Interior Design Sense

Designed by Marco Gorini and architect Simone Micheli – Flex 1 is a modern italian kitchen design from Strato was built in response to the changing needs of the modern food fanatic. The Flex 1 kitchen has a minimalist style, with a sleek stainless steel frame made from a single piece and boasting a satin finish, complemented by cabinets, doors and drawers and appliance fronts finished in clean White Stratocolor. – Via

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Flex 1 a Minimalist Style Kitchen from Strato

all photos: Marcel Lam for The New York Times

Apartments are small and expensive in Hong Kong, so architect Gary Chang designed his 344 square foot unit to change into 24 different designs, just by sliding walls and panels around. He even calls it a “Domestic Transformer.”…

The modern look of fine Italian design permeates the contemporary metropolitan kitchen from Strato. Dubbed the Flex 1 Kitchen, this cool design is the brainchild of designer Marco Gorini and architect Simone Micheli, in response to the changing needs of the modern food fanatic. But beyond the foodies, Flex 1 is appreciated by all lovers of interesting design. Destined to be the new metropolitan icon, this minimalist kitchen style comes from the sleek stainless steel frame, made from a single piece and boasting a satin finish, complemented by cabinets, doors and drawers and appliance fronts finished in clean White Stratocolor. Interior drawer trays are made from Rosewood. To learn more about this design, visit Strato.

While writing the obit for Empyrian Homes I alluded to the original Acorn house, describing it briefly and noting that Acorn founder John Bemis put it together with Architect Carl Koch. I could find little information, other than references to a Life Magazine article and one reference to a book by Koch. Through the wonders of ABE I was able to find and buy a copy from William Davis and Son in Oreland PA.

And what a remarkable story it tells, and how little things have cha…

Building your home from scratch must be really powerful, but if you’re an architect then it has to be the ultimate challenge. On a 2,600 m2 plot, the open door house was designed by the guys from Meneghetti Architects as a weekend retreat. With a lavish interior that promotes large windows and breathing spaces, the house has elegant shapes, exquisite furniture and a great view of the trees nearby. They did an amazing job if you ask me. It’s a great place to relax after a hard week at the office, isn’t it? [via NoticiasArquitectura]

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Open Door House by Meneghetti Architects

Jim Bryant P-I

It’s like Lucy in Peanuts, except John Morefield offers architecture, not psychiatry, for a nickel. (sometimes, particularly in residential architecture, they are hard to tell apart). The young architect set up a booth at a farmers market in Seattle and is dispensing advice for a nickel a pop. (Five cents more than a lot of architects get paid for curbside consultations.)

It is a good idea. Mike Lewis of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer writes:…

Architect: Smiljan Radic Clarke
Location: Los Lirios, Rancagua, Chile
Collaborators: Danilo Lazcano, Gonzalo Torres
Structural Engineer: Claudio Assar Olguín
Technical Inspection: Smiljan Radic
Contractor: Eugenio Durán
Constructive System: Masonry
Project Year: 2005
Construction Year: 2006
Site Area: 1600 sqm
Constructed Area: 210 sqm
Photographs: Gonzalo Puga

These two houses -actually there´s only one built- recall the houses of tenant farmers in the Chilean countryside: the existing walnut trees haven´t been touched, the outside has been denied thanks to a whitewashed perimetral wall.

An inner courtyard with the possibility of being covered with an agricultural tarpaulin fixed to its wall to provide shade, an austere living room with bits of an exterior spread throughout the courtyard, a roof of painted untreated wood and bedrooms painted in bold colours.

The Orchid House is one of the first to be built under environmental concerns in Buenos Aires. Designed by architect Andres Remy, it is certainly beautiful and loaded with neat energy saving features, but, Can a house in the middle of a private neighborhood about one hour from the city be green?

Click through for more details and great pics in the extended….

Family in Passivhaus; Rolf Oeser for The New York Times

Elisabeth Rosenthal visits a Passive House in Germany and describes their construction:

Using ultrathick insulation and complex doors and windows, the architect engineers [sic] a home encased in an airtight shell, so that barely any heat escapes and barely any cold seeps in. That means a passive house can be warmed not only by the sun, but also by the heat from appliances and even from occupants’ bodies. And in Germany, passive houses cost only about 5 to 7 percent more to build than conventional houses.

…

Architect: Fantastic Norway
Location: Fosen Coast, Norway
Contractor: Åbygg AS
Constructed Area: 77 sqm

The cabin is situated on the top of a rocky hill at the outermost coast of Fosen (Norway). The building is carefully placed and designed in relation to the local terrain, the panoramic view and the specific climactic conditions in the area.

A variety of sheltered outdoor spaces enables a dynamic and social relation between the cabin and the surrounding landscape. In addition to this, the design aims to address the traditional, plain and pragmatic building culture in the area.