Olympia Prairie Home

Revamping a family home to create more space often comes in the form of a rear extension that links the older existing house with the backyard in a more contemporary fashion. And that is just what you get with the minimal and sophisticated Nat’s House revamp in Cammeray, a bustling suburb of Sydney. The transformation […]

You’re reading Mesmerizing Minimalism Anchored in White: New Extension to Aging Suburban Home, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

The privileged view of nature was the core starting point for this project on the mountainous region of Nova Lima, State of Minas Gerais/Brazil. An adventurer couple chose us to create this special project in such an exclusive area. At first, the site’s high declivity seemed to be a big challenge, but it was also what inspired us to come up with the implantation’s solution. Exploring its natural landscape and the Elephant’s Hill view, it was possible to set the social floor at the height limit, above the trees. The street facade turned out to be the side elevation and the main facade now faces towards the side boundary. Due to the high declivity of the area, we were able to create a 3 level house. On the ground floor: garage, laundry, and storage. On the first floor, the office was fully integrated with the living room and a guests’ ensuite. Finally, on the second floor, there’s the hosts’ ensuite, with the most privileged view of the landscape. A slight angulation to the east gave us the opportunity to have both the ensuite and the barbecue area to take advantage of the morning sun and the region’s predominant ventilation. At the same time, it helped to protect the ground floor from the sunset light using a concrete wall that blocks the sunlight inside the house. With the major orientation E-W, the house opens to the northern landscape. Extensive eaves on the north view’s perimeter protect the openings of the summer sun, at the same time as the glasses receive the necessary natural heat to naturally warm the inside during the winter.
We requested that two trees were precisely placed by the topographer in the middle of the elevated deck that connects the house to the suspended heated pool. These also work as a natural filter to the sun’s radiation, minimizing the sun’s entry in the living room and the kitchen. The 25m pool, a client wish, is a fundamental part of the volumetric composition of the house. Sustained by two concrete columns, they elevate the pool 6m above the natural floor level, providing to whom’s inside the pool a view of the treetops and the imponent Elephant’s Hill. With the capacity to generate about 1400kW of energy per month through photovoltaic panels, the house is self-sufficiency on energy, warming the pool water and neutralizing the energy consumption from equipment and artificial lightning.
Columns and ribbed slab represent the constructive system. The use of apparent concrete in the house’s wall, swimming pool, and slabs bring the timelessness wanted to the project.

If you love to browse through studio apartment inspirations, then you will absolutely adore this gorgeous little space in Brazil designed by Leandro Garcia. Dubbed Água Verde Apartment, this lovely little unit was created to maximize space in more ways than one. The living room has a monochromatic white backdrop with wooden floors and color […]

You’re reading Ultra-Small 30 Sqm Studio Apartment in Brazil Gets a Makeover in White, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Combining two different houses into one and also bringing together two entirely contrasting styles, the Rose…

The Ibiza Campo Loft
A total transformation from an old abandoned warehouse to a dreamy loft on the island of Ibiza. On a remote mountain field in the rugged north of Ibiza lies this beautiful island home. What formerly
served as a workshop and storage, has now been turned into a contemporary dream house. The owner of
Ibiza Interiors and the Nieuw developed this 100 year old warehouse into a design guesthouse and
showcase project. When interior architect Jurjen van Hulzen saw the structure and location of the building, the concept for the design was born. Concrete columns and steel beams were carrying a typical Ibizan ‘sabina beam’ roof. A mix of the industrial structure combined with the rustic roof formed the concept for the rest of the design: an interesting play and contrast between rustic and industrial. That’s also how it’s got the name ‘Campo Loft’, which basically means ‘industrial open living space on the field’. The beautiful traditional building structure has been preserved to keep the character of the typical Ibizan
architecture. Basic and local materials have been used; a concrete floor, chalk and mud plastered stone
walls and ‘sabina beams’ made from trees that only grow on the island. A new material that has been
incorporated into the house is steel. A powdercoated steel is used for the window frames and doors, and
there’s a custom made raw steel kitchen. The building had been unused for many years, and was in very poor condition. Therefore only the walls and parts of the roof could remain. Electricity, water and sewage were not present, the architects had to add all these things to make it work as a contemporary home. Water comes from a private well and there are solar panels installed for hot water, floor heating and electricity. The house is consequently completely independent of the grid operation and is thus self-sustainable. Owner Jurjen van Hulzen designed a well thought through floor plan, with a big open space on the south
side of the building, with views all over the valley. The main space is connected to the big private terrace.
The two bedrooms have been place on the north side corners of the building, to keep them dark and cool.
Then there’s a dining space with build-in bench and roof light, that really made this ‘lost’ space part of the
loft. And a bathroom with free standing bath with openable windows, to be able to get a fireplace and
nature view when you’re bathing. The bathroom has herringbone pattern floor made from terra cotta tiles, a modern interpretation of the traditional Spanish floor. The loft has been designed to become a comfortable and modern space. A house with a basic, natural but high-end character. To finish of the design they have collaborated with their familiar project partners: 100% natural beds from Coco-mat, and all the furniture, lighting, curtains and carpets are from their partner store The Modern in Amsterdam. The urban and rough steel kitchen island with marble top is from Eginstill. And the walls have been decorated with art from gallery Vroom & Varossieau. They’ve used the bath and sink from Not Only White, and the taps and shower are designed by Piet Boon for Cocoon. The result is a fantastic contemporary natural residence where contrast plays a big role; old and new, sleek and rustic, light and dark, rough and soft. At the same time there’s a certain balance as well, and
everywhere you look something is happening. With an incredible view from the mountain, a yoga platform
on the roof and many fruit trees and a vegetable garden, this is truly a piece of paradise. The Campo Loft is now being used as a showcase project and guesthouse. A unique place to relax and unwind, designed by and for design lovers.