Category Archives: Homes

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Tours: St. Andrews Beach House, Victoria, Australia

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St Andrews Beach House is a holiday cabin by Austin Maynard Architects informed by a passion for sustainability. The circular cabin captures sunlight and breezes while allowing nature to regrow healthily around it. The flat roof captures water for the gardens and bathrooms. Sustainable materials include timber, double glazed windows and a concrete slab contributing thermal mass to the cabin.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to St Andrews Beach House 00:37 – The Beachside Location 01:04 – The Vision Behind The House 01:24 – Taking Inspiration From New Zealand Bach’s 01:57 – A Bach Type Layout 02:16 – Sustainably Small But Mighty 02:55 – A Carbon Storage Home 03:08 – Conditional Timber Selections 03:45 – The Importance of Sunlight 04:15 – The Positives of A Circular Home 04:38 – A Demountable Home 05:16 – Proud Moments In Designing and Creating The Home

Additionally, a heat pump system heats the water and the slab, keeping the house warm during the winter. Locally sourced eucalypt timber ensures the cabin can stand against time and the coastal elements. It also contributes to the cabin’s sustainability, capturing of carbon instead of producing it. The material is used inside as well, continuing both the warm, raw aesthetic and the sustainability benefits throughout.

Designed as one structural module repeated 26 times around, the efficiency of the cabin’s construction was optimised. It is also made to be demountable, so that clients are able to either dismantle or salvage the materials for another build in future, if needed. With the importance of sunlight stressed in the brief, large louvre doors were installed to allow light to flood through, and on days when the weather is blossoming, the doors can be opened to connect the deck with the living and dining areas of the cabin.

Due to its circular structure, the beach side cabin can capture or exclude the breeze whenever there is a need, and, as the spiral staircase in the centre leads up the private bedroom spaces, circulation of air and sun can continue around the entire cabin. With a playful and sustainable rationale, St Andrews Beach House is a home away from home that gives back to the surrounding land.

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Preview: Country Life Magazine – Oct 12, 2022

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Country Life – 12 October 2022

Country Life Magazine 12 October 2022 is an interiors special, but also looks at ancient barrows, Roald Dahl and much more.

Masterpiece

Jack Watkins on Ronald Blythe’s seminal Akenfield

Roald’s medicine

Rural life was a joy to the author, says Matthew Dennison

In praise of decency

Thoughtfulness abounds in the countryside, writes Margaret Casely-Hayford

Splendid isolation

Legendary interior designer Veere Grenney talks to Giles Kime about spending lockdown in a Palladian folly

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Australia Interior Design: Wimbledon House Tour

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Channelling the sense of warmth that has long-defined the family concept, Wimbledon House befits its purpose as a modern family home. Crafted by Taylor Pressly Architects in collaboration with the clients, Dave and Katie Penfold of Penfold Property Group, the functional home provides a timeless environment for communal living.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Modern Family Home 00:24 – The Site of the Home 00:47 – A Two Level Space 01:27 – The Featuring of a Curved Staircase 01:48 – Bringing Warmth to The Home Through Materials 02:25 – Transparency Through The View Lines 02:50 – Creating a Central Heart to The Home 03:04 – The Key Feature Areas: Kitchen and Staircase 03:25 – Creating the Staircase 04:32 – Building a Functional Family Home

Situated at the junction between Elwood, St Kilda, Balaclava and Elsternwick, Wimbledon House reflects thorough consideration of local design heritage. Recycled red brickwork references the previous iteration of the house as well as the influential art deco movement, wrapping the lower half of the exterior and tracking its fluid curves with a stack bond format.

Occupying a central position in the spatial plan is a landscaped courtyard which opens onto a staircase, executed by S&A Stairs. The spiral staircase connects the levels of the modern family home with a smooth three-dimensional curve, painted white. The handrail, neatly attached to the primary architecture of the modern family home, represents a particular achievement of S&A Stairs. While the company of the past would have taken days or weeks to build the rail, the modern-day S&A Stairs draws upon its 102 years of experience in order to complete the work within hours, using 5-Axis CNC technology.

By accommodating a family with ease, Wimbledon House succeeds in what is considered its core function. Offering a modern family home, Taylor Pressly Architects associates the communal domestic experience with elevated living, during which occupants can enjoy pieces of luxury craftmanship.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Australian Home Design: Mosman House In Sydney

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On a steep slope in Mosman, on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, TKD Architects were asked not just to design a six-bedroom family home that took advantage of the views, but also to take charge of the interior architecture and styling – from the furniture and flooring right down to the artwork, bedding and even the cutlery. All their Shanghai-based clients needed to do was unlock the door and walk into their completely finished home.

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Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Tours: Pepper Tree House In Unanderra, Australia

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Creating a sustainable extension for the family home of client and builder Souter Built, Alexander Symes Architects motivates sustainable living through every detail. Featured as part of The Sustainability Series, Pepper Tree Passive House is a personal project crafted between cousins and sees the extension explore a passion for passive house and sustainable living.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction 00:41 – Unanderra Country 01:12 – The Builder and The Owner 01:42 – Building Around The Pepper Tree 02:17 – A Walkthrough Pepper Tree Passive House 02:56 – A Two Fold Concept and Brief 03:22 – Exploring The Concept of A Passive House 03:43 – Using Resources In Respectful Ways 04:00 – Wood Is Good 04:31 -Using Minimal Intervention on The Existing Home 04:59 – The Challenges Faced 05:20 – The Positives of Being The Building & The Client 06:00 – Moments To Celebrate

Following a twofold brief, Alexander Symes Architect created an office space, guest house and entertainment area with recycled and renewable materials that echo the ethos of likeminded sustainable buildings. Extending the family home over a slopping landscape and around a tree protection zone, both architect and builder worked cohesively with each other to reflect the positive aspects of sustainable design. What transpired from this effort was an office space, living area, kitchen and guest living space that wrap around the home’s namesake, the pepper tree.

Covered by the canopy of the pepper tree, the garden was transformed, seeing hand-poured pavers lead guests up towards the passive house. Evidence of the passive house concept is also seen at the home’s entrance; wood and convict bricks are used similarly throughout the interior design, seeing sustainable living enhanced through natural thermal heating and cooling. Due to its north-facing position, the convict bricks add a thermal structure throughout, soaking up the natural heat of the sun, whilst the shade of the canopy does the same in the warmer months.

From planning to building to completion, Pepper Tree Passive House passionately showcases the skillset required for sustainable living, alongside Souter Built’s philosophy for sustainable building. Through the architecture and design choices, guests and clients alike can see firsthand how using recycled materials, instead of depleting natural resources, can leave a better footprint for the future of sustainable buildings.

Architecture, Design, Homes, Tours, Travel, Videos

Home Tours: Turramurra Threads, Sydney, Australia

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As the soothing colours of its interior spill into the garden space, Turramurra Threads feels deliberately nestled into its outdoor complement. Crafted by Benn + Penna, the calming family house is filled with a sense of peace resulting from its understated design.

Video timeline: 00:00 – An Introduction to the Calming Family House 00:30 – Location of the Home 00:43 – The Clients of the Project 01:23 – The Original House 01:51 – The Architects Brief 02:05 – Connecting the House to the Garden 02:25 – Using a Neutral Palette and Natural Materials 03:14 – The Importance of Light in the House 03:45 – The Large Skylight 04:07 – The Arch in the Living Room 04:24 – The New Extension of the Home

Surrounded by charming heritage builds on the northern outskirts of Sydney, Turramurra Threads reimagines an existing Victorian construction. The design brief called for the historic front windows and delicate ceiling detail of the calming family house to be retained whilst an extension be added to the rear, celebrating established architecture in unison with modern amenity.

Featuring the original façade, the calming family house captures a simple spatial plan, directing residents from the old structure into the new. A secondary living space and master bedroom sits perpendicular to the entrance corridor, which leads onto three bedrooms and a study. Beyond, the extension forms a primary living pavilion, opening at its far end to reveal the garden. Rays of sunlight penetrate the calming family house from three points of entry, indicating a studious approach to natural lighting and building materials.

The beams enter from a small pocket garden that serves as a transparent border between the historic and additional architecture and a large skylight positioned on the southern slope of the roof. Enhancing the functionality of a heritage home, Benn + Penna creates an open interior design that engages the garden space. Turramurra Threads is built to embrace the natural surrounds, using its subtle properties to establish a calming family house.

Architecture, Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Tour: Scarborough Béton Brut, Christchurch, New Zealand Concrete Design

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October Project of the Month | Scarborough Béton Brut | Young Architects.

Raw concrete, extensive glazing, and timber accents dominate the design of this home nestled in the hills above Christchurch’s seaside suburb of Sumner. Perched on the edge of a dormant volcano on a 30 degree slope, the form hasn’t been compromised. The structure emerges from the landscape in cubed sections.

To view the full project, click here: https://archipro.co.nz/project/scarbo…

Architecture, Design, Homes, Profiles, Tours, Travel, Videos

Tours: Cliffhanger House In Toowoomba, Australia

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Evoking grandiosity through carefully considered sharp points and rounded edges, the concrete super house by Joe Adsett Architects offers unrivalled views of Toowoomba’s sweeping landscape. Creating a piece of architecture that was befitting of the location and striking natural landscape,

Video timeline: 00:00 – A Welcome to Cliffhanger House 00:36 – The Location of the Super House 00:46 – Building On The Edge of A Landslide Zone 01:36 – Arriving At The Site 02:00 – The Vitrocsa Glazing Suite 02:40 – A Seamless Flow From Kitchen to Outdoors 03:00 – An Extension of The Main Living Area 03:14 – The Material Palette 03:52 – Emulating The Architecture Through Furniture 04:17 – Designing Weather Flexible Houses 04:41 – The Challenging Aspect of The Cantilever

Vitrocsa collaborated with Joe Adsett Architects to produce the concrete super house that fully embraced its location. Balancing at the very top of the site, the concrete super house offers views from East of Brisbane toward Picnic Point and Table Top Mountain. Whilst the home’s location is situated over a ridge, Joe Adsett Architects endeavoured to create more space by cantilevering away from the slope.

By projecting part of the concrete super house out from the built space, the ability to create a more functional living space with privacy from surrounding neighbours arose. Arriving at the concrete super house, the gaze is immediately ensnared by the curving concrete wall that cantilevers away from the base of the home. With the garage underneath the house offering one way of entrance, it is the curved pathway leading to the deliberately oversized glass pivot door that is the striking entrance of the home.

Working with Vitrocsa to create the glazing for the home, the frame of the windows was done with a slender aluminium product comprised of reinforced stainless steel. Made in Australia and designed to Swiss specifications, the framing offers unbroken views of the surrounding landscape whilst also bringing a seamless indoor-outdoor flow into the home. With restrained materials used across the exterior architecture, the interior design choices also reflect the primary theme of the concrete super house.

Softened with veneered timber products and large porcelain tiles, curves and sharp points are repeated through the joinery elements. Furthermore, the furnishings also introduce soft textures and colours that bring a humanising element to the concrete super house.

Architecture, Design, Home Design, Homes, Profiles, Videos

Interior Design: A Studio Apartment’s 3 Renderings

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We gave interior designers Noz Nozawa, Darren Jett, and Joy Moyler a photo of the same loft – then asked each of them to create a design for it in their particular style, however they pleased. Three artists, one canvas, each bringing something different to space. See which designer comes closest to creating your dream studio apartment.

Analysis, Consumers, Homes, Reviews, Technology, Videos

Technology: How Amazon Dominates Smart Homes

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Amazon ships more U.S. smart home devices than any other company and says Alexa is now compatible with 140,000 devices, far beyond the Echo and Fire TV. But privacy advocates are concerned by all the data these devices collect, and are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to block Amazon’s latest smart home expansion.

Chapters: 1:41 First to market 4:27 Acquiring iRobot 7:41 How it uses the data 9:45 Privacy concerns 11:33 Ambient home of the future

After acquiring video doorbell maker Ring in 2018 and mesh WiFi system Eero a year later, Amazon’s now looking to buy Roomba smart vacuum maker iRobot. In a rare move, the FTC is asking for more information before approving the $1.7 billion deal. Ahead of Amazon’s annual smart home event, we talked to Amazon’s VP of privacy to find out what really happens to all the data collected by its devices – and sat down with the head of smart home to hear the strategy behind Amazon’s race to dominate the internet of things.