Kirsten Dirksen Films (May 28, 2023) – Caspar Schols built his first shapeshifting house in his mother’s backyard as her writing cabin that, by sliding a room-on-rails, could convert into a place to sleep under the stars.
He has since perfected his expandable home with 10 prototypes: his most recent model is robust enough to serve as a primary residence and has a bathtub and guest bed hidden in the floor. The house can be opened up – on sunny days, for nature-watching or just to sleep directly under the stars – with just a push.
The entire walls and ceiling of the house move, but anyone can propel this 3,000 kilograms (over 6000 pounds) room-on-rails because Schols created a system that is “super low friction”. To create a well-insulated home that has walls that move, Schols and his team designed the rails with wind labyrinths to trap the air and added brushes to any moving surface to prevent airflow.
The Local Project (May 28, 2023) – Retaining its heritage, Shift House is an architects family home that sees MAUD elegantly and subtly use the original structure’s form and character as the foundation for renovations.
Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architects Family Home 00:45 – A Special Character Location 01:29 – The Ability to Experiment 02:00 – A Shift from Old to New 02:43 – The Material Palette 03:10 – A Focus on the Kitchen 03:39 – The Performance and Aesthetics of Good Design 03:53 – Linking the Outdoors with the Indoors 04:20 – Favourite Aspects of the Home 04:55 – Changing the Way of Living and Operating
Located on a tree-lined street, the architects family home is surrounded by the special character Freemans Bay. Due to this location, the architects renovations came with constraints that pertained to the form and development of the home. However, thanks to the structure’s position upon a ridge, MAUD was afforded the opportunity to build a two-storey addition that is concealed from the street front and does not cross any of the limitations.
Afforded the opportunity to experiment on their own home, the architect was able to try out methods of interior design that they otherwise would not. As such, the renovations to the architects family home included an addition of modern lower levels that connect to the rear gardens, while an upstairs room that affords an outlook beyond the site has been added. Seen throughout the architects family home there is an intentional use of colour to signal the change in eras.
First experienced within the original parts of the home, a muted palette has been used to bring life and character to the space, while in the newer additions there is a shift upon the emphasis of materiality and texture to match the modern years. Using recycled materials to link the new additions to the original home, MAUD shifts and moves the formal shapes of the original zones into the relaxed new additions. In the bathrooms, the use of saturated colours provides an immersive experience, showcasing the ritualistic approaches to bathing.
Wall Street Journal (May 27, 2023) – Their ties to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte, N.C. inspired Dorlisa and Peter Flur to custom-build their forever home. The 5,354 square-foot, three-bedroom house on Lake Wylie features a similar cantilever design by architect Toby Witte.
Video timeline:0:00 Background on the home 1:47 Piano room and great room 3:12 Office and courtyard 5:10 Primary bedroom 6:44 Budget and cost
Tour this custom $2 million lakefront home designed to feel like it’s floating in mid-air, with unique features including a swimming pool and museum-like details.
The Local Project (May 26, 2023) – A fusion of an Australian and Californian sensibility, Venice Beach House is a calm house that captures the spirit of its owner and a resonating sense of place.
Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Calm House 00:29 – The Location of the Home 00:48 – The Californian Bungalow 01:03 – The Brief 01:22 – A Visual Palette Cleanser 01:47 – A Walkthrough of the Home 02:36 – The Material Palette 02:50 – Aspects of the Surrounding Borrowed Landscape 03:31 – The Material Palette Continued 04:03 – Following the Sun 04:28 – Favourite Aspects of the Home
Tribe Studio Architects and Arabella McIntosh bring a distinct, globally inspired approach in crafting the Los Angeles home of Armadillo co-founder Jodie Fried. Whilst an embracing of the natural elements and the similarities in climate that bind both Los Angeles and Australian design, Venice Beach House is founded on the creation of a series of spaces that capture the travelled spirit of its owner.
As the occasional home to Jodie Fried and her family, the resulting calm house speaks to a combined methodology, drawing upon the renowned Californian outdoor lifestyle and familiar elements found home in Australia. Located among an assortment of established bungalow-style homes, the surrounding context plays a key role in shaping the proposed form, scale and proportion of the home whilst referencing a key Australian influence.
Built by Tatum Constructions, Venice Beach House is, at its heart, a calm house. Expressing an openness between inside and out, the home invites connection with the surrounding landscape and ensures a natural spillover of function into the outdoor spaces. The established fig tree in the front garden inspired and directed the planning to optimise natural shading and orientation to create key connections with the natural elements.
The Local Project (May 21, 2023) -Located in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and a short distance from the Yarra River, Arthur by Oscar Sainsbury Architects (OSA) is an architects own house that extends upon the ideas of family living and connection to nature.
Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architects Own House 00:31 – Designing for Yourself 00:59 – The Initial Design Ideas 01:13 – Encouraging Usage of the Garden 01:33 – A Focus on the Garden 01:56 – The Original Double Brick House 02:12 – The Central Part of the House 02:58 – Challenges Designing with Heritage Homes 03:39 – The Materials Used 04:35 – Favourite Aspects of the Home
As the owner, architect and builder, OSA dances across the separate realms with ease in order to deliver a home that allows the family to grow in place. Following a desire to open up an architects own house to the outside, OSA uses contemporary methods of design, allowing for the family to easily manoeuvre about.
With the house tour of an architects own house beginning at the double-bricked façade, OSA has additionally maintained three of the original bedrooms, with two facing the street and one opening up to the rear decking. Designed to be the central part of the house, the kitchen is laid out to encourage flow and connection from the private quarters and into the public living spaces. Known to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, the owner and architect has incorporated functionality by allowing it to serve its purpose as well as be easy to live and entertain in.
The Modern House Films (May 22, 2023) – Surrounded by protected forests and picturesque fields within the South Downs National Park, close to the village and country estate of Hinton Ampner and the beautiful Georgian town of Alresford, lies Black House Farm.
Video timeline: 00:16 – Exterior 00:39 – Living area 00:54 – Bedroom 01:03 – Living room 01:24 – Dining room 01:39 – Hallway 01:49 – Kitchen
Built to a design by Robin Lee Architecture and shortlisted for a RIBA Regional Award, a meticulous renovation of a Grade II-listed 17th-century farmhouse has been met with the dramatic conversion of an adjacent 19th-century threshing barn and farmyard. The combination is a house of distinct refinement, linked by a contemporary structure of rare lateral scale and volume, set in almost 20 acres of private fields, wildflower meadows and working agricultural landscapes.
The Local Project (May 21, 2023) – Double Bay House III is a pragmatic and peaceful house tailored to suit family living. In transforming the traditional family home into an inspired modern form, the residence simultaneously embraces both connectivity and separation within.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Peaceful House 00:37 – The View and the Location 01:20 – A Brief for a Young Family 01:56 – Focusing on the Curves 02:22 – The Site and its Surrounds 02:56 – A Minimalistic Programme 03:11 – Playing with the Natural Light 04:05 – A Crossover of the Architecture and Interior Design 04:29 – The Feature Fireplace 06:05 – A Walkthrough of the Home 07:58 – Favourite Aspects of the Home
TKD Architects creates a deeply considered, highly functional and sophisticated dwelling. Located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Double Bay House III benefits from its purposeful site located at the southeast corner of the block. Designing the home in this way celebrates its front garden and privately welcomes an abundance of natural light. Sitting across from a park and being surrounded by trees, the new form’s intention was to respect the surrounding landscape and make the most of the natural elements on site, creating a functional, peaceful home for a young family.
The home’s materiality is defined by a sense of harmony and calm, enriched by smooth lines and an ever-present play of light. The external curvature of the peaceful house extends to the rounded stone that dominates the interior, relaying a sense of peace. Natural light is welcomed through form, cut-outs, skylights and a positioning of glass elements to ensure the right amount of light enters the home at the right time. On the western side of the peaceful house, there are screens that open and close and the perforations of those elements are graded.
A As Architecture (May 21, 2023) – COA Hills, an eco-friendly micro-home holiday resort located in Balkaya Village, Sapanca, offers a unique architectural design that promotes health, nature, and eco-conscious living.
The resort’s sustainable architectural vision is expected to inspire a new vitality in the region and serve as a healing place where the soul finds its release. MAA’s architectural design offers guests the opportunity to stay in beautifully designed 26 micro-homes made of natural and renewable materials such as timber which can be re-introduced into natural cycle.
These micro-homes are situated on a sloped landscape that is surrounded by natural treasures such as forests, and they offer breathtaking scenery of Sapanca Lake. Nature has the power to recharge, rejuvenate, and connect people with the natural world around them. COA Hills will become a place of inspiration where nature and design find collaboration.
The Local Project (May 19, 2023) – Ryan Leidner Architecture thoughtfully renovates a bygone California house into a modern home that is intrinsically connected to its surrounding landscape by incorporating lush greenery into the interior spaces.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the California House 00:23 – Renovation of an Eichler Home 00:54 – A Walkthrough of the Home 01:11 – Magical Moments 01:32 – Light Play and Dynanism 01:53 – Feeling Enveloped in the Garden 02:37 – Leaning into the Indoor-Outdoor Connection 03:02 – Working on the Landscape 03:30 – Focusing on A Specific Level of Transparency 04:15 – Rewarding and Proud Moments
Imbued with a tangible sense of transparency, Twin Gable House proposes a more outward, open way of living. Located in Sunnyvale, a suburban neighbourhood 45 minutes south of San Francisco, Twin Gable House sits within a streetscape dominated by single-level, Eichler family homes. The renovation aspired to rejuvenate the midcentury modern-style California house by injecting high design into its somewhat simple, suburban façade.
While most Eichler homes boast flat ceilings, this house benefited from having a twin-gable shape that brings height and openness, undoubtedly setting the tone for the design and direction of the renovation. There is an immediate sense of the outdoors existing within the California house – upon entering through the front door into the atrium space, one is met with an interior garden. Rejecting the idea that homes are a place to be lived inwardly, the outdoor connection continues throughout the home.
The Local Project (May 16, 2023) – Drawn to the coastline of Montfort Beach, Chris McKimm, Founding Director of InForm and home owner, wanted to infuse this surf lovers dream house with an abundance of natural light, sweeping views and open spaces.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to The Ultimate Surf Lovers Dream House 00:39 – The Beachside Location 00:57 – The History of InForm 01:26 – The Unknown Surf Break of Montfort Beach 02:03 – A Desire for a Home that Blended with the Environment 02:24 – Hitting the Brief 03:02 – The Design of the House and a Walkthrough 03:58 – Create Spaces Safe from the Wind 04:13 – Designing the Garden for Privacy 04:40 – Overcoming the Neighbourhood Challenges 05:22 – A Reflective Material Palette 06:02 – The Most Enjoyable Space in the Home
Positioned on top of a sand dune 600 metres from the ocean, Montfort House is one of seven homes built on the site. Due to a deep knowledge of the terrain and the overall development, Chris delivered a difficult brief to the architects, where he requested a dream home that blends into its environment. Within the brief, there was a necessary request of harnessing the views to the south and allowing the surf lovers dream house to embrace the winter sun that came from that direction.
With a need for the home to be designed with Chris and his family in mind, the architects had to keep in mind that they would predominantly live on site, while their children and grandchildren would regularly visit. To cater to this need, Montfort House has been deliberately zoned to cater to the different aspects of living in a surf lovers dream house. As one begins the house tour, the design starts with stairs that lead up to the front door, which has been complemented with a deliberately large window to the side that offers a glimpse to the southern views.
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