Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Newsletter

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• Andy Martin’s Four-Storey High Notting Hill Gate Residence
• Wimberley House Offering Panoramic Views of Texan Hillside
• Food Management in The Future [Video]
• Plants Can Get Tired Too: Safari Planters by Kenneth Cobonpue
• Garage Turned Into Delightful Small Office in Eindhoven
• Elegant Chair & Table Set Displaying an Original Design
• Combining Nature With Comfort: Under Pohutukawa Residence
• Floating Half Dark Half Transparent Dune House in England

Andy Martin’s Four-Storey High Notting Hill Gate Residence Posted: 20 Oct 2011 07:02 AM PDT We recently received photos of an enticing residential project – Andy Martin family's house, Mews 03 located in the fashionable London neighborhood Notting Hill Gate. Designed by and for Australian architect Andy Martin with the help of his team at Andy Martin Architects, the four-storey home is one that features extraordinary spaces linked with iconic details, as the architects describe it: “Mews 03 is a single residence set in fashionable Notting Hill Gate. Andy wanted this existing 2 levels modest mews house to be redeveloped into a 4 levels family home, and to be a private cocoon but open to the elements. An important aspect of this building is the way AMA have managed to capture the available light creatively, using glazed and wooden screens, and even natural vegetation screens giving all the spaces a unique atmosphere throughout the day and night. One of the abutting walls is clad throughout with Douglas Fir giving one the impression that the building is some fixed back to neatly constructed barn. AMA are architects of strong powerful contrasts. The architecture not only lives with but is positively by its contradictions: elegance and texture, weight and weightlessness and, above all, light and dark.” On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you like this house?

Wimberley House Offering Panoramic Views of Texan Hillside Posted: 20 Oct 2011 05:59 AM PDT The Wimberley House offers 5,000 square feet of residential space for its inhabitants to enjoy, alongside outdoor facilities like a fascinating at dusk swimming pool and a breathtaking panoramic views of the surroundings from the rooftop. Created by Dallas-based design studio Cunningham Architects, this magnificent contemporary home is located in Wimberley, a small town in Hays County, Texas – hence the name. Capturing views from atop a hillside, the residence is described by its creators: An "L" plan effectively separates the bedroom wing from the more public kitchen/living/dining room wing. As such, the house essentially is two discrete boxes, one of glass, and the other of stained cement fiber board, indicative of their respective functions. The roof deck is capable of hosting large family gatherings, while affording expansive views of the surrounding area. It also acts as a rain water harvesting surface for the on-site collection system. As an exercise in sustainable building, the house utilizes energy efficient construction techniques as well as local resources and building materials“. All in all, this house offers comfort and excellent views. What would be your “excuse” to live here?

Food Management in The Future [Video] Posted: 20 Oct 2011 04:53 AM PDT The presentation movie below starts with the following hypotheses: ” Imagine you fridge knows your food and the expiration dates” and “Imagine you want to cook your favorite dish and your fridge knows what ingredients are missing and where you can get them the cheapest“. Got your attention? This futuristic refrigerator is a project developed during the summer term at the University of Applied Sciences in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. It is based on the idea that future product tags will be printable. This is how know-it-all fridges will be available. Equipped with an interactive terminal, this fridge will be able to exhibit the products held inside, together with all their nutritional details and expiration dates. Moreover, the touch display can provide facilities such as a cook book, indication about where to buy missing groceries and many more. Fabian Kreuzer and Markus Lorenz Schilling created a prototype for this fridge, said to be able to display and to process a single operation. The concept, design and video below also belongs to them.

Plants Can Get Tired Too: Safari Planters by Kenneth Cobonpue Posted: 20 Oct 2011 03:55 AM PDT We really like these tiny planter stools, inspiring the idea that plants can get tired too. The cute decorative items are called Safari Planters and were designed by Kenneth Cobonpue for Hive. Here is the official description from the the company manufacturing the products: “Raised on boxy legs and punctuated with subtle curves, there's an undeniable character to these planters by Kenneth Cobonpue. The "Safari" has a charm which lies in its understated silhouette that complements any plant set into it. Cast into tall "giraffe" and petite "hedgehog" molds with naturally crushed stones, these planters add a touch of slow-strolling whimsy to any garden setting. The planters come in natural, terracotta, gray and black shades, and range from low small, low large to tall small and tall large sizes“. Sweet, practical, and of great aesthetic effect.

Garage Turned Into Delightful Small Office in Eindhoven Posted: 20 Oct 2011 02:47 AM PDT We are spotting more and more creative office designs lately and are happy to see that work atmosphere is an important factor to consider. Dutch studio architecten|en|en recently designed a home office in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, by simply wrapping an old garage in corrugated aluminum. The client’s brief and the starting point for planning was based on creating a space that would not feel like a garage. According to the architects, “the solution was found in adding a mask-shaped volume to the existing building. By covering this with a perforated corrugated aluminium skin  as mono material for the walls and the roof, a subtle continuation of the clay-roofing of the existing home arises. A  collar of galvanized steel that acts as a terrace boundary highlights the disengagement of existing and new. On the interior the addition provides extra floor-space and height. An abundance of daylight can enter the studio through a south faced strip of glass dividing the addition from the existing roof.” [Photography by Post & Van Leeuwen]

Elegant Chair & Table Set Displaying an Original Design Posted: 20 Oct 2011 01:42 AM PDT The Fred & Ginger Table & Chair is an elegant furniture set designed by Roberto Lazzeroni Studio for company Poltrona Frau. With a stylish leather addition, displaying beautiful stitching, these designs looks genuine and appealing. According to manufacturers, the Ginger chair consists of “a  soft leather shell, comfortable and protective, enhanced by visible topstitching that runs along whole of the outside edge, creating an elegant decorative effect.The frame is in special rigid, high density, low thickness, moulded polyurethane. Padded in polyurethane foam. Ginger is completely upholstered by a single layer of 5 mm thick Saddle Leather Extra, in two variants: Dark Brown or Camel. ” The chair can be used as a separate seating unit, or can accompany the Fred desk, a refined piece with handmade carvings and protective wax finish on the front edge. A lovely and convincing duo, at least from where we’re standing.

Combining Nature With Comfort: Under Pohutukawa Residence Posted: 20 Oct 2011 12:18 AM PDT The mesmerizing Under Pohutukawa Residence was designed by Auckland-based studio Herbst Architects and is a two story beach house located in northern New Zealand. Its design was built in strong connection to the local landscape, composed of impressive Pohutukawa trees, which occupy 90%of the site’s area. The house is spectacular, both inside and out, mixing nature with comfort in a tasteful and highly inspiring fashion. Under Pohutukawa was distinguished with the NZIA Auckland architecture award 2011, with the following arguments from the jury: "This bach is nestled exquisitely under and around a dense Pohutukawa grove near the beach. The architecture takes inspiration and form from the trees, yet is self assured and confident within such a rich environment. Beautifully detailed, using the finest materials, this is an open and relaxed pavilion that encourages its inhabitants to dwell luxuriously beneath the canopy." [Photography: Patrick Reynolds]

Floating Half Dark Half Transparent Dune House in England Posted: 19 Oct 2011 08:39 AM PDT Located amongst the houses of the quiet village of Thorpeness, Suffolk, England, the splendid contemporary Dune House imposes an uncanny architectural design on adjacent hillside neighbors. The floating modern villa is too beautiful to belong to a single family, so the owners thought that it might serve a higher purpose if put up for holiday rent. Architects working on this project – Norwegian Jarmund/Vigsnæs Arkitekter with offices in Oslo – created a unique contemporary rental home giving many people the opportunity to enjoy its fascinating geometrically challenging architecture. Dune House displays a playful roof reminiscent of the classic architecture of the surrounding houses, and spaces were planned to boldly reinterpret the elegant idea of having a ground floor living space and an upstairs bedroom floor. Architects from Jarmund/Vigsnæs Arkitekter describe the project: “The ground floor is contrasting this by its lack of relationship to the architecture of the top floor. The living area and the terraces are set into the dunes in order to protect it form the strong winds, and opens equally in all directions to allow for wide views. The corners can be opened by sliding doors; this will emphasize the floating appearance of the top floor. ” Using materials like concrete, glass, and aluminum for the first floor and a dark-cladded solid wood top floor, the architects break through the surrounding architectural monotony. The ground floor becomes a visually open space flooded with natural light. Does this house lack privacy for any of our readers?

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