The Japanese architecture has always been a point of inspiration for many people and places around the world because some of the things they create are just so spectacular. Today we’re going to be taking a look at an example of that with the new Wind Dyed House.
This house was created by Japanese architect Kazuhiko Kishimoto and overlooks the ocean cliffs in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan. Because of the way it all has been designed the house almost feels like it has been embedded within the terrain because of the low-lying nature of it. This also allows for the least amount of impact possible on the environment.
Each floor of the house has been made up of different materials to give the residents a different perspective to the outside. The stone floors and plastic coated concrete walls that are featured on the first floor make a great impression and are accented by soft shadows created by the outside landscape through the paper screens. The open-air living space is a great touch as well that just about anyone should be able to appreciate.
Buildings have their own unique life paths just like we humans have our own individual life paths from birth toward death. Houses emerge reflecting the characteristics of the current decade and century and ideally they a live long and colorful life. There are some buildings, however, that encounter tragic moments too and they decline and disappear. And then in the end – just like in the fairy tales – some of them survive and rise up from their ashes thanks to helpful human hands and collective power.
Casa do Conto (House of Tales) in Porto, Portugal has had a very similar life path too. The 19th-century bourgeois home was renovated and converted into a unique hotel three years ago with the supervision of Pedra Líquida architectural studio. Then all of a sudden, right before the hotel’s grand opening day in March 2009 the building had suffered a fatal fire. Only pain and questions remained. Nevertheless, the owners and architects did not give up their dreams and offered the Casa do Conto a new chance for an elegant life.
Today, Casa do Conto provides something extraordinary and embodies a new concept in the hotel industry: arts + residence. Stylish holiday break with plenty of cultural possibilities are offered to those guests who decide to take some rest among these walls. The striking designer hotel stands in Rua da Boavista in the trendy Cedofeita area in central Oporto.
Social areas of the house such as reception, lounge, dining room and garden can be found on the ground floor. The other three floors have two unique suites per floor. Every hotel room has a different atmosphere and decoration. The rare design items, carefully selected colors, vintage and modern furnitures manage to soften the dominant, grey concrete – and sometimes industrial – setting.
There is something else why the Casa do Conto is one of a kind. The carvings on the ceilings tell various stories and tales about the city and building. These narrations give a personality to each room and that is where the name derives from: ‘House of Tales’.
Another amazing house has risen up from its ashes – just like the legendary phoenix. We would like to think that good architecture can be immortal.
While most people often overlook it the staircase is definitely an integral part of your home as it connects the lower and upper sections together. Having an interesting staircase can easily turn an average home into something very interesting like with the Marretti Staircases that we are going to be looking at today.
There are many different styles that come from this company with each one offering up a little something different. They can even do custom designs to match perfectly what you are looking for in your own home in case some of their prefabricated designs are not your taste. The staircases come in a range of different words like beech, oak, teak and Iroko. Many different finishes are available as well like oiled, bleached, polyurethane, resin coated in many more colors to boot. Some of them will even feature lights on the inside that will illuminate the rest of your house and will really look like you’re staircase leads to somewhere enchanted.
All over the world there is an abundance of great houses with amazing architecture for us to marvel at each and every day. Even though there are many great houses in our own backyard to look at we just can’t get enough of seeing the designs of these international architecture firms. Today we’re going to be looking at a new house in Israel called House R.
This house was designed by Sharon Neuman Architects and is located in Kfar Yedidia, Israel. The house is bordered by many agricultural fields and the designers wanted to create something that was able to breathe and bond with the exterior. The design of the house is very much asymmetrical but that gives it a very interesting feel and it is something that we have been seeing more and more often these days. The house features an outdoor kitchen which can be used all year round thanks to the typically sunny weather that is common in this part of Israel. This definitely looks like a great place to rest your head for a while.
