Rustic Modern Home in the Czech Republic

This home was designed by Mimosa Architekti and is located the small village of Bohumileč in the Pardubice region, Czech Republic. The striking thing about this residence is that one look is enough to establish who the inhabitants are. Its cozy atmosphere, inspired by the wooden exterior, as well as its picturesque site (lush vegetation, a near-by lake) create a perfect environment for a young family. According to the architects, “the building seeks to be an unobtrusive, yet an expressive resident of the place“. The house consists of two floors; the bottom level houses most of the living space, such as a large entrance zone, an open plan living room with an integrated dining area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The interior design pays tribute to space and color, creating a dynamic atmosphere, perfect for encouraging the creativity of the two children living here. 


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Modern Chaise Longue - James Uren

In case your were on the lookout for an elegant and flexible seating design, the Luso Lounger created by James Uren might fit the profile. Here is a description from the project developer: “The Luso Lounger is a modern reinterpretation of the Chaise Longue. It evolved from looking at redundant furniture, and re-inventing it to suit the way in which we live today. The addition of a footstool means that there are a number of different ways in which it can be used; a day bed, lounger, chair, footstool. The Luso lounger is an interesting asymmetric form that is versatile, makes an excellent use of space. The under-frame has been constructed using American cherry; the shell of the lounger is made from lacquered plywood”. Our attention was caught by its simple, yet clever appearance and we just had to share it further. 


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The Snail House - Atelier d.org

The Snail House was designed by Atelier d.org and is located in Reinhardsmunster, France. Its original architecture was imposed by the terrain, a very challenging slope According to the architects, this layout offered many advantages, such as respect of the original land, minimal earth-moving, multiple openings with centered views, direct entrances to each storey (the roof is also fully used), small visual impact, efficient natural thermal insulation. The overall result is truly spectacular and the crib looks different from any standpoint. We particularly like the roof and the “entertainment” resources it implies. The interiors remind one of a beautiful modern mountain home. Good taste and impeccable planning contribute to this home’s image of a quiet and peaceful place to be.


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Cloud Lamp - Zhao Liping

Inspired by the poem of XU Zhimo, this lamp is designed by Zhao Liping. I love the clean, simple and fun approach to the design. 

Blog of Zhao Liping

Apolo 11 House - Parra & Edwards Architects

Description by the architects:

Apollo 11 is a shop house in the middle of a grove of elms at the foot of the Andes, on the outskirts of the city of Santiago. She was baptized with that name because it is designed like a ship that landed in a forest without touching it at any time and will undertake his departure, leaving the forest intact. “Apollo 11″ also for the laboratory conditions: This house functions as architecture workshop, recording studio and rehearsal room acoustic and electric music. It is a capsule that support in full the life of his crew, a family of architects and musicians.

The program is organized in two levels from a rectangular 6 x 9 mts. in 6 mts. high. The rectangle, for the Japanese is the only element that does not distort the nature, is a clean element that tends to disappear. The simplicity of the box also helps the idea of ??occupying the forest floor minimum while maximizing the heat inside the ship as it landed in a place that is very cold in winter. With two levels of heating is easy and is oriented in their bedrooms to the north with large windows that take the stored heat energy and heat through the glass. In summer the foliage of the elms control acts as natural sunlight.
The box is a simple grid structure coated metal plates on their skin for plywood of 18 mm. glass plates and allowing full and empty that resemble the dark and light fragments produced in the foliage of trees. The skeleton of this structure is always visible, with the metal profiles metaphor from the trunks and branches of this new forest and wood planes of the leaves of the tree. That’s why their facades are indefinite and change in different seasons of the year through mobile web pages are the thermal checked in and out depending on what is happening in the forest itself.
Inside the ship, the inhabitant is a guest, a silent spectator of the nature of the forest in all its dimensions, as a temporary crew capsule observation ephemeral aware of their status in a place that belongs to him, but that is not property.


Parra + Edwards Architects

Yusuhara wooden bridge museum - Kengo Kuma

Located in Kochi prefecture, japan is 'Yusuhara wooden bridge museum' by Tokyo and Paris based practice, kengo kuma and associates. blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with a contemporary language, the museum seeks to harmoniously coexist with its surrounding natural landscape. 
An arrangement of alternating and interwoven beams compose the wooden structure which appears to float in the air, supported by a single central pillar. two glass shafts flank each end, their translucent rectilinear bodies camouflaged  into the vegetative background. 


Kengo Kuma & Associates


designboom

Hyphae lamp - Nervous system

Continuing to mimick natural processes and patterns, American design duo nervous system (Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg) have created a new series of algorithmically generated lighting designs: the 3D-printed hyphae lamp is individually grown through a method based on leaf vein formations.  


The lamps are grown using a custom design software that nervous system created in C++ using CGAL and cinder. Each one starts from a base volume and a set of root points; the structures emerging through an interactive process as the roots grow into an auxin filled environment. The system is optimized to produce designs for manufacturing by selective laser sintering. 


Designboom

Ancient Spanish mill transformed into modern living

Designed by Barcelona-based Minim Interior Design Studio, the residence located in Spain’s Priorat Wine Region showcases a rustic atmosphere accentuated by the balanced use of modern furnishings. The building used to be an old mill, but the architects transformed it into an interesting residence while respecting the original space. Trying to overcome the building’s shortcomings, the architects included “a bold “sculpture-staircase” in order to organize the building internally.” The complex interior design of the house is a transformation of old into stunning modern while keeping a comfortable and enticing arrangement. High ceilings and stone walls in the living room convey a sense of idyllic relaxation and the open floor plan favours the placement of the dining room close to the kitchen, which is hidden by the wooden staircase. The upstairs private rooms were designed to offer raw relaxation and impose a feeling of overwhelming simplicity. An interesting feature transforms the residence into a fantastic entertaining space: the presence of a winery – not uncommon for houses in the Priorat Wine Region. This room features “one of the region´s finest wines“, as described by Minim. I bet you can find at least one exceptional thing about this residence.


Freshome

Leicester House - SPG Architects

SPG Architects have designed the Leicester House in Asheville, North Carolina

Description from the architects:

This hilltop residence, located at the edge of a wooded knoll in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has expansive southern and western views.  Approaching through a dense woods, one arrives at a striking single story façade of corten steel in a wood frame. A hint of the views is provided through the glass door, but it is not until entry that the full impact of the hilltop views can be experienced. The rear glass walls, facing West and South, open to rolling farmland below and the mountains beyond.

The entry level serves as the primary living area, with a guest wing carved into the hilltop on a level below.  Functionality and energy efficiency are achieved both by this programmatic zoning as well as the careful choice of materials, fixtures, fittings, and energy.  The ‘greening’ of the house complements its visual warmth, grounding the modern structure its a rural landscape.

Contemporist

House in hill - Cell Space architect

Japanese practice Cell Space architects (Mutsue Hayakusa) designed 'house in hill', a single storey villa in Gunma, Japan. Plugged into a south-facing hillside of a wooded site, the design seeks to keep as much of the natural landscape intact by curving around the topography to trace the contours of the land. laced on a low gradient of the hill, the design is initiated by the form of the topography, working with it in order to generate as well as define the space. An outdoor terrace finished in wood wraps around existing trees, filling in the gap between the landscape and the entrance and the house. 


Designboom

TOMS Eyewear

TOMS, the shoe company that gives one pair for every pair you buy has ventured into eyewear. Using the same model of “One for One™”, TOMS will help give sight to people in need through medical treatment, prescription eyeglasses and sight-saving surgery, administered by its first Sight Giving Partner, Seva Foundation.

TOMS

TOMS

Waterfall Bay House - Pete Bossley Architects

Waterfall Bay House is a spectacular wooden residence designed by Pete Bossley Architects and located in New Zealand. Here is a small description from the architects: “Located in a remote bay in the Marlborough Sounds, this house emphasizes on the intimate qualities of the small bay. Set close to the water it runs along the contour as a two storey primary element incorporating living areas above and guest rooms below. Linked by a glazed bridge is a main bedroom, raised above the cliff on visually unstable legs to emphasize its eerie-like relationship to tree tops and sky“. We particularly like the interiors of this home, which inspire the coziness and warmth of a beautiful mountain cottage. Due to large windows, the inhabitants can enjoy unobstructed views of the beautiful green-colored lake. The fireplace, pillows and generous bookcase make this home a wonderful retreat, perfect for a holiday getaway.


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Bicycle Parking - Nunc Architects

Besides the famous 4 store bicycle garage in front of the central station in Amsterdam, Holland has a new garage waiting to be famous as well. Nunc Architects designed a warehouse for parking bicycles in Zaandam, The Netherlands.

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Visit the Nunc Architects website