Category Archives: Homes

Homes With Views: ‘Kihei – Maui, Hawaii’ (Video)

Introducing one of the most spectacular beachfront offerings anywhere in Hawaii: Orchid at Maui Beach Place. Perfectly located adjacent to Charley Young Beach, one of Maui’s most acclaimed beaches, this new, contemporary 3 bedroom and 3.5 bathroom luxury townhome is sure to satisfy the most discerning Buyer looking for perfection in the Pacific.

Waterfront, in the midst of Kihei, yet incredibly private, this property is ideal for those looking for a convenient getaway yet with a sense of seclusion. The first floor seamlessly transitions indoor/outdoor living with the living area and gourmet’s chef kitchen blending into the spacious lanai, heated pool and expansive lawn. Head to the second floor and enjoy sweeping, panoramic views from the 450+ square foot Master Bedroom. As an added bonus, the finished basement adds a plethora of options.

Top-of-the-line Thermador appliances, walnut cabinetry, Italian porcelain tile and more make this impeccably furnished townhome a rare turnkey opportunity. With one of the most storied beaches on Maui at its doorsteps, MPB’s Orchid is ready as the place to build the memories of a lifetime.

Ski Home Tour: ‘Villars-Sur-Ollon’, Switzerland

Situated in the heart of the Vaudois Alps, the popular resort of Villars-sur-Ollon offers many advantages to its inhabitants in both summer and winter. Just a few steps away from the ski area linking 44 facilities and 125 km of slopes, snow sports enthusiasts will be delighted. Housed in a green setting and a haven of peace, Domaine Du Roc offers luxurious and elegant flats with a breathtaking view of the Alps. Composed of 3 large chalets, each comprising 6 family flats and 2 terrace flats, Domaine du Roc has been integrated into this lush natural setting to offer you a unique 180-degree panorama.

Architectural Tours: ‘JARtB House’, Melbourne, Australia (4K Video)

Nestled in a tree-lined street in the affluent suburb of Toorak in Melbourne, JARtB House is an architect’s home that explores art and architecture. Director of international award-winning architecture firm Kavellaris Urban Design (KUD), Billy Kavellaris designed his house with a view to creating both an art gallery and a family home.

The design explores the idea that art and architecture are separate disciplines but also that art can be fused with everyday life. A white circulation strip through the house doubles as a gallery, displaying the architect’s extensive art collection. Some pieces, such as the lofty giraffe sculptures, were designed especially for the space within the architect’s own home. The upper floor is ensconced in a custom mural created by Spanish artist duo PichiAvo.

Made up of 13 panels stitched together across the facade of the house, this artwork can be experienced from both inside and outside the house. The architecture and interior design can also be seen as art itself, with unusual and opulent staircases connecting floors, and uniquely shaped openings and furniture pieces. Bespoke timber flooring and panelling created by Made by Storey is used throughout the home on walls and floors, creating a sense of cohesion and warmth.

Other materials, such as concrete and steel, are carefully chosen for atmosphere and visual interest, while colour is largely provided by the artworks.

Architecture and Interior Design by Kavellaris Urban Design (KUD). Custom Timber Flooring, Stairs and Ceiling by Made by Storey. Video by Cheer Squad Film Co. Production by The Local Project.

Analysis: ‘Can Prefab Homes Fix U.s. Affordable Housing Crisis?’ (Video)

The affordable housing crisis in the United States continues to be a problem and it’s only getting worse. And in places like San Francisco, where construction costs are some of the highest in the world, overcoming the housing shortage seems impossible. However, one solution is gaining traction that could dramatically reduce the cost and time to build new housing – factory-built apartments.

Architecture: ‘Reef House’ – Auckland, New Zealand

Summer holidays near the coast, any coast, are the right of every New Zealander and loom large in the childhoods of many of us. For some, the reality of a home near the coast is a goal to aspire to; a place where family and friends can build memories that often transcend generations.

For the owner of this house, that was the dream—to provide a holiday home for her three children and their families. One that would ultimately be passed on, becoming, in the process, an indelible embodiment of that dream. In this instance though, the familial link runs deeper, as the owner commissioned her architect cousin—Dave Strachan of Strachan Group Architects (SGA)—to design the home and two of her children, builders starting out on their own, to build it.

“Reef house is very much a family experience,” says Dave. “Not just because of its intended use but because we will all get to look back on it and see where it was touched by each of us in turn.” Situated on an elevated section overlooking the rocky beach break of Daniels Reef, the site enjoys extensive sea views from the northeast through to the south and across to Little Barrier Island. “These views, as well as a fall of seven metres across the site diagonally from west to east, provided the natural context.

A vacant site to the northeast, as well as neighbours overlooking from the north, also needed to be considered in the design process. Dave says that while the site itself was of a good size, council regulations around setbacks and neighbouring sightlines, coupled with topographical considerations, restricted placement of the building site to within a 200m2 building platform.

“From the outset, the goal was to design as complete a council-compliant scheme as possible, including strict adherence to the maximum building footprint. To achieve that, the plan is a split cruciform, providing axial views and cross ventilation in both directions. In section, breaking the form into a twin-roof pavilion allows for ample volumetric shifts across the upper-floor spaces.

“Here, the floorplates are offset and arranged to direct views out to the sea from the entrance and living areas. The kitchen projects through the building envelope and out onto layered and screened outdoor living spaces—helping blur the lines between indoor spaces and outdoor spaces.” Another design element that blurs the lines is the courtyard garden, which works as a climate modifier and is accessed through a bank of hinged doors, cleverly incorporating the space into the interior while maintaining its exterior designation.

Click here to see the full project: https://archipro.co.nz/project/reef-h…

Homes With Views: ‘Cabo San Lucas, Mexico’ (Video)

Cabo San Lucas, a resort city on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, is known for its beaches, water-based activities and nightlife. Playa El Médano is Cabo’s main beach, with outdoor restaurants and numerous bars. Past the marina is Land’s End promontory, site of Playa del Amor (Lover’s Beach) and El Arco, a natural archway in the seacliffs. 

Palazzo Views: ‘Grand Canal’, Venice, Italy (Video)

In sestiere Cannaregio, on the banks of the Canal Grande and two steps from Santa Lucia train station, majestic 430-sqm luxury apartment on the first floor of a restored historic palazzo. The property, finely restored and maintained, currently hosts three bedrooms (one of which overlooking the Canal Grande), three bathrooms and a beautiful hall decorated with plaster and frescoes. The palazzo is located a few steps from the Ponte degli Scalzi and enjoys quick access to the most renowned monuments of Venice.

Views: ‘House On A Cliff’ In Algarve, Portugal By Kerimov Architects

Moscow-based Kerimov Architects have designed a single-story house on a cliff, situated in Algarve, Portugal. The dwelling settles amid the lush natural surroundings and next to the ocean, generating a peaceful refuge away from the bustling city.

the context played a fundamental role in the project, with the volumetry, materiality, and the color palette drawing influence from the rocky landscape. 

Read more

Views: ‘Skerryvore House’ In Cornwall, England

The landmark Skerryvore House at Newquay, a substantial 1930s villa built on a one-acre site overlooking the town’s famous Towan surf beach, with dramatic views along the coast from Newquay Harbour to Stepper Point.


Penny Churchill
January 30, 2021

In its current form, Skerryvore House provides an entrance hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room and a bedroom wing with three double bedrooms, all en suite, on the ground floor, plus two further large bedrooms on the second floor.

The grounds offer parking, lawned gardens, decking and hot tub, a studio/workshop and an adjoining one-bed apartment.

As dramatic as it is, it’s not quite unique. From the top of the cliff a tiny footbridge dangles above the sand to another rocky outpost, on top of which lies another house.

Read and see more

Architecture: ‘Horizon House’ – Catalonia, Spain

Olot (Catalonia, Spain, population 34,000), an old town in the midst of the Pyrenees’ foothills, is well known for its forested volcanoes, country estates (“masías”) & evergreen pastures, but when Fina Puigdevall talked to her former classmate Carme Pigem about revamping her restaurant Les Cols plus building her new house, neither of them could have imagined that, later on, the former would become a celebrated Michelin-starred chef, and the latter a Pritzker-prize-awarded architect.

Puigdevall grew up in Les Cols, her family’s 15th century masia. In 1990, in an attempt to save it from development, she opened a restaurant in the former stables downstairs. With no formal culinary training, she worked her way to two Michelin stars by 2010 (which she has held since). In 2000, she hired Pigem and RCR architects to open up the space to the outdoors: they designed a light/water cube in the kitchen and a huge glass wall framing the apple orchard and chicken run.

The result is a dining experience that feels immersed in the outdoors. When Puigdevall wanted to expand her own home – a former mill straddling a creek – to accommodate her husband and three daughters, RCR Architects told her they wouldn’t touch the original structure, but proposed something completely new in the middle of the former corn fields. What they dubbed “Horizon House” is a corten steel structure carved into the hill. Large walls of glass can be opened to allow the fields – now planted with native crops like buckwheat- to enter the home.