. The large concrete box appears to be floating atop a glass volume. In the living room, which continues to the veranda and the garden, the doors open entirely, diluting the division between interior and exterior. The main entrance is done through pivoting panels that also open entirely to the front garden. In the internal space, a long irregularly-shaped sofa wriggles around the room, constructing a space with no hierarchy among the different orientations.
The structure of the house incorporates large spans which accentuate the Idea of a floating Box, besides propitiating a totally free and continuous space. The use of raw concrete refers to modern buildings, aesthetically and functionally, as in a dialogue with this modern architecture. The House of Ipês, with its grand spans and brute material, transpires a sobriety and the concrete impregnated by the passage of time, exposes the existence of the life of the building.
ARCHITECTURE | INTERIORS
Project: Nettleton 198 | Architects: Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects (SAOTA) | Location: Clifton, Cape Town, South Africa| Compleated: 2011
The clients, a British couple living in Cape Town, requested a six-bedroom, seven-level home that makes the most of the site, the views and the mountain. The lower levels of the existing structure were totally remodelled while the upper level was demolished to allow for two new levels.
The site enjoys spectacular views and these views and the impact of the sun were key informants contributing to the overall design. The living room can open up onto the west and the east completely, giving it the feeling of an open pavilion.
ARCHITECTURE
Photographs: Patrick Reynolds
Project: Villa Amazi | Architects: Herbst Architects | Location: Piha North, New Zealand| Photographs: Patrick Reynolds | Compleated: 2008
Herbst Architects recently completed a beautiful home under the trees in New Zealand. When we say “under the trees” we mean it! The property was 90% covered by Aukerlands native Pohutukawa trees, which created a challenge for Herbst, a New Zealand based architecture firm founded in 2000 by Lance and Nicola Herbst. “In order for the home to exist it would require the destruction of a large number of mature trees. To do this we looked to the trees themselves to give us the cues that we needed,” the two architects explained.
“We separated the brief loosely into private and “public” components, giving us smaller individual masses with which to articulate the forms. The private functions of bedrooms and garage are housed in two towers which are construed as freshly sawn stumps of the trees that were removed. To allude to the bark of the stumps the skins of the towers are clad in black/brown stained rough sawn irregular battens. The interior spaces are then seen as carved out of the freshly cut wood, achieved by detailing all the wall / ceiling and cabinetry elements in the same light timber.”
Via| Contemporist
ARCHITECTURE | INTERIOR
Project: 28 West Coast Grove | Architects: ONG & ONG| Location: Singapore, China| Compleated: 2011
Is it just me or are you here with me?. . . I can’t get enough of ONG & ONG beautiful architecture. I blogged about it here before. ONG&ONG has been in the architecture game since the early 70s, but this prestigious firm has only been doing interiors for just under a decade. We are blown away by the inspiring homes this company has created so far – including the Blair Road Residence. Seriously, would you ever think you will see second photo behind the heritage facade in the first photo.
TV and music appliances hide behind huge canvases in the lounge, easily revealed for entertainment purposes. A very surreal feature but we love it! What is your favorite part of the 55 Blair Road Residence?
ARCHITECTURE | INTERIOR
Project: The Paddington X2 House | Architects: MCK Architects | Location:Sydney, Australia| Compleated: 2009
Imagine embarking on a simple home renovation journey not knowing that the ‘simple’ renovation will be bigger than any average renovation project you have ever done? That is exactly what MCK Architects stumbled upon in this magnificent Paddington X2 house. The architects were presented with the job of creating this impressive contemporary space within the extremely strict rules of one of Australia’s best preserved heritage conservation areas. No one could have suspected that this symbolic finished project simply could not have come together under any other circumstances.
The architects retained the original facade by combining two Paddington terraces – which in turn gave them enough space to form one large, bright family home. The pendant lamps which feature throughout the rooms look striking as they illuminate areas that may not be touched by the generous windows and skylights. We are shown that shape and form play a big role in this terrace as the table, chairs and stools all show their beauty and make this one spectacular renovation. The natural wood featured in these photos provide real depth to fill in the extra space to create a warm and attractive atmosphere within the modern fashionable interior.
The Paddington X2 house certainly gives us the best of both worlds by filling up it’s living areas with clean white interior and the richly preserved exterior. One could certainly say that it’s one of a kind.
via: habitus Living
