Modern home integrated into striking natural surroundings

Integrated within the striking natural surroundings, Espinoza House is a single family home that derives its characteristics from the landscape around it, integrating, stone, wood and glass and opening up to the bay. Designed by Chilean architecture practice WMR the 1,506 square foot (140 square meters) home is nestled on the mountains surrounding Matanzas beach, on the Chilean central coast.

The architects sought to integrate the building within its striking surrounding landscape, deriving its characteristics from the environment in which it is inserted. The house is dug into the hill in such a way that it allows for a patio invaded by the morning light, while offering protection from the wind and a view of the sea.

Next to the patio, the architects have inserted the kitchen, dining and living spaces in a lower level, all built out of stone, sharing the materiality of the mountains. The rest of the house’s structure consists of a combination of Oregon pine wood and steel beams, and opens up with large windows that overlook the beach. Here, a living space, which is — conceived as a yoga room — is articulated with two bedrooms.

Photos: Sergio Pirrone

A rural Connecticut getaway: The Depot Home

This rural Connecticut getaway is owned and designed by Lisa Gray and Alan Organschi of Gray Organschi Architecture. The Shepaug River Valley Railroad, which ran along the Bantam River in the late 19th century, stopped at this location, once the site of a tiny local train depot. The architect saved and reinforced the existing 19th century rubble foundation, using it as the base for this new house. Two simple gable structures, oriented perpendicularly to each other, create space for a large open plan between them and refer, through their forms, to neighboring barns and to the region’s agricultural heritage. The house interior is lined with bleached pine; kitchen, dining, living and family rooms overlap each other and create a rich series of spatial experiences that accommodate relaxed weekend living. The living spaces open onto a lap pool which is edged in stone-lined gabion baskets and is surrounded by a cedar deck. The six and a half acres of outdoor spaces provide views across the meadow to the Bantam River.

Consisting of two barnlike volumes set atop a stone foundation, the Depot House offers a locally rooted vision of New England modernism.

The couple made the house feel even more spacious by flooding a series of levels with natural light.

The family relaxes in their home’s dining room, sited atop the old foundation. Organschi designed and fabricated the table of wenge wood; the chairs were inherited from his uncle; and the pendant lights are Bertjan Pot designs for Moooi.

The swimming pool offers an alternative plunge to the nearby Bantam River.

The architects orchestrated all the material handling for the Depot House, from the prepainted wood siding to the fabricated stairs.

Photos: Courtesy of Gray Organschi Architecture / Andrea Chu for Dwell

Apartment Place de la Madeleine in Paris

 Sitting on the top two floors by Paris’s Place de la Madeleine, this 1,500 square foot (140 square meters) residence was created by unifying 12 maids’ rooms on two levels. Designed and owned by architect Michael Herrman, the result is a three bedroom duplex apartment that both preserves the character of the 200 year-old building in which it is located, yet is a uniquely loft-style space in the heart of Paris, France. The apartment is based upon the concept of a museum: the original limestone walls and oak beams have been excavated and displayed with archaeological precision. The addition of a glass floor and walls allows each room to retain a powerful sense of openness, to be visually connected with one another and with the views of the sky and rooftops of Paris.

In one corner of the apartment there is a courtyard terrace, surrounded by five-meter tall glass walls. The terrace appears to be an interior room, containing an antique marble fireplace, mirror, and chandelier against the backdrop of the living “wallpaper” of a seven-meter tall vertical garden that rises up through the two levels of the apartment. The courtyard was conceived as a large glass display case containing a traditional salon of a mid-19th century Parisian apartment. In contrast, the interior fireplace, stair, and other details are contemporary. Inside and outside are strongly contrasted through their design while at the same time the edge between the two is blurred by the vertical garden that continues inside and the floor tiles which appear to pass through the glass and continue outside.

The apartment takes on a surreal feeling through this blurring of the edge between the interior and exterior, as well as the multiple layers of transparent and reflective glass surfaces. All of the elements in the apartment are functional, whether inside or outside, including the exterior fireplace. The use of glass is carried through the design, and includes the glass cabinets in the kitchen, and glass tiles, counters, and fixtures throughout the apartment. The three bedrooms are located on both levels at the opposite end of the apartment, served by private bathrooms, and organized around a separate courtyard.

Photos: Courtesy of Ateliers Michael Herrman and Filippo Bamberghi/Dwell Magazine

Serene rustic farmhouse retreat in Tuscany

Relax Tra Gli Ulivi is a stunning rustic farmhouse in Tuscany, Italy designed by Claudia Pelizzari Interior Design in 2007. The home showcases cutting-edge design solutions and traditional materials. With exposed wood beams, stone walls and limestone flooring, this cozy family home is the perfect weekend retreat. Colorful furnishings are splashed throughout the home, vintage and modern are mixed to create a lived-in feeling and a welcoming ambiance.

Photos: Giorgio Baroni

Charming S’Hotelet de Santanyi in Mallorca

Serene, secluded s´Hotelet de Santanyí is found in charming Santanyí, an enchanting village full of tradition to the island’s south. Next to the town’s church in the heart of Santanyí is where S´Hotelet de Santanyí is found, a centuries-old family home that has been converted into a hotel disposing of five rooms and a private house. The hotel is a masterstroke of dream combinations, minimalist yet cozy, with a soothing neutral palette brought to life with exotic artworks gathered from across the globe.

Open all year round, the hotel offers all the comforts necessary to enjoy the tranquility and the authenticity of lifestyle in a town. All of the rooms and lounge rooms, as well as the interior patio and terraces have been designed following balanced and harmonious guidelines making each space welcoming and delicate.

To stay at this beautiful Majorcan retreat, prices start at $243.16 per night, from here.

Old mill-warehouse transformed into cozy home

The building is located in a small historic village of Priorat, a region of Tarragona, Spain dedicated to wine production. The building was an old mill-warehouse that was used to store wheat and was abandoned. The owner runs the prestigious winery that produces the Clos Erasmus, one of the finest red wines of Priorat, and obtained the highest score in the famous list of American expert Robert Parker. The request he made to Studio MINIM was to transform the mill into a comfortable home that also had an area for the winery.

Inside the home is a single open space comprised of over 1,506 square feet (140 square meters), and a gable roof over six feet tall. Architectural elements throughout were very dilapidated and, in some cases, in ruins. The first goal of MINIM was to restore, if possible, all the elements of architecture and interior design a project based on the original materials of construction, typical of rural households in the area. The rehabilitation respected the structure of the original box, recovering the original openings of the facade, pillars, stone walls and vaults of the basement, which was turned into a wine cellar. A bold “sculpture-staircase” was added in order to organize the building internally.

Photos: Albert Font Stylist: Mar Requena

Italian dream villa reminiscent of a knight’s castle

This inspiring dream home, spotted on Skona Hem, is reminiscent of a knight’s castle with consistently beautiful and vibrant limestone floors and walls. The home is owned by advertising agency owner Morten Angelo and his wife, Tina Horsted who were looking for a summer home, far from the job meetings and daily stress in Copenhagen, but still close enough to go there quite often. Their choice fell on Italy, which directed their gaze towards the northwest Piedmont region. The couple ended up further up the “heel”, which is known for its sweet trulli houses from the 15th century.

The beautiful 3,229 square foot Italian estate was restored by interior designer Charlotte Johnson who saw a no-frills dream house with a colorless theme. She built up a history around the place, with a feeling that would be an adventure to come here. The designer added contrast without color, black and white with the only contrasting color for walls and floors by gentle gradation. Furnishings are modern classics from the 1960’s of a kind which fits most contexts, without disturbing.

Only two of the towers on the conical trullihus-ceilings, typical of Alberobello region, is of older date. The rest of the House is newly built.

Monastery transformed into charming mountain refuge

Surrounded by the spectacular beauty of the Pyrenees Mountains in Aragon, Spain and at the gates of the Ordesa National Park stands the majestic hotel of Casa de San Martin, a giant Sentinel of thick stone walls originating in the 18th century. The hotel is a former monastery and later a farm house, today has become a dream refuge of purist nature lovers and those who want to get lost between valleys and forests of conifers and forget about technology. The key to both charm and warmth lies in its careful reform, eco-friendly materials and typical elements of Aragonese architecture such as traditional fireplaces and wood slabs.

The spaces are designed to be cozy and comfortable with a warm ambiance despite the stone and strong frosts in the area. There are ten rooms decorated with care in an attractive rustic-chic style and incredible views of the endless mountains. In this place, away from crowds, there is no haste, only long walks, moments of reading and leisure and the enjoyment of nature. An old barn on the property was converted into a warm dining room with fireplace, providing a meticulous and creative cuisine cooked with products from the garden.

Gorgeous mountain getaway near Yellowstone Park

360 Ranch is a beautiful property developed by the patriarch of the family as a home base for family members spread out across the globe, enabling them a chance to recreate, reconnect, and relax over what sometimes could be trips of a month or more. Designed by Miller Architects, their large parcel of land is not far from Yellowstone Park, in Big Sky, Montana and a trout stream and several ponds are just a few of the prevalent water features.

The property encompasses the top of a mountain with a lookout tower, and down below, this approximately 7,000 square foot home delivers a sense of intimacy. Each bedroom is a master suite, with fireplace, private balcony, and adjoining children’s room, to ensure all generations have the space they need. The architects shared approach was to celebrate the romantic lodges of the past, leading them to choose small round logs like those used in Old Faithful Lodge, as one example. With plenty of space inside and out to decompress—but cozy, welcoming living areas as well—this lodge becomes the perfect family gathering place.

Photos:  Courtesy of Miller Architects

Charming rustic dwelling on Saaremaa Island

This over 100-year old house on the Estonian island of Saaremaa was purchased by Finnish designer, Ristomatti Ratia. Abandoned for years, the charming place is surrounded by fruit trees. Locals thought the home would be better torn down and a new house built in its place, but Ristomatti saw something in it that challenged him to preserve the historic dwelling. Some of the materials used in the restoration of the old home were scraps gathered from the surrounding landscape. Stone was collected from the nearby river and laid on the floors, the ceiling in the kitchen has sprigs of chestnut tree and the walls are decorated with Juniper. The beautiful home was transformed into an extraordinary atmosphere, full of nature and charm. Via