VFA Architecture + Design has designed the Lake Joseph Cottage in Ontario, Canada, featuring a walkway that also doubles as seating.
Running behind the kitchen is a hall that opens up to views of the dining area and living room, which are lined with white pine wood.
The end of the walkway was designed so that it becomes built-in seating for the dining table.
When designing the interior of this house, Alexandra Buchanan Architecture made efficient use of the available space in the bedroom by including a built-in desk and bench window seat.
Mimicking the frame around the bed, a second wood frame lines the wall and ceiling around the window, creating a dedicated area for the custom designed desk and bench.
Looking out onto the street, the wood desk top is slightly higher than the bench, however it lines up with the bottom of the window frame to avoid blocking the view. On a hot day, the louver windows above the window seat can be opened to allow the breeze to flow through, making it a comfortable spot to relax.
Custom design solutions, like a built-in dining bench, are one way to make the most out of the available space in a narrow house.
When London Atelier designed the interior of this townhouse, they had to think about space carefully as the home was quite narrow. Their solution was to design a custom dining area that includes a built-in bench.
The built-in dining bench, which is set back into the wall, allows for the inclusion of a dining table and chairs, minimizing the impact on people walking from the stairs to the living room. Meanwhile, the curved dining table and upholstered bench cushions add a softer more casual element for the family of four that live in the home.
Davey McEathron Architecture designed a house in Austin, Texas, that includes a custom entryway bench with a bookshelf.
The wood-lined niche was created instead of using a solid wall, and as a result, it allows natural light to filter through to the kitchen.
The diagonal shelves of different sizes provide an artistic detail to the home that’s apparent as soon as someone walks through the front door.
The wood used in the design of the entryway also complements the wood flooring throughout the interior, as well as the wood cabinetry and floating shelves in the kitchen.
If you’re interested in seeing more photos of this house, we’ve included them below.
Rocco Arquitetos has completed the ‘Itauba House’ in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that includes a wrap-around corner window bench as part of the overall design.
The window bench makes its home next to large windows and has a height that matches the bottom of the glass, which can be seen from the exterior of the home.
By positioning the window bench alongside the windows, there’s an unobstructed view of the path and plants outside.
From the interior of the home, the window bench is located off to the side of the living room.
The bright blue upholstered cushions and pillows add a bright and colorful accent to the room, while the bench is long enough to accommodate multiple people.
Now that we’ve seen the built-in window bench, let’s take a tour around the rest of the house…
The home is made from concrete, and wood, and includes a mono-pitched roof, as well as plenty of windows.
At the rear of the home is a swimming pool, a patio, and large yard.
A large covered outdoor space includes a kitchen, dining area, and room for a hammock, while an open roof area allows for a fire pit.
An element of strong visual impact in the interior is the exposed concrete cantilever beam that runs through the entire central volume of the house, which is where the open plan living room, kitchen, and dining room exist.
The mono-pitched roof allows for a ceiling height of almost 14 feet (4.5m) at the maximum point of the room where large glass panels were installed to help illuminate the interior of the house.
Sliding doors in the main room open completely and are used to create an indoor/outdoor living environment.
In one of the bedrooms, there are custom-built bunk beds, allowing for multiple people to sleep in the room.
A staircase with a light turquoise blue frame and wood treads connects the two levels of the home.
In the bathroom, there’s a built-in sunken bathtub with sliding windows that open to a small outdoor space and garden, which is kept private by the wood slat screens.
