Designers Mikhail Novinskiy and Anastasia Konnova of MNdesign, have recently completed their own barn-inspired home in a scenic village in Moscow, Russia.
Their family home, designed for themselves and their two children, has a black metal exterior that’s accented at each end with tongue and groove wood siding.
At night, the exterior lighting highlights the wood siding and matching deck and creates a warm glow.
The interior of the house follows the same color scheme, which can be seen in the open plan living room, dining area, and kitchen.
The tongue and groove bleached wood siding covers the walls and ceiling, while a black kitchen, fireplace, furniture, curtains, lighting, and window frames complement the black found on the exterior of the home.
The large windows let the natural light filter through to the interior, and at the same time, provide a view of the deck and garden.
From this view, you can see the balcony on the second floor.
Down a small hallway, you’ll find the front door and entryway, as well as the door to the bedroom.
The tongue and groove siding continues through to the primary bedroom, where dark furniture and cabinets provide a contrasting design element.
The kid’s bedrooms are located upstairs, where there’s a small reading nook and bold black bedroom doors.
The bedrooms are mirror images of each other, however, the wall between the two rooms is only partial, allowing the children to play together, yet still have their own space.
Each side of the partial wall is dedicated to a small homework area with a white desk and bright orange chair.
Turner Architects has recently completed a new addition for a growing family that needed a larger kitchen and wanted a family room that opened up the garden.
Located in Greater London, England, the new addition replaced a large tree that the family once sat under, so the architects created an extension that has been inspired by the feeling of sitting under a tree.
The addition has a wall of wood-framed windows, while the form of the roof allows light to get to the back of the interior.
The interior of the addition includes an angled ceiling lined with light wood and creates glimpses of the sky in different directions.
With a brief from the family to create a space with a series of overlapping functions, the architects have included a kitchen, a dining room, a snug for watching a flickering light (either fire or tv), and a garden room.
Separating the dining room and the snug is the fireplace and TV, which are hidden from view within a cabinet.
Elevated from the dining area and snug is the contemporary kitchen, with minimalist white cabinets that fill the wall, open white shelving, a small island with recipe book storage, and lower wood cabinets.
Photography by Adam Scott Images | Architect: Turner Architects | Structural Engineers: Harrison Shortt Structural Engineers Ltd
Los Angeles designer and architect Rob Diaz has completed his latest project, the contemporary renovation of a home in Sherman Oaks, California, and included in the updated interior, is a built-in seating nook.
The wood-lined seating nook is located under the stairs and adjacent to the living room.
The seating nook includes a large white textured cushion as well as some smaller pillows, two shelving niches, and lighting. Underneath the seating, there are four hardware-free drawers, ideal for storing blankets and games.
From this angle, which also shows the design of the stairs, you can see how neatly the seating nook and storage are tucked away into the available space.
Let’s take a look around the rest of the house…
The Exterior
The design goals for the home were to incorporate a blend of European influences with a relaxed, understated elegance evocative of Southern California living. The front of the home features a low-maintenance garden with a small designated area for seating.
The Entryway
The black-framed glass front door opens to the entryway, where you’ll find stone walls, built-in storage, and wide plank white European ¾ oak floors.
The Living Room
The focal point of the living room is the Apparatus fireplace wall with Arabescato Calacatta marble.
The Kitchen
The kitchen includes stainless steel appliances, floor-to-ceiling white oak cabinetry, black hardware, and marble countertops.
The Dining Room
The formal dining area showcases a statement plaster wall, while black-framed glass doors open to the backyard.
The Yard And Swimming Pool
The yard was transformed into a private oasis with a 50-year-old coastal live oak tree, a Balinese water fountain, 60-year-old Manzanilla olive trees, and a resort-style quartz pool.
The Home Office
The home office has a dramatic appearance, with dark gray walls, a minimalist light fixture, tall white curtains, a curved desk, and a colorful rug.
The Primary Bedroom
The primary bedroom has textured walls similar to the dining room and a fireplace and recessed television.
The En-Suite Bathroom And Walk-In Closet
The expansive en-suite bathroom has a white freestanding soaking tub, a glass-enclosed shower for two, and a marble double vanity. There’s also a walk-in closet with plenty of storage.
The Guest Bedrooms
Each guest bedroom has its own look, with the second having its own private outdoor space that has views of the backyard.
The Guest Bathrooms
The guest bathrooms also each have their own design, ranging from blue and green tiles to a minimalist vanity, and a more earthy look.
Multi-disciplinary atelier Ancerl Studio has designed a modern home in Toronto, Canada, and unique to the house, is a large 40 foot folding glass wall that folds open.
Photography by Brandon Barre
Spanning across the living room and the dining room, the large opening connects the interior spaces to the outdoors, expanding the livable space.
Photography by Brandon Barre
When closed, the glass walls provide an abundance of natural light to the interior spaces. Other interesting design details found in the living room are the two bi-fold pocket doors that open up and hide away, revealing the TV and open shelving, as well as the three-sided open flame custom fireplace, that can be enjoyed from not only the living room and dining room, but also the outdoor space when the wall is opened.
Photography by Brandon Barre
Let’s take a look around the rest of the home…
The Exterior
The design of the house includes a solid front facade, with a tucked away entryway, that afforded the client the privacy they desired.
Photography by Kimberly Czornodolskyj
Photography by Brandon Barre
The Front Door And Entryway
Welcoming visitors to the home is a 7-foot wide black-framed glass pivot door, that opens into the entryway furnished with a console table and a stool. The material palette in the home includes white walls, ceilings, warm wood millwork, and white ash engineered floors.
Photography by Brandon Barre
The Scotch Lounge And Home Office
Throughout the home, there are 14-foot ceilings, which can be seen in the open plan Scotch lounge and home office. A walnut accent wall showcases a pair of floor-to-ceiling, temperature-controlled wine fridges, and both open and closed storage for the home office.
Photography by Brandon Barre
Photography by Brandon Barre
Photography by Kimberly Czornodolskyj
The Dining Room
A large shelving unit separates the dining room from the Scotch lounge, while a set of bi-fold doors open to reveal a wet bar.
Photography by Brandon Barre
The Kitchen
In the kitchen, minimalist white cabinets line the walls, while a large island provides space for multiple stools. Hidden within the cabinetry is a dedicated coffee station.
Photography by Brandon Barre
Photography by Brandon Barre
The Swimming Pool And Landscaped Garden
The outdoor space has been landscaped with a variety of different areas, including a swimming pool and deck, a lounge area with an outdoor kitchen and fireplace, and a dining area.
Photography by Kimberly Czornodolskyj
Photography by Brandon Barre
The Stairs
Wood stairs connect the various levels of the home, with a black handrail that contrasts the white wall.
Photography by Kimberly Czornodolskyj
The Hallway
A hallway with a glass ceiling connects the top of the stairs to the bedrooms.
Photography by Kimberly Czornodolskyj
The Primary Bedroom
The primary bedroom has floor-to-ceiling windows, and a sliding glass opens to a private outdoor space.
Photography by Kimberly Czornodolskyj
Photography by Brandon Barre
Photography by Kimberly Czornodolskyj
The En-Suite Bathroom
A wall of wood closets link the bedroom to the en-suite bathroom, which showcases a white vanity with large mirrors, a built-in bathtub, and a double shower with a glass surround.
Photography by Kimberly Czornodolskyj
Photography by Kimberly Czornodolskyj
Photography by Brandon Barre
The Guest Bedroom
In one of the other bedrooms, a glass door opens to a small balcony with tree views.
Photography by Brandon Barre
The Floor Plan
Here’s a look at the floor plan of the ‘Waxwing Residence’.
Architecture and Interior Design: Ancerl Studio | Builder: Maia Legacy Builder
Surfside Projects has completed the renovation of a mid-century modern home in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, and transformed what was once a dated and tired house into a bright and welcoming residence.
Let’s take a look at the changes…
The Exterior
The original 1957 front yard was had a large asphalt driveway with a garage to the side, while the front door was located behind a low brick wall.
Photography by Surfside Projects
The updated exterior showcases more usable green space and a permeable grass driveway, while an all-new pavilion stands out by the tall-angled roofline with blue accents, and hexagonal pavers lead to the yellow front door.
Photography by Darren Bradley Photography
Photography by Darren Bradley Photography
Photography by Tomoko H. Matsubayashi
The Living Room And Dining Area
The before photos of the interior show that the space was separated into different rooms for different activities, like the living room and dining room, with a pony wall and the kitchen wall separating the two.
Photography by Surfside Projects
The new and updated living room, dining area, and kitchen all share an open floor plan. The living room is defined by a curved couch, built-in shelving, and a beach-inspired mural.
Photography by Tomoko H. Matsubayashi
Photography by Tomoko H. Matsubayashi
The dining area has been furnished with a white dining table and a colorful 3-panel art piece on the wall. A skylight adds natural light to the space.
Photography by Darren Bradley Photography
The Kitchen
The original kitchen had wood front cabinets, a tile countertop, and dated appliances.
Photography by Surfside Projects
The new kitchen is open plan with a large island, wood cabinets, white countertops, and a fridge that’s covered with part of the living room mural.
Photography by Tomoko H. Matsubayashi
A large sliding door opens to the outdoor kitchen and yard.
Photography by Darren Bradley Photography
The Outdoor Space
Previously, the outdoor space had a concrete patio and a few planter boxes.
Photography by Surfside Projects
The new outdoor space includes an outdoor kitchen with a built-in BBQ, a blue hexagonal tile patio, a fire bowl with lounge chairs, a colorful planter and artwork, and a grassy yard. Due to California state drought conditions, landscaping mandated low mow/drought tolerant grass, succulents, and cacti.
Photography by Tomoko H. Matsubayashi
Photography by Tomoko H. Matsubayashi
The Bedrooms
The new main bedroom at the front of the house shows the angled wood ceiling and the wrap around clerestory windows.
Photography by Darren Bradley Photography
A secondary bedroom has similar clerestory windows and a sliding door that opens to the yard.
Photography by Tomoko H. Matsubayashi
The Bathroom
In the bathroom, a bright blue vanity is topped with a white countertop, while the chevron floor tiles feature a few different colors adding interest to the room.
Architect Amrish Maharaj has recently completed the renovation of a home in Sydney, Australia, and included in the re-design is a combined mudroom and laundry.
One wall of the room is designated as a mudroom, with a pegboard wall, a bench, shoe storage, and built-in hardware-free cabinets.
The pegboard wall, which includes pegs with colored tips, can be used to store coats, bags, and other items that can be hung.
The opposite wall is dedicated to the laundry area, with the washer and dryer tucked away underneath a white countertop with a sink, while above there’s a white tile backsplash and cabinets that match the mudroom storage.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the home…
The Before Photos
The original single-story federation home in Sydney’s Inner west had been subject to a series of complicated additions. The building suffered from an uninspiring street presence with the entry porch enclosed and much of the detail stripped from the street facade.
The Updated Facade
The house’s original front was restored with a wide central hallway, which dissected four traditional front rooms. Timber panel detailing, herringbone flooring, timber picture rails, and ornate ceilings restored the front of the house to its former glory.
The New Rear Extension
A simplified rear addition with a black and brick exterior includes a kitchen, dining, and living room with an improved connection to the outdoors via a covered patio.
The Wood-Lined Built-In Window Seat
Stepping inside, and there’s a large square timber-lined window box seat with a blue upholstered cushion, that extends the view out to the garden.
The Kitchen
There are minimalist white cabinets, concrete floors, a glass backsplash, and an island with a wood facade in the nearby kitchen.
The Dining Area And Skylights
A series of large north-orientated skylights flood the addition with daylight that illuminates the natural materials and textures.
The Living Room
A textured white wall provides a backdrop for the gray couch with wood accents.
The Bathrooms
Each bathroom has its own aesthetic; however, dark green penny tiles have been used to create an accent wall in one bathroom, while they’ve been used as flooring in the other.
Photography by The Palm Co | Architecture: Amrish Maharaj Architect | Interior Consultant: Kitty Lee Architecture
Alcantara Evans Architects has designed a new rear addition for a traditional brick home in London, England.
Their client wanted to create an open-plan space to enlarge and increase the area and light of the kitchen/dining area.
The new extension, furnished with a dining area and living space, has a black frame with floor-to-ceiling walls of glass, which can be opened to connect the interior of the room with the outdoors.
In addition to the glass walls, there are also skylights that allow the natural light to travel even further into the home.
Carter Williamson Architects have transformed an old industrial warehouse and turned it into a modern home with a striking black exterior.
Located in Sydney, Australia, the home showcases a facade of glazed black tiles providing a new sophisticated exterior provides a backdrop for the landscaping, which includes a lush urban garden and a small pond.
The black tiles are not only on the front of the home, but also wrap around to the side, reflecting various architectural details.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the house…
The Entryway
Stairs and a wall covered with aged steel lead the way to the tall wood front door.
The Stairs
Stepping inside, and you’re immediately greeted by a recycled three-storey brick wall that follows the staircase up, and compliments the steel beam elements on display throughout the home.
The Living Room
The living room looks out onto the street through black-framed windows and embraces the old and new structural elements instead of hiding them.
The Kitchen + Courtyard
The kitchen, which separates the living room from the dining area and courtyard, has matte black cabinets, black countertops, a mirrored backsplash, and a long island. The courtyard is accessible through floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors and features natural stones, black steel-capped tall wood panels, and reused beams that were fire damaged in the warehouse’s previous life.
The Balcony
The balcony is located at the front of the house and overlooks other buildings on the street.
The Bathrooms
Back inside, and the en-suite master bathroom has the ceiling and tall walls clad with light grey fan tiles which complement the brass fixtures, while a secondary bathroom has small gray square tiles.
Ben Callery Architects has designed the ‘Elemental House’, a small home located an hour north of Melbourne, Australia, that lies on 100 acres of recently sub-divided farmland with panoramic views over rolling hills.
The brief from the clients, a retired couple, was for a self-sufficient rural retreat with a minimal environmental footprint.
The house has been designed to be off-grid, producing its own electricity and water on-site, as well as treating its waste on-site.
The entire exterior of the home is clad in Spotted Gum timber, an Australian native hardwood that’s so durable that it meets the bushfire rating non-combustibility requirements.
The floor plan of the home is compact and modest, with a single bedroom and bathroom. The living space, with its wood ceiling and large windows, is open plan with a dining area and kitchen, while the living room includes a black accent wall with a fireplace and a window bench.
In the bedroom, a large picture window with a black frame perfectly showcases the rural landscape.
Photography: Jack Lovel and Dave Kulesza |Architecture firm: Ben Callery Architects – Team: Ben Callery and Tim Shallue | Builder: Keenan Built
Architecture and interior design firm FGMF Arquitetos, has completed Casa Jordão, a modern holiday home in Monte-Mor, Brazil, that’s located on a stud farm, and has a bright and open interior.
Key to the design of the interior spaces of the home is a room divider that separates two living areas.
The room divider, which is made from wood with steel supports, has a wall of shelving with an open area for displaying a television.
On each end of the room divider is a walkway that leads to the alternative living room.
The secondary living room is open to the swimming pool and is furnished with a pair of couches, armchairs, and a fireplace. The room divider is a mirror image of the other side, with shelving and a mounted TV.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the home…
The Entry Pathway
Tropical plants line a pathway that leads to the entryway of the home, where you’ll find a pivoting front door with views of a garden through glass walls. The entryway also provides a separation between the social areas of the home, and the bedrooms/bathrooms.
The Exterior
The exterior of the home is a black-painted mass, contrasting the surrounding nature, and providing a bold backdrop for the outdoor spaces, like the patio and swimming pool.
The Kitchen
The interior of the home is lined in Tauari, a Brazilian pale wood, while the kitchen is completely made out of darkened wood. The kitchen can also be hidden from view, as a section of the cabinetry can be lowered down to close it off.
The Floor Plan
Photography by Fran Parente | Architecture and Interior Design: FGMF Arquitetos – Fernando Forte, Lourenco Gimenes, Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz | Project Coordinators: Gabriel Mota, Luciana Bacin, Ana Paula Barbosa | Project Contributors: Adriana Pastore, Adriano Soares, Carmen Procopio, Caroline Endo, Mariana Leme, Mariana Schmidt, Rodrigo de Moura, Vera Silva | Project Interns: Beatriz Proenca, Carla Facchini, Flavia Theodorovitz, Frederico Branco, Mirella Fochi, Nara Diniz, Pedro Lira, Wendel de Deus | Construction: Join Us Construtora | Foundation and Structural Engineer: Stec do Brasil | Electrical and Plumbing Engineer: Projhel | Landscape Designer: Rodrigo Oliveira
