Tag Archives: Homes

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

Design: A Secret Cabin In Nova Scotia, Canada

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The Local Project (November 14, 2023) – White Rock is a secret cabin hidden in the woods in the Gaspereau Valley, an agricultural community in Nova Scotia, Canada. Designed by architect Omar Gandhi as a retreat for his family, a close friend’s family and their circle of friends and colleagues,

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architect’s Own Secret Cabin 00:55 – A Shared Childhood Dream 01:26 – A Walkthrough and the Layout of the Cabin 02:39 – A Sparse and Simple Material Palette 04:01 – The Modern Kitchen Design 05:33 – Evolving The Design Elements 05:56 – Favourite Aspects of the Project

it is a deeply personal project that adds a dynamic layer to his studio’s portfolio. It is possible to visualise this secret cabin hidden in the woods in other forest settings, yet the architectural nuances bring a specificity to the design that belong only to this place. From a distance, the cabin is but a small disruption amid the ever-changing colours of the forest, yet up close, its architectural presence is monumental. The steel form is a confident expression of simple geometries and a bold reinterpretation of a typical secret cabin hidden in the woods.

A house tour reveals an aesthetic that is elemental and layered, from the bedrooms to the kitchen. The interior design, which is defined by smoked oak, raw steel shelving and wall-mounted industrial light fixtures, complements the architecture of this secret cabin hidden in the woods. As the lead architect, designer and homeowner, Omar embraced the opportunity to inject his personality into the design. He saw this project as an opportunity to experiment within the framework of his practice, thus, several pieces of furniture created in collaboration with local artisans and makers dot the interiors.

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

Design: Rooftop Garden House, Hampton Bays, NY

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The Local Project (November 10, 2023) – Emerging out of the meadow is Peconic House by Mapos Studio, a family home with a rooftop garden located on a narrow stretch of landscape in Hampton Bays, New York.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architectural Family House 00:53 – Not the Typical Hamptons House 01:29 – Emerging from the Landscape 02:09 – A Noble Material Palette 03:26 – A Walkthrough of the Home 04:32 – Incorporating A Bit of Fun 05:35 – The Star of the Exterior 05:54 – Respecting the Site 06:18 – Proud Moments

Designed to be the opposite of a typical Hamptons home, Peconic House has been built out of materials that help it become part of the landscape. Emphasising red cedar – due to the clients’ love for the material – Mapos Studio employs the wood in both the interior design and exterior architectural elements. Throughout the house, the red cedar is used for cabinetry, walls and floorboards and also gives the interior a unique aroma.

Additionally, as shown in the house tour, the cedar over the exterior architecture will weather over time due to the salt air, humidity and seasons, allowing for the clients to watch their house slowly age. As the house tour travels into the main living space of the home, there is an expansive view of Peconic Bay that immediately grabs attention. Sunken behind a bookshelf is the main living area that doubles as the family’s band room and television room, separated only by a two-sided fireplace.

To the right of the family room is the dining room and kitchen, which has become the heart of the home. Though the residence sprawls over 3,800 square metres, Mapos Studio has broken it up into smaller spaces to encourage more intimate family gatherings and connections. Moreover, there is a green roof with an overhanging sycamore tree that allows the children to climb up it and play in the rooftop garden. Designed for a New York family of five, the house encourages social connection.

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

Australia Architecture: Casa Piva’s Italian Roots

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The Local Project (November 7, 2023) – Casa Piva is a small yet layered architects own home defined by a slow revealing of spaces and experiences. Andrew Piva, Project Architect and Director at B.E. Architecture, refers to his home as a labour of love – it is simultaneously warm, inviting and highly functional thanks to the use of Tuscan Oak as a surface material.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architects Own Home 01:11 – Behind the Design of the Home 02:12 – Enveloped in Warm Materials 03:18 – Including A Bit of Fun 04:44 – A Compact And Generous Brief 06:18 – Focusing on A Minimal Selection of Materials 06:32 – A Rational, Balanced and Calm Design

From the street, the family home doesn’t reveal too much of itself. However, upon entry, one is met with an intriguing and experiential journey through spaces that are designed around a series of small courtyards. The foremost entry into the architects own home takes place through a modest-sized door from the laneway, where one is greeted by a large and intricate brick courtyard with trees coming up through apertures in the roof – a scene reminiscent of an Italian villa. As well as providing a generous space for the dwelling, it also serves as a functional space to park cars.

Once inside, Casa Piva reveals a compressed, dark and moody ambience. This slowly transitions as you journey through the architects own home. The first glimpse of the kitchen, which is adorned with Tuscan Oak joinery, reveals the warmth and comfort the casa brings forth. The home is compact but features generously sized rooms. Within the residence are three bedrooms as well as a study, which doubles as a TV room and guest bedroom and reveals the residence’s flexibility. The master bedroom is larger and cocooned in timber.

Arts & Literature, Culture, Homes, Magazines, Previews, Reviews

Previews: Country Life Magazine – Nov 8, 2023

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Country Life Magazine – November 8, 2023: The latest issue features The King’s milestone celebration, Amie Elizabeth White reveals 75 fascinating things you may not know about Charles III; Exclusive access to St James’s Palace in London; the British passion for country-house portraits; the astonishing hidden gardens of bohemian Tangier in Morocco and more….

We can be rural heroes

Julie Harding meets a model, a comedian, a farmer, a hedge-layer and a former retail boss, all united in their praise for The King’s Royal Countryside Fund

A nursery palace

Simon Thurley chronicles the remarkable story of the modern home of the Court, as Country Life is afforded exclusive access to St James’s Palace in London

Elegy in a country churchyard

War memorials on British soil are a poignant means of ‘bringing home’ those who fell in foreign fields, reveals Andrew Green

A right royal ruff

The regal King Charles spaniel once won favour with the nobility — and owners are still falling for this loving and loyal breed, as Katy Birchall discovers

Martha Lytton Cobbold’s favourite painting

The Historic Houses president chooses a captivating work that proved to be an inspiration for her love of art and structure

Native breeds

Sheep are an instrinsic feature of the Welsh landscape — Kate Green introduces the breeds that populate the principality

Home is where the art is

Michael Prodger investigates the British passion for country-house portraits, a craze that started back in the 16th century and shows little sign of abating

Interiors

Arabella Youens marvels at the transformation of an Edwardian sitting room, as Giles Kime revels in the luxury of a daybed

Tangerine dreams

Kirsty Fergusson explores the astonishing hidden gardens of bohemian Tangier in Morocco

It’s only natural

Turning woodland finds into art is a labour of love for Jane Bevan, discovers Natasha Goodfellow

Still standing after all these years

A 188-year-old avenue of beech trees forms a guard of honour for Fiona Reynolds in Dorset

Turbot-charged

Nothing less than perfection will do for Tom Parker Bowles as he savours the most regal of fish

A bundle of energy

Could hydrogen-powered cars be the future? Jane Wheatley motors to Wales to investigate

The good stuff

Hetty Lintell seeks a bit of fluff from some feathery confections

Dare to be square

Mary Miers meets the talented craftspeople reinventing the ancient art of mosaic making

And much more

Architecture, Homes, Tours, Travel, Videos, Views

Italy Views: Tour Of Villa Monastero On Lake Como

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VIRTUAL TOUR Films (November 6, 2023) – Villa Monastero  is located in  Varenna,  Province of Lecco, on the shore of Lake Como. The villa lies south of the village, halfway between Varenna and Fiumelatte, and includes a botanical garden, a museum, and a convention center.

The villa hosts summer courses for the “Enrico Fermi” International School of Physics, and has heard lectures by more than thirty-four Nobel Laureates.

Villa Monastero is an eclectic villa built in the Nordic style. The site was originally a Cistercian convent, founded at the end of the 12th century in Varenna, which now lies beneath the modern building. The convent grew in importance and wealth, purchasing many properties, especially around Lierna, but eventually declined to only six mothers, and was closed by papal bull in 1567.

The whole estate was purchased by Paolo Mornico in 1569, using his fortune amassed through iron mining in Valsassinia. In the 17th century the Mornico family incrementally rebuilt and decorated it in the eclectic style.

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

New Zealand Design: A South Island ‘Eco-Cabin’

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The Local Project (October 31, 2023) – The Cabin by Johnstone Callaghan Architects is a tiny eco home located in Abel Tasman National Park, on the South Island of New Zealand.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Tiny Eco Home 00:34 – The Remote South Island Location 01:38 – The Layout of the Tiny Eco Home 02:41 – The Cabin Structure and Features 03:17 – A Unique Outdoor Shower 03:37 – Bespoke Design Elements 04:48 – A Sensory Experience

Connected to nature and surrounded by wildlife, the tiny eco home is one of four privately held properties that is reachable only by boat or a walking track. As The Cabin is positioned among the trees, the architects limited tree cutting as much as possible so the owners could help regenerate the land. Additionally, due to the remote nature of the property, the owners have been given the rare opportunity to live amid nature itself. When arriving at the site of the tiny eco home, the house tour begins at the bottom of the property.

The house tour then takes you up a winding staircase that bypasses nature, so one is continuously connected to the natural surrounds. In the main living space of the tiny eco home, there is a kitchen with warm timber tones that complements the interior design, which is then contrasted by the dark timber tones found in the main bedroom. The remainder of the home leads out to the deck area, where a concrete bunker houses a sunken outdoor toilet.

Arts & Literature, Culture, Homes, Magazines, Previews, Reviews

Previews: Country Life Magazine – Nov 1, 2023

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Country Life Magazine – November 1, 2023: The new issue features the rural delights of Durslade Farm to the heart of Mayfair; The secret garden in Regent’s Park in London; Norman Foster, the architect who helped shape the capital; the historic American bars that offer a taste of the US on this side of the pond, and more…

London Life

  • Emma Love welcomes the rural delights of Durslade Farm to the heart of Mayfair
  • The secret garden in Regent’s Park, seasonal suggestions and Matthew Williamson’s London
  • Carla Passino meets Norman Foster, the architect who helped shape the capital
  • Robert Crossan visits the historic American bars that offer a taste of the US on this side of the pond

Nick Trend’s favourite painting

The art historian picks a steely-eyed painting that signalled the invention of the self-portrait

At Canaan’s Edge

Carla Carlisle ponders the story of the Promised Land and hopes that common sense prevails

A local revival

The future is bright for Lytham Hall after locals stepped in to save the house at the heart of the Lancashire estate, as John Martin Robinson discovers

A nightingale sang…

Tiffany Daneff visits a garden in Kent planted for wildlife and surrounded by new woodland

Native breeds

Kate Green admires the hardy Lincoln Red, a low-input rare breed that produces quality beef

Stranger things

From horn dancing to burning barrels and cheese rolling, Harry Pearson delves into weird and wonderful British folk festivals

You’re a dark horse

The black horse is a symbol of strength and courage. Celia Brayfield gallops through the history of the fabled steed

Kitchen garden cook

Melanie Johnson savours the turnip’s sweet and nutty flavour, perfect with scallops

Travel

  • Jo Rodgers follows in the foot-steps of the Durrells in Corfu
  • Welcoming, home-from-home villas
  • Pamela Goodman pedals off the beaten cycle path

Speak like a Georgian

Know your ‘fubbs’ from your ‘fizzle’ — Matthew Dennison investigates 18th-century slang

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

Tours: Italianate ‘Maison Bodega’ In Minneapolis

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The Local Project (October 27, 2023) – Liz Gardner of creative studio Bodega Ltd. buys and renovates this heritage house as she had aspired to, having admired it from afar for many years.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Dream House 00:27 – A Hybrid Building In A Historic Location 01:08 – A Walkthrough of the Space 02:03 – The Process of Obtaining the Space 02:35 – The Original Live Work Space Brief 03:40 – Specific Requirements and Constraints 05:22 – An Interesting Material Palette 06:39 – A Focus on Lighting 07:34 – Creating an Accomodation Space

Perched on a hill in a leafy neighbourhood near downtown Minneapolis, the home illustrated a unique style of architecture and boundless potential to renovate. Liz had always felt a long-term draw to the property after witnessing it having been on the market and taken off years prior to her and her partner acquiring it. She describes the building as being dreamlike and perfectly contrasting the hustle and bustle of the city. To her, the dwelling is an anomaly – its style cannot be easily identified.

Exuding notes of Italian-style architecture and a twist of contemporary features, this physical state of the building mirrors the way in which her and her team inhabit it. Amid a location known for its historical heritage homes, Maison Bodega reflects both the past and the present. Looking to the future she, and partner Josef Harris, buys and renovates the house, transforming it into a home and creative space known as Maison Bodega. Taking various design cues from the existing architecture, the hybrid live-work space is a thoughtful blend of heritage and modern interior design sensibilities that caters to parties, workshops, family life for Liz, Josef and their dogs and, most recently, a house tour with The Local Project. Downstairs, the kitchen is undoubtedly a social space.

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

Architecture: A Scotland Farmhouse In Hebrides

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House & Garden (October 27, 2023) – Saffron Aldridge and Scarlett Supple welcome us into their Scottish farmhouse located on a remote Hebridean island. This traditional farmhouse has been restored as a joint effort between business partners Aldridge & Supple, and sits perched above a tidal pool gazing over the surrounding Hebridean moorland.

As we tour the interior, we begin to appreciate the calm and comfort injected into this remote homestead — a stark contrast to the vast landscape of mountains, moors and machair. With startling features, such as the farmhouse’s tall windows and double-height ceilings, Aldridge & Supple forged a symbiotic relationship between the surrounding nature and interior.

‘Your whole relationship is with the nature outside,’ says Aldridge. ‘It’s very important that the inside and the outside work together.’ Watch the full episode of ‘Design Notes’ as we tour Saffron Aldridge’s remote farmhouse nestled in the Hebridean hills.

#SaffronAldridge #Garden #InteriorDesign #DesignNotes

Architecture, Awards, Home Design, Homes, Reviews, Videos

Architecture: ‘Saltmarsh House’, Isle Of Wight – 2023 RIBA House Of The Year

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RIBA Architecture (October 26, 2023) – The Royal Institute of British Architects awards the House of the Year annually to the best example of a one-off house designed by an architect in the UK, celebrating excellence and innovation in home design.

Saltmarsh House, Isle of Wight by Niall McLaughlin Architects

A pyramidal copper roof with a crisp minimalist eavesdrop edge, seems to hover above an intricate glass pavilion, taking reference from the repeating pitched-roofed glasshouses that once graced the same grounds. Large windows provide uninterrupted harbour views, the use of glass and steel create a sense of lightness and transparency that blends seamlessly into the surroundings.

“What’s been nice about this building is to see the way in which the people have come in and started to use it. They’ve filled it with really beautiful art and furniture, in a way that has given me real pleasure.” — Niall McLaughlin, Principal Architect, Niall McLaughlin Architects.

“The client was very interested in architecture and design culture. As a keen gardener, she has interest in the seasons, weather, and landscape generally. We felt if we could meet all of those expectations, then we were on good course.” — Alastair Browning, Associate Architect, Niall McLaughlin Architects.

Visit our website to learn more: https://www.architecture.com/awards-a…