Ultra-modern home in the Metropolitan Tower

This stunning luxury apartment has been designed by world renowned architect /designer Robert Couturier on the 59th floor of the Metropolitan Tower skyscraper, New York. The 4,4198 square foot living space features an open art gallery feeling that captivates you upon entrance. The museum-quality selection of contemporary furnishings complemented by reflective surfaces, bleached oakwood floors and a glass-curtain wall overlooking Central Park enhances this ultra-modern home. The pristine eat-in kitchen with custom built white lacquered and opaque glass cabinetries compliments the open lofty feeling of the apartment.

Along the south wing of the home, the master suite offers a sitting room, his and hers bathroom, generous closet space and is replete with sumptuous pleated velvet wallpaper, and an Art Deco inspired liquid metal and resin patented panel depicting the New York skyline. Also in the south wing of the home is an additional guest suite. The north wing of the home with its own private entrance, a secondary master suite with a glamorous bathroom, wet bar, dressing room, and a spacious sitting room. An additional bedroom with a hall bath and two elegant powder rooms completes the north wing of the home. This incredible home also offers audio, lighting, temperature and window treatment controlled through the Creston system.

Contemporary art barn designed for artists

Designed for a pair of artists in Greenwich, Connecticut, this 10,000-square-foot “Art Barn” features a “green screen” that creates a living skin over the majority of the concrete-block structure. Designed by Robert Young Architects, the home is comprised of metal mesh planted with white wisteria vines, the screen supports greenery that overlaps windows, frames views of the lake and woodlands, and provides added thermal insulation. The building houses two large multipurpose galleries with 16-foot ceilings and polished concrete floors, and a chef’s commercial-grade kitchen. Several smaller-scaled, flexible rooms are used as ancillary studios, administrative offices, for sleeping, exercise and storage. A museum-sized elevator facilitates installation and removal of large-scale art pieces.

Photos: Frank Oudeman, Michael Moran, Robert Young

18th century horse stable converted into artist’s loft

T House is the combination of sophisticated elegance of an eighteenth century loft in Milan, Italy and depth of a Japanese house. The design of T House by Takane Ezoe and Modourbano was born from the needs of the client, an artist who prefers free spaces, rooms without a real dividing line between the public and the private and space to work until late into the night.

The functional layout refers to the traditional Japanese buildings where everything is “semi-open” and the spaces are divided with the traditional sliding doors fusuma or shoji, hence the idea of having open spaces and large planimetrically double heights to emphasize the peculiarity of this space in Milan of the eighteenth century, formerly a horse stable. In all the design choices, there was the desire to preserve and enhance the distinctive character of this place, the stone fragments, the arches of the large windows and large wooden beam of gallery.

The house is dominated by the kitchen where the client can prepare meals for a conveniently large number of guests and where to organize social occasions. The living spaces are deliberately lean, characterized by maximum flexibility to freely configure the furniture into it without the oppression of too many “objects”.

The Studio has very specific characteristics: large, bright, comfortable, with the ability to hold meetings with employees and where the artist can move easily between works of great size, but at the same time simple and neutral where you can work without external contamination. In the vicinity of the study was obtained gallery / exhibition space, connected to an archive where to store the artist’s works in a practical way.

The sleeping area, located on the mezzanine floor is an intimate, permeable but inviolable area; the master bathroom, as in Japanese tradition, recalls the thermal baths in stone and wood, characterized by the large pool and relaxing lighting from below.

Beautiful country estate with a modern art gallery

This sensational project expands the concept of the original program of the Wiley house, a mid-century modern residence in New Canaan, Connecticut designed by Philip Johnson. The home was recently acquired with the intention of restoring the residence and adding a new pool house, private gallery, and garage with the help of architecture firm Roger Ferris + Partners. The architect emphasized respecting the integrity of the property, carefully integrating new structures into the site so that they complement and defer to the original house.

Here is a description of the project from the architects, “The concrete volumes of the pool house and garage were minimized by inserting them into the hillside. All new exterior and restoration materials were reviewed and selected on site to harmonize with the existing residence.”

“The minimalist art gallery was constructed on the foundation of a 19th-century barn and designed with a traditional gabled roof form. The Gallery’s solid black massing creates a contemporary backdrop for Johnson’s transparent house. The interior is designed to be bright, simple, and clean, acting as backdrop for the art. All lighting is adjustable to best emphasize the art; ventilation is provided by linear diffusers integrated into nearly invisible reveals at the gable ends.”

“Locating the new pool house was challenging: it required consideration of the preexisting relationships of barn, pool, landscaping, and house. The design aligns the submerged pool house with an existing retaining wall: pool, pool house, barn, and residence form a new nucleus for the site. Acting as gatehouse, a new garage marks the entrance to the estate. The height of the new pool house and the garage follows the height set by the barn foundation walls and the base of the Wiley Residence.”

Photo: Paùl Rivera © Archphoto

Unbelievable dream house of an art collector

Vast art collector Howard Rachofsky contracted his home to be built by the renowned architect Richard Meier, in Dallas, Texas. This 11,000 square foot, three-storey, one bedroom bachelor pad/art gallery has been designed as a clean geometric volume to be integrated perfectly into the environment. Mr. Rachofsky no longer lives in the home since getting married and having a family, yet has allowed it to be open to the public to tour through the spacious residence and admire the beautiful artwork that adorns the spaces.

The fully glazed house is centrally located on 3.2 acres of land, enabling for a grand approach up the driveway to the elevated podium on which the house rests, in addition to a rich backyard containing a pool, private garden and various site-specific sculptures to discover beyond. The extraordinary art collection of Mr. Rachofsky has upwards of 700 pieces of contemporary art displayed at any given time. The pieces start with American modernism of the 1930’s, kept in a constant visual dialogue with the architecture of the house.

“The front and back entries are on axis with interior/exterior circulation, while the different stair sets are on axis with vertical, interior circulation. Furthermore, the column rows divide the house functions and delineate between more public circulation and private spaces. The southern end of the home utilizes a private spiral stair case that allows direct access to the master suite. Along with the bedroom and enormous his-and-hers master bathroom, the third floor also hosts a gym, two balconies, and an office that “floats” above the living room like a box within a box.” The art gallery, garage, kitchen and the dining room are situated downstairs. The latter has a retractable screen of translucent glass, which when the occasion requires it and allows you to use it also for receptions. The first floor hosts a double height living area and the library.

Visit the website of the Rachofsky House here.

The Gallery House

The Gallery House in San Francisco would likely not be quite as interesting without its current decor. As it is, this four-bedroom, three bathroom home is a fascinating version of life in the city. This three level structure is 2,600 square feet, which includes a 4,000 square foot LIMN Art Gallery and a large private courtyard. The home’s high ceilings, large flat walls and concrete floors evoke the look of modern gallery space. The sleek stainless steel kitchen gets a touch of whimsy in the form of a tree-limb-based countertop and provides incredible views to the outdoor deck and gardens. Ample terrace spaces offer room for dining, entertaining and lounging. Flawlessly integrating form and function, The Gallery House is a masterful expression of contemporary design and modern architecture. Precision craftsmanship coupled with great design elements creates a clear aesthetic vision that is both bold and graceful. It is a space designed for a certain lifestyle, one that revolves around entertaining and the display of art. Via

A modern thatch cottage in South Africa

Wright Conversion by South African architects Elmo Swart Architects is an expansion project to a three-bedroom thatch cottage in Durban, South Africa. Including the addition of a new bedroom, two studies, a multi-use entertainment space and an art gallery, the design features a continuous surface that wraps around the structure to form a fluid floor, wall and roof form.

Situated within a grouping of dense and mature trees, the design maintains the natural materiality of the site while establishing a modern presence with its form and structure. The tilted plane which runs the length of the house utilizes thatching in contrast to the fluid steel frame that envelops the interior space. The outdoor terrace connected to the new bedroom incorporates a straw-like material that forms a permeable shelter over the outdoor shower.

The art gallery is arranged in a linear fashion, serving as a tunnel that connects the entrance driveway to the valley on the other side of the site. Clad on both sides by expansive glazing, the tunnel is a transparent medium that establishes sight lines towards the surrounding landscape. A parking space large enough for two cars is generated by the partially cantilevered structure outside. Via

The Berkshires XIII House

The Berkshires XIII project is a 4,600 square-foot single family residence, located in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts designed by Burr and McCallum Architects. The house was built around for art collector and the architects designed the home around the art collection. The need to maximize wall space while still having large windows led to the design solution: A rectangular box with windows to the view contains the major living spaces. This is broken in several places with cubes containing studies, the front entry, and the screened porch. These cubes push into the interior, providing walls for paintings, small “accidental” gallery spaces, as well as the separation necessary between private and public spaces.

A second bar contains the service spaces of the house, while a third, which flies out over the terrace, contains the guest suite and creates a covered “porch” below. A favorite Breuer house inspired the stone wall penetrating the house and the view-framing openings in the concrete walls. The exterior walls of the house were composed entirely as rectangles, in three different colors and textures: the windows, red painted panels, and slate roofing tiles (mounted sideways).

The house has triple glazed windows, super insulated walls and ceilings, and geothermal heating and cooling. It received the Energy Star program’s highest rating. The building was located close to the eastern border of the property in order not to spoil the beautiful meadow that slopes down to Lenox Mountain Road. In addition, the house is largely dark gray on the exterior so that when seen from a distance it will blend in with its surroundings.

Photos: Michael Lavin Flower

Modern retreat in the mountains

This stunning house in Aspen, Colorado has been designed by the esteemed architecture firm Studio B Architects. The steeply confined site possessed challenges with excavation, topography, drainage, restrictive easements and was required to address strict subdivision design covenants. Contours of the site defied the street grid and the house sits parallel to them and stands in contrast to its neighbors. The clients dwell between Miami and Aspen and are avid collectors of videography and photography. They requested a solution that could exhibit their expanding and revolving collection. The resulting architecture is calculated and sober in its detailing and resolution in plan is honest and simple.

The exterior is composed of interlocking zinc panels, formed concrete, aluminum windows and doors with tempered glass railings that will age gracefully without maintenance. The lower level enjoys a high ceiling which houses a formal gallery, large wine cellar and provides two guest suites with an attached massage room. The entry level offers the client’s office, guest bedroom, laundry/mudroom, double-height entry and garage. The upper social level is filled with light and opens to a viewing balcony and private garden with access to a roof terrace via a cantilevered steel stair.