Architect Sofía Oliva has designed ‘Blank Canvas’, a modern living room as part of an exhibition at Casa Decor, an interior design event held once a year in Madrid.
Inspired by Feng Shui and harmonious design, the living room has a simple white color palette that creates a calm environment with a modern flair.
The white tones are used in the space to achieve greater luminosity, while materials like wood, natural fabrics, stone, and plaster, have all been included.
The rounded edges of the furniture create a softness to the room, while the wood floor and tall green cactus add a natural element.
The sofa has been built on a platform, while a recessed nook with wood shelves has been built into the wall adjacent to it.
A single pendant light hangs from the ceiling in the corner, while recessed lights are located in the ceiling.
The living room also includes a fireplace located in front of a textured wall, highlighted with hidden lighting.
Photographer: Javier de Paz Garcia | Architect: Sofia Oliva
Australian architecture and design firm Studio Griffiths has completed the remodel of a Hamptons-style property to a modern English farmhouse in the Victorian town of Main Ridge.
One notable stand-out feature of the interior, which is mostly black and white, is the fireplace in the living room.
The eye-catching fireplace surround is covered in Japanese-inspired tiles from INAX, with the gray tile adding a textural design element.
Flanking the fireplaces are black shelves and cabinets. The dark cabinets also help to blend in with the black television.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the property…
The clients’ vision was to have their main home in the country, where sprawling land, a vineyard, and green open spaces offer a retreat for their children and grandchildren.
The remodel included all-new bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, and updating all the bedrooms, study, and TV/Music room.
Stepping inside, the bright and open interior has high ceilings and a dining area with a modern chandelier hanging above.
The dining room is positioned between the living room and kitchen, all of which are open plan.
In the kitchen, there are minimalist white cabinets with integrated appliances, as well as a large black island that measures in at almost 10 feet (3m), and includes a black stone countertop that overhangs to provide room for seating.
In the hallway, artwork covers the walls, while French oak timber flooring can be found throughout the home.
The home office has been kept minimally furnished with black joinery complementing the black window frames.
The French oak boards have also been used to line the walls of the bedrooms, creating a rustic design element that adds to the overall modern farmhouse look.
Behind the bedroom is a walk-in closet that leads to the bathroom.
The home also includes a laundry room with floor-to-ceiling tiles, plenty of storage cabinets, as well as hanging bars for drying delicate items.
Photography by Sharyn Cairns | Editorial Styling: Studio Moore | Builder: Bernie Everett Building
Austin Maynard Architects has recently completed a new home in inner-city Melbourne, Australia, that includes both metal shingles and recycled brick in its construction.
The owners of the ‘Garden House’ requested a family home that would be super modern, high performing, highly sustainable, and with the ability to change and adapt over time.
The home is hidden from the street and accessed via a pedestrian laneway that travels from the garage to the main living spaces.
The exterior of the home looks like a pretty, white shingled cottage with a perfect pitched roof.
The white Flat Lock metal shingles on the facade give the home a unique appearance.
Metal awnings that protrude away from the house provide shade to the interior spaces when it’s sunny.
True to its name, the Garden House has substantial trees and plants that surround it, many of which were on the site before the home was built.
The outdoor spaces include a fire pit with a custom-designed curved bench, a swimming pool, courtyards, alfresco dining, pergolas, and decks.
The home is separated into different zones, each connected via mirrored glass links or bridges, reflecting the garden and essentially making them disappear.
Recycled yellow brick features throughout the home, reminding the owners of the happy memories they invoked, like their grandparent’s homes and their days at Melbourne University.
Inside the home, the living room is furnished with a large sofa and abstract artwork, while a white slat ceiling adds a unique design element.
Behind the sofa is a small home office/homework station that’s been tucked within a closet, making it easily accessible, and at the same time, can be hidden from when not in use.
The home office is adjacent to a large window that provides an unobstructed view of the garden outside.
The garden is accessible through a black-framed glass door. In the nearby kitchen, hardware-free cabinets line the wall, while the black island and shelving create a contrasting element, and the mirrored backsplash reflects the living room.
The living room also includes a low television console and floating white shelves that match the ceiling.
The wood cabinets from the kitchen continue through the dining room and result in an open niche with shelving. Beside the cabinets and in the brick wall, there’s a small built-in window seat.
Adjacent to the dining room is a secondary living room furnished for relaxing.
The staircase features the recycled yellow bricks that then transition to connect with the wood stair treads. A large black framed window perfectly frames the tree and outdoor dining area.
At the end of a hallway is a small seating niche by the window that includes upholstered benches, ideal for when the children want to have a quiet moment.
In one of the bedrooms, a partial wood wall becomes the backdrop for the bed and includes bedside tables and shelving niches in its design.
In one of the bathrooms, gray walls and floors are accented by a wood-lined shelving niche, small metallic tiles, and a white freestanding bathtub.
In another bedroom, bright white walls create a clean and crisp look, while the artwork adds a touch of color.
In one of the other bathrooms, there are white walls that have been paired with soft blue/green tiles and matching grout for a contemporary look.
Solar panels have been installed on the roof as the average Australian house uses 19kwh of energy per day. This home, however, produces 100kwh per day and has a 26kwh Tesla battery, making it high-performing and hi-tech.
To understand the layout of the home, here’s the floor plan.
You can learn more about the house by watching the following video.
Creative design firm STUDIOLAB, has designed the renovation of a two-bedroom apartment in a 1920s building in New York City.
Inside, a large floating ceiling with perimeter cove lighting was built over the living and dining space to accentuate the extra tall ceiling height. In the living room, a high gloss shelving unit has been mounted to the wall, providing a designated area for the television and decorative items.
Photography by Amanda Kirkpatrick
The ceiling also hides LED recessed lighting, speakers, and sprinkler heads. A minimalist pendant light hangs above the dining table, while red artwork adds a pop of color to the open interior.
Photography by Amanda Kirkpatrick
In the kitchen, high gloss gray lacquer cabinets have been used to complement the living room TV unit. The kitchen also features custom flush pivot doors on either end, built to look like part of the kitchen cabinetry. One of the doors reveals a hidden office, while the other leads to a guest bathroom.
Photography by Amanda Kirkpatrick
Engineered greywashed rift and quartered white oak floors extend throughout.
Photography by Amanda Kirkpatrick
In one of the bathrooms, a white caesarstone countertop sits atop a wood vanity, while large porcelain tiles have been used on the walls and floors.
Photography by Amanda Kirkpatrick
In another bathroom, the glossy grey lacquer cabinets make another appearance in the form of the vanity, while dark skinny tiles laid horizontally contrast the white subway tiles.
Photography by Amanda Kirkpatrick
Here’s a look at the floor plan that shows the location of the hidden home office and guest bathroom.
Interior design firm Aviram – Kushmirski, has recently completed an apartment in Tel Aviv, that uses natural materials and open spaces to create a modern appearance.
Photography by Oded Smadar
In the living room, there’s a grey wall that runs the width of the apartment, and has hidden design features, like a bar with a mirrored wall and stemware storage.
Photography by Oded Smadar
Behind the living room is the dining area. The surface of the dining table is blackened oak veneer, while above it, there’s three pendant lights that are made from concave Carrera marble and geometric glass forms. A custom- designed, floating, black-painted metal and brass bookshelf creates a dedicated area to show off decorative items.
Photography by Oded Smadar
In the kitchen, there’s a spacious island that’s been designed with an oval shape and includes touches of brass.
The island countertop is brown marble with light-colored veins, and the light fitting above the island is also brass, pressed into an oval shape.
Photography by Oded Smadar
Separating the kitchen from the home office, is a collection of three steel and mirror partitions. Each individual partition turns on an axis and can be adjusted to any chosen angle, while the mirrors reflect light throughout the interior.
Photography by Oded Smadar
In the home office, there’s white cabinetry that runs the length of the room, while a black desk complements the black-framed partitions and the abstract wall art.
Photography by Oded Smadar
In one of the bedrooms, an alcove with shelving and a built-in desk provides a place to study, while a window seat overlooks the tree and city views outside.
Photography by Oded Smadar
In the powder room, metallic accents have been paired with dark stone and black walls for a bold and dramatic appearance.
Photography by Oded Smadar
In another bathroom, grey stone walls and countertops are contrasted by black accents and a black vanity.
Photography by Oded Smadar
In the third bathroom, a glass-enclosed shower has hidden lighting that creates a soft glow for the space.
Photography by Oded Smadar
Here’s a floor plan that shows the open plan social areas, and the small hallway that leads to the two bedrooms.
Have a look inside the newly opened ICEHOTEL, located in the small village of Jukkasjärvi in the north of Sweden. Every winter the hotel is built again, and features the work of a variety of artists and designers.
Some quick facts about the ICEHOTEL
– 2,500 ice blocks are harvested with each block weighing two tons.
– Around 200 artists apply to join the creation of the ICEHOTEL each year.
– Once spring hits, the ICEHOTEL melts and is returned to nature.
Here are a selection of the art suites that you can stay in…
The ‘Love Capsule’, designed by Luc Voisin & Mathieu Brison
Photography by Asaf Kliger | ICEHOTEL
‘Under the Arctic Skin’, designed by Rob Harding & Timsam Harding
Photography by Asaf Kliger | ICEHOTEL
‘Live your time’, designed by Jose Carlos Cabello Millan & Javier Alvaro Colomino Matassa
Photography by Asaf Kliger | ICEHOTEL
‘Fractus’, designed by Anja Kilian & Wolfgang A Lüchow
Photography by Asaf Kliger | ICEHOTEL
The ‘Eye Suite’, designed by Nicolas Triboulot & Cedric Alizard
Photography by Asaf Kliger | ICEHOTEL
‘Cesare´s Wake’, designed by Petros Dermatas and Ellie Souti
Photography by Asaf Kliger | ICEHOTEL
‘Show Me What You Got’, designed by Tjåsa Gusfors & David Andrén
Photography by Asaf Kliger | ICEHOTEL
‘Elephant in the Room’, designed by AnnaSofia Mååg
Photography by Asaf Kliger | ICEHOTEL
‘The Flying Buttress’, designed by AnnaKatrin Kraus and Hans Aescht
Pablo Munoz Paya Arquitectos designed an interior with wood slat walls that line the space containing the living room, kitchen, and dining room, as a way of adding a natural element to the space.
Starting at one end, there’s a built-in window seat with a bookshelf.
In the corner of the room, there’s a reading nook with benches and white wood slats that cover the windows for privacy. Lighting along the ceiling helps to create a really bright space, while in both the window seat and the reading nook, the white wood slats can be opened to easily access the windows.
Above the corner reading nook is a small loft area that’s accessed by a ladder, which can also be used to access the multiple cabinets above the window seat.
The wood slat wall continues to include a recessed television that has storage cabinets above and below it.
Ending in the kitchen, the wood slat wall covers the windows, however, it can be opened to access the windows and let the natural light in.
Photography by Natalia Blanco Fotografia | Architecture, Project Management, And Interior Design: Pablo Munoz Paya Arquitectos
Copenhagen based architectural firm Tegnestuen LOKAL has designed the modern facade renovation of an apartment building in Frederiksberg, Denmark.
The original building was created in the 1960s and over time it became dilapidated and was considered to the ugliest building in the neighborhood.
The new facade aimed to prevent water from damaging the concrete balconies, and in turn transformed the building’s semi-private spaces.
A series of triangular glass bays were added to the building, creating semi-private decks for the residents.
The private balconies are placed on the outside of the access way, which allowed for private and shared spaces to be created, encouraging random meetings between residents.
The private balconies also have screens that allow greenery to grow on them, and over time will provide a shading effect. There are also operable glass screens to extend the usage of the balconies from just the summer months to also include spring and fall.
Before photography by Tegnesteun LOKAL | After photography by Hampus Berndtson | Architect: Tegnesteun LOKAL | Design Team: Christopher Carlsen and Morten Bang | Engineering: Henneby Nielsen | Consultants: CEJ | Contractor: Amstrup & Baggesen
Arjen Reas Architecten has designed a modern house in Benthuizen, a village in the Netherlands.
The house, which was completed for a fun and adventurous family, has some unique design features that give it an interesting personality.
The exterior of the house is covered in thatch, which runs vertically down from the rooftop and along the sides of the house. The thatched roof is contrasted by wood with a black finish.
Inside the home, the furnishings have been kept minimal, while large sliding doors open the living room to an outdoor patio that’s been set up for alfresco dining.
Adjacent to the living room is the open plan dining room and kitchen. Black has been used on the wall and ceiling to define the dining room, while the kitchen has a wood slat backdrop that acts as a safety barrier for the stairs.
A fun element in the form of a wood slide is a quick way to reach the living spaces from the upper floor of the home.
Also on the main floor of the home is a secondary living room with a large window that provides ample natural light and views of the garden.
Upstairs, there’s an open hallway that connects to the bedrooms and shows the top of the slide.
The master bedroom has windows that match the roof line and a freestanding bathtub.
In the bathroom, there’s black stone on the walls that provides a contrasting element to the white vanity.
In a child’s bedroom, there’s a rock-climbing wall that allows for access to a small lofted area.
Patrick Arotcharen Architecte has designed an eco-lodge in Saubion, France, named Les Echasses, where each of the private holiday homes and restaurant have butterfly roofs.
There’s a restaurant that has outdoor seating covered by the overhanging roof, and inside, there’s more seating. The restaurant can also be transformed into a meeting room for business events.
Photography by Mathieu Choiselat
Each of the seven private villas have been built on stilts over the water and are large enough for two people.
Photography by Mathieu Choiselat
The wooden villas surround the lake with sandy edges creating little bays.
Photography by Mathieu Choiselat
At night, each villa lights up like a lantern and the reflections are cast onto the still water.
Top photo – photography by Vincent Monthiers
Each villa has a private terrace, and this one has a hanging chair to relax in and enjoy the view.
Photography by Mathieu Choiselat
Inside the decor is kept minimal, and in winter a wood burning stove can be lit.
Bottom photo – photography by Mathieu Choiselat
Here’s a look at the wood covered entrance of one of the villas.
Photography by Mathieu Choiselat
Here’s an overview of what the area will look like once all of the trees have grown in.
