Home Design Find

No Comments »

Mix of Vernacular and Modern in Minimalist Mexican Masterpiece

This luxurious modern house by Almazan Arquitectos Asociados, in an affluent neighborhood of Mexico City plays off blocky white cubic forms against a traditional tile roof.

Nearly every rear face of the home is glazed from floor to ceiling.

Inside is a two story atrium, the full height of the house, filling it with an abundance of slatted natural light.

The firm is better known for its modern office design portfolio, which is reflected in this very sleek and sophisticated central atrium design, with room for the tree to double in height.

Like the tile roof outside, a single piece of vernacular Mexican furniture similarly contrasts with the sleek take-no-prisoners minimalism of the central space. Read the rest of this entry »

No Comments »

The Sunny Charms of a Sustainable California House

Architect David Hertz built this sweet home for his own family in Venice, California.

The McKinley Residence (named after the street) is built to test sustainable building techniques like the use of thermal sinks and and rooftop gardening.

The house was recently on the West Side Home Tour, for its early ideas about green building.

It was also made an appearance on the TV series Californication.

Despite its now tried and true ideas, the house is hardly a sterile lab of a testing ground though.

Charming spots throughout celebrate the truly good life in southern California.

There’s a little bit of a New Age Zen feeling…

A master bedroom that is an enticing place for an afternoon nap.

A a moment of delight: chunky plank stairs seen against greenery glimpsed through a glazed wall.

A pool setting that seems designed to encourage easy and casual chat amongst friends and neighbours.

Multiple attractive gathering spots encourage the ease of casual California-style entertaining.

Set in the sunbaked terrace, the dark and cool shaded pool is enticing, rather than an afterthought.

Large overhead skylights bring the brilliance of the midday sun streaking in across the bathroom walls.

Its unusual sky lighting brings the glorious California sunshine into every nook and cranny.

This extensive overhead glazing and concrete floor ensures a thermal sink for warming the house in winter.

It is a house that is casual and gorgeous, and sustainable too in very California way.

No Comments »

Hollywood Glamour of a Malibu Mansion

This glamourous house on the bluffs above Point Dume State Beach in Malibu, California has just come on the market.

Impossibly romantic, a view through the window to the sea beyond is mysteriously sealed into a perfectly proportioned frame.

Every spot is designed so the endless ocean vistas lull the senses.

A perfectly proportioned window is set in a rammed earth wall for a quiet, serene bathing experience.

Like a cliffside cave on the sea coast, the master bedroom is bathed in the light of a sun bounced off the endless ocean.

A door leads directly from the bedroom to the beach below.

Containing the master bedroom, convex volumes of glass appear carved to enclose its inhabitants.

Read the rest of this entry »