Modern Residential Design

Marcio Kogan Laranjeiras House Here's one of Marcio's latest houses built in the Laranjeiras condominium, just south of Parati on the border of São Paulo and Rio states. Once again ultra wide openings and indoor outdoor flow prevail, yet this time the ultra sleek minimalism has be softened through more wood, vernacular roof tiles, a peaked roof and multi coloured curtains (take a look, it all works so well). Laranjeiras, the sleekest beach condominium (in the Brazilian sense referring to a gated community) has some of the best beaches in the area and its own marina. Marcio's Du Plessis house is also in the complex. In contrast to Marcio's houses in São Paulo city, the security of this complex, has allowed him to open up the house to the views, pool and beach beyond. The house faces north as an L with the games room and pool on the seaward side of the house. Large decks are once again shaded by wide overhands. The bedrooms have east-west doors for cross ventilati...

Hiroaki Ohtani Kobe Layer House Continuing the last posts stripy theme, which is about all these houses have in common, despite the Japanese link. This is Hiroaki Ohtani solution to infill in Japan. The house is made up of pre-cast concrete strips, stacked unevenly to allow stairs, furniture and floors to be inserted in the gaps. It's tight, claustrophobic, yet entirely open. There are no internal doors, apart from the sliding doors to the toilet. Passing the tree in the courtyard, that brings irregualar form to this oterwise linear exterior, you enter on a landing, where you can either traverse to the bedroom, or head downstairs to the basement where a formal dining room and bathroom are housed. Climbing up you reach the living room and galley kitchen with a steep set of stairs taking you to the roof deck, of which half is a glazed panel to bathe the main stairwell with light. The front of the house is a larged glass panel to let more light into the house and the r...

D'Arcy Jones Design INC Island House Canadian based architect D'Arcy Jones has created a wonderful summer retreat here. The house sits low and wide on the land hidden by fur trees and long grass from the water's edge. Horizontal slats and panelling on the house accentuate this width and and divide the immediate surroundings into private courtyards. These slats are laid flat to form benches and stair with floating treads throughout the garden. The rough concrete interior is warmed up by Douglas Fir and open fireplaces. The covered walkways, large overhands, and separated living and sleeping areas seem to be an inverted/extroverted version of a Japanese courtyard house. Certainly the finishings, pillar endings, rafters and chain link downpipes have that Japanese feel. Designed for an elderly couple and visiting young relatives there's a separate sleeping wing for guests to the left of the plan. The centre block contains the open plan living, dining and kitchen, wit...

Pete Bossley Heatly house, Bay of Islands One of my favourite Kiwi baches here. Pete has come up with an island retreat he describes as a base camp for exploring, half way between the wilderness/open waters, and the hustle and bustle of the townhouse. Located here, extending north, the house takes in easterly views of the smaller islands in the bay and westerly sunsets, on sheltered rear decks. View Larger Map As you head down the 8 levels of the house (as each wall between the rooms divides the long structure, there's a couple of stairs) the decks widen as do the overhangs covering them to protect the midday diners. The clear open views out either side of the house are great and the wooden rafters and trussing add detail to the simple lines of the house. Being on an island, the house was prefabricated and shipped in, prompting the use of timber, a staple on mainland New Zealand anyway and befitting of the surrounding cabbage trees and native bush. So lets walk up the levels of th...

Patkau Architects Shaw House Here's a quick reference to a northern hemisphere version of the Road to Farellones house. Similarly the pool is built into the second floor, but in this case, the entry is right underneath it. Windows in the bottom of the pool allow light to ripple across the doorway and entrance porch. The galvanised steel, concrete and light timber exterior combines, and no doubt will age, well. I really like this and the slat covered loft boxes, housing the tall bedroom and study/guest room. There's plenty of room for jumping on the bed, and the fact that they're tall makes up for these rooms being moderate in size. Downstairs, separate living dining and kitchen areas in sequence as you head back from the sunken lounge and views to the harbour (the kitchen is behind a sliding door, seen opened and closed in the shots). Finally, right at the back of the house, as all bachelor pads should, it's got space for the weekday car and the weekend race ca...