Ultra-modern beach house in La Jolla

The Lemperle Residence has been designed by Jonathan Segal, FAIA on a small pie shaped lot focusing outwards from the street and onto the ocean in La Jolla, California. This ocean front residence promotes an outdoor connection through the use of expansive glass and deck areas.

Here is a description of the project from the architects, “Every room above grade space in the house is forced to the ocean through the use of vertical and horizontal planes defining visual edges. These edges also create an air of privacy from the adjacent neighbors. Built entirely of concrete, steel and walnut the home combines warmth with a machine like precision.”

“In addition to the above grade spaces the basement maximizes allowable floor area with lighting provided by glass flooring and light wells. Although very well concealed the home is almost entirely powered by highly efficient solar panels. In addition, due to the temperate climate cross ventilation provides all of the cooling needs, while heating needs are provided through high efficiency in floor heating throughout.”

Photos: Paul Body

Stunning dwelling nestled on the Big Sur Coastlands

Coastlands House is situation in one of Big Sur, California’s most scenic areas, located in an old coastal subdivision with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and Big Sur Coastlands, designed by architecture firm Carver + Schicketanz. Originally the site had an existing home of poor construction, so the residence was replaced with a new, more energy efficient home that could be seamlessly integrated into its natural surroundings. The clients’ vision included a home that would maximize the views, while providing tranquility and serenity. They wanted the space to accommodate a sizeable museum-quality art collection yet feel warm and inviting to guests. A detached guest house was built to accommodate overnight guests while maintaining privacy for the homeowners.

The spa area with integrated workout facilities provides a retreat for yoga and meditation. The design solution included integration of the new structures into the scenic beauty and native landscape while regaining open space, and incorporating sustainable elements into all aspects of the design. A warm but neutral color palette was incorporated into the design to complement the natural building materials and juxtapose the brilliant blues of the ocean and sky and the vivid greens of the garden and hills beyond. Hand-selected antiques are mixed with carefully sourced new furnishings. Most of the carpets and many furnishings were specifically designed by the architects for this residence.

Large glass stacking sliders open to the patios beyond – providing great cross ventilation and a seamless connection to the outdoors. Most of the finish materials are reclaimed and a photovoltaic system was designed to generate 90% of the home’s power usage.

Luxurious Song Saa Private Island retreat

Song Saa Private Island resort in the Koh Rong Islands, Cambodia is an eco-luxe escape spread over a pair of pristine isles, with thatch and stone villas dotted among the jungle canopy or lolling above the sea. This glamorous hotel features 27 suites with harmony, sustainability and world-class luxury as the core principles that underpin the design of the villas. Natural materials create a sense of synergy with the sea, the rainforests and the local culture. Everywhere you look there are references to the colors and textures of Cambodia’s traditional fishing villages with their pitched roofs and open plan living spaces.

Once inside your expansive thatched roof villa you will find recycled timber from disused fishing boats, furniture made from driftwood collected from local beaches and coves, earthy stone, polished marble walls and floors made from timber salvaged from old factories, warehouses and demolition yards around Cambodia and Thailand. But importantly, you will find every luxury waiting for you. Four-poster beds, Moroccan lanterns and carved statues add flair to the eco-chic space with over-sized baths and outdoor showers beside private decks and pools. Bespoke hand-crafted furniture made by local artisans. Each villa offers ocean views with their own private sea-view plunge pool.

The hotel also boasts a gym, spa and wellness sanctuaries positioned in the rainforest and along the shore, yoga and meditation center on the shoreline and beautiful gardens. The infinity-edge pool offers beautiful views, cleverly straddling the east and west sides of the island. The overwater, open-sided world-class restaurant and lounge are spectacularly positioned just off the island’s shoreline. For a romantic dinner for two, opt for a private beach cabana. A short stroll on the boardwalk will leave you perfectly positioned to take in dramatic sunsets, seascapes and starry nights.

Rates for a double room starts at $1,351 per night, which includes include all meals, house wine, beer and spirits, soft drinks, watersports, boat transfers to and from Song Saa, 15-minute foot massage on arrival and guided tours, from here.

Stunning Waterfall Bay House in New Zealand

Waterfall Bay House is situated in Marlborough Sounds, a seemingly endless collection of harbors, inlets and bays, at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. Designed by Bossley Architects, Waterfall Bay is an intimate tidal bay which rings to the sounds of the waterfall high up the narrow valley behind the relatively restricted flat areas where the collection of buildings (house, guest house, shed and boatshed) are located.

The site for the new house is adjacent to the jetty, tucked onto a narrow plot of land between the sea and the rising hills behind. It was important that existing trees be maintained, which meant that that lower levels had to be cut into the bank to reduce the impact of the overall form. Arrival to the site is normally by sea to the jetty, so the double-height glazed stair space reflects the axis of the arrival sequence, while the entry path zigzags off the axis and then returns.

The 2,906 square foot (270 square meters) house consists of two elements: the two storey main wing with guest bedrooms below and living rooms above, and an upper level main bedroom which is linked by a cranked and rising glazed bridge, under which the landscape falls towards the sea. This bedroom reaches out over the bank into the tall beech trees, supported by a collection of leaning posts suggesting an instability and sense of movement appropriate to the owner’s peripatetic lifestyle. A concrete fireplace is expressed on the outside of the otherwise timber box, to further suggest the sense of imbalance.

In order to create a sense of comfort and avoid a brittle “newness”, wide floorboards which will quickly age were combined with a variety of plywood linings, demolition hardwood beams and columns, and timber joinery. The house is beautifully “inhabited” by a collection of fine, well-worn, mainly mid-20th century furniture and light fittings. A variety of window proportions and positions ensures an interesting range of connections to the sea immediately below, and to the mid-distance views across the bay. The link to the waterfall was significant for the owner, so the floor levels and orientation of rooms was carefully manipulated to provide views or acoustic connection to it. The design had a long gestation period, which ensured that the house and external spaces reflect the owner’s carefully refined rituals associated with growing vegetables, raising chickens, cooking, reading, relaxing, and entertaining.