Modern House Designs

Nordic Villa with Glass Walls, Modern Interiors and More

2012-05-22T16:08:50Z

With a goal of achieving light, air and space, Netherlands architects Bas ten Brinke and Carina Nilsson of 70F Architecture designed this contemporary villa with a modern edge and a nod to Nordic customs and architecture traditions. This full service architecture firm takes the lead when it comes to all aspects of its creativity: architecture, design and interiors. Check it out:

An exterior of classic grey brick and glass has a timeless appeal, with a large wood deck overlooking the water. The largely flat roof takes an upward turn as you move to the front of the house, toward the water, thus affording the main living areas higher ceilings, more natural light and greater views.

And in response to its prime waterfront location, this modern villa puts all the home's principal rooms - the bedroom, master bath, living area, dining room and kitchen - alongside a floor to ceiling glass wall that overlooks the verandah, extending the entire south face of the house with the water just beyond and always within sight.

Inside, the timeless aesthetic takes on a more contemporary style, with cool concrete floors, warm wood ceilings and sun soaked interiors thanks to the expansive glazing.

Beyond its four walls, this modern, three volume house also features a garden shed and a wood clad sauna, which offers peace and privacy with views of the water.

70F Architecture
via Archilovers
photo credit: Luuk Kramer

Waterfront Eco Cottage strikes a balance between beauty and brains!

2012-05-22T16:02:12Z

Canadian architects Superkül are the proud recipients of a 2012 Design Excellence award, presented by the by the Ontario Association of Architects for their design of +HOUSE located in Mulmur, Ontario. This four season waterfront cottage was designed with eco sustainable features without compromising contemporary style and creature comforts. Sited on a slope facing a stream fed pond, 14 ft. high glass walls offer easy access to an expansive patio and unobstructed views of the landscape. The wood and glass house is indeed an apt addition to its natural surroundings.

With an appreciation for nature that extends beyond mere aesthetics, the architects incorporated a number of environmentally sensitive technologies and features, including inert cement blocks that naturally prevent the fungi and molds, natural clay walls that require no painting, and employed a soy based sealer to finish the concrete floors and counters. In addition, there's a green roof, heat mirror triple glazing, solar shading, passive ventilation and lighting, and a geothermal system which all contribute to this Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold targeted rating. Now, that's a smart house design!

But as importantly as a healthy home is a beautiful home, and the designers achieved an artful balance of both. The open concept house plan puts the living area, dining space and kitchen at the heart of the home, lines with floor to ceiling windows and the full length deck just outside, perfect for socializing, whether hosting a party for 20 or an intimate evening for 2.

With the bedrooms located at opposite ends of the home, residents enjoy peace and privacy at lights out.

Superkül
photo credit: Shai Gil

Exotic Island Residences Offer Modern Outdoor Living

2012-05-22T15:55:51Z

This sweet retreat by MAPS Design is, simply put, unreal! Located in Koh Samui, Thailand, W Retreat and Residences is an oasis of 70 boutique luxury villas and 17 private beach homes, all enjoying this secluded paradise surrounded by blue skies and sea stretching as far as the eye can see.

These resort style homes make the most of the mind blowing views by incorporating lots of outdoor entertaining areas linked by covered walkways. The homes themselves feature open air decks and balconies accessed through floor to ceiling glass walls, which open to offer residents and guests unobstructed private panoramas.

Even interiors boast ever present views of the waterfront, which is never more than a few steps away.

In spite of its simple, beachy "back to nature" setting and style, these island home designs are surprisingly modern, but with that exotic splash of Tiki chic.

Vibrant colors catch the eye at every turn, whether they come from nature or man, such as the contemporary lighting and illuminated furniture that casts different living and lounging spaces in a rainbow of funky hues.

Singapore and Bangkok based MAPS Design has projects in 60 cities across 20 different countries, bringing their exotic flavor of architecture and design around the world. Check out more of their work by visiting MAPS Design.

MAPS Design
via Contemporist

Nature Inspired Tea Houses Cantilevered Over the Valley

2012-05-14T16:44:50Z

Perched high above lush California valley, these nature inspired tea houses designed by Swatt Miers Architects are a sweet retreat from the busy city. These natural house designs make you feel like you're a million miles away, yet always within easy reach of urban comforts and convenience.

The architecture firm was charged with transforming this trio of tea houses into observation decks to take in the breathtaking views, but the homes themselves command your attention with their sweet simplicity. Though compact in terms of square footage, glass walls extend the homes as far as the eye can see, stretching off into the distant horizon dotted with Silicon Valley's twinkling lights. Described by the designers as a "transparent steel and glass pavilion, hovering like a lantern over the natural landscape," these structures boast cantilevered living areas that seem to launch you right into the landscape. When lit up by night, they become a beacon among the trees.

These forest homes feature a small footprint and are designed and built in such a way as to minimize their impact on the environment where massive native oak trees tower overhead.

And their homage to Mother Earth goes beyond environmental consciousness, with an overall organic yet modern aesthetic that blends beautifully with these surroundings. The indoors are finished with wood floors and ceilings, exposed concrete, and cool, clean, contemporary glazing from floor to ceiling.

These beautifully bare interiors feature few details that let the inhabitants focus on the view.

Swatt Miers Architects
via Freshome

Summer Home Clad in Wood, Outfitted with Contemporary Details in their Raw Forms

2012-05-13T14:19:40Z

This summer house located in Southern Burgenland, Austria was designed by Vienna based Judith Benzer Architektur to fit into its countryside surroundings, with a classic "house" shape and a traditional material taken to the next level. Completely clad in wood from the tip of its roof right down to the ground, the house evokes a sense of serenity that is only possible through nature.

The home's horizontal timber planks continue down its walls and along the ground as a wood deck, which appears as a shadow of sorts, echoing the home's silhouette and style.

A horizontal row of windows features matching wood shutters that, when folded closed, create a shield of armor. When opened, the house takes on a warmer, more welcoming aesthetic while letting light flood interiors.

On further exploration, it's clear that timber plays a more central role than just that of the exterior. The indoors are dressed in this natural honey toned material while maintaining a sense of modernity through the use of exposed concrete, steel and expansive windows. But whether we're talking the use of wood or concrete or steel, these materials were all deliberately left untreated, shining in their raw form. The kitchen is simple by design, with wood walls and an open to above ceiling, but deliciously spiced up with contemporary style cabinets and appliances, while an industrial style staircase leads up to the private level upstairs.

Below grade, a wine cellar typical of the Southern Burgenland region in something to toast, anchoring the home as well as the homeowners' lifestyle!

Judith Benzer Architektur
photo credit: Martin Weiß