Urban contemporary Austin home perfect for entertaining

Blanco House is a single family residence designed by James D. LaRue Architects in 2012 in Austin, Texas. The glow of the lantern-like foyer sets the tone for this urban contemporary home. The open floor plan invites entertaining on the main floor, with only ceiling transitions separating the Living, Dining, Kitchen, and Breakfast rooms. Open to the Outdoor Living, glass wraps these spaces, making it seamless from inside to out.

Photos: Coles Hairston

Dream home in Corona del Mar with ocean views

With a love for gardening and a desire to capitalize on the commanding views, the clients came to Laidlaw Schultz Architects with a request to create a home in the beautiful community of Cameo Highlands in Corona del Mar, California where the line between indoors and out is blurred. The design solution centers on the creation of two distinctive outdoor spaces. The first is an entry courtyard with an emphasis on activity space – some shielded while others open to the sky; the second is a series of lower terraces on the downhill side of the lot, with views towards the Pacific Ocean. A quiet veranda overlooks the terraces, which are dedicated to gardening.

The project’s strict budget yielded a creative solution of exterior materials developed around a simple screening wall composed of horizontal and vertical lpe planks, and smooth exterior plaster with a standing-seam roof capping the composition.

Internally, where possible, walls were removed to capitalize on views; and a composition of textured elements, both smooth and rough, are juxtaposed to add a richness often lacking in modern homes.

Inviting Lithuania residence with natural elements

This contemporary single family residence was designed by the duo team of architect Dalius Regelskis and decorator Greta Motiejuniene of the firm Dalius & Greta Design in Trakai, Lithuania. The home features a soothing neutral color palette in the main living spaces, the master bedroom showcases a bold royal blue with a Moroccan feel and the playroom has a fun and playful color palette with bright and colorful hues. There are elements in the home that gives off a nature theme with leaves, branches and wood. High ceilings and plenty of natural light leave this cozy and comfortable home feeling light and airy.

Photos: Darius Gumbrevicius

Crisp and clean three-level urban apartment in Kiev

This urban apartment was constructed in 2012 by Olga Akulova Design created from a C19TH building, on Basseynaya str., Kiev, Ukraine. The 861 square foot (80 square meters) home has been spread out onto three levels over an arch and a road. On the first level, the designers organized the guestroom and the kitchen area. The two stairways lead to the second and third levels where the master bedroom and dining area are situated.

Photos: Roman Shyshak / Stylist: Anna Polyushko

Mountain contemporary eco-residence in Park City

2381 Lucky John Residence was designed by The Jaffa Group in Park City, Utah. From day one owner/architect Scott Jaffa wanted to design an innovative energy conscious home that looked toward integrated design and energy solutions. This LEED-certified 5,300 square foot, four bedroom and four-and-a-half bathroom home is truly a mountain contemporary residence blending modern architectural elements with finishes from the surrounding environment. This home is not only tasteful but more importantly, thoughtfully designed with no amenity or ounce of finish work overlooked.

The flat 1.25-acre lot allows for a private front entry court that creates a sense of arrival while the rear courtyard is perfect for private entertaining. This outdoor entertainment area contains a firepit and enormous yard. The exterior hardscaping and landscaping is also an integral part of the overall design. The great room and kitchen are overwhelmingly comfortable and light, which inspire a true sense of “home” — a place to enjoy quality family time or host thoughtful celebrations, with a window wall that brings the outdoors in.

Not only is this home a completely fresh approach to contemporary architecture in Park City, but also strives to be “green.” It uses maintenance-free exterior finishes and self-sufficient utilities. Two solar panel systems were installed to capitalize on the nearly 360 days of sun that Park City receives annually. The first set of panels provides hot water to heat the floors and provide all of the home’s domestic hot water. The second system is 6-kilowatt photo-voltaic array, which brings in enough electricity to power 300, 100-watt light bulbs everyday.

The home has been thoroughly insulated to assist in regulating the homes temperature against the drastic temperature swings of the mountain climate. Insulation was blown into all interior and exterior walls. One and a half inches of rigid foam insulation was attached to the exterior walls with an additional four inches of rigid foam on the roof. A unique drainage plane behind all exterior materials is used to control exterior moisture. Finally, triple-glazed windows, horizontal roofs and steel sunshades offer further protection for the home.

Photos: Courtesy of The Jaffa Group

Stunning Lake LBJ Retreat by Dick Clark Architecture

Lake LBJ Retreat has been designed by Dick Clark Architecture, situated near Marble Falls, just outside of Austin, Texas.  The retreat is sited on a peninsula that served as a private fish camp since during the second half of the 20th century.  After spending some time in an existing house on the land the clients decided to create a new space that supported their evolving lifestyle.  Wind patterns and the existing tree canopy were crucial influences on the project’s design development.  Exterior circulation paths and separate living spaces encourage a connection with the outdoors.  Project materials include cast in place concrete, ipe siding and Rheinzink metal siding.

Photos: Courtesy of Dick Clark Architecture

Ten contemporary bedroom ideas

When you picture a contemporary bedroom, you most likely think of pale woods, plenty of white sheets and lots of monochrome. However, being contemporary doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice charisma or personality. We’ve listed ten excellent ideas that will make your contemporary bedroom as charming as you are.

 Neutral is key

If you want a clean, contemporary look for your bedroom, then a neutral color palette is a must. You don’t have to always opt for lighter tones, but you should stay away from bright colors for the sleek, streamlined look.

 A feature wall

Whether you opt for a fun wallpaper fabric or a cool paint color, having one wall unlike the other three instantly makes your room look edgy. There’s plenty to choose from, be it a glossy finish or an exciting print; adding something a bit different to one wall can really make it stand out.

Frills are a big no-no

Frilly cushions are out if you want an up-to-the-minute look. Keeping things gender-neutral in the bedroom is your best bet for maintaining a sleek look. Avoid bright pinks or girly pastels and instead opt for monochrome shades.

 Accessorize

To avoid your bedroom getting boring, you can use accessories to brighten it up and add interest to an otherwise monochrome design. Add some brightly colored artwork or some little trinket boxes.

Use your space effectively

If you want a sleek and modern bedroom, then clutter is the last thing you need. Check out some fantastic bedroom offers that offer clever storage solutions to tidy away all your clothes, shoes and other sundry items, leaving your room looking spacious and clutter-free.

 Wood

A pale wood such as pine or maple is far more effective at creating a contemporary look than heavier, more traditional woods such as oak. Wood makes for a more expensive look and hardwearing than veneer.

 A modern bed

Make sure your bed is as modern as they come if you want the rest of your room to fall into place. Whether you opt for a contemporary futon number or a sprawling super-king, having a modern bed ensures your room has a stylish edge from the offset.

 A feature headboard

If you you’ve already made up your mind to keep your old bed, a feature headboard can be a great way of adding an interesting element to your room.

 This can be anything you want it to be – nice wood paneling, some bright woven fabric or even an integrated bookshelf. A feature headboard can add some modernity to your room without you having to make any big changes.

Black and white

Monochrome shades of grey, black and white is an immediate way to transform your room into a contemporary dream. White bed linen adds a crisp, clean touch, creating the perfect blend between classic and modern.

 Keep it to a minimum

Whether you decide to go for a large feature or enliven the place with trinkets, anything too extreme will ruin your contemporary look. The key is to focus attention on one or two pieces and keep things simple.

Mid-century modern getaway in Portola Valley

Nestled on 12 acres of land with a barn and swimming pool, the William Wurster Ranch, a mid-century modern home renovated by Moller Architecture in collaboration with interior designer Charles DeLisle, is situated in Portola Valley, just outside of Silicon Valley, California. The ranch house was originally designed by William Wurster in the early 1950s and though it was well-built for it day, the house need to have vitality injected back into it. After a successful collaboration on another home for the owners, Ian Moller was asked to adapt the house to their needs. The family is a young professional couple with children; this ranch is their summer home. Because it was only going to be used seasonally, the couple wanted the home to be modern and playful, but sophisticated and long-lasting — something suiting their style that also could be used for generations.

A breezeway that connected to separate guest quarters was incorporated into the floor plan of the house. A large kitchen, breakfast room and family room were incorporated into the design along with all new bedrooms and bathrooms. Products were chosen a bit randomly, inspired by old photographs; he used a combination of custom designs, vintage pieces, and more modern purchases from high-end showrooms. The palette of materials includes an earthy mix of terrazzo, western red cedar, locally produced custom tile work and contrasting steel details. In addition to the main house renovation, the project includes a new barn, pool house and a 75 foot pool.

Bringing the outdoors in, DeLisle used wood paneling to offset another of his custom creations, a soft daybed set against wood stump tables cut from trees on the property.

Vintage lighting is a common theme throughout the house. DeLisle was able to achieve a quirky sense of elegance in this house, that isn’t always attainable with more standard lighting choices.

This cozy fireplace, built into the home’s 12-inch thick adobe walls, was created into a snug sitting area with a 1940s Danish chair, French vintage table, and a unique Gio Ponti light fixture above the mantle.

DeLisle designed the dining room chandelier. This geometric light fixture is made of raw brass hexagonal tubing hung with handwoven rope.

The bathroom was designed in the aesthetic that the owner’s wanted, simple, functional and beautiful. The cabinet is customized with laminate, making it moisture-resistant and easy to clean and has vintage hardware.

 Photos: Art Gray

Melbourne home gets exquisite contemporary addition

Baker Street Residence is an existing single fronted weatherboard in Melbourne’s beach suburb of Elwood, designed by FGR Architects. The client brief was to compliment the residence with a contemporary addition to accommodate a family with three bedrooms and two bath and create space and volume in an otherwise constricted residence.

The tight sight presented the challenge to design around the restricting building envelope and maximise internal volume. This was achieved through implementation of double level height spaces and floor to ceiling glass at the rear of the building, creating an outdoor entertaining extension to the kitchen/ living space as well as high quality natural light throughout the residence.

Maintaining a simple palate of three materials, the compilation of concrete, timber and glass meets the existing materials of plaster and metal in a smooth intersection and is enriched with a polished concrete floor paired with concrete kitchen bench top completing the clean, contemporary affect. To capitalize on bay and sunset views a timber roof terrace was created also allowing for a secondary outdoor entertaining area to the verdant rear garden.

Photos: Axiom Photography

Sumptuous beachfront bachelor pad in Tel Aviv

This private residence duplex located in a residential complex set on a beach, close to a nature reserve just outside of Tel Aviv, Israel was designed by architects Lihi Gerstner and her brother Din Gerstner of Gerstner Architects as a soothing space for the busy owner, who lives and works from his own residence. The two bedroom, three bathroom, 2,583 square foot (240 square meters) house therefore, provides two separate entrances, a private entry in to the heart of the living area and a public entrance through the garden terrace, directing to the external office.

The house is planned as a pure entertainment machine, indoors and out. The concept was to allow continuity between the inside and outside, to open the house to as much light and view to the exterior, a main attraction of the property.  While entering the house, the user is exposed to an open kitchen and a large living room with large openings to the garden terrace. The large transparent barrier distorts the separation between inside and outside. The terrace directed to the sea with its lounge bar, kitchen barbeque area, Jacuzzi, dining area and sofas acts as an extension of the interior living space in to the outside.

The pure living space with its built-in furniture hides and blurs the kitchen closets as well as the bathroom doors.

This pivoting door opens up into the home’s entrance hall from the apartment building’s hallway.

The ethereal sculptress staircase engages the vertical space and brings more luminosity and lightness to the main space. These triangular cantilever stairs leads to the private section of the house. A transparent plasma glass wall creates a separation between the private and public sections, allowing a control of privacy over the guest users.

On the second story, a plasma window has remote-controlled transparency, either opening or blocking the view into the master bedroom.

Wood treads in a triangular shape allow for optimum strength in a slim form.

The main bedroom suite, planned as an open room.  The bathtub and toilette are exposed to the sleeping area as well as to the outside. A feeling of sleeping and bathing in the wilderness.

The white color palette is a tribute to the owner’s style, but was also selected to allow the view to become the home’s focus.

The office was planned as an extension to the house totally separated from the private area, where the owner receives clients and is accessed via the terrace. It has as well, a full ocean view but is not perceived by the private user, allowing a total separation between work and play.

The architects increased the square footage of the garden terrace and outfitted the space with multiple seating areas and a complete outdoor kitchen. At night a projector, which is hung from the bottom of a balcony on the second floor,  displays movies on the stone wall of the neighboring apartment complex.

Photos: Amit Geron