Dream Homes
What’s there to love about this Flat in Gothic Quarter of Barcelona? Absolutely everything about this dream home is desirable! I was mesmerized by its luxurious beauty and it was far beyond just the aesthetics – YLAB Arquitectos just captured everything that a modern home is all about.
The modern architects at YLAB Arquitectos did an amazing job in renovating the 1,400-square foot apartment. As a result, the modern architecture demonstrates a quiet and intimate and there is something romantic about its overall design. Despite this, it still functioned as a place where the owner can work in and do some entertaining for leisure times. It is very difficult to isolate my favorite area – for me its entirety is more than just the sum of its whole.
Nevertheless, the great kitchen is a beauty to behold and despite the unique designs of each room – they still demonstrate some level of connection. YLAB Arquitectos chose to use wood on walls and ceiling, which in my opinion gave the interior design a lasting impression while creating a warm and inviting environment despite the mega-contemporary design. But when it comes to its bathroom design, I think my heart melted right where it is. At a glance, it seems to me that the area is like one of those in the spa where you can enjoy ultimate relaxation while keeping your privacy at highest levels the entire time.
Personally, this is one of the dream homes I would always want to come home to – located at the center of Gothic Quarter, Barcelona. The house floor plans implemented on the original space are composed of a series of spacious and bright rooms with the huge arched openings as its mode of connection. There were also balconies on the façade along with the inner courtyard. YLAB Arquitectos preserved some of the intricate details like the classic Catalan ceilings with the vaulted arches and wooden beams and the exterior woodworking with shutters.
The layout of the project is the result of the new meaning that YLAB Arquitectos gave the existing structure. The different rooms come with different functions and atmosphere yet the redefining qualities of the home created an entirely new connection between each space. This allowed the classic design elements to prevail – and the resulting design both on the interiors and exteriors is breathtaking.
The stunning design of the living room is the focal point of design which communicates with other parts of the house and this is truly inspirational if you’ll ask me.
-
Sofas
Buying sofas can be daunting – it’s a major investment. John Lewis has the expert advice you need to feel comfy with your choice.
-
Beds
Want a good night’s sleep? Our beds are hand-made by the UK’s best craftsmen to help you get some decent shut-eye.
-
Furniture
The way you furnish your personal space should reflect you. Be inspired by our designer wallpaper and bedroom furniture.
-
Tables
A new coffee or dining table can refresh the look of any room. John Lewis has beautiful tables to help you make a style statement.
-
Furnishing
A stylish full length mirror and the right home lighting can really set the mood in a room, creating the illusion of space, adding warmth and even drama.
Posted by JackieAzuela at 16 May, 2012
At a glance, the Maleny House looked like a foundation – yet to be developed. However, after close inspection, we found out that the “Glass House Mountain House” located in Maleny is actually a dream home celebrating the site as it perches on the edge of the remaining rim of Glass House range. It also demonstrates the essence of the place with both the “sky and mountains” as its backdrop.
Nature found its way to the modern home by using “glass and stone.” Glass is used to fill the interiors with views of the sky and the “stone” denotes the mountains. The modern architecture is undeniably connected to its landscape. It demonstrates both the sky and mountain because the house has qualities of both being anchored to earth and being transparent like the sky making it appears light and floating.
The implemented house floor plans produced a ‘sanctuary’ on the courtyard space. The edges of which are being defined by the ambiguous transition between the interiors and exteriors since the spaces are only divided with the transparency of the glass. The ‘sanctuary’ evokes a feeling of being in a faraway place – doing yoga and the likes yet as it lie against the monumental basalt – called ‘garden wall,’ one is taken back to the reality once more.
The overall layout of the house is engaging to the existing topography, views, lush greenery and orientation of land and in addition the house achieved a good balance between economy and art.
Bark Design Architects allowed the inspirational design to sink deep into the concept resulting to a mixture of economical finishes, clarity, originality, textured, unadorned and most of all natural surfaces and this merged into a fine craft of timber bits and pieces. We find it extremely similar to the Japanese concept of wabi sabi – which means that the beauty of things can be seen through their imperfections, incompleteness and impermanence. The design demonstrated an evolution and flexibility to change with time.
The interior design of the house is simple yet modern and sophisticated and Bark Design Architects captured my attention through the sustainable elements found in the design such as the natural cooling and lighting system. This allowed the natural breeze and winter sun to enter the architecture through the use of hardwood, quarry rock, recycled timber floors and plywood cladding and lining from local sources.
The great kitchen looks convenient and functional in a sense that it makes perfect connection with its surroundings especially with its open area even the bathroom design makes its own connection with the environment as well. The furniture and fixtures are chosen smartly and wisely to celebrate the unification of earth and sky to the architectural design.
Posted by JackieAzuela at 14 May, 2012
The owners of Lavorgna Residence by Dencity Architecture desired a modern home that reflected their love of modern design, but did not want to leave their in-town neighborhood. The objective of the design became to transform a traditional, compartmentalized house into an open living space that extends to the outdoor spaces, while maintaining the rhythm of the street by keeping the front volume of the house intact.
Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 11 May, 2012
The contemporary home, Sullivan Residence, was designed by Colorado-based architecture firm Entasis Group
This is a small Modern Sustainable home in Evergreen Colorado. This site was challenging due to the setback restrictions and the sloping lot. Every tree was saved during construction and every point in the house has a view of the exterior. The design intent of the home was to feel like a tree house inside. The home has an extensive use of stone running from the outside into the home. The home has 5 individual courtyards to capture the sun at different times of the day.
Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 10 May, 2012
We stumbled upon this gorgeous home when reading one of our daily reads, Contemporist.
Leroy Street Studio designed two stone homes for a mother and daughter on a large property in Long Island, New York.
Description from the designers: This weekend retreat sits on a flat, open 12 acre site in eastern Long Island. The clients, a mother and daughter, requested a low-maintenance residence that incorporated Westchester granite and great expanses of glass to take in views of the property. LSS introduced dry-stack stone walls to unify exterior and interior spaces and to knit the compound together. The walls, linked by water features, provide a unifying texture and distinguish the private, southern-oriented arrival side of the buildings from the northern-facing curtain walls.
The mothers’ house is split into public and private wings by a gallery overlooking a sculpture court. The public wing is a singular volume subdivided by wrapping roofs: the lower roof creates an intimate dining area and screened porch, and the upper one defines the entry vestibule and living room.
The daughter’s house is composed of perpendicular roof planes which over-sail the stone walls; and a taught box of oak glu-lam portal frames wrapped in a continuous skin of louvers.
The two buildings together create an abstract composition of planar materials which redefine the property as a series of internal and external courtyards spaces for the family.
Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 9 May, 2012
As a holiday house, Parsonson Architects based in Wellington has captured what a dream home is like in this project – the Apple Bay House. This modern home was completed in the year 2006 and is specifically located in Apple Bay at Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
This absolutely breathtaking modern architecture is surrounded by lush greenery – truly a sight to behold. The modern architects of the firm have been designed as a holiday house and that the house was intended to be utilized as one. It is nestled on a west-facing hillside with interior design that complements that of the nature. Its communication with the surroundings is demonstrated by huge glass windows and sliding doors. This way, even if you are inside the house you can still take in the beauty of nature within the interiors.
The house floor plans are perfectly implemented and created a subtle platform amidst the trees – a beauty to discover and unfold. There are two parts for this modern architecture and each of the parts has a fine roof that follows the orientation of the land. It includes the upper level area where the living room is situated and a large space with a deck to enjoy the fresh air of the morning and feel the heat of the afternoon sun and the lower level where the bedrooms almost float among the trees with windows that open across the top of the trees. In addition, the great kitchen is neat and modern yet its simplicity radiates its beauty.
The layout of the house is inspirational if not utterly stunning.
Posted by JackieAzuela at 9 May, 2012
Absolutely charming – this can be used to describe the Swedish Flat in Kungsladugard. It is a dream home coming true for many as most of us want a modern home that describes who we are and empathizes with our feeling. This is exactly what the Swedish Flat evokes – a feeling of comfort, warmth and being in a place where we belong.
This modern architecture is stunningly simple yet there is nothing simple about its design and layout. The interior design is superb and everything about its interiors communicates with each other through the seamless transition from one living space to another. This modern apartment is located specifically at the heart of Kungsladugard and it occupies a 933 square feet area and is situated within a neighborhood with architectural design dating back 1928 and this home was preserved with its gorgeous authentic details.
Its bathroom design demonstrates utmost privacy without compromising the design and style allowing you to have a nice bath and relaxation on your own. Arvid Fuhre has captured what imagination eludes us and placed it on a physical location where you could actually see it. All the rooms in this apartment have plank floors clad with light gray color. As you can see there is sophisticated patterned wallpaper in the living room which adds style and created a great transition from the white walls.
The great kitchen features modern interiors and appliances and adequate storage – truly contemporary. It follows a perfect implementation of the house floor plans.
Within the house is a master bedroom and two children’s bedrooms. These bedrooms were a result of dividing a larger room. The entire house is well-designed and demonstrates spaciousness making it feel light and airy. The design is truly inspirational and for the most part we would want it for ourselves.
Posted by JackieAzuela at 8 May, 2012
California based architecture firm, Ehrlich Architects , has designed the contemporary home Carrillo Residence in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.
The Carrillo Residence occupies a long narrow site on the rim of Santa Monica Canyon with distant views of the Pacific Ocean. Designed for a young couple with two children, the house addresses the formal and informal needs of the family while taking advantage of the Southern California climate and views. The orientation of the house reinforces the geometry of the site. A series of stone masses define the ground floor program while a pristine floating white box houses the bedroom wings and slides over and past the stone to gesture towards the canyon and the views.
The glass living room volume sits at the far end of the site adjacent to the main bar of the house and divides the outdoor space into two distinct courts. The informal front court provides a protected sun-filled play yard for the children adjacent to the family zone. The formal rear court comprises an outdoor dining area, barbecue, and infinity-edge pool and expands toward the view beyond. The living room and dining room can be completely opened up to this court by a series of oversized pivot doors. The large expanses of glass of the living room visually connect the formal and informal domains and allow for the view to extend through to the canyon beyond. A custom wood ceiling and custom-stained concrete inside and out emphasizes this sense of visual continuity.
Internally, the formal adult zone and informal family zones (and master suite and children’s rooms above) are separated by the stair core and play area, and can be closed off from each other by pocket doors. Built-in cabinets are used throughout the home to divide larger spaces into smaller areas. The play area upstairs can later be converted into a third bedroom if needed.
The cantilevering master bedroom creates a covered outdoor dining area and hovers out toward to the canyon views. The angle of the roof above the bedroom terrace and the infinity edge of the pool is parallel to the geometry of the site and the canyon below.
Posted by Keren Fathi-Poor at 3 May, 2012
I find this dream home undeniably fascinating – especially with the bare cement combined harmoniously with wood, metal and glass. The Ramat Gan House 2 completed by Pitsuo Kedem Architects is definitely breathtaking. The modern architects at the Israel-based architectural firm captured the essence of a modern architecture without becoming overly futuristic.
Without decorations and ornaments, the Ramat Gan House 2 is filled with architectural intricacies. I find the series of boxes or square-like structures intriguing in the most personal and intimate way. The intricacies created a sense of “feeling” the intangible elements like reflection, light and transparency, which will basically let you see through the interiors and exteriors, vice versa.
Through these intangible elements, the differences in the volumes were emphasized thus creating different perceptions on the living spaces depending on which view you are looking at. I personally like the clean and modern design that this house demonstrates. Glass – with its transparency – only heightened the design to levels beyond modern expectation. It allowed natural light to seep in and provide illumination during the day. In the same manner, the artificial light coming from the inside could seep out during night.
The project was completed in 2011 and it consists of three levels located in Ramat Gan in Tel-Aviv, Israel.
At a glance, I could say that it is more like a box than a house but on close inspection the house floor plans were perfectly implemented so that public domains are exposed while the private domains remained private and away from prying eyes. It is demonstrated perfectly through its orientation – with the façade facing the street. The soft edges on the long, horizontal lines all throughout the house created a connection both exteriorly and interiorly – it gives off a sense of being frozen in time.
The great kitchen is also ultra-modern devoid with any obvious appliance.
Overall, the modern home demonstrates a polished and minimalistic design bringing out the exact theme that the designers chose. There is also a sense of dynamism in this house through the random lines opening through the white walls on private domains where light could penetrate in – it is almost dramatic and in motion.
While I cannot say that the layout is perfect and inspirational, I could say that the space is meditative despite its dynamism. The style is sleek and polished providing a great deal of care in the details including the integration and combination of the different materials.
Posted by JackieAzuela at 1 May, 2012
