Concrete dwelling merges cliffside on the Balearic Sea

Casa del Acantilado is a bright white house nestled on a cliff in Calpe, Alicante, Spain by architecture studio Fran Silvestre Arquitectos and features an 18 meters long balcony that stretches out towards the Balearic Sea. The home is comprised of 2,604 square feet (242 square meters) with the living rooms and bedrooms contained within the protruding upper level, offering panoramic views through a completely glazed facade. The entire structure is composed of concrete, but the walls are coated in stucco to create the clean white aesthetic.

From the architects, “We like the virtue of architecture which makes possible constructing a house on air, walking on water…An abrupt plot of land overlooking the sea, where what is best is to do nothing. It invites to stay. A piece that respects the land’s natural contour is set in it. Above, a shadow, the house itself, looking calmly at the Mediterranean. Under the sun, the swimming-pool brings us closer to the sea, it becomes a quiet cove. In the inflection point, the stairway proposes an evocative path, a garden in the basement…

Due to the steepness of the plot and the desire to contain the house in just one level, a three-dimensional structure of reinforced concrete slabs and screens adapting to the plot’s topography was chosen, thus minimizing the earthwork. This monolithic, stone-anchored structure generates a horizontal platform from the accessing level, where the house itself is located. The swimming-pool is placed on a lower level, on an already flat area of the site. The concrete structure is insulated from the outside and then covered by a flexible and smooth white lime stucco. The rest of materials, walls, pavements, and the gravel on the roof… all maintain the same color, respecting the traditional architecture of the area, emphasizing it and simultaneously underlining the unity of the house.”

Photos: Diego Opazo

Casa del Acantilado | House on the Cliff by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos from Fran Silvestre Arquitectos on Vimeo.

Villa Ercolano perched seaside in Southern Italy

Villa Ercolano is nestled high above the ocean in the town of Ercolano, in the province of Naples in Southern Italy, designed by Fabrizia Frezza Architecture & Interiors. The villa dates back to the 1970s and had an excellent structural base on which to build. The internal distribution, especially at the ground level, did not need substantial changes, however it had to be updated and relieved. A dark and disharmonious atmosphere existed due to the use of tiles, stonework, dark wood frames, custom-made dark wooden furniture, fabrics and decorations of every kind. Moreover, the interior of the villa did not reflect the exterior, which denoted a typical Mediterranean style with its form and the white stucco of the walls. The main objective of my project was to recreate the harmony between the interior and the exterior. I brightened the ambiance with the use of waxed, white terracotta at the ground floor. At the first floor I chose bleached oak wood, more suitable for the sleeping area, which combined the candour of white with the warmth of wood. The window frames themselves have been bleached and modified to let as much sunlight as possible filter through.

The lighting coming from outside, reflected by the sea, the white of the stucco and of the floors, the pastel-colored linens in the bedrooms, and the deep purple velvet sofas in the living room, are the background for the family’s antique furniture and for the pieces exclusively designed. Selected family furniture, as the armoires and a large dresser, were rediscovered, whitened and finely decorated with gold patina giving the rooms a harmonious retro feeling. The elegance and simplicity of the house can also be found in the bathrooms, where the white predominates in the stone sinks combined with modern polished steel accessories. The choice of the white has given brightness to the terrace, where the sole colored elements are the blue of the swimming pool, the sky and the sea and the dark wood of some furnishings. The white, built-in chaise lounge at the edges of the swimming pool stands out against the surreal landscape of the city of Herculaneum in the background dominated by the imposing Mount Vesuvius.

Photos: Courtesy of Fabrizia Frezza Architecture & Interiors

Charming 41 square meters apartment in Stockholm

This charming Stockholm, Sweden apartment, spotted on Alvhem, is situated on the second floor of a three story building with breathtaking views over the river. The home is extremely well designed and space efficient for only 441 square feet (41 square meters) of living space, offering an open contemporary floor plan, high ceilings and a sunny balcony. With a continuous floor plan, the home feels quite spacious and the large windows give a bright and airy feeling. Painted white boarded floors run throughout the apartment. The recently renovated kitchen is open to the living room with a built-in breakfast bar dividing the space that serves as extra work/countertop while providing dining space. The spacious bedroom features partly glazed double doors that leads out to a cozy balcony.  There is also a stylish bathroom that was recently renovated in timeless colors and materials. The apartment is located towards a quiet courtyard and out toward the river with the absence of traffic, this is a very quiet and peaceful home.

Modern apartment renovation in Rome: Casa-O

This stunning modern apartment renovation called ‘Casa-O’ has been carried out by the architectural firm Alvisi Kirimoto + Partners in the Villa Bonellia of the Italian capital in Rome. A typical seventies style apartment, the home was revised and restructured in every detail to make a living space suitable for a couple with two small children. To give life to the restoration project was a ‘ female ‘ team of architects with feminine intuition and with great professionalism was able to interpret the needs of the entire family. Developed on a single floor and with a surface of 1,614 square feet (150 square meters), the home is characterized by the division of public and private living spaces.

Bleached oak flooring extends throughout the apartment and the white color of walls and ceilings as well as much of the furnishings, including many custom made designs by the architects, give aesthetic continuity in these two units. The large L-shaped balcony that runs along the outer sides of the living room and a second smaller terrace which looks out onto the master bedroom were paved with teak planks that fit in perfectly with the brick facade. Suspended ceilings incorporate lighting, a stereo and video surveillance. The architects have given great attention to design of every small detail of the house-or, managing to turn it into a harmonious and bright apartment, made of lines and details typical of the minimalist Japanese culture and other archetypes of the living.

Delightful Villa Mandarina along the Costa del Sol

Villa Mandarina is a stunning home set along the Costa del Sol in the south of Spain, taking advantage of an incredible location to create a delightful retreat. The charming home features clean lines and crisp white interiors, adding brightness to the space. Warm and welcoming interiors offer an infusion of elements, objects and textures, creating a tranquil environment. The outdoor patio offers stunning coastal views and cozy sitting areas along with a fabulous swimming pool.

Images: Courtesy of Masfotogenica

Breathtaking summer house in Paros Cyclades Greece

This sensational summer house is situated in the eastern part of the island of Paros Cyclades in Greece. Designed by inteiror designer Alexandros Logodotis, the home has been declared a nature of traditional Cycladic architecture with a minimal modern presentation, which fits the personality of the owners. Daylight reveals the plasticity of white colors as watercolors which have spread in selected areas, while at night the lights in headlights and other details throughout the building becomes a supernatural setting, hovering over the pool. The orientation is east and spaces organized in turn by the sun to “live” the best of their era: the outdoor kitchen has shade in the afternoon to be able to enjoy a meal in peace.

The building appears as a volume configured by touch, without straight and tight corners – as if it was slowly carved over time, with the wind and rain. The smooth curves and holes, the white Cycladic which eliminates the strong light and color harmonies, is what characterizes the area “breathe” the breeze coming through the openings. The center of gravity of the house seems to be the staircase, which stands like a sculpture. Patiti, gray concrete alternating with sand-colored marble tiling and signage in the area around the pool, covers the floors. The minimal house design is ideal for anyone who wants simplicity; the atmosphere is something ethereal mixed with the water elements. Designed installations include built-in shelves in the living room, an abstract dining room buffet and built beds.

Photos: Ioanna Nikolareizi

Stylish and cozy small apartment in Bagaregården

This cozy apartment, spotted on Stadshem, is located in one of Bagaregården’s, a district in Gothenburg, Sweden, most beautiful large building blocks built in the early 1900’s. The interior of the 559 square foot (52 square meters) apartment features beautiful oak plank flooring throughout and large windows providing ample daylight and beautiful views of a nearby park. The living room is very spacious while still maintaining a light and airy feel. The walls are painted in white, while partially covered with wallpapering. The spacious kitchen with white cabinetry and a backsplash of turquoise tiles has an open concept with space for a dining table. The stunning bedroom has a beautiful feature wall in a dark laminate that gives the room character, while the rest of the walls are painted in white.

Charming urban apartment with wonderful details

Losa Loft, situated in San Francisco, California’s Mission District was very dark and cluttered before Aidlin Darling Design remodeled  it into a warm, cleanly-detailed space for urban living. The charming small apartment of 1,530 square feet was turned into a well-organized, sunlight-filled home with wonderful details. The space was stripped down to its bones and rendered as a neutral white box, into which five key, cost-effective architectonic elements were inserted. The “Cradle,” a Douglas fir entry feature that holds home office space, bookshelves, and storage, is interwoven with the “Zipper,” a steel-and-wood stair and railing piece. The plate-steel “Hearth” anchors the living room, while the “Stage” is a bi-level, sit down kitchen counter that lets guests witness the client’s formidable culinary skills. And the “Scrim,” a wall of translucent sliding panels made from fabric stretched and stapled onto wood frames, supplies privacy and solar shading. Each component responds directly to performance and program criteria, animating the interior in an efficient and meaningful way.

Photos:  Matthew Millman Photography

Cylindrical house reminiscent of a yurt in Japan

Reminiscent of a yurt, a white cylindrical house in Chiharada, Japan leans towards the traditional Japanese vernacular (light minimalist spaces) but replaces the more customary straight lines with curves. Japan-based architects Studio Velocity were instructed to design a house for a couple and their two children on a unique site in Japan – next to the children’s grandmother who lives in a more mature dwelling adjacent to the new house.

In a space that was previously used for storage and a garage, the new house challenges traditional housing conventions – having the bedrooms on the ground floor and lifting the living areas to the first. What’s more is that this compact house has not one, but four stairwells which emerge at different heights within the rounded form. These box-shaped insertions divide the spaces and create different levels and areas.

Multiple stairways are a unique component to the house, extending the architect’s appeal towards continuous living spaces: ‘By eliminating the discontinuity between multiple floors, you can create a continuous living environment,’ states the architects. Windows are placed at different heights within the stairwells, creating opportunities for light and visual connectivity to other spaces. The curvaceous exterior assists the spread of light inside through its reflective persona, promoted by skylights which allow light to drop into the double height living spaces on the upper floor.

In order to gain space from the the old building architects have opted for a round form, arranging it atop an irregular hill. The terrain creates little gardens around the curved perimeter of the house that can be directly accessed from each of the small rooms on the ground floor.

The only large room, the living room, overlooks the entire house from the first floor. The ground floor and the first floor are relatively close, with a low ceiling that divides the two levels. When the central staircase is open, the gardens can also be seen from the top level.

“The intention behind this project,” state the architects, “has been to make people able to perceive the earth and the sky at the same time and from anywhere, even if it is a multi-story building.”

Photos: Courtesy of Studio Velocity

Stylish Swedish home with lavish design features

This newly built and very attractive upscale house, spotted on Skeppsholmen is situated in Vastra Gotaland, Sweden. The house is built with very lavish materials, making this 2,206 square foot (205 square meters) home into something quite out of the ordinary, where every detail has been planned, carefully thought through and executed to perfection. The materials are selected with care, both inside and outside for a stylish and unique style. The House is architect designed and completely maintenance-free for a worry-free living.

The ground plan features a spacious hallway that leads to an elegant fully-equipped kitchen with double height ceilings and an open plan to the dining room. Large windows contribute to plenty of natural light. In the living room, a fireplace brings more life to the room. From the living room large sliding glass doors leads out to a spacious terrace.

The upper floor houses four spacious bedrooms as well as an elegant bathroom. The master bedroom is something out of the ordinary that has gone all the way to create a feeling of a hotel suite with open floor plan. Also the upper level is light and fresh with large window areas, creating a wonderfully airy and luxurious feel. All rooms are sound-proofed thanks to a stone design and offers a totally private realm.