Cozy Modern Cottage on Norwegian Island Wraps You in Wood and Green

Located opposite McCrae beach on the Mornington Peninsula, McCrae House 1 & 2 were designed with the intention for each home to have a unique street presence, and simultaneously appear in balance. The adjacent layouts are individual to each home, with consideration given to creating absolute privacy through staggered outdoor areas and thoughtful screening. Fluid functionality is experienced throughout the homes’ interiors, where warm palettes and strong forms echo the front facades. McCrae House 1 & 2 are the ultimate in relaxed coastal living. Commissioned to achieve great design & a quality build outcome, McCrae House 1 and McCrae House 2 will be for sale to astute buyers this Spring. McCrae House 1 – The Power of Shapes McCrae House 1 can simply be described as a comfortable home with its own identity, adjacent the pristine waters of McCrae Beach. The shapes, pleasing in placement, create selective privacy and an undeniable street presence. ‘L’ formed glazing views from a second downstairs Master to the swimming pool. A courtyard flanked study fills with light, beckoning the user, while a walkthrough laundry streamlines access points from garage to main living. But the enjoyment of the home goes beyond fluid living that has been considered in all its aspects. There is something in the balance of the shapes that reaches serenity. It could be placement, scale, even movement – but ultimately it’s the moments they create. Unique daily living experiences that are certainly comfortable – edging closer to luxury. McCrae House 2 – The Play of Light McCrae House 2 resides on a tangible diagonal to the beachfront McCrae Lighthouse. Sculptural batten placement heroes the treetop and lighthouse aspect across Nepean Highway from the upper storey. Sunlight pierces the patterned barrier, an evolving mood, differentiated by the time of day. A private courtyard resides at the ground level transition zone between street frontage and main living area – a reflective space with its own light and aspect. From the warmth of the timber kitchen a scullery is revealed beyond a pivot door. Around the corner a flood of light appears directed from the glazed door of the walkthrough laundry. Relaxed and coastal, the natural timber battens of the front façade shift and space to quietly reveal a home affected by the pattern of sunlight in the most intriguing way.

Located in Bainbridge Island, Washington, this spectacular residence overlooks the Puget Sound and the Seattle skyline from lofty Yeomalt Bluff. A jewel of sustainable design, the Platinum House earned the first LEED Platinum certification in the state, outside of the City of Seattle. Coates Design Seattle Architects filled the Platinum House’s 2,500 sqft with innovative […]

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This lodge is a 120m2 house located in a rural scene in a southern region of Chile. The brief was to design a house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms with a main shared space, interpreting an old small traditional southern Chilean dwelling. The challenge of the proposal was to get that traditional southern look, which implies very opaque facades, but with a full translucent side where the landscape and light can get inside the building, creating its own private world. The house is placed between a forest of native trees, giving its back to the main street. So, the house is oriented to the north and west to get the most of sunlight, which this south down is much appreciated. The concept of the design is organized based on 3 contrast between old and new:
1- Removing non-structural walls and floors: the main structural shape and volume are maintained the same as the old traditional house, but the interior is liberated from any non-structural dividing element, which helped to create a clean and continuous space.
2- Concentrating the apertures: The main source of light is the north façade, keeping the other free opaque as a traditional southern house would have, so the proportion of void and mass was not lost.
3- Material contrast: Big floor to ceiling windows in contrast to recycled traditional timber shingles, an evident contrast between old and new. The distribution of the house is developed in an almost square plan, divided into three volumes:
The main one has the public areas of the house: kitchen, dining room, sitting room and mezzanine.
The east one, the widest, has sleeping rooms and bathrooms with the main access of the house.
And the west one is 1.5m wide acting as a corridor and informal dining room adjacent to the public areas of the main volume. The mezzanine is an opportunity to use the roof space, with a lot of light and natural heating, having control over the main space.

Kick back, relax, and soak in the views of these stellar homes from the Dwell community that caught our editor’s eye this week.