Interior Design Sense

Architect: Loadingdock5 Architecture
Location: Brooklin, New York, USA
Project Team: Harry Knoll, Werner Morath and Sam Bargetz
Project Year: 2005-2008
Photographs: Marc Lins

935 pacific street is the first completed building of helloliving.

the design is an updated concept of 190 green streetwith improvements in layouts, circulation and the design of the rear yard area. the design is a balance act of the strict nyc regulations for floor area with the less strict rules for height and bulk.

Goal was it to give certain areas more height (17′ in living areas) and other ones the standard 8′ (bedrooms and bathrooms).

Our friends from visiondivision sent us this interesting project. A Swedish family wanted a dream house in the south of Spain that at the same time could be turned into an invisible fort when the client is not there. Passing the house on the nearby road one will only see a garage. If you would accidentally walk pass the hidden garden you will see a façade with a flower patterned mesh.

The client will experience a totally different house. Inside the garage there is a spiral staircase inside a steel cylinder leading down to a big living room, and as the mesh is flipped into sun protecting panes, the panoramic view towards the surrounding mountains will appear from all the social rooms and the bedrooms. The bathrooms are located towards the hill and will have a cave-like appearance.

More images after the break.

HansaForSenses Bathroom Therapy System by Hansa emphasises the open, flexible nature of modern home design. Bathrooms are now places of sanctuary where many people spend a great deal more time on pampering themselves and recharging ready for the day, or evening, ahead. It makes sense that the bathroom should offer a range of possibilities… like light, sound and aroma features of the HansaForSenses bathroom therapy unit. Three preconfigured programmes: Activate, Recreate and Relax make using the unit a simple pleasure to enjoy everyday. Or, you can create a programme of your own and save it to use again. With Hansa’s typical attention to detail, the system has ‘wet touch’ technology, allowing you to use it with wet hands! Pick Hansa to improve your lifestyle – it certainly makes sense.

So logical you wonder why no-one’s thought of it before… presenting the stainless steel bathtub sink combination from Meeus. The Lavabeau concept is a pure, private bathroom which is ‘beautiful and practical – and oasis of relaxation and well-being’. Meeus believe that the bathroom, whether at home or in an organisation are a reflection of the ethos of the individual or company. Thus, well-designed bathrooms must take priority. Here, Meeus uses stainless steel, solid wood and composite to create a bold, block-like bathtub and sink pairing. Light shines from a rectangular panel at the end, further inviting attention. A thoughtful and attractive detail: the bathtub is reached from stepping up onto a stone step. A modern idea to meet the demands of today’s consumer – the Lavabeau bathtub and sink combo is from Meeus.

Also, see the minimal modern wash basins from the Lavabeau collection.

Architects: Felipe Assadi + Francisca Pulido
Location: Alto Rungue, Chile
Constructed Area: House 150 sqm, Deck 370 sqm
Structure: Patricio Stagno
Photographs: Cristóbal Palma

The sight towards the location of Rungue, displayed as a plane inclined looking the valley, having the Coast mountain range as background. The land suggested a large terrace, a platform from which it is possible to admire the overall scenery.

The project starts having in mind a deck of wood. Over this platform would be incirporated the different areas of the house. Nevertheless, the resources were exclusively aimed at this terrace, and the interior space was enough only for a large living area incirporated to this terrace. It was decided, therefore, to assign almost all these resources to resolve the housing based on two main components: a deck and a living area, being this later one capable of absorbing the kitchen, the dinning room, and even the master bedroom. Additionally, considering that in a summer holiday house dormitories are only used to sleep, it was decided to eliminate this concept, changing it for “a group sleeping area at which the space aimed at dormitories almost fully disappears from the project.

By means of a folding of this deck is achieved a match with the inclination of the land, and at the same time, the space aimed at housing, is confined. Then, the outside area is worked as a free zone that rests over the relief and the interior as a capsule of glass incirporated to the folding of this wood board. The interior, likewise, was longitudinally divided in two through a wide wall of services, to which it is incorporated the kitchen and bathrooms, besides a set of beds in three levels, towards the back side of the house. These two spaces then turn into a large family room, dinning room and kitchen on the one hand, and a hall-group sleeping area with beds, on the other.

The board of wood this deck generates runs along all the house, from the lowest part, -where a swimming pool has been added- to the upper cover, turning into the roof, showing since the first glimpse to the house, the use of wood everywhere.

The main deck, which includes the pool, lefts an inclination, due to the slope of the land that looks towards east, as if it were a chaise longue of the full size of the housing, that gives space to the body in resting position, as if it deals with chaise longue. A second deck is the roof of the house, inclines to the opposite orientation, serving this time as a solarium, towards the west of the site.

Fuse Interiors is led by award winning interior designer Danielle Mac Innes. Awarded ‘Best Newcomer’ at Ireland’s premier interiors show, Interior Design 2008, she has been widely recognized by the media for her fresh and unique style. The images from this article are from a city center townhouse that Fuse Interiors completed last year. The house was converted from a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom dilapidated property in need of lots of care and attention to a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom architecturally design house. Fuse Interiors project managed the build and all aspects of the final interior design, advised throughout on space planning, lighting, layout, wall and floor finishes and colour scheme, designed the kitchen and bathrooms and sourced all the furniture, artwork and accessories. The end result was a fantastic mix of architectural and interior design with an eclectic twist to it.

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

City Centre Townhouse by Fuse Interiors

When the new owners of this beautiful wood-clad home decided they needed to update and add a bit more space to the house, who better to renovate it than the architects who designed the original? Re-enter, New York-based Bates Masi + Architects, who worked out a plan to enlarge the kitchen and dining areas, modernize the bathrooms, and refinish the floors, walls and counter tops. Materials and wood from the house were kept and re-used in the renovation, minimizing the need for new materials.

Read the rest of Re-Cover House Wins AIA Award for Renovations

Permalink |
Add to
del.icio.us

Post tags: bates masi architects, building material conservation, cabin green home, conservation materials home building, Green Building, green home building, green house, re-cover house, Recover House, recycled materials housing, renovated home salvaged materials, Renovation, reused materials home building, Sustainable Building

Proving there’s no need to over-complicate – the minimalist Sabbia bathroom and the B-14 bathroom are both new from Boffi. The international flair of their designers, Naoto Fukasawa and Norbert Wangen, brings a fresh perspective to the Italian bathroom experts, Boffi. The B-14 by Norbert Wangen (above) is a stripped-down bathroom furniture system that is free from handles, and instead favours integrated hand grips. A block-like simplicity characterises the vanities, and you can choose from either a uniform finish or a front panel of wood. In contrast, the Sabbia by Naoto Fukasawa (below) has a different geometry, tending to emphasise curves rather the straight lines. It is a series in printed Cristalplant plastic including soft floor-standing cylindrical washbasins and an oval tub. Even the blockier, wall-mounted double sink of the Sabbia series has a gentleness, owing to the delicately depressed curves that dip into the solid shape to form the basin area. Two great Boffi bathrooms, available now.

When it comes to decorating, there is one element in the room that is often forgotten, and that is the window treatments. Most people will purchase curtains as an afterthought, something that needs to go up but doesn’t really matter. The problem is the window treatments do matter and it should be an active decision when you are designing your decor. Selecting the right window curtains can be surprisingly complex. If you choose the wrong type or the wrong color, it can completely ruin the design that you have. Finding the best curtains for your room can lead to a flow in style that will have any professional interior designer borrowing from your idea for future projects. When a window treatment works, it really works.

If you are trying to select window treatments for your home but are unsure of where to start, there are a few pointers that will help make finding the right window curtains much easier.

Keep the curtains in the room:

This is actually a mistake that many people make. They find a curtain style and they put the same curtains into every room whether it looks good with the decor or not. The simple fact is each room can have different curtains, unless you are working with an open floor concept and you will not want a child themed curtain in a living room any more than you would want bold and luxurious window coverings in a child’s room. Be aware of this fact and make sure that you change up the curtains from room to room.

Understand your privacy:

One of the more popular window treatments that you can find are sheer drapes. While these are wonderful in many different areas, they are not the best style of drape to purchase if you want to have a little privacy since you can see through most sheer drapes. Bedrooms should never have sheer drapes solely, and neither should bathrooms for that matter. Instead, pair them with a darker drape or window covering that does just that; covers.

Understand the lighting:

When it comes to windows, not all of them produce the same amount of lighting and this will affect the type of drapes that you use. Drapes that are heavy can block out a lot of light and this works well in a bedroom, especially bedrooms that offer amazing views of the sunrise. Sheer drapes are excellent for sun rooms that don’t need a lot of privacy. Sheers provide a light airy feel that work wonderfully in many spaces. When you know the amount of light coming through the window, you can plan accordingly.

Materials are important:

There are many different materials and fiber combinations that you can use for a curtain but your should choose materials that are fade resistant, especially if the room gets a lot of light, which is common in south facing rooms. Although silks may seem luxurious for a room, they are better left on the pillows and other accents since silk curtains will fade quickly and you will be left with dull and ugly curtains on your windows.

Tie in the design:

While you may not realize it, it is very important to tie the curtains in with the theme. This does not mean that you have to play it safe and make the curtains match perfectly but they shouldn’t clash with the decor. Make sure that the materials reflect the materials in the room, the color works with your color palette and the thickness of the material works with the feel of the decor. The last thing you will want is a heavy drape in a light and airy design space.

When it comes to the color, you can use the curtains to add depth to a space or you can use the curtains to provide a little pop of color or a statement piece to the room.

If you are still unsure how to use curtains in your space, I would strongly recommend reading through freshome.com or browsing through a few show rooms to gather a few ideas before applying them to you room. Lastly, I would recommend sketching out the window area and drawing in the drapes before you go out and purchase them.

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

How to Select the Right Window Curtains

Kos introduces the new Lab 03 free standing wash basins as the ultimate, multifunctional alternative in modern-day bathrooms. Their free standing design allows for a convenient installation anywhere in the room, and even outdoors. Clearly minimalist, the basins come with an innovative twist – a built-in towel rack. Their pure geometry, softened by the gentle curves of the corners and only slightly interrupted by the towel rack, makes them very contemporary. A good example of how a small design detail, the rack in this case, can make ordinary bathroom fixtures, such as these free standing wash basins, truly not ordinary. Visit Kos for more information.