Tag Archives: Modern Homes

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

Modern Garden Homes: ‘Palms Residence’ In Venice

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The Local Project (July 25, 2023) – From the moment the gates opened, client and interior designer Gillian Wynn knew Palms Residence was the secret garden house she had been looking for. After enlisting the help of Olson Kundig for the architecture and design of her home, Gillian delivered a brief that asked for something that was unlike the past work of the studio.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction From The Homeowner 00:57 – Collaborating With The Architect 01:28 – Intertwining The Indoors And Outdoors 02:43 – Venice’s Natural Light 03:14 – The Unique Kinetic Sculpture 04:09 – A Modest Palette 04:56 – Disappearing Into The Garden 05:27 – The Deconstructed Geometry Of The House

As the agenda of the residence was mostly focused on emphasising the garden, both Tom Kundig, Principal and Founder at Olson Kundig, and Gillian knew that in order to make her vision come to life, the home needed to be manipulated around nature. Seen throughout the house tour is a yoga studio, living and dining areas and a couple of bedrooms, each space blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor living and taking advantage of the paradise-like climate of Venice. Employing a number of design techniques,

Olson Kundig treats architecture like “layers of clothing,” in that there are multiple ways to open and close the home and manipulate how one can enter and exit. Yet it is how the garden is shaped around the home to encourage light to trickle through the trees and inside to complement the interior design that turns Palms Residence into a secret garden house. With the focal point of indoor and outdoor living, the home is complemented with wide glass doors and a glass-walled stairwell that invites the light in and creates a warming character.

Moreover, due to the home’s location, there is a magical quality of natural light that emphasises the architecture and interior design from the moment the sun rises and until it sets. Additionally, the home’s private yoga studio features a Gamelatron installation, a kinetic sculpture designed by the owner’s close friend Aaron Taylor Kuffner. Composed on site, the sculpture emits a sound bath via Indonesian gongs, which sets the tone of meditation and flow for the rest of the secret garden house.

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

Modern Home Design: ‘Wurrungwuri’ In Sydney

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The Local Project (July 21, 2023) – Exuding the immediate feeling of joy, Wurrungwuri by Carter Williamson offers a pleasant experience from the home’s heritage façade to its modern extensions to become the best modern home in the area.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro To The Modern Home 00:43 – Interpreting The Brief 01:43 – The Collaborative Process 02:27 – A Walkthrough of the Modern Home 03:53 – The Exterior Landscape and Garden 04:25 – Responding To The Site of the Home 04:58 – Balancing Natural Lighting And Voids 05:51 – Interweaving The Old And New Addition 06:59 – Creating A Sense Of Discovery in the Home 07:36 – The Internal Heating Process 08:01 – A Personal Art Gallery 08:36 – A Rewarding Resolution

As the clients desired a modern renovation to improve Wurrungwuri’s original from, Carter Williamson added a new addition that would respond to the heritage structure and rear harbour views as well as allow the owners to showcase their artwork.

Both architect and interior designer, Carter Williamson performed the perfect collaboration between the client, architect, designer and builder, which resulted in the delivery of the best modern home. From the front door, one experiences a warm welcome as they step into the original home, with living spaces to one side and bedrooms to the other.

Moving further into the best modern home, a threshold between the old and new acts as a gallery. With a double-height void allowing for a connection to the dining room below, the void becomes an important part of the home’s interior design. In the below new additions, Carter Williamson has placed darker rooms to the left that sit under the original home, whilst light-filled spaces sit to the right. The home then leads into the main entertaining rooms and kitchen as well as the dining room that sits directly under the void that features a Tom Dixon chandelier.

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

Design Tour: Waterfront Modern Home In Sydney

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The Local Project (July 18, 2023) – Nestled in a serene waterfront location just north of the Sydney CBD, Northbridge is a modern house that seamlessly integrates with the surrounding landscape and topography of its site.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Waterfront Modern House 00:33 – The Serene Location 00:58 – A Walkthrough of the Home 01:29 – Separation by Stairs 02:08 – Key Interior Features 02:48 – The Intimacy of the Lower Level 03:31 – A Focus on the Exterior Landscape Architecture 04:13 – Considerations of Designing Waterfront Houses 05:05 – The Rewarding Aspects

Working with the challenge of a sloped, narrow block and existing elements, including a natural watercourse, rocky outcrops and mature tree ferns, became crucial to the design of the home. To work around the decline of the terrain, the modern house is made of varying levels that cascade towards the water.

Accessed via an external bridge that looks down over a courtyard, the top floor of the residence features a central staircase with a lounge room to one side and a dining and kitchen area to the other – both spaces open to an expansive balcony with breathtaking north-eastern views. The level below the entry houses the bedrooms, which dial around the central staircase – two of which face towards the views with an outlook that engages the tops of the tree ferns.

The lowest living area of the house links directly to the garden, enabling a beautiful intimacy with the landscape to enter into the modern house. In this sense, the garden and surrounding views are central to the home’s design. Structurally, the central staircase provides a sense of circulation and symmetry. From this vertical atrium, there are sweeping horizontal and vertical views through to the garden and down to the water beyond.

Behind the living room is a tranquil courtyard that offers shelter from the wind, as well as a pool that leads to another garden continuing down to the harbour. Down there the cube-shaped house can be seen from a different perspective – glimpsed through a curtilage of an enchanted garden of tree ferns, palms and curved sandstone walls.

#ModernHouse #Architecture #Sydney

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Alaska Architecture: Waterfront Home Tour

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Wall Street Journal (June 27, 2023) – This luxury oceanfront property in southeast Alaska, with concrete floors and a pink kitchen, cost $2.07 million to build and furnish.

Video timeline: 0:00 Living on the water 0:54 Living room 1:32 Kitchen 2:25 Deck and nook 3:54 Primary bedroom 4:49 Outside space

The home includes a strawberry wall, a floating chair that costs over $3,000 and ocean views from every room. Homeowner Kristi Linsenmayer describes the joys and challenges of custom-building a home over the water in rural Ketchikan.

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, 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.

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

Renovations: A Tour Of A Modern Home In Sydney

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The Local Project (June 13, 2023) – Inspired by the familiar warmth of a family home, Luigi Rosselli Architects has renovated an ageing house in a thoughtful and fluid way.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Family House 00:31 – An Eclectic Layered Home 01:13 – The Location and A Walkthrough of the Home 02:07 – The Brief 02:51 – A Focus on the Fire Place 03:07 – Glowy, Warm and Textural 03:25 – A Beautifully Crafted Kitchen 03:50 – The Feature Staircase 05:40 – Positive Outcomes 06:09 – Proud Moments 06:22 – Favourite Aspects of the Home

Structural interventions and refreshed interiors keep valuable portions of the home whilst welcoming in contemporary layers to fit a modern context. Upon entering the house, one is greeted by an old hallway and a beautiful, robust spiral staircase designed by S&A Stairs, which binds the home together.

The stairs demonstrate fine craftsmanship and attention to detail, featuring a continuous handrail with a smooth elliptical curve and a unique curved bend. At the top of the stairs is a lightwell that bathes the long hallway in light. Down the hallway are five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a sunken lounge that extends into the kitchen and dining beyond – all of which are bordered by a lush tropical garden.

The renovation is defined by a tangible fluidity, with one of the main reworkings being the relocation of the garage, which was previously located in the centre of the house. Instead, the garage has moved below the existing house to make room for the sunken lounge, creating a well-connected home with more usable space. The fireplace lies at the centre of this new area, adding to the warm and welcoming nature of the open living area, and features a fluted travertine around the edges which not only reveals the curves of its unique form but also brings texture into the lounge room.

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Design Tour: Bass Coast Farmhouse In Australia

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The Local Project (June 9, 2023) – Positioned on a piece of land with rich history, Bass Coast Farmhouse by Wardle overlooks an expansive coastline that reaches out to Bass Strait. Inside the ultimate farm house, where an internal courtyard is hidden, the home offers its owners thoughtful connections to their natural surrounds.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Ultimate Farm House 00:37 – The Original Idea 00:57 – The Second Primary Strategy 01:03 – Revegetation of Indigenous Planting 01:36 – A Walkthrough of the Farm House 02:51 – The Two Living Zones 03:24 – The Integration of Primal Activities 04:00 – Illumination Throughout the Home 04:17 – The Materials Used 04:55 – Neutral Palettes and Other Aspects 06:13 – The Intimate Requirements of a Home

Throughout the reformation of the old farm, the architect has worked with a deep sensibility to rehabilitate the home, as well as the land on which it sits, by both re-using materials and employing new environmentally kind ones. When tasked with Bass Coast Farmhouse, Wardle began the process of rejuvenating the home by reducing its plan down to three simple elements – a steel roof, timber walls and a single chimney.

This idea naturally flowed into the the ide of designing the home to not only sit upon the land but to interact with it. Upon arrival, Bass Coast Farmhouse appears almost cartoon-like with its rectangular form and minimal materials. Surrounding the home is a rolling garden. Designed by Jo Henry Landscape Design, each plant has been finished with plastic containers that will nurture the growth of the indigenous plantings until they reach maturity. Furthermore, the home’s form has been designed to sway with the typography of the land.

Previously cleared as farmland, the entire 300 acres have also been reworked to encourage and inspire the growth of vegetation around the home and across the entire site. The single front door opens to welcome the owners and guests inside the ultimate farm house, where Wardle has placed a mud, boot and cloak room at the entrance of the home.

Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Modern Homes: Madison Desert Club In La Quinta

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The Local Project (June 6, 2023) – Inspired by the conventions of a boutique hotel, Kovac Design Studio administers an array of design elements that cater to its clients’ desires to have a modern house that celebrates the surrounds and can host friends and family.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 00:43 – A Boutique Residence 01:07 – Enabling the Feeling of Secludedness 01:41 – The Organisation of the Building 02:12 – The Element of Surprise 02:38 – Built for 2 people or 200 people 02:54 – Covered in Glass 03:09 – Matching the Materials with the Surrounds 03:32 – The Glamorous Material Palette 03:57 – Giving Each Room its own Identity 04:33 – The Oculus 05:10 – The Canopy 05:28 – Designing a Concept from Start to Finish 05:57 – Proud Moments

From the first steps inside, Madison Desert Club is deliberately designed to offer the feeling of being outside when moving from room to room. Imbued with space for the owner to entertain and unwind, Madison Desert Club rejoices in the landscape of La Quinta with an open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows and doors.

Additionally, unique design elements are employed to enhance the home’s connection to the outdoors, beginning with a continuous canopy-style roof that is set over parts of the modern house, offering a change of light throughout the day. Another element seen upon arrival is the Oculus – a circular shape integrated into the roof, which allows for uninterrupted views of the sky above. Spanning all three levels, the modern house tour begins at the lower level, where a sauna, spa and gym are placed.

The above two levels hold the guestrooms, kitchen, living, dining areas and private cocktail bar. Expressed by its metal mesh curtain, the cocktail bar is imbued with warm colours that reference whiskey and give the impression of being inside a sophisticated space reserved for VIP clients. On the top level, a dedicated screening room offers a rare surprise when the screen wall opens up to the entire living space below.

#Modern #House #Design