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Contemplative Tunquen House on the Chilean Coast

A mysterious house sits quietly on the craggy Chilean coastline.

Designed by Nicolás Lipthay Allen, it is completely open in the front to the crashing surf of the wild ocean far below.

A deep porch is built in front to gather in the sun’s warmth, while rebuffing the harsh coastal wind.

The vacation home is on the first line of the waterfront on a cliff 164 feet up from the sea.

It sits on the oceanfront in a contemplative and respectful manner, framing nature and the environment.

A family home, the client’s brief included a sheltered courtyard where children could play safely.

A second sheltered courtyard offers protection from the coastal winds.

Opening from the back of the living room, an outdoor fireplace and long horizontal stack of wood invites the family out to the extended space at night.

The minimally furnished vacation home is supremely simple yet meets the family’s needs.

An open rectangle cut into the wall brings the warmth of a fire on cold winter night.

The house itself is a simple straightforward shape; just a narrow slice of spaces facing the sea, with sheltered courtyards behind them.

Like a beacon in the night, the sweet family getaway is sited 100 miles from the city of Santiago – which can be seen lighting up the distant coast.

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Casa Equis is an Ode to the Earth, the Sea, and the Sky

A wonderful beach house on the Peruvian coast at La Escondida Beach, Cañete, celebrates the earth, sea and sky.

Its bold shapes are delineated in colors that form a stunning contrast with the blue skies.

The earth is celebrated in its rocky, earthen steps and heavy construction in concrete, both natural and with a warm ochre pigment.

The vast watery ocean is represented in a theatrical blue glass box of water, amazingly suspended in front of the sea.

The weight of the earthy ochre is contrasted by the turquoise of the pool glass, representing the sea beyond.

Peru’s glorious cerulean skies are perfectly framed and contrasted with the concrete in natural; white, and ochre.

Richly colored Peruvian skies are also used to form a ceiling for an enclosed courtyard.

A bold play of earthy colors enlivens the heft of the architectural shapes.

The contemporary house in the bracing setting is from Barclay & Crousse Architecture.

A tender side of the warm colors of the Peruvian desert continue throughout.

A playful pink supplies a jolt of color under a trellised outdoor hallway.

Temperatures range from balmy to warm all year round, encouraging outdoor living.

Throughout the house, outdoor living predominates.

In front; a shockingly sheer artificial cliff created by road building on the dusty Peruvian coast makes a very earthy setting for a bold and striking beach home.

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A Floating House that Glides Effortlessly on its Pool

This magical surrealistic vision of a house by Pitsou Kedem Architects looks for all the world like a mirage of an elaborate H-shaped pontoon.

This sumptuous and elegant transparent house is aptly named Float House by the architects.

A raised roof also seems to float over the structure.

Even the bed itself appears to float in its exquisite master bedroom space.

The master bedroom suite appears to extend to the edges of the site, gliding effortlessly through its transparent walls.

Its elaborate and glossy interior is contrasted by a peak through a wall that is matt and textural.

The delineation between the waters beneath and the house itself seem paper thin, so that water is almost another sheet of building material.

Cool and glossy, the interiors are as exquisite as the interiors of pearly shells.
There is a cool Japanese “floating world” sense to the house..

With its transparent walls, the floating bathroom seems larger than life.

The house is entered across a watery abyss.

A screen closes off this entrance to the house completely, automatically parting to reveal its transparent inner shell.

Likewise, an internal garden is completely walled closed when not admitting those fortunate souls invited within.

All of the transparency of the floating house is beautiful, but there is one flaw.

It seems that here this luscious house is just a little too exposed to its suburban Tel Aviv neighbors!

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Three Houses of Brick Connected by Outdoor Rooms

There is something very 1930s about brick buildings.

It’s easy to overlook innovation in a material that is so humble and unassuming.

The garden has a sincere depression-era feel – even in the flowers, the low wood-framed window and the brick facade on the pool.

But this home comprising three brick buildings connected by two outdoor rooms from Spanish architects H Arquitectes is quietly revolutionary.

The middle building contains the wonderful surprise of a soaring high ceiling.

The heart of the home, this central room is a farm kitchen complete with a wall-to-wall countertop and huge oak table for nine.

The central kitchen building is single story, while the two side buildings house bedrooms upstairs.

The kitchen connects on one side with an al fresco dining “room” and a quiet reading nook.

This outdoor room can be extended by opening the glass french doors between the two buildings, making it a charming entertaining space for long summer evenings.

The stifling heat of Spain’s midday summer is kept out by outdoor awning shades and the breezy passageways between the three buildings

Materials are simple: concrete floors, concrete block, brick and timber.

Ceilings in the humble whitewashed bedrooms and outdoor rooms alike are timber-formed concrete.

A reading nook off the kitchen encourages the dreamy ease of burying yourself in a book.

To the other side of the kitchen, the living room is as much outdoors as it is in, a modern convention defied by its traditional brick facade setting.

This is a house with a very unique quality of rustic, casual “modernity” but it is never archly retro.

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Design Dilemma: Creating a Separate Space in an Open Floor Plan

Americans love their open floor plans. There’s something wonderful about big open spaces filled with light and air. But sometimes you can get too much of a good thing. Occasionally, even open space aficionados crave some privacy and quiet. So we’re dedicating this post to unique ways to close off an open space — at least temporarily.

1) Creating a room within a room. If you’ve got a large expanse of space, you might explore creating a two or three-wall room. This Minneapolis loft creates a “connected separation” with two freestanding leaf-shaped curved partitions. They conceal an office space that houses a collection of books and a workspace.  The great thing about this space is that the larger room still feels open because the partitions do not extend from floor to ceiling.  This means that when you’re in the intimate small room, you are well aware that you are still within a larger room.  You’ve got a sense of intimacy without taking too much away from the open feel.

The home below creates something of a “room within a room” feel as well, but this time, without use of actual separating walls. The raised floor, bookcases and staircase help provide the feel of a separate environment while remaining true to the open concept ideal. If the homeowners want to go the full distance on the “‘room within a room” concept, it would be enough to add a sliding door or panel, preferably in glass or rice paper.

2. A Fixed Partial Wall.
A partial wall can be a great way of keeping space open, while also creating a sense of privacy or division. The wall below serves double duty in that it features a built in bookcase and storage cabinetry.

Dividing walls don’t always have to be built of drywall or plaster. A glass wall, an acrylic panel or rice paper screen can serve the same function. Glass can be an especially good choice, as it is a clean modern material that allows natural light to filter through while keeping sound from traveling. Below, a fixed glass panel doubles as a guardrail for the stairway.

3) A Sliding Wall or Sliding Doors.

Sliding doors are perhaps the absolute best solution to keeping open space open, while allowing an opportunity for privacy. The sliding panels below can be moved in two directions, allowing traffic patterns and light to vary, according to need.

Here’s the same idea in another context:

In the loft below, simple sliding panels separate the bedroom from the living room.

4. Draping Fabric.
Want to create a sense of separation without the permanency or expense of a partial wall or sliding panels? Try hanging fabric! And the “fabric” you choose can be anything. It can be a fabric panel, as seen above, or it can be metal mesh or string, as seen below.

5. Open Shelving. Here’s another tried and true method for creating a sense of division within a large floor plan. Open shelving has a myriad of advantages. It allows light and air to filter through, so you still get the idea of one big open space. Meanwhile, it creates division and precious storage space.

As architectural styles seem to have moved definitively into the realm of open concept living, more and more of us will be looking for ways to create some divisions without stealing too much thunder from the open concept. With a little thought and research, you’ll be able to find the perfect solution for your situation.