Displaying posts labeled "Modern"

“Pacific House is an alteration and addition to an existing 1990’s concrete framed cliffside dwelling. It is exposed to the Easterly facing ocean and closely adjacent similar cliffside dwelling structures. We have replanned the dwelling, adding external amenity including landscape works and a swimming pool. We have also modified portions of the exterior building envelope including doors and windows, cladding, entries, external decks, facades and pergolas.”

A contemporary home with luxe finishes, clean-lined, beautiful and functional in a stunning but sometimes hostile environment. Pacific House by Alexander and Co.

I tend to make comments about the lack of inspiration, creativity, attention to detail and being able to step outside the box when it comes to design and architecture in this lovely city of Ottawa in which I have resided for my entire existence. And then I come across something like this and I find myself with a glimmer of hope, and my faith is somewhat restored. Congrats to Shean Architects (whose offices are coincidentally located in the ‘hood adjacent to mine) for creating this little piece of brilliance. (Photos: Doublespace Photography, and art in foyer is by a favourite artist of mine – Whitney Lewis-Smith and the dining room portrait is by Andrew Moncrief)

Steps from the Highline, this townhouse is situated across the street from a city park and playground. As a result, the south-facing street façade is bathed in daylight. This complete transformation of the interior architecture responded to these site conditions by placing the kitchen at the front of the building, maximizing park views and sunlight. An enlarged rear façade opening, and renovated terrace space extend indoor living outdoors and to the garden. The creation of a double height parlor living area allows relief to the stair circulation through the introduction of a mezzanine. The renovation included new building systems, reconfigured room layouts to allow a floor-through primary suite, and new bathrooms for family living.
I am having a hard time getting beyond this fabulous Sebastian Cox for deVOL kitchen that greets you like a warm hug as soon as you walk into this beautiful home. And that double height parlor….. *sigh* By Oliver Freundlich Design. Photos: Chris Mottalini.

Hovey Design is a full-service staging and interiors styling firm founded by sisters Hollister and Porter Hovey located in Manhattan, Brooklyn and beyond. Love the simple, casual vibe and their use of graphic artwork that adds a lot of personality.

The client of an apartment renovation project holds a mini-competition and chooses Riba Architects’ solution, where no square metre goes to waste: there are enough rooms, no corridors – the space itself is breathing. We connect the street and courtyard sides to the living space and create a circular floor plan around the kitchen island to establish a sense of grandeur. We make sure the lines are long and elegant. While removing the roughcast surface, we get an unexpected gift: the rooms formerly connected by doors were actually divided only by two huge brick arches 100 years ago. The seals under the arches are removed, while the arches are cleaned and used as a basis for the overall design. At every step, we seek to enrich the ambience with unexpected details and colours: thermally treated wood is introduced, and a mirror in the bathroom pierces a peephole from an old front door while another mirror is given an imposing massive frame from the wing of the same front door. The retro white square tiles are complemented by the intense dark turquoise colour of the walls and the ceiling above. The wall by the kitchen island is the colour of the morning dawn and so are the velvet curtains in the bedroom. Top ceramic designer Bojana Ristevski from Studio Juha created unforgettable ‘tableware’ carrying the motif of dark blue grain. The ‘two arches’ apartment on Francetova Street is a modern classic. Everyone who visits it says: this is where I would live.
I would live there too! Those arches are absolutely incredible. And the glass walls with curtains in front are a brilliant solution for keeping the space bright and spacious whilst adding privacy when needed. No wonder Riba Architects won an award for this project. (Tableware photos: Maruša Maze. All others: Janez Marolt)