Displaying posts labeled "Modern"

Like a cave, rock on rock with primordial forest and majestic mountains. Luxuriously monastic and elegant in its simplicity. Serene yet strong. Raw and masculine. Scree, rock and gravel. Warmth, shelter and style. High country with Lake Wakatipu as view. The Mountain Retreat, Central Otago, Queenstown by New Zealand architectural firm Fearon Hay. Edgy and awe-inspiring.

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Photographer Simon Whitbread generously sent over his latest photo shoot. (See me posts on Simon here and here.) A small 2 bedroom house on Sydney’s Northern Beaches sits snugly on a tight block but screens and walls, awnings and orientation provide privacy, shade and cross ventilation. More importantly this Curl-Curl home by Clifton Cole of CplusC Architectural Workshop uses light and shadow to help define spaces, to bring the outside in and to make a small home seem larger. I love the way that Simon’s photography plays with light and shadows to emphasis this design feature. He seems to “get” a building and plays on this in his work. Simon you weren’t an architect in a previous life?

For when guests and extended family stay over. A perfect pod. Part prefabricated, part site built it is the work (again) of Craig Steely Architecture. Sitting lightly on a lavaflow site the modernist lines of the Ohanapod (family pod) provide connection to its surrounds. Tropical retreat with privacy, shading and cross flow. A cool pad in more ways than one.

Clean modernist lines address the site and explore the relationship between the inside and out. Craig Steely Architecture, based in San Francisco and Hawaii, explores what is possible, sustainable and stylish. If a site is a challenge then Steely not only accepts the challenge but his solutions are elegant and environmentally sound. Steep sites in San Francisco, modern renewal of old houses needing more than just a face lift and homes taking root in lava flows. It’s about respecting a space and building a future, and a home, from there.

The folks over at UXUS (an interiors and architecture firm based in Amsterdam that we have blogged about previously here and here) emailed us Friday with one of their latest residential projects. Here is a little bit of background info: The Wilton Residence is a 1930’s hunting lodge located in the historical heart of Connecticut. The home belongs to an American family, who after living in Europe for 13 years returned to the US. The interior is a reflection of their years living abroad with an eclectic mix of high European contemporary design, personal mementos and a classic American style. UXUS wanted to create an invigorating energy by fusing a pioneering spirit with the inherent comfort of effortless style – colonial yet innovative. Inspired by Rustic Luxury and essential beauty found in simple things, every space within the Wilton Residence exudes openness, personality and playful sophistication. I LOVE this home…the mostly neutral colour palette (including lots of white), the modern furnishings that are a great juxtaposition to the exterior, the references to the outdoors through the dining chairs and wallpapers – love the Piet Hein Eek one in the bedroom!!