Tag Archives: Design

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Home Tour: ‘Clifftops’ In Auckland, New Zealand

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The Local Project (July 4, 2023) – Imbued with a genuine warmth, Clifftops House is a family home that has soul and spirit. Through thoughtful consideration of materiality and texture,

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Unique Clifftop Home 00:58 – The Location 01:37 – The Site and its Aspect 02:00 – The Architecture Brief 02:39 – The Interiors Brief 03:15 – Working with the Materiality 03:41 – Crafting the Textures and the Touch 04:18 – Drawing Light Deep Into the house 05:01 – The Element of Surprise

Bossley Architects has built a visually striking and welcoming home defined by strong geometric architecture on the exterior and a soft, sinuous feel on the inside. Built on the picturesque clifftops overlooking Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, the home is comfortable yet capable of accommodating a growing family.

The site posed two main challenges – exposure to the elements of the nearby ocean and a long, narrow allotment. The house takes advantage of this shape with a series of walls and fins built angled towards the sea. Walls located at the east and west ends of the site also create a partially enclosed courtyard that both welcomes sun and provides shelter from the weather.

A modest palette features in-situ concrete as the main material, which is durable and allows the concrete to resemble fluid, free forms, resulting in a number of sculptural walls and curves in the interior of the home. This is offset against panels of marble cladding, glass-reinforced concrete fascias, walnut flooring, cedar ceilings and aluminium joinery. There are also a number of windows and openings built into the architecture of the home, which serve an important role in scoping and drawing light deep inside.

Additionally, a ‘slow stair’ has been incorporated to provide a sense of circulation into the linear structure. The staircase has a very long tread, so as one moves from the ground floor to the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs they experience vertical movement in a more rounded way. The home holds most of its spirit in the interior design. Sonya Cotter Design crafted an interior experience that layers furniture and finishes in a way that works to create personality and warmth. However, most of the selections, whilst varied, all are designed to patina, invoking a constant sense of movement across surfaces throughout the home.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Architecture: Stonelea Farm House In Australia

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The Local Project (June 39, 2023) – Responding to context and climate, the architect delivers Stonelea, an authentic, multi-generational country retreat embedded in the landscape.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Sustainable Modern Farm house 00:48 – The Brief 01:00 – Retaining the Existing Elements 01:20 – Consideration of the Carbon Footprint 01:43 – A Walkthrough of the Home 02:55 – Providing Natural Light 03:44 – Drawing Inspiration from the Site and the Landscape 04:39 – A Result of Combined Efforts and Proud Moments

Nestled in the western foothills of the Blue Mountains, Stonelea by Matthew Woodward Architecture tenderly responds to context. Continuing a long-standing interest in connecting people with landscape, Stonelea gently frames the human experience within its striking rural surrounds.

An existing cluster of workers’ cottages, each with a wondrous view across the vast valley and connection to the Coxs River below, informed the planning and articulation of the home. The home’s linear and low-lying form draws on the Australian shed vernacular. A minimalist approach to form is articulated in the generous floor plan, whilst the earthy materials reflect an affinity with the landscape.

Stonelea’s barn-like form skilfully combines hardwood timber shiplap and metal roof sheeting set on a weighty podium of local stone, embedding the house atop the slope of the river and valley panorama. The architect dexterously planned around established trees, conveying a seamlessness with the landscape that belies the age of the architecture. A simple, elongated spatial arrangement gives hierarchy and order between public and private spaces.

Ensuite guest bedrooms and a kids’ room are lined along a timber-screened walkway, flanked by a large master bedroom to the north and expansive living spaces to the south, affording acoustic separation and privacy.

Arts & Literature, Design, Short Films, Travel, Videos

London Design Biennale: ‘Future Is Rural’ In Japan

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Dezeen Films (June 28, 2023) – Photographer Edmund Sumner has created a film featuring eight projects that emphasis the   Future is Rural theme of the Japan Pavilion at the London Design Biennale, which was curated by Yuki Sumner. Yuki Sumner aimed to highlight projects by artists, designers and activists tackling issues such as depopulation and an ageing society in rural Japan, in the film.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Australia Design: Parkside Residence In Adelaide

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The Local Project (June 27, 2023) – A house openly engaging with its surrounding context, Parkside Residence is both outwardly and inwardly focused to reference the existing formal language it is immersed within. Ashley Halliday Architects proposes a light-filled family home that combines heightened detailing with a sense of the familiar.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Light Filled House 00:42 – The Project Brief 01:11 – A Walkthrough of the Home 02:17 – Creating A Cosy Home 02:50 – The Cathedral Glass Wall 03:20 – A Focus on the Landscaping 03:56 – The Colour and Material Palette 04:41 – Experiencing the Freshness of the Home

Set within a heritage-rich area of inner south-east Adelaide, Parkside Residence is imagined as a house of considered proportions. In acknowledging its adjacent neighbours and the traditional forms in place, the proposal aims to also celebrate the silhouettes of the existing streetscape through the formation of two main gabled pavilion arrangements. Aligned perpendicularly to one another, the pair sit separated with a connective corridor space to bind them.

Whilst the home is a modern insertion within its traditional setting, by respectfully honouring the formal language of the established rooflines, the structure adds to the rhythm of the streetscape. Ashley Halliday Architects focuses on balancing both the privacy and experience of the house from within with a series of spaces that nestle comfortably. Ikon Projects crafts Parkside Residence to transition from a privately veiled home at the front to a more open collective of spaces to the rear.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Architecture: A Tour Of Frank Sinatra’s 1947 ‘Twin Palms’ In Palm Springs

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The Local Project (June 23, 2023) – Nestled among the palm trees, Twin Palms by E. Stewart Williams boasts not only a desirable position but a rich history that makes the iconic house stand out.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to Frank Sinatra’s Iconic House 00:39 – A Completely Blank Canvas 01:14 – E. Stewart William’s First Architecture Project 01:53 – The Original Floor Plan 02:19 – A Typical Palm Springs Type Home 03:02 – Indoor and Outdoor Fusion 03:23 – The Many Moods of Modernism 03:40 – Enveloping and Warm 03:59 – The Unity of Nature and Architecture 04:38 – Balanced Light 05:15 – Frank Sinatra’s Love of the Desert

First built when there was nothing but mountains and desert, Twin Palms helped establish the architectural shape of Palm Springs. As Twin Palms was the first home designed by E. Stewart Williams, the iconic house offers a softness and comfortability that its original owner, Frank Sinatra, desired. Throughout this iconic house, E. Stewart Williams has provided fun, pleasure, privacy and respite, for the home’s first owner to its current occupants.

Though the midcentury home was built in 1947 for Frank Sinatra, E. Stewart Williams’s complex yet soft design has remained mostly intact, with the only change to the floor plan being the entrance, which was moved to the opposite side of the street to provide a dramatic arrival. Additionally, the original furniture and kitchen appliances remain, adding to the home’s interesting history.

For the rest of the exterior and interior design, the softness and expression of pleasure and place are articulated with the interior columns that are rounded instead of straight – an idea that helps to soften the environment and avoid the harshness of geometric design. With the architecture of homes in Palm Springs being designed with respect to the mountains, there is a sense of unity between nature and structure that exists in the iconic house. Further deepening this, E. Stewart Williams provides an overarching sense of indoor and outdoor living through the colour choices, materials and form of the iconic house.

Architecture, Design, Homes, Reviews, Tours, Videos

Architecture: Bedford Quarry House In New York

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Architectural Digest (June 22, 2023) – A guided tour of Bedford Quarry House, located an hour outside of New York City. Sitting atop the cliff’s edge of an abandoned quarry, this serene property boasts spectacular views of the lake and surrounding forest.

The boundary dividing these vistas from the interior is figuratively broken by floor-to-ceiling windows throughout–creating a sense of openness and fluidity between nature and the home. Join architect Steven Harris for an in-depth look at his design philosophy behind this unique family residence.

Construction, Design, Housing, Reviews, Sustainability, Videos

Design & Construction: ‘Stockholm Wood City’

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Dezeen Films (June 22, 2023) – Scandinavian studios Henning Larsen and White Arkitekter are designing Stockholm Wood City, which will become the world’s largest wooden construction project and have the “serenity of a forest”.

The project, set to be built in Sickla in southern Stockholm, was dubbed the “world’s largest wooden city” by developer Atrium Ljungberg, which also said it is the world’s largest known construction project in wood.

Stockholm Wood City, which will have 7,000 office spaces and 2,000 homes, is being designed by Danish studio Henning Larsen and Swedish firm White Arkitekter. It will feature nature-informed elements and was designed to have the feel of a forest.

Culture, Design, Lifestyle, Magazines, Reviews, Society

Design/Culture: Monocle Magazine – July/Aug 2023

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Monocle Magazine (July/August 2023 issue) – Monocle’s annual Quality of Life Survey puts the world’s best cities through their paces and profiles the urban centres on the up.

We also get set for summer by gardening in Hiroshima, dining in Marseille and dancing in Mexico City. Plus: how Bratislava’s bass-playing, architect mayor is helping the city to find its groove.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Houseboat Tour: Halcyon -Designed By An Architect

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The Local Project (June 20, 2023) – Conscious of balancing key attributes of landscape, orientation and experience, architect Stephen Jolson of Jolson optimises the itinerant lakeside location of his houseboat, Halcyon.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Super Yacht 00:32 – Situated Rugged Australian Landscape 00:55 – Special of Living on the Water 01:41 – A Walkthrough of the Super Yacht 02:47 – The Change in quality of Light 02:57 – The History Behind The Super Yacht 03:33 – The Intricacies of Designing A Boat 04:08 – A Limited Material Palette 05:00 – The Privilege of Designing and Building A Boat 05:40 – Creating Experiences and Memories

The super yacht thoughtfully interprets its unique context to create an architectural home that offers not just a refuge but an experience – one that allows a deep connection to the elements. Halcyon is a graceful expression of Jolson’s combined interior and architectural expertise, its design seamlessly integrating with elements of the landscape to maximise the unique context.

Living on the water means changing orientations and outlooks are to be celebrated. As such, an open plan ground floor with limited joinery, furniture and walls allows many outlooks, with a full-height wall serving as a division that enables the lounge and outdoor dining area to connect seamlessly. The first floor also houses two master bedrooms and two other guest bedrooms that share an ensuite. In the middle of the super yacht is a staircase that extends to the open rooftop, which houses a woodfired hot tub.

The super yacht takes advantage of its mooring by welcoming the textures of the landscape inside the architecture of the boat, recounting a strong connection between the water and the landscape with the interior design. Floor-to-ceiling windows, an open floor plan with minimal partitions and large, functional outdoor spaces were all incorporated to maximise the indoor-outdoor connection.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Design: A Tour Of Moore House In Los Angeles

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The Local Project (June 16, 2023) – Though Moore House was originally designed by Craig Ellwood in 1965, the newly restored house by Woods + Dangaran is a respectful design that enhances its rich history for both the owners and the wider Los Angeles architectural community.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Magical Restored House 00:30 – The Clients Simple Goals 00:43 – The History of Mid-Century Tropical Modernism 01:05 – The Restoration Process 01:46 – Designing Inline with Craig Ellwood’s Style 02:34 – Playing on High Contrast and Linking Spaces 03:32 – Background Architecture 03:53 – The Advantage of Hillside Properties 04:22 – Interesting Features of the Home 04:44 – Respecting the History 05:00 – Preservation and Timeless Design

However, once owned by a local band that left it in disrepair, the home needed a complete renovation of both exterior and interior design. Tasked with this challenge, Woods + Dangaran has infused contemporary design methods that restore the midcentury home’s character in a modern light. As the architect and interior designer, Woods + Dangaran were able to save the home through a thoughtful and delicate renovation.

From the street, the finished design of the restored house appears above the carport and unfolds in a rectangular form, where the majority of the original structural and interior elements have been kept. Throughout the restored house, two of the main kept character elements are seen in the two bookends of the original home. The first bookend holds the new fireplace, which is maintained in both its original proportion and location and modernised with a patinaed brass that wraps around it.