Sunday, February 28, 2010

Casa No Gere





Casa No Gere comes from architects Graça Correia and Roberto Ragazzi and is located in an unconventional environment. Deep in Portugal’s national park is where the owners wished to live and their request was honored by the architects by coming up with plans for this stunning building. And things were not easy. The construction team had to cope with a lot of strict rules coming from the park’s authorities. In the end, the shape and location of the residence were adapted to respect all terms and in the pictures below you have the results: a bar-like structure with a unique exterior and modern indoor arrangements.

Friday, February 26, 2010

The Ross Street House in Wisconsin








From Richard Wittschiebe Hand, this imposing home belongs to Carol Richard, an architect who has always dreamed of designing her own place. We don’t know if this looks like a dream come true to you but for Carol it was the result of all her architectural wishes mixed together. Even though it looks like a fortress on the outside, perhaps causing some of you to say this is not the warmest place in the world, when you step inside, the atmosphere changes completely. Light and color fill the rooms, creating a fresh and comfortable feel. The pale blue and the pink chairs stand out in contrast to the white walls and wooden floors. There is a stairway matching he floors which connects the levels and fits perfect with with rest of the decor.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Modern House






CastleRock is a building located in Bodrum, a city known worldwide as a summer tourist attraction in Turkey. The amazing project comes from GAD (Global Architectural Development) and Dara Kirmizitoprak and is situated on a hillside, overlooking the city.The project was built using only stone, concrete, glass and steel in order to adhere to the environmental friendly buildings located in its vicinity. CastleRock is a residential complex, featuring double-room and three-room apartments, each with a pool and garden. All the interiors have unobstructed views to the valley.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

V2K Nisantasi Store






Turkish design studio Autoban projected the retail store in the Nisantasi neighborhood of Istanbul for the fashion brand V2K Designers.

A striking angular entrance welcomes visitors to browse designer pieces by top brands from all over the world. A large angular column reaches up and past a mezzanine floor, creating an impressive space at the entrance to the store, while a grid-like wall of lightbulbs down the side of the store provides a powerful banner for slogans which can be modified as desired.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Nafi Salon By ZMIK




Swiss design studio ZMIK have refurbished a hair salon in Basel, wallpapering the entrance with photocopies from Vogue magazine.

The Nafi Salon is divided into two distinct areas by the change in wall and floor coverings, from vintage prints and timber flooring in the reception area to the minimal white salon.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Aveleda’s House : Inspired By Roman Architecture





From architect Manuel Ribeiro, Aveleda’s House is located in Portugal, next to “Bracara Augustae”, an old Roman city. The main idea of the design took its roots from the fact that ancient Roman homes were usually built around a square. Here is a statement from the designer about this: “We tried to take the most of the land to create a connection with the interior of the building, leaving a view of the valley and the square that exists between the two bodies housing.” The residence has a complex architecture plan and houses 4 bedrooms, a gym, two large bathrooms with an impressive design. Outside there is a giant pool, typical for this type of building.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Kimber Modern Hotel










Burton Baldridge Architects designed the Kimber Modern Hotel in Austin, Texas.

The hotel comprises five immaculately appointed bedrooms and a luxury suite, a generous deck-space, common room and kitchen along with offices for a successful accounting practice.

The building shape derives directly form the sloped site while its low slung profile acts as a buffer between the buzz of the adjacent entertainment district and the residential neighborhood to the east. A cementitious rainscreen shields the structure from the western sun and creates a truly private landscape within.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Sandwich House





The residence was designed by Ryoichi Kojima and it is located in Tokyo. The actual living area is suspended between two giant white walls a few feet above the ground. How is this for unconventional? We really like how the place looks and also the wood and concrete combination. The interiors are modern and staircases connect the three floors.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Preschool Project In China





From Debbas Architecture, this large scale project is located in China. in a city called Dalian and it is not your usual kindergarten building. Here in Europe we are used to small constructions for kids, some of them with a typical architecture and drawings or cartoon graphics imprinted on the walls. However, keeping in mind that this preschool project is located in China, its large scale comes as no surprise with the overgrowing population of this country. The interconnected site has a very interesting architecture as the individual buildings have an unusual oval shape and really stand out. Each of them has to levels, one meant for sleeping and the other one for the rest of the daily activities.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Gastromium Restaurant








Francesc Rifé received the FAD of Inerior Design prize for his work in theGastromium restaurant situated in the district of El Porvenir in Sevilla, Spain.

A minimalist facade invites us to enter a restaurant through a large set of sliding doors in black sheet metal that manage to create a transition space between the exterior and the interior, an effect emphasized by the contrast between the black doors and the luminosity of the white interior.

The entire space breathes restraint and rationality, reinforced with elements such as upholstered units in grey and gold that decorate and improve the acoustics. In the waiting area, an intimate anteroom for drinking cocktails and choosing the menu, the protagonist is a unit that integrates the cash register, the IT installations as well as the food and wine menus.

The dining room with its great height has been decorated with 286 purpose-designed lamps fitted with a dimmer switch. The different rods, placed at a heigh of two meters, shape a continuous mesh that “cuts down” the heigh of the establishment, bringing light to the tables and achieving a perfect light intensity.

The units, balance it out and are reflected in the mirror of the opposite side, which houses the pantry and food preparation zone and a private dining room. This whole mirrored wall begins in the waiting room and integrates the cloakroom area and the units holding the cutlery and dinner service.