Tropical modernism informed the plaster finishes of this extension in Hackney, London, which has been completed by local architecture studio Sonn.

Aptly named The Plaster House, Sonn was tasked with adding an additional bedroom to the Victorian terraced building, as well as improving its connection to a rear garden.

Looking to create a uniform, "carved-out" feeling for the space, the studio used a variety of plaster finishes in a range of pale colours both internally and externally.

"A focus on light, height and connection to the garden was key, but we also wanted the space to feel like it had been 'carved-out' of stone," Sonn founder Tim Robinson told Dezeen.

The studio created a single-storey extension containing a living, dining and kitchen space at the back of the home, which establishes a new sightline directly from the entrance to the garden.

An existing bathroom and storage area was moved to the centre of the building to allow the side return to be infilled, making space for a second bedroom.

Inside the rear extension, which the studio described as having a "monolithic and sculptural form," the floor has been lowered slightly to create a conversation pit level with the garden.

Above the kitchen, the angled plastered ceilings frame a large skylight.

"A sunken conversation pit lets the occupants sit level with the garden while increasing the feeling of height," Robinson told Dezeen. "It is an unexpected secluded oasis in an urban area."

"A clear connection to the garden is enhanced with the framing of an existing apple tree which is now visible the moment you enter from the street," he added.

A folding glass window and a rotating door open out onto a gravel patio in the garden, with the exterior of the rear extension is finished with sculptural, plaster-clad pillars and a gently curving edge to the roof.

While a palette of pale grey and cream defines the living areas, in the bedroom a pale green plaster has been used to contrast its pink and brown furnishings.

The plasterwork is complemented by wooden panelling and various stone finishes, including Rosa Tea marble in the bathrooms and terrazzo worktops in the kitchen.

"We took inspiration from 1970's tropical modernism through a mix of natural stone textures along with colourways of brown, green and beige," Robinson told Dezeen.

Previous projects by Sonn include an extension that founder Tim Robinson designed for his own garden in Hackney, with walls clad in green terrazzo to blend in with the surrounding tropical planting.

The photography is courtesy of Sonn.

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Architecture studio Celoria Architects has completed House C, a concrete home in Mendrisio, Switzerland, informed by the region's grotti– cellar-like communal spaces where local cuisine is served.

Designed for the studio's founder, Aldo Celoria, the home's foundations are formed by what was once a traditional cellar and dining area dug into the sloping site, which used to be visited by Celoria's family.

Referencing this history, the home was designed as what Celoria describes as a "massive primitive object embedded in the mountain", centred around a large kitchen and dining room.

"This was the place where we used to go as children for lunch or dinner with friends or to sit in front of the fireplace and eat chestnuts," Celoria told Dezeen.

"The project arose with the idea of maintaining this spirit of conviviality and designing a house as if it were a grotto in relation to the surrounding nature," he explained.

House C is organised around four concrete cores along the edges of its square plan, each finished with wave-like sections of concrete wall.

Acting as giant, hollowed-out columns, these concrete forms house the home's infrastructure and utilities, including a spiral staircase, bathrooms, utility rooms and a fireplace.

This frees up the rest of the floor plates to be column-free, allowing for unobstructed views through the full-height windows and glazed corners that overlook the landscape.

"The elements bend inwards, containing the infrastructure of the house and designing the central square space of each floor, which increases in size towards the upper spaces," explained Celoria.

"The structure is therefore the expression of the architectural body, conceived to promote a close dialogue between interior and exterior and between architecture and landscape," he added.

The bedrooms take advantage of the partially subterranean ground floor to provide greater privacy, with the living, dining and kitchen floor above constituting the main entrance to the home.

On the home's second floor, a single multipurpose space sits beneath a diamond-shaped skylight in the home's roof and surrounded by fully-glazed walls.

Celoria Architects kept the monolithic concrete form as visible as possible on the interiors, with wood used for the doors, staircase and kitchen counters and a fir dining table in reference to the old table the family used for dinners on the site.

"It was important to work with only one material and to express an atmosphere that was monolithic and monochromatic," Celoria told Dezeen.

Elsewhere in Switzerland, architecture studio PPAA recently completed a concrete villa overlooking Lake Zurich and Atelier Rampazzi created a trio of concrete houses with warm timber panelling.

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The founders of Spanish studio Masquespacio have transformed a traditional Valencian farmhouse into their self-designed home and studio, with maximalist interiors that nod to the Memphis movement.

Creative and life partners Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse renovated the 1920s villa, which was once a farmhouse on the outskirts of Valencia, to create a hybrid home and studio that reflects their maximalist approach to interiors.

"Everything revolves around the concept of play," explained Hernández Palacios, who co-founded Masquespacio with Penasse in 2010.

"We've been influenced by many styles over the last decade, from New Memphis to art deco and futurism," Penasse added. "We can say that our private home is a mix of it all."

The duo maintained the building's original timber front door and white facade decorated with light-blue window frames and ornate grilles.

Inside, the ground floor was reserved for their studio, spread across several interconnected meeting rooms in the former farmstead, known locally as an alquería.

Here, Masquespacio restored the building's decoratively patterned hydraulic floor tiles alongside its traditional doors and windows.

Painted in bright hues, they help to colour-code the different office spaces, filled with the studio's characteristic chunky, lumpy and latticed furniture.

"As always, the project includes a mix of colours, textures and forms – one of the main aspects of all our designs, no matter what aesthetic we're working with," Penasse told Dezeen.

At the centre of the home is a double-height interior courtyard illuminated by skylights, with exposed-brick walls painted in lilac surrounded by wiggly flowerbeds with lush statement cheese plants.

From the courtyard, visitors can see up to an interior balcony on the first floor, which is accessed via a purple concrete staircase and contains the living spaces.

The balcony reveals two sculptural objects – a giant green dome that conceals the couple's bed and a curved hot-pink screen that hides a seating booth.

This immersive furniture – Penasse's favourite part of the project – creates a focal point that connects both levels of the house but also provides more private quarters for the couple despite the open nature of the overall plan.

"There are no wall partitions to hide our home [from downstairs] but it's kept private by the bed's form and a semi-transparent green curtain that allows us to take advantage of the natural light almost everywhere on the upper floor," explained Penasse.

The sleeping area is connected to the main living space via a tunnel-like corridor, which includes an all-yellow bathroom with triangular cabinets and walls clad with a mosaic of handmade ceramic tiles.

Opposite the bathroom is a colourful open-air terrace featuring circular windows and similar built-in seating to Bun Turin – an Italian burger joint designed by Masquespacio with boxy blue-tiled tables created to look like swimming pools.

"Geometry can be found all over our house," explained Hernández Palacios. "Everything is a game of circles and triangles."

The light blue kitchen includes large, triangular alcoves and cupboards finished in natural stone and aluminium, designed to conceal utilities.

There is also an island made from veiny marble and petite glazed tiles. Bespoke Masquespacio bar stools were wrapped in matching pale blue fabric.

Next to the open-plan kitchen, the living and dining spaces include more brightly coloured furniture from the studio's Mas Creations collection, which features the same twisted and angular shapes and soft upholstery as the pieces downstairs.

Floor-to-ceiling curtains form a backdrop for a snaking lime green sofa, while dark green dining chairs with pyramidal backrests were positioned around a jewel-like glass table.

"Ninety-five per cent of the furniture and objects in our house are part of our Mas Creations collection, locally designed and produced by our studio," said Penasse.

Similarly bold projects from Masquespacio include a restaurant in Milan, Italy, with interiors that take cues from futuristic spaceships and the first Mango Teen store in Barcelona featuring vivid graphic shapes.

The photography is courtesy of Masquespacio. 

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A series of "monumental" concrete columns frame views across a large garden at this house in Dulwich, London, extended by local studio Proctor & Shaw.

Tasked with refurbishing and extending the existing terraced home, named Dulwich House, Proctor & Shaw focused on improving its connection to a 57-metre-long garden at its rear.

As a result, the studio focused its attention on the back of the home, adding a sequence of family spaces framed by a minimal, exposed concrete structure.

"The project was all about transforming the home's relationship with the westerly garden," founder John Proctor told Dezeen.

"The new extension and principal internal retrofit were all designed with this in mind."

Previously, the rear of the home sat 1.5 metres above the garden. Proctor & Shaw lowered this by two steps to create more generous ceiling heights and a closer connection to the outdoors.

Three sequential spaces – a boot room, a kitchen and a living space – connected by wooden steps overlook a five-metre-deep terrace at the rear of Dulwich House.

"The ground floor is reconfigured and extended to provide a series of 'broken-plan' family spaces whose architecture is defined with a series of monumental columns and beams," said the studio.

A short, thick wall with a bio-ethanol fireplace at its base divides the dining and living areas, while the kitchen is centred around a large concrete island.

In the living area, a large bi-fold window is positioned alongside a seat, while in the adjacent dining area, full-height sliding glass doors lead onto the patio.

"The bi-fold window seat experience captures the essence of the scheme," said Proctor.

"It's a beautiful spot to enjoy the garden as a visual amenity in the colder months, perhaps with the fire burning, but then can transform, with doors open, into a completely different experience in the summer," he continued.

"It was this transformational seasonal connection from home to garden that we wanted to create, and the architecture cleverly supports this."

At the centre of Dulwich House, an oak-lined staircase has been added to lead up to a newly-created loft space providing two additional bedrooms.

The existing bedrooms of the home on the first floor have been minimally altered, with the remaining budget being used to improve the bathrooms, one of which is finished in pink-toned plaster.

Other residential projects in London by Proctor & Shaw include an extension topped by a large zinc-clad roof and a townhouse expanded by a series of glazed volumes that draw in daylight.

The photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

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Mexican architect Carlos H Matos has completed a concrete house designed to be an "ode to antiquity" and "futurity" in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

Known as Casa Monte, the one-bedroom house was completed in 2023 with a rooftop terrace and a 150-square-metre (1,615-square foot) footprint. It is nestled between mountains and the Pacific Ocean and serves as a rental property.

"It is equally an homage to the profound transformations that shaped Mexico’s built environment in the 20th century," Matos told Dezeen. "It has many pasts, remote and recent, and a present one still taking shape."

The spaces were designed to prompt residents toward activity and engagement. The shelter serves as a simple and serene counterpoint to from houses with climate-controlled comfort and digital access.

"This way the house becomes deeply personal and intimate, and at the same time universal in the sense that it will have hundreds of users experiencing the house, and being able to incarnate the character, its way of living and rituals," Matos continued.

Rising out of cacti and low shrubbery, the ochre-coloured structure suggests "refuge" in the open landscape, more so than "home." It is located near the Tadao Ando-designed Casa Wabi art institution.

Approached by a winding sandy path, Matos described the house as an experiment in seclusion.

Constructed with more than 1,500 earth-tinted cast concrete blocks, the architecture is "fundamentally sculptural", according to Matos.

Smooth blocks form the main level, outlining spaces that blur the boundary between interior and exterior.

Organised like a portico set on top of a platform, the ground floor includes a compact kitchen, enclosed bathroom and half-sheltered living space that opens internally to a covered rectangular pool.

Off to the side, a small cube-shaped form holds a daybed and is topped with a green roof.

The corner of the portico contains a winding staircase that ascends to the upper level where a square bedroom holds most of the floor area, but is softened and warmed by wooden floors and window frames.

The bathroom is split into two portions on either side of the bedroom, while a terrace with a planted garden bed sits opposite of the staircase.

The blocks that form the upper level are raked with a vertically oriented pattern and step back from the perimeter of the building halfway up the second level, giving the appearance that the building is diminishing toward the sky.

"A richly textured terrace offers a full view of the ocean to wake up to, a space to bathe, and a thin ladder that leads to the roof, which completes the experience after nightfall," Matos said.

"This slice of domesticated space amid an otherwise untouched landscape at once suggests civilizations past and utopian gestures of futurity, like an ancient temple activated through sleek fixtures of brass and steel."

Matos was a co-founder of the Mexico City sculpture practice Tezontle, which contributed a sculpture and two tapestries to Casa Möbius as part of the 2019 Mexico City Design Week.

Another concrete residence recently completed in Oaxaca is Espacio 18 Arquitectura's Casa del Alma, designed as a "rock carved to create a sculpture".

The photography is by Rory Gardiner.

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In this lookbook, we have collected eight projects that use internal glazing and partitions to create brighter home interiors and increased connectivity between spaces.

While the primary use of windows is for daylight access and ventilation, they can also play a key role in visually connecting spaces within the home.

Adding internal windows enables more interaction between adjacent rooms, while allowing light to penetrate further into the home – creating bright and spacious interiors.

While similar, internal partitions offer a unique opportunity to simultaneously increase connectivity and enhance privacy through the demarcation of a home's internal spaces.

Below are eight examples that showcase the versatility of internal openings and partitions, ranging from a colourful home extension featuring playful, circular windows in London to an open-plan kitchen punctuated with brass-lined portals in Toronto.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring creative guest rooms that accommodate visitors in style, home interiors brightened with colourful window frames and hotel interiors characterised by eclectic designs.

Timbaud, France, by Isabelle Heilmann

Converted from a textile workshop, this open-plan apartment in Paris offers a bright, spacious interior equipped with a dedicated home office, mezzanines and a loft.

Designer Isabelle Heilmann used internal windows and glazing in order to retain visual connections between the rooms, as well as demarcate the living spaces and enable a flow of light through the interior.

Find out more about Timbaud ›

Curve Appeal, UK, by Nimtim Architects

Multifunctional partitions built from plywood joinery were used to define the interior of this 1920s house in Southwark, London, renovated by local studio Nimtim Architects.

Addressing a need for improved connectivity and daylight, the studio used curved, glazed openings within the partitions to encourage visual connection between the different spaces.

Find out more about Curve Appeal ›

Portal House, Canada, by Svima

Renovated by architecture and art studio Svima, this residence in Toronto features asymmetrical portals lined with brass ribbons.

Aptly named Portal House, the home's open-plan kitchen and dining area are connected via two portals – with one used as a doorway and the other as a pass-through for food, drinks and tableware.

Find out more about Portal House ›

Mediona 13, Spain, by Nua Arquitectures

Nua Arquitectures revamped this house in the historic centre of Tarragona, Spain, using pastel-coloured steel to reinforce its structure.

Internal windows overlook the home's large entrance, which features a staircase lined with pastel blue balustrades, to allow light to travel into the home.

Find out more about Mediona 13 ›

AR Residence, UK, by DeDraft

A kitchen extension clad in green aluminium panels was used by architecture studio DeDraft to update this home in east London.

Also overseeing the remodelling of the home's upper floors, the studio implemented large windows and skylights along with an internal window to allow light to permeate the interior.

Find out more about AR Residence ›

A House in East London, UK, by Charles Holland Architects

This colourful extension completed by Charles Holland Architects features a trio of aligned, circular windows that connect the ground-floor spaces.

Creating "unexpected views between rooms", these internal openings form a series of interconnected interior spaces, as opposed to a large open-plan layout.

Find out more about A House in East London ›

Fruit Box, UK, by Nimtim Architects

Also completed by Nimtim Architects is an extension added to a 1970s townhouse in Forest Hill, London, which is divided by adaptable partitions.

These plywood partitions are designed to be filled in for increased privacy between spaces, but are also non-structural to allow for easy removal to maximise interior space if needed.

Find out more about Fruit Box ›

House in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, by Byró Architekti

Byró Architekti restored and renovated this 19th-century house in Kutná Hora using colourful joinery and playful openings.

Aiming to improve the connection between the home's spaces, internal windows and glass-block walls were added to each level of the centralised spiral staircase.

Find out more about House in Kutná Hora ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring creative guest rooms that accommodate visitors in style, home interiors brightened with colourful window frames and hotel interiors characterised by eclectic designs.

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Concrete loggias overlook a courtyard at this social housing block in Paris, which French studios Francois Brugel Architectes Associes, H2o Architectes and Antoine Regnault Architecture have converted from offices.

Named Ilot Saint-Germain, the housing is located in two interconnected blocks previously owned by the Ministry of the Armed Forces in the city's seventh arrondissement.

To the south, a load-bearing stone building dating back to the 18th century faces the road, while to the north, an L-shaped, concrete-framed building from the 1970s hugs an internal courtyard.

Francois Brugel Architectes Associes, H2o Architectes and Antoine Regnault Architecture were tasked with transforming these former workspaces into 254 social homes, while adding a gymnasium and kindergarten for residents and the wider city.

Looking to highlight and complement the qualities of the existing buildings, the studios retained and restored their structures, drawing on their palette of pale stone and concrete for the gymnasium and kindergarten.

"The important thing was to work with the existing features, using the qualities of the original buildings and making them visible," H2o Architectes' Jean-Jacques Hubert told Dezeen.

"There is a real interest in thinking of the different ways in which these buildings, through the project, belong to the city," added François Brugel Architectes Associés's founder François Brugel.

An open courtyard space at the centre of Ilot Saint-Germain now also houses the gymnasium, which has a sunken concrete form with a wood-lined interior illuminated by clerestory windows.

On the opposite side of the central housing block, the kindergarten is contained in a matching pale concrete volume, finished with narrow vertical openings.

Both concrete volumes are topped by garden spaces designed by landscape architecture studio Élise & Martin Hennebicque, with ramps and steps providing access to the gymnasium's roof.

Ilot Saint-Germain's apartments are organised to minimise internal corridors and their interiors are kept minimal and flexible to allow residents to adapt them to their needs.

Facing the courtyard, the 18th-century block opens up with large, arched windows, while the 1970s block has been lined internally with loggias, providing each apartment with sheltered outdoor space.

"Each building offers specific layouts [that] result in a wide variety of typologies," said Hubert.

"Each user must find their place in the daily life of their home, the garden and the amenities," he added.

The use of pale concrete at Ilot Saint-Germain was guided by the stone and concrete finishes of the existing buildings, which have been complemented by dark wood window frames and pale metal balustrades.

Recently featured in Dezeen's Social Housing Revival series was another retrofit of a former military site in Paris, The Caserne de Reuilly, which saw h2o Architectes alongside six European practices adapt a former barracks site into nearly 600 homes.

The photography is by Jared Chulski.

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British automotive manufacturer Aston Martin and Argentinian architecture studio Bodas Mian Anger have completed a skyscraper in Miami with a curved, flat form and a cantilevered pool deck near its top.

Located in Downtown Miami, the 66-storey skyscraper was designed through a collaboration between the British car manufacturer and Bodus Mian Anger (BMA) and developed by local firm G&G Business Developments. It is the first residential skyscraper to be branded by Aston Martin.

The skyscraper stands 818 feet tall (249 metres) beside the mouth of the Miami river and features a flat, curved envelope that the architecture studio likened to a boat's sail – a common sight off the Floridian coast.

Aston Martin claims that the new skyscraper is the tallest residential structure in Florida, though it may soon be surpassed by one of the other towers going up in Miami. These include the supertall Waldorf Astoria skyscraper designed by Sieger Suarez Architects and Carlos Ott.

Beyond the symbolic relevance, BMA said that the sail also has some practical purposes, shoring the structure up against high-force winds and also allowing for ventilation.

"Airflow and wind and the understanding of Florida being susceptible to hurricanes was important," BMA director of projects Martin Freyre told Dezeen.

"We worked closely with engineers during the initial phase, and part of the inspiration shows what Aston Martin is about, which is as much about aerodynamics and power as it is about beauty."

"With the waterfront facade curving gently like a sail, the building is being built to meticulous tolerances and environmental regulations in a part of the world where architecture is coming under ever-increasing scrutiny."

Freyre added that the water-side location of the property presented some challenges during construction, and a foundation had to be massive in order to support the skyscraper.

"The Aston Martin building was a challenge in relation to the proximity of the water," he said.

"[It] sits on one of the largest foundations in South Florida that had over 14,000 cubic yards of concrete poured, which equates to over 1,400 full drum loads of a cement truck mixer."

The structure's solid foundation and sail-like form also tie it to the design of Aston Martin, according to BMA, who said that its glass facade and curving form also reference the aerodynamic shape of the vehicles.

"The emphasis is in the close relationship with Aston Martin's design DNA and the graceful lines and curves of the building that reflect the elegance that Aston Martin is known for," Freyre said.

"You wouldn't think that millimetres should matter in a building, but they do."

Additional details on the interior also recall the design of Aston Martin vehicles.

Carbon fiber was used for the fixtures in many of the 391 condominiums and amenity spaces, which include an art gallery, movie theatres, conference rooms, a spa, and a barber shop. Bespoke Aston Martin handles were placed on the doors of the residences.

Near the top of the structure is a cantilevered form that juts like a lip from the 55th floor and holds an infinity pool and lounge.

Above the pool, crowning the structure, is a three-storey penthouse that Aston Martin calls its Unique Triplex Penthouse, which boasts 27,191 square feet (2,526 square metres) of living space.

"Melding a captivating design aesthetic with one of the city's most idyllic locations, on one of the last parcels of the Miami waterfront, the ultra-luxury Aston Martin Residence adds further distinction to the already expressive Miami skyline," said Aston Martin executive vice president and chief creative officer Marek Reichman.

"We think this project firmly sets the mark for luxury residential design around the world."

According to Aston Martin, the residences, which include customizable interior schemes, are 99 per cent sold.

Other branded skyscrapers in the city include the upcoming Dolce & Gabbana supertall skyscraper and a Bentley-branded skyscraper with an internal car elevator.

The construction comes despite indications that sea-level rises could affect the infrastructure of the city.

The photography is courtesy of Aston Martin. 

Project credits: 

Architect and interior design: Bodas Mian Anger, Aston Martin
Structural engineer: DiSimone Consulting Engineering - Miami
Architect of record: Revuelta Architects International
Contractor: Coastal Construction/Miami

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Belgian studio Mamout has extended a townhouse in Brussels, adding a small garden room built from a prefabricated shell of pastel green-coloured steel.

Aiming to improve the connection between the home and its garden, Mamout drew on the form of an existing bow window on the rear facade to create a glazed seating area for the existing kitchen.

"The aim is to create the smallest possible extension, but one that offers a radically new perception of space from the inside," Mamout architect Sarah Avni told Dezeen.

"We imagine the extension as a response to the existing bow window, which is a typical element of Belgian architecture," she added.

The garden room sits slightly elevated off the ground to avoid covering the home's basement windows and is accessed from the garden patio by a small concrete stair.

While mimicking the existing windows form, Mamout opted for a steel structure that would provide a contrasting "thin and light look". This was manufactured as a single piece by a shipbuilding workshop in Liège, allowing it to be craned into place and "plugged into" the existing building.

"The intervention is integrated into the facade as a bow window should be, like a floating element, allowing the fabulous wisteria to continue spreading," said Avni.

"The tolerance for possible mistakes was very low – everything was settled and designed before it was brought on site," she added.

Inside, a full-height opening leads from the kitchen into the extension, where a contrasting stone floor finish subtly sets it apart from the rest of the room.

A built-in window bench follows the curve of the steel form, with a small table providing an area to have breakfast overlooking the garden, both finished with matching fluted wood bases.

A minimal, white finish has been given to the walls and full-height window frames, matching those already in the home while helping to focus attention towards the garden.

"We proposed a very calm and peaceful atmosphere punctuated by a curved bench that follows the steel shell," said Avni. "The position of the bench allows you to be seated in the garden."

Mamout was founded in Brussels in 2014 by Matthieu Busana and Sébastien Dachy.

Previous projects by the studio include the refurbishment of another Brussels townhouse that "makes the most of what already exists" and a courtyard house built using materials from a dismantled warehouse.

The photography is by Séverin Malaud.

Project credits:

Architect: Mamout
Structure: JZH & Partners
Energy: Earth&Bee
Furniture designer: Sébastien Caporusso
Decoration: Aurore de Borchgrave
Contractor: G-Line Construct
Steelwork: Ateliers Melens & Dejardin

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American studio Walker Warner Architects has completed Hale Kiawe, a family retreat with simple, gabled forms that are set within an undulating landscape dotted with chunky lava rocks.

Located along the Kona Coast on the island of Hawaii, the house was designed for a family who wanted a functional and beautiful retreat that was minimalist in spirit.

"The homeowners, who come from a cross-cultural Indian background, believe that minimalism is about possessing only what is truly essential, and thus aimed to under-design their space," said San Francisco's Walker Warner.

The team was influenced by a traditional Hindu system of architecture called Vastu Shastra – particularly its emphasis on "harmonious living".

For a 4.7 (1.9-hectare) site with tall grasses, kiawe trees – also known as the American carob – and lava rocks, the team conceived a main dwelling and two guesthouses, along with a detached garage and swimming pool.

The project is called Hale Kiawe, a term combining the name of the trees and the Hawaiian word for house.

Informed by the agrarian buildings once found in the area, the buildings are clad in wood siding and are topped with corrugated metal roofs.

"Simple lines and geometries create a striking contrast with the undulating landscape and stunning coastline in the distance," the team said.

"The home is elegant but spare, exhibiting a spiritual existence that adapts to the environment with ease and comfort."

Totalling 5,600 square feet (520 square metres), the buildings are set around outdoor spaces and are connected by pathways.

The main entrance is hidden from the road and faces east to align with Indian cultural practices. A walkway and water feature lead to the entrance within an enclosed porch, or lanai.

"This tranquil, open-air pavilion serves as the heart of the home and transitions you from the busyness of the outside world to the calm and quiet within," the studio said.

The main dwelling contains a primary bedroom suite and an open-concept kitchen, dining area and living room. Each guest dwelling contains a pair of bedrooms.

"Rooms are open and large in scale, offering depth of tranquillity and renewal while still maintaining a sense of minimalism and restraint," the team said.

The team incorporated large windows and full-height glass doors to capitalise on the views and pleasant climate. The house can be opened up to the outdoors for most of the year.

Interior finishes include oak millwork, granite countertops, and flooring made of oak and stone.

Neutral colours mimic those found in the natural environment and help keep the focus on the landscape. The homeowner's love for Indian textiles and tapestries also informed the colour palette.

Rooms are fitted with custom decor from places such as Bali, Mexico and India. Kiawe wood was used for certain pieces, such as side tables and a desk in the main bedroom.

The interior was designed by local firm Philpotts Interiors.

Outside the home, landscape interventions were intended to strengthen the connection between architecture and nature.

"The plantings are thoughtfully integrated into the site, weaving together the built environment and the natural surroundings, and restoring a sense of unity between the two," the team said.

Established in 1989, Walker Warner Architects has an extensive portfolio of buildings focused on the outdoors.

Others include a barn-inspired guesthouse in northern California that is wrapped in reclaimed wood and a wood- and zinc-clad house in Santa Monica that hugs a spacious courtyard.

In Hawaii, the firm designed a residence called Hale Nukumoi, which features pigmented concrete, dark timber and deep roof overhangs.

The photography is by Matthew Millman.

Project credits:

Architect: Walker Warner
Walker Warner team: Greg Warner (principal), Sharon Okada (senior project manager), Matthew Marsten (job captain), Vivi Lowery (designer)
Interior design: Philpotts Interiors
Philpotts team: Marion Philpotts-Miller (principal)
Construction: Metzler Contracting Co
Landscape: David Y Tamura Associates
Lighting: Eric Johnson Associates, Inc
Structural: GFDS Engineers
Civil: Aina Engineers, Inc
Mechanical: Mark Morrison Mechanical Engineering
Plumbing: Mark Morrison Mechanical Engineering
Electrical: Morikawa & Associates
Geotechnical: Geolabs, Inc
Millwork: Wick Rice Cabinetry

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Architecture studio Unknown Works has renovated a terraced London house called Oasis, adding a side and rear extension to create a flexible interior and maximise natural light.

The Victorian home in Kentish Town is owned by Unknown Works' co-founder Theo Games Petrohilos, who wanted to update its interior with a large open-plan living area suitable for cooking, working and entertaining guests.

Extensions to the side and rear mean that the home now occupies the site's full width, with large sliding glass doors opening directly onto the rear courtyard garden.

This maximises light and space while establishing a better connection with the garden where large fig and bay trees have been retained.

"The old spaces were dark and didn't make anything of the connection to the garden," Petrohilos told Dezeen.

"I think the previous owners weren't big cooks because they left the kitchen in a cramped setup as a galley with the dining table set to the end," he explained.

"You couldn't feed more than two or three in that space, while the main living space prioritised a big sofa and a TV, which seemed a little sad," added Petrohilos. "I swapped it up with a massive dining table in the main space."

To the front of Oasis, the original bedroom and ensuite bathroom have been updated with bespoke birch-plywood furniture. This includes a bed with integrated storage and floor-to-ceiling wardrobes on wheels that double as adaptable partitions.

At the centre of the plan, Unknown Works has placed a small internal courtyard inspired by Japanese stone gardens to provide cross ventilation through the home and access to natural light for the reconfigured bedroom.

The stainless steel and plywood kitchen is complemented by concrete flooring that runs into the garden, designed to "give a feeling of al fresco dining experience year-round".

Bespoke timber joinery and custom-made furniture feature throughout Oasis, including a 16-seater, stainless-steel dining table set on castor wheels to maximise adaptability.

"I want to allow for the different possibilities in terms of the way we live," said Petrohilos.

"In the kitchen, the flexibility in the space allows the big stainless steel table to be spun around, moved to each side of the room or rolled outside into the garden."

With the client for Oasis being the studio's co-founder, the project was also used as an opportunity for Unknown Works to develop and test new ideas.

"This project seeks to maximise light, space and a connection to nature – we've done this with a materiality that expresses the way things are made," concluded Petrohilos.

"For most architects, the opportunity to live in one of our own buildings is a real privilege, after the design and making process, every day you're able to learn so much."

Unknown Works is a London studio founded by Ben Hayes, Kaowen Ho and Petrohilos in 2017.

Its other recent projects include CLT House, which also features modular furniture on wheels, and an "otherworldly" music studio in a garden.

The photography is by Lorenzo Zandri unless stated otherwise.

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Including a skinny house in Japan, a home in Canada that is deliberately unfinished and a lonely cottage in the Outer Hebrides, here are Dezeen's houses of the month for April.

Also featured are a villa in suburban London and a two-in-one holiday home on the Finnish coast.

Read on to find out more about the most-read houses on Dezeen this month:

Unfinished House, Canada, by Workshop Architecture Inc

The most popular house featured on Dezeen this month is a prefabricated home in Ontario by Toronto studio Workshop Architecture Inc.

Inside, the house has been left incomplete with an exposed structure – which the architects said was the result of "an aesthetic attitude, an approach to material reduction, and budget restraint".

Find out more about Unfinished House ›

Caochan na Creige, Scotland, by Izat Arundell

The modest Caochan na Creige sits on the eastern coast of Scotland's Outer Hebrides.

To help the home blend in with the dramatic landscape, architecture studio Izat Arundell used a timber-frame structure and thick blocks of local stone.

Find out more about Caochan na Creige ›

2700, Japan, by IGArchitects

Physically constrained Japanese houses are a perennial favourite on Dezeen, so it's unsurprising that this home in Saitama, which is just 2.7 metres wide, made the top five most-read for April.

Local studio IGArchitects arranged a series of layered living spaces over two stories, with exposed concrete featuring prominently inside and out.

Find out more about 2700 ›

Kingston Villa, UK, by Fletcher Crane Architects

Kingston Villa was conceived by UK studio Fletcher Crane Architects as a contemporary evolution of the typical suburban architecture in south-west London.

It has a simple, gabled form with a bronzed metal canopy above its entrance and pale textured brickwork on the facade, in a style that the architects described as "heavy, yet quiet".

Find out more about Kingston Villa ›

Two Sisters, Finland, by MNY Arkitekter

Finnish studio MNY Arkitekter designed this timber holiday home in Salo to enable two sisters to live together but in separate units.

Two standalone blocks are joined by a central terrace and have large windows at the western end looking out towards the sea.

Find out more about Two Sisters ›

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Mexican architecture practice HW Studio has created a hillside house outside of Mexico City consisting of a vertical volume that houses circulation and a horizontal volume containing its living spaces.

Located in Morelia, HW Studio created the 4,735 square foot (439 square metres) Casa Shi to strike a balance between the "natural and artificial".

The house is made up of a rectangular, vertical stone-clad volume – containing the main circulation – affixed to a low-lying, horizontal volume with bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen and living rooms.

It is located on a hillside site, which overlooks a golf course and natural reserve.

"The stone volume vertically connects the entrance and garages with the rest of the house," said the studio. "Which is nestled within this disruptive white, abstract, and even challenging volume that seeks a visual balance between the natural and artificial."

"In some Eastern cultures, it is believed that to intensely experience any phenomenon, one must place two opposites together; this house could be an exercise in the meeting of these two opposites: the Baroque mountain teeming with vegetation and these two Platonic volumes," it added.

The house is entered below grade, where a long, outdoor staircase leads to the front door. From here, another staircase leads up to the main floor, with an enclosed ancillary space and a small bathroom tucked behind it at the basement level.

The entrance stair leads visitors to a long hall, which divides sleeping areas from the living room, kitchen, and a solitary bedroom tucked against the far side of the house, above the staircase.

A curved wall encloses the kitchen and living spaces.

"This axis or corridor presents an anomaly," said the studio. "A single slightly curved wall that aims to soften the journey and also serves as a tribute to the three women comprising this family."

A dividing wall separates the kitchen from the living area, which is located in a corner. Floor-to-ceiling windows and an Engawa, or veranda, run the perimeter of both spaces to "diffuse light and provoke a smooth transition" between the exterior and interior.

The three bedrooms on the other side of the divide sit in the centre of the house, with corresponding bathrooms and storage units wrapped around each one in an L shape.

An enclosed courtyard sits in front of them.

"The bedrooms or private areas remain secluded, without any windows to the exterior," said the studio. "The necessary illumination is received through a long courtyard, an intimate gathering point for the family, only connecting with the outside through the sky."

The house is clad in stone, which the studio envisions weathering over time to blend with the mountainside environment. The pilings on which it is cantilevered over the edge were covered in earth so as to blend the house with its surroundings further.

"This house seems to sit gently upon the mountain, and the final part of the slab floats lightly above it, supported by pilings covered by the same earth from the excavation, giving the impression that this large white element simply decided to perch there," said the studio.

HW Studio recently completed a house partially buried into a hillside in Morelia and a San Miguel de Allende house with open-air corridors and courtyards.

The photography is by Cesar Béjar.

Project credits:

Lead architect: Rogelio Vallejo Bores
Architect: Oscar Didier Ascencio Castro
Team: Nik Zaret Cervantes Ordaz

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Architecture studio Snøhetta has completed the Vertikal Nydalen office and apartment building in Oslo, with two angular towers designed to encourage air flow through the building.

Located near the river Akerselva in the city's Nydalen neighbourhood, the building was designed by Snøhetta to offer views of the surroundings and provide natural ventilation to minimise energy consumption.

"The angled facade is designed to create pressure differences that enable air to move through the building," said Snøhetta.

"The air enters through valves in the facade, which open and close as needed," it added. "When two windows open on different sides of the building, the pressure difference forces the air to move through the premises, so the air circulates."

The 18-storey building has restaurants on the street level, offices on the five floors above and apartments on the top levels of the tallest tower.

"To maintain certain sightlines and gain a lighter impression, the building is divided into two volumes of different heights, where only one part exploits the plot's maximum potential of 18 storeys," said Snøhetta.

Angled steel balconies with perforated railings jut out from the building, animating the pine-clad facades.

According to Snøhetta, the building does not need to purchase energy for heating, cooling or ventilation, which it calls a "triple zero solution".

Instead, the building uses geothermal wells, photovoltaic panels, natural ventilation and a low-energy system for heating and cooling, the studio said.

The building's concrete core was mostly left exposed to slowly release heat and cold in the interior.

"Water from geo-wells in the ground circulates in the clay walls and concrete slabs when heating or cooling is needed," said Snøhetta.

"The heat absorbed into the concrete walls during the day is released at night and contributes to stable temperatures in the building," it continued. "The photovoltaic panels on the roof power the heat pump that controls the heating and cooling system."

Public space around the building was designed as a "new town square" for the local area, aiming to create sunlit plazas and pathways with minimal wind.

According to Snøhetta, feedback will be collected on the thermal comfort and air quality of the building, and programmed vents can be adjusted to best suit the users.

"We are proud to finally be able to showcase the whole of Vertikal Nydalen and the work that has gone into designing a multi-use building with natural and balanced ventilation and minimal energy consumption," said Snøhetta founding partner Kjetil Trædal Thorsen.

"I encourage all to challenge the framework and existing regulations and explore opportunities to solve things in new and unconventional ways," he continued. "This is the only way to evolve and improve."

Other recent projects by the studio include a glulam extension to a ski museum in Oslo and its progress on a geometric skyscraper on the perimeter of Central Park in New York, which topped out last month.

The photography is by Lars Petter Pettersen.

Project credits:

Architect, interior architect and roof terrace landscape architect: Snøhetta
Client: Avantor
Landscape architect street level: LALA Tøyen ​
​Consulting building engineer: Skanska Teknikk
​HVAC consulting engineer: Multiconsult ​
Electrical​ consulting engineer: Heiberg og Tveter ​
​Acoustics consulting engineer: Brekke and Strand
​Fire consulting engineer: Fokus Rådgiving ​
​What consulting engineer: COWI

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Local studio Valbæk Brørup Architects drew on the principles of Danish functionalism for Kildeskovsvej, a red-brick house outside Copenhagen with a blocky form broken up by large corner windows.

Located on a gently sloping site in the city's northern suburbs and named after the street on which it sits, Kildeskovsvej has a deliberately simple form that references the typical two-storey brick homes in the area.

These neighbouring residences were constructed during the era of Danish functionalism, which Valbæk Brørup Architects said prioritised "simplicity and purposeful design".

"[These homes] were all constructed between 1900 and the 1950s, during the period when modern Danish houses were being developed," Valbæk Brørup Architects' partner Stefan Valbæk told Dezeen.

"They have inspired our approach to the project, where we wanted to create a hyper-modern residence, but with clear references to the old villas and the context in which the project is situated," he added.

Thanks to its T-shaped plan, Kildeskovsvej has two gardens on either side. The one facing north is more private, while the other facing the road to the south is more open.

A kitchen and dining room at the heart of the home benefit from dual-aspect views over both of these gardens, opening onto a patio to the north.

The slope of the site enabled the studio to sink the living room slightly, creating a feeling of spaciousness that is enhanced by a fully glazed corner incorporating a door to another patio.

This is contrasted by the narrower end of the home, where a corridor leads to a small seating area. Above, the bedrooms overlook the garden with a row of large windows.

"The house's open glass entrance towards the road welcomes the inhabitant – through a dark corridor, one moves further into the house from here," said Valbæk.

"The movement through the house is a spatially contrasting narrative, with different moods tailored to the functions of the rooms and the unique character of the plot," he added.

Kildeskovsvej's exterior is clad in red brickwork, complemented by copper-coloured metal window frames and parapets.

Inside, this minimalist approach is continued, with white walls, paved and wooden floors and ceilings clad in cement-bonded wood wool to dampen reverberations.

"The choice of material inside is simple and calm, allowing the highly tactile red bricks on the facade, the windows and the landscape to remain in focus," said Valbæk.

Copenhagen-based studio Valbæk Brørup Architects was established by Valbæk and Eva Kristine Brørup in 2005. Previous projects by the studio include a barrel-vaulted summer retreat in a Danish forest that is reminiscent of agricultural structures.

Other Danish houses recently featured on Dezeen include a cedar-clad summerhouse by Norm Architects and Villa E in Aarhus by CF Møller.

The photography is by Peter Kragballe.

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In this lookbook, we've collected eight guest rooms from China to Spain that provide visiting friends and family a space to call their own.

Guest accommodations come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ranging from a sofa during our younger years to full-blown guesthouses later on, putting up friends and family is made better when we have a place to put them – no matter how small.

The houses and apartments below showcase the myriad ways an extra bedroom can be integrated into an interior, often doubling as an office, storage space or – in the case of a Beijing apartment – a place to enjoy some tea.

Read on below for fresh ideas on how to provide space for visitors.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring brightly-framed windows, tactile and organic living rooms and mezzanines that maximise usable space.

Weeties Factory home, Australia, by Spaceagency

A deep red carpet defines this guest room in a single-family Australian home, which consists of three consolidated apartments that once were part of a heritage-listed cereal factory.

The same red was carried into a curtain – which provides privacy from the living room below – and a corner chair, while built-in shelving sits at the entrance.

Find out more about Weeties Factory home ›

Barcelona apartment, Spain, by Eva Cotman

Guests sleep atop a platform in this Barcelona apartment, which also doubles as a storage area.

Croatian architect Eva Cotman sought to renovate the apartment to provide more open space. To optimize its functionality, she placed a bookshelf staircase in front of the guest bed.

Find out more about Barcelona apartment ›

Canal house, The Netherlands, by i29

To accommodate guests in this renovation of a canal house in Amsterdam, architecture studio i29 inserted a forest-green volume off the kitchen.

The guest suite also contains its own bathroom and access door to a garden, while a built-in bed and shelving provide rest and storage.

Find out more about Canal house ›

Beijing apartment, China, by Rooi

Plywood units were inserted into this 1950s Beijing apartment to organize and provide more space in its tight interior, which was created during an influx of people moving to urban areas when apartments were often compact.

A linear volume inserted along the kitchen and dining room can be used for storage, as a tea-drinking room, or as guest accommodations with a mattress placed on the floor. A bubble in the ceiling also provides a relaxing space for feline roommates.

Find out more about Beijing apartment ›

Rounded Loft, Czech Republic, by AI Architects

An attic in Prague was converted into a two-storey apartment, with living spaces, a kitchen and primary bedrooms located on the first floor and a guest suite located in a mezzanine.

In the mezzanine, a bed sits at the end of a long hall, while a bathroom sits adjacent to the stairs. A terrace in between the two spaces and skylights lining the roof provide a connection to the outdoors.

Find out more about Rounded Loft ›

False Bay Writer's Cabin, USA, by Olson Kundig

This cabin in Washington doubles as a study for its owners, as well as a bedroom for visiting guests when a bed is folded out of the wall.

The space is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass, which is protected by doors that fold up and enclose the entire cabin and fold down to create multiple porches.

Find out more about False Bay Writer's Cabin ›

Workhome-Playhome, The Netherlands, by Lagado Architects

The founders of Lagado Architects revamped their own Rotterdam apartment by inserting a bright blue staircase and colourful storage units.

An open loft-style room sits on the second floor. This has minimal furniture so that it can be quickly turned into an exercise room or used as guest accommodations for visitors.

Find out more about Workhome-Playhome ›

Madrid apartment, Spain, by Leticia Saá

A wash area sits outside a guest bedroom in this Madrid apartment to physically and visually separate the space from the remaining house.

The guest area, which sits directly in front of the primary bed, also faces an interior courtyard which separates both sleeping areas from the living room and kitchen.

Find out more about Madrid apartment ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring brightly-framed windows, tactile and organic living rooms and mezzanines that maximise usable space. 

The post Eight creative guest rooms that accommodate visitors in style appeared first on Dezeen.

Studio Gameiro has designed the interior of the Arriba apartment in the coastal town of Caparica, Portugal, using local stone and drawing on wooden fishing huts for inspiration.

The fit-out of the two-bedroom apartment, located inside a building from the 1980s, was designed to reference the coastal area of Caparica.

"The interior colour palette and texture was inspired by the beautiful coastline of Caparica, a unique fossil-rock formation along the coast with sandy and terracotta hues," studio founder Joāo Gameiro told Dezeen.

"This natural and protected area south of Lisbon has a particular and playful way of changing with light, and it is also almost poetically embedded in our childhood memories of long summer holidays, as it was the first seaside area close to the big city."

The sandy hues of the Caparica cliffs influenced the colour palette of the apartment, which is filled with beige and tan hues and named Arriba for the Portuguese word for cliff.

Studio Gameiro also referenced the 70-square-metre apartment's surroundings through its choice of materials, designing wooden kitchen cabinets in a nod to local fishing boats.

"The use of wood for the low kitchen cabinets relates to the [area's] fishing huts, which are characterised by vertical or horizontal lines of wooden planks," Gameiro said.

"The texture found in the upper cabinets also finds inspiration in the same source, resembling the straw utilized in the construction of these huts."

As with its interior scheme for the Austa restaurant in Almancil, the practice designed much of the furniture for the apartment, which it made from wood.

"Following the same input as in other Studio Gameiro projects, we always tend to design bespoke furniture as an extension of the ability to manipulate textures and materials and celebrate the craftsmanship we are very fortunate to work with," Gameiro explained.

"The use of Kambala wood was important, as a reference to the durable wood used at the fabrication of the fishing boats, for example."

In the kitchen, the studio added an L-shaped kitchen counter made from marble.

"We used Lioz marble, a type of stone extracted locally that has been used in kitchen counters for centuries due to its hard and extremely resistant surface," Gameiro said. "We also loved how it resonated with the sandy and terracotta hues of the hills nearby."

The apartment features an unusual bathroom, organised around a shower base that was designed to have an organic shape reminiscent of "shapes found on the beach", the studio said.

It was made from Moleanos stone – a type of Portuguese limestone set with the remains of sea shells – and was inspired by the coastal erosion that has affected the area.

"As in most of these coastal formations, it has previously suffered from erosion, which in this case was eventually stopped by the pro-active planting of the Caparica pine forest," Gameiro said.

"This is now considered a natural protected area and what is left is a coastal outline of ins and outs to and from the beach, which inspired the organic shape of the shower wall."

In the study, the studio added a bespoke desk and wooden shelving, while the bedroom has a custom-made make-up desk and a bespoke wooden bed.

Other recent Portuguese interior design projects featured on Dezeen include a Lisbon home by Fala Atelier and a boutique hotel by designer Christian Louboutin.

The photography is by Tiago Casanova.

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Brooklyn practice Almost Studio has completed an apartment renovation inside a former chocolate factory, retaining an open layout while adding level changes to demarcate functional spaces.

The Loft for a Chocolatier occupies part of a 1947 industrial building along Myrtle Avenue, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The apartment boasts many features typical of loft-style living, including high ceilings, large windows, and exposed pipes and ductwork.

In one sense, Almost Studio founders Anthony Gagliardi and Dorian Booth aimed to retain this character through an open floor plan, adding powder-coated white mesh boxes and metallic accents.

In another, the pair chose to denote or separate some of the functional areas using changes in angle or elevation.

They looked to artists like Kazimir Malevich and Josef Albers for ways to honour the original spatial composition while organising the various spaces.

"It became a way for us to distinguish different areas – such as entry, kitchen, living room, dining room, and office - through these subtle rotational moves in a space that was otherwise entirely open," said Gagliardi and Booth.

"In many lofts, every space is equally capable of hosting any activity, and is therefore equally inadequate to host any activity," the duo continued. "If a dining room can also be an office, gym, and workshop – is it the best place to have dinner?"

The apartment's dining room is therefore located on a raised platform at the end of the space, where the ceiling is also lowered using the mesh boxes.

This set-up aims to create "a closer relationship with the high loft windows, and light, as well as a smaller, more intimate space for conversations", Gagliardi and Booth said.

The raised area is accessed via a short staircase that's covered in green carpet and flanked by sculptural pale pink screens.

These elements – covered in Shirasu Kabe plaster – are indicative of the studio's approach to softening the industrial architecture, along with cork flooring and wainscoting, and upholstered seating.

Pale millwork fronts the pill-shaped kitchen island and curved cabinets behind, while other niches are left open and lined in chartreuse.

The kitchen counter integrates an area for a desk, used as a home office, where the shelving also continues overhead.

Meanwhile, corrugated metal surrounds a structural column that anchors the island, and the dining chairs have tubular steel frames.

At the opposite end from the dining room, another elevated portion of the space houses a bedroom, which is closed off from the rest of the apartment.

This space is more intimate, and features cream walls, built-in storage, and an arched niche beside the bed that’s lined with more green carpet for the owner's cats to nap in.

A fritted glass door slides across for privacy, and a series of shutters that offer views between the bedroom and the main living area can be closed when desired.

Brooklyn has many former industrial buildings that have been converted for residential use over the past decade.

Others include a 19th-century hat factory in Williamsburg that is now home to an apartment that doubles as a performance space and a warehouse in Dumbo where one loft features a book-filled mezzanine.

The photography is by Jonathan Hokklo.

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London practice Tuckey Design Studio has revamped a house in a converted chapel in Devon, England, revealing and restoring the building's original features.

To celebrate its ecclesiastic history, the Old Chapel house has been reworked to reverse "characterless" alterations made during its conversion in the 1970s and later in the 1990s.

This involved stripping back walls, reorganising the ground-floor bedrooms and creating a "grand main hall" on the first floor with an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, Tuckey Design Studio said.

"When we first stepped foot on site we were greeted by a characterless and muted interior that deceived the rich history and beautiful rural context," Tuckey Design Studio told Dezeen.

"White plasterboard covered the walls and ceiling, and carpeted floors smothered the first-floor nave, with crude interventions from the '90s haphazardly altering the building use into a compromised family home," it explained.

"We enhanced the open-plan character of the nave by cutting to reveal, accentuating the drama by exposing existing joists, repointing stone arches and uncovering existing floorboards."

To improve the home's circulation and connection between living spaces on both floors, a mezzanine level has been removed and the old north entrance to the chapel has been restored as the main entry hall.

Accessed through the garden, this entrance area leads visitors through the sleeping quarters and up to the main living area that is framed by a repointed stone arch and exposed timber joists.

At the centre of the main living space, a woodburning stove denotes the distinction between the lounging and dining zones.

A timber box reminiscent of a wooden pulpit has been tucked into the eaves of the kitchen to create space for an additional ensuite bedroom.

Replacing an existing extension that Tuckey Design Studio said had no "historic or architectural value" is a small courtyard on the ground floor, which offers access from two of the double bedrooms and improves cross ventilation.

A single-storey extension has been added to the southwest corner of Old Chapel to enlarge the ground-floor space for a generous family bathroom and small study.

The extension is topped by a roof accessible from the first floor's living space, providing views across the surrounding landscape.

Old Chapel's interior material and colour palette is defined by timber joists and flooring, exposed stone walls and plaster intended to create a calm atmosphere.

Many of these materials are reclaimed, including wooden floorboards and terracotta tiles, sourced from local construction sites and reclamation yards.

According to Tuckey Design Studio, the interior design is also designed to be sympathetic to the chapel's architecture, complementing and drawing on its historic building details.

"The home is self-referential in its historic function and appearance," said the studio.

"We implemented subtle details that nod to the building's heritage, such as carved niches recessed into the walls and cradling light fixtures alongside crafted arches, bows, and pitches, reminiscent of this period of sacral architecture."

Old Chapel is the latest retrofit undertaken by Tuckey Design Studio, the practice previously known as Jonathan Tuckey Design, which was founded in 2000.

Its other recent projects include the conversion of a former factory in Norway into a hotel and wellness centre and the restoration and extension of a traditional stone farmstead in Italy.

The photography is by James Brittain.

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London studio Mae Architects has created Harriet Hardy House in Southwark, a block of 119 social homes complete with a community centre and cafe.

Commissioned by Southwark Council, the housing forms part of the Aylesbury estate redevelopment and is organised in a U-shape around a central courtyard.

According to Mae Architects, Harriet Hardy House is designed as a "21st-century almshouse", which is traditionally a type of low-cost sheltered housing provided by a private charity.

Among its 119 homes are 54 extra care flats – a form of specialist housing for older residents.

"[Harriet Hardy House is] planned around the idea of progressive privacy, that is of giving residents independence as well as strong connections to the support and communal facilities within the building," explained the studio.

"The horseshoe configuration around the communal garden provides repeating views from inside to outside, and is an anchor focus throughout," it continued.

The ground floor is defined by a series of double-height arches that wrap this courtyard, creating a colonnade framing communal facilities such as a tea room, lounge and dining room.

Above, in the lower portion of the U-shaped plan, flats have been positioned off short, semi-outdoor decks overlooking the communal garden, with a generous width to give residents ample space to meet and sit.

At either end of the plan, the block is bookended by general needs housing for individuals, couples and families. A tower-like volume on the site's southeastern corner is topped with a rooftop terrace.

All of the flats have been designed as "care ready" and can be fitted with telecare and assistive technology if required.

The exterior of Harriet Hardy House is enlivened with areas of textured brickwork at the ground and roof levels, while the balconies are topped by arched concrete lintels.

"[The building] is characterised by deeply articulated facades with arched balconies and a brick colonnade at ground floor level, which adds interest and positive aspect to the streetscape," said Mae Architects.

"In its treatment of decorative brickwork and bold language of double height arches, specific reference is made to the Sir John Soane's St Peter’s Church nearby, and to the brick kilns in Burgess Park," it added.

Last year Mae Architects was awarded the 2023 RIBA Stirling Prize for the John Morden Centre, a daycare centre for the residents of the Morden College retirement community that explored solutions to loneliness and social isolation.

Other recently completed social housing projects include a triangular apartment block enlivened by red accents in Barcelona and an "eclectic" housing block that draws on nearby historic villas in Paris.

The photography is by Tim Crocker.

Project credits:

Architect: Mae
Client: Southwark Council
Main contractor: Hill Group
Project manager/ EA services: Notting Hill Housing / Arcadis
Landscape architecture: HTA
Mechanical and electrical services: WSP, Emersons, JSW
Structural/civil engineer: Price & Myers
Cost consultant: Arcadis

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Canadian studio Omar Gandhi Architects has completed a cedar-wrapped house "inspired by the scattered boulders" that trail down the seaside property in Hubbards, Nova Scotia.

Known as Rockbound, the 4100-square foot (380-square metre) home sits on a rocky, sloped three-acre site overlooking a bay that connects the property to Peggy's Cove, a national historic site that can be seen across the water.

Omar Gandhi Architects (OGA) completed the three-bedroom house in 2023 for a couple, incorporating additional space for an ageing parent.

The house presents as two interlocked, stacking boxes – that are meant to weather over time to match the pale grey of the sky – perched on a hillside.

"The exterior is extremely minimal in its massing," said OGA principal Omar Gandhi.

"It was important that if we were going to veer from the more traditional homes of the area, we maintain a simple and quiet modernist language."

Naturally weathering cedar boards were interspersed with detail elements of Corten steel to form picture frame hoops around the windows.

"Approaching the building from the public side, a sense of privacy and shelter welcomes visitors," the team said.

"The front door, carefully positioned within the foyer, tantalizes with hints of what lies beyond. Stepping around the corner, the space opens up, revealing breathtaking vistas of the water."

The linear house was organized to place social areas facing the rocky coastline, service areas were placed facing the hillside.

The dining and living rooms have walls of windows looking east and lead to a large, semi-covered deck, "which harnesses the full impact of the weather".

Upstairs, the primary suite faces the sea with a large balcony – which cantilevers over the ground floor, passively shading the large amounts of glazing – while the bathrooms are tucked on the western side.

On the interior, white oak, tile in muted tones, and natural woods provide a pale, neutral palette juxtaposed by raw steel that creates focal points at the staircase and fireplace.

"Warm tones of tile and millwork create a harmonious counterbalance to the cool greys and blues of the bay, enveloping occupants in a serene and inviting atmosphere," the team said, noting the restrained interior that allows attention to shift to the dramatic view of the coastline.

According to Gandhi, the biggest challenge of the design was navigating the intricate rocky subterranean soil conditions, which required the house to bridge seam in the bedrock.

In the end, the house was designed to bridge a gap between two massive rocky conditions.

"Beyond its visually striking exterior, the true innovation of Rockbound lies in the unseen engineering," the team explained, lauding the collaboration with Blackwell Structural Engineers to redistribute the structural loads through a system of micro-piles.

The system ensured stability and structural integrity, while the graceful steel-and-wood frame was designed to resist hurricane-force winds.

Also in Nova Scotia, Omar Gandhi Architects recently lifted a Corten steel cabin on a forested hillside and mixed two types of cedar to cantilever boxes off of an expansive home overlooking the sea.

The photography is by Ema Peter.

Project credits:

Design and landscape design: Omar Gandhi Architects (Omar Gandhi, Jordan Rice)
Builders: MRB Contracting
Structural engineering: Blackwell Structural Engineers
Civil engineering: Stantec & Harbourside Geotechnical Consultants

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British studio Mole Architects has created Alde Valley Barn, a brick-clad holiday home on a farmyard in Suffolk that dates back to the 17th century.

The four-bedroom house replaces a steel-framed barn, which was added to the farm in the English town of Aldeburgh in the 20th century.

Mole Architects' design is deliberately simple, referencing the architecture of the barn it replaced while respecting the main 17th-century farmhouse beside it.

"The new building is designed as one of the barn structures that are subservient to the main historic farmhouse, retaining the sense of a collection of simple buildings and their associated outdoor spaces," the studio told Dezeen.

Alde Valley Barn has a timber structure and traditional gabled form wrapped in brick cladding, broken up by sliding doors, large picture windows and black wooden panels.

Mole Architects left the structure exposed internally but concealed it externally with the brick cladding, which was chosen to echo the surrounding structures at the farmyard.

Inside, Alde Valley Barn's ground floor contains four bedrooms, while a living area, snug and open-plan kitchen and dining room occupy the floor above. They are connected by both a lift and a staircase.

The top level opens up to a balcony on two sides to capture the morning and evening sun, allowing occupants to "experience the house at different times during the day".

"The morning terrace overlooking the pond is next to the kitchen and dining room, which open up to the sun and views," said Mole Architects.

"The west terrace allows access at the end of the day to a small enclosed garden next to the field that gets late evening summer sun."

As part of a strategy to minimise the carbon footprint of Alde Valley Barn, wood fibre is used as insulation and photovoltaic panels on the roof generate electricity that contributes to its energy supply.

Other homes created by Mole Architects include the Freeholders house in Wells-next-the-Sea and Fijal House in Cambridgeshire.

The photography by Nick Guttridge and Rachael Smith.

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Planted balconies surround open living spaces at this house in Bangalore, designed by Indian studio 4site Architects for a nature-loving family.

Named House of Greens, the four-bedroom home is informed by Bangalore's history of green spaces and parks, which have earned it the moniker of the "garden city" of India.

"As a tribute to Bangalore, the theme of the house is to reflect the garden and abundance of green spaces," 4site Architect's founder Chandrakant Kanthigavi told Dezeen.

"The concept of the house was carefully conceived to offer a garden experience in every space," he added.

The rectilinear volume of House of Greens is defined by its oversized floor plates, which extend outwards to provide space for large garden terraces edged with trailing plants.

Entering via a parking space and porch sheltered by one of these floor plates, a paved path leads into the home's entrance area. Beyond this is a large L-shaped living, dining and kitchen space, which hugs the rear garden.

In this living space, a double-height space has been carved out and lined with folding, wood-framed glass doors that open onto the rear garden.

On the opposite side of the home, a prayer room sits alongside a smaller, more private garden with a paved path leading past the main bedroom to a seating area at the front of the home.

Above, a more private family lounge is flanked by two additional bedrooms and a study, and on the second floor, another bedroom sits alongside a gym that opens onto the House of Greens' large rooftop terrace.

The home's external finishes are pared back to create a plain backdrop for the extensive planting. On the first floor and eastern facade, a wall of textured, brown laterite stone is punctured by narrow openings.

For the interiors, more contemporary finishes are combined with the work of local artists and craftspeople, including a butterfly chandelier in the living room and bird murals on the first floor.

"We wanted to create a 'pavilion-like' setting for all common spaces, [and] we have weaved a common theme of a biophilic material palette that enhances the outdoor atmosphere," said Kanthigavi.

Other homes recently completed in India include The Infinite Rise by Earthscape Studio and a skylit home by A Threshold that offers a "seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living".

The photography is by Ekansh Goel of Studio Recall.

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American firm Lake Flato Architects has completed a family retreat on Long Island that consists of three barn-like structures wrapped in cedar and constructed using prefabricated timber elements.

The project, called North Fork, sits within the quiet town of Peconic and is named after its location on Long Island's North Fork.

Located about two hours by car from New York City, the agrarian area is known for its family farms and vineyards, along with its strong connection to the sea.

"The North Fork is a place of simple barns, farms and quaint harbors, and it is from there that we drew our inspiration for the buildings of the house," said Texas-based Lake Flato Architects, the founders of which recently received the AIA Gold Medal.

Perched on a sand dune, the residence consists of three basic structures – a main dwelling, a utility/studio building and a guest house – all casually arranged around a central open space.

"The three buildings create a loosely defined central farm courtyard out of the soft, tree-covered sand dune," the team said.

All of the buildings feature barn-like forms, dark-stained cedar siding, and gabled roofs covered in metal.

For interior finishes, the team used an abundance of wood, including white-washed pine, ebonised oak, reclaimed heart pine and plywood.

Timber was used for the structural framing, and many components were fabricated off-site.

"To reduce construction time and to create a well-crafted wood structure, we had the bones of the house prefabricated in New Hampshire – a wood construction mecca – and shipped across the channel to Orient Point," the team said.

"This arrival by barge of the bulk of the house seemed especially fitting for a place that is so intimately tied to the water."

Designed to be used during all seasons, the house serves as a nature retreat for a Brooklyn family.

The main dwelling, called the "living barn", is long and rectangular in plan and totals 4,206 square feet (391 square metres).

One side holds the kitchen, dining area and living room, while the other encompasses the bedrooms.

The public area features a concrete hearth with a plaster finish. The kitchen is fitted with oak millwork and soapstone countertops.

During the summer, windows can be opened up to bring in cool breezes from the bay. In the winter, the house can be buttoned up and protected from harsh coastal weather.

"In the winter, the cosy compact house – with its efficient kitchen and adjacent living area – is a great place to enjoy the storms rising up from the bay," the team said.

A walkway connects the main house to the utility/studio barn, which contains a garage and an exercise area on the ground floor and a workspace up above.

Situated farther away is the guest house, which was created from a pre-existing building that originally was a carriage house. It now contains three bedrooms and a living area.

The property also features a swimming pool.

Lake Flato is based in Texas. In an exclusive interview with the Dezeen, the founders, Ted Flato and David Lake, espoused the need to focus on regionalism to make buildings more sustainable.

Its other residential projects include a house in the Texas Hill Country consisting of pyramidal forms wrapped in large-format Corten shingles and a ranch house in the rural town of Marfa made of rammed earth.

The photography is by Joe Fletcher and Dean Kaufman.

Project credits:

Architecture and interiors: Lake|Flato Architects

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A gridded facade of fibre cement, glass and large blinds defines this house in western Slovakia, designed by local studio Beef Architekti.

Called House of Grid, the single-storey home in the city of Trnava is designed to offer a seamless connection between its interior and exterior spaces.

Beef Architekti has lined the colonnaded facade with large blinds, which open up the spaces behind them into "outdoor rooms" for use in the hot summer months while providing solar shading.

Between them, pale fibre cement clads the load-bearing walls and columns, designed for a pared-back look that stands out within its surroundings.

"The intention was to create a generous spatial framework with a seamless visual axis, which runs from the entrance right through to the garden," the studio told Dezeen.

"The house stands out in its local context for its austerity and purity," it continued.

Inside, House of Grid contains a living, dining and kitchen space and two bedrooms. These are positioned around a courtyard with a mature tree and stepping stones, reminiscent of a Japanese rock garden.

On entering, the hallway leads directly to the open-plan living space and the colonnade beyond, emphasising the visual and physical connection between the interior and the garden.

The interior is finished with varying textures of marble, oak, and painted and milled MDF, providing a warm and natural look to all spaces.

"Extensive wall surfaces, floors, and built-in furniture are articulated through a play of material textures," said Beef Architekti. "Smooth surfaces alternate with textured finishes, creating an interplay of contrasts."

Beef Architekti is a Slovakian architectural studio founded by Rado Buzinkay and Andrej Ferenčík.

Other Slovakian homes featured on Dezeen include an old mill and farm conversion by RDTH Architekti and a trapezoidal building framing views of a forest by Ksa Studený.

The photography is by Matej Hakár.

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Unprotected modernist houses are at risk of demolition as land often holds greater value than architectural heritage, says conservation group Docomomo US in response to actor Chris Pratt tearing down a home by architect Craig Ellwood.

Pratt and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger drew attention online when news broke that the couple had begun work on a 15,000-square-foot home in place of the Zimmerman House by Ellwood, who designed buildings in Los Angeles from the early 1950s to the mid-1970s.

Located in the Brentwood area, across the street from a house owned by Schwarzenegger's mother, the Zimmerman House was completed in 1950 and was one of Ellwood's earliest projects.

It was demolished by Pratt and Schwarzenegger, who wanted to make use of the land for a sprawling mansion.

Docomomo US executive director Liz Waytkus claims the demolition of the mid-century home is part of a wider issue of sought-after land and location taking priority over the significance of historic homes.

"The problem is systemic," she told Dezeen. "Older mid-century homes are smaller and underbuilt for their plots of land."

"The land has become more valuable than the house, and even if people understand the value of such a home, location and land value often trump architectural significance."

The Zimmerman House was a one-storey home with original landscaping by Garrett Eckbo, which was also destroyed in the demolition.

The house was sold to Pratt at the end of last year. In a video taken at the home's estate sale in 2020, which was recently shared on Tiktok, its structure and original fixtures appeared to be in good condition.

Waytkus likened the Zimmerman House demolition to the loss of the Geller I house in Long Island by modernist architect Marcel Breuer, which was torn down in January 2022.

She stressed that Docomomo US works to educate people on the history of homes like these, striving for the best outcomes for historic homes without treading on individual private property rights.

The group is currently working with the Southampton Village Board of Architectural Review and Historic Preservation on the protection of five homes in Southampton, Long Island, including a 1979 house designed by architect Norman Jaffe, which the original owner plans to demolish.

Waytkus expressed that conversations with property owners are important to protect the legacy of historic homes and at the very least, have them properly documented.

"We are reasonable people and would have appreciated the property owners having a conversation with community leaders such as Docomomo US/SoCal and the Los Angeles Conservancy in [the Zimmerman House] case, before pulling the demolition permit," Waytkus said.

"At a minimum, some elements could have been retained or reused and the property should have been documented."

"The homeowners also could have avoided this negative publicity by extending the opportunity for communication and collaboration with our community," she added. "We are always open to having those conversations."

Non-profit preservation group Los Angeles Conservancy flagged the planned demolition of the Zimmerman House in January, but no protections were made.

In 2022, Waytkus wrote that the demolition of Breuer's Geller I house should be a wake-up call to protect modern buildings, which was followed up by Docomomo's selection of 11 significant 20th-century buildings at risk of demolition in the US.

The photography is by Julius Shulman via Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles.

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Slovenian studio OFIS Arhitekti has completed Frame House, a family home in Ljubljana clad in red-brick tiles that play on the area's pitched-roof buildings.

Frame House is located in the city's suburbs and designed by OFIS Arhitekti with a footprint of 200 square metres so as not to intrude on the site's large rear garden.

The home has a geometric form, fronted by a large canopy with pitched sides. This shelters a paved entrance patio intended as a place for the client's children to play.

OFIS Arhitekti placed a hole in the canopy to provide an existing tree with light and space to grow.

"As the client loves gardening the idea was to place the house in a way that keeps the back garden as large as possible," OFIS Arhitekti co-founder Rok Oman told Dezeen.

"Therefore the back of the house is flat and simple, while the entrance yard provides sufficient space for cars and is partly covered with a canopy also creates space for kids to play," he added.

Frame House's cut-out on the front elevation contains the entrance and access to a single-storey storage area, both clad in blackened timber.

Inside, OFIS Arhitekti has created a ground-floor living, dining and kitchen space with views of the garden through large sliding glass doors that open onto a stone-paved terrace.

On the home's northwestern side, the kitchen is lined by full-height windows and perforated metal screens to provide greater privacy.

Three bedrooms are located on the first floor, which leads onto a rooftop terrace to the north. This is sheltered by a sloping parapet created by the canopy at the front of the home.

Frame House's exterior is deliberately simple, clad entirely in red-brick tiles typically used on roofs, with areas of perforation made to offer glimpses into and out of the interiors.

"Red brick is traditional material for the pitched 45 degrees-roof residential houses that mostly surrounds the area," said Oman.

"However the main volume of Frame House has a flat roof so in a way the red-brick envelope creates a sort of play with the idea of a traditional red-brick pitched roof," he added.

Inside, this reddish-brown exterior is contrasted by exposed concrete walls and ceilings and pale wooden floors, chosen to create "cosy and comfy" spaces that provide a minimal backdrop to the garden.

OFIS Arhiteki is led by Oman and Spela Videcnik. Previous projects by the studio include a glazed star-gazing retreat in Andalusia and a prototype house built from adaptable modules.

The photography is by Tomaz Gregoric.

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Walls of exposed concrete define this skinny house in Saitama, Japan, which local studio IGArchitects designed with a width of just 2.7 metres.

Named 2700, the home is designed for a young couple on a long and thin site left over following a road expansion in the city, which is close to Tokyo.

To maximise usable space, IGArchitects created a series of layered living spaces across two storeys, with flexible spaces on the ground floor and private spaces on the first floor.

"Land in Tokyo and surrounding cities is very expensive," IGArchitects founder Masato Igarashi told Dezeen.

"We thought we could shape the possibility of living in the city by directly forming the idea of living in Tokyo with the readiness to live on a small piece of land that most people would not even look at," he continued.

IGArchitects described 2700 as a "concrete box" with eight chunky concrete columns rising through it to support the upper storey.

The site is open to the north, south and west. Taking advantage of this, IGArchitects placed windows on all four facades of the home, allowing natural light to pour in.

On the ground floor, windows are placed at a clerestory height to provide privacy. Upstairs, smaller slot windows punctuate the concrete to provide light to the bedroom, bathroom and hallway.

"[The] building is composed of simple geometry, yet with a floating heavy-looking mass that creates a seemingly uneasy appearance," said Igarashi.

"The intention was to create a state in which these two spaces correspond and complement each other," he explained.

Wooden double doors lead into the home's open-plan living space, where wooden platforms step up and down to define different areas. A small kitchenette is followed by a dining area, with a seating area to the rear.

A compact staircase at the centre of the plan leads from the dining room up to the first-floor landing, connecting the bathroom and bedroom that are positioned to the north and south respectively.

"The space feels like the inside of a cave, with tall walls and large pillars," explained Igarashi. "However, as it goes further inside, windows get closer, and the space feels closer to outside."

The interior spaces of 2700 are finished in a pared-back palette of just four materials, allowing the client's furniture and belongings space to take centre stage.

Many residential projects by IGArchitects have focused on creating similarly flexible and deliberately simple living spaces.

Previous examples include a pair of family homes with open-plan living spaces framed by slender timber columns and a lantern-like dwelling with translucent windows.

The photography is by Ooki Jingu.

Project credits:

Architect: IGArchitects
Lead architect: Masato Igarashi
Engineering: Yousuke Misaki, EQSD
Collaborators: Susumu Murata, Kamo Craft
Construction: Toru Inagaki, Yasugoro Inagaki Inc.

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Shades of green, red and yellow run throughout this lookbook, which collects nine home interiors enlivened by colourful window frames.

Whether painted wood, plastic or metal, opting for colourful window frames is an easy way to brighten a residential interior.

The examples in this lookbook demonstrate how they can be used to create a focal point in a pared-back space, draw attention to a view or simply help establish a colour theme.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring organic modern interiors, eclectic hotels and flooring that enhances the connection between indoors and outdoors.

Camberwell Cork House, UK, by Delve Architects

A bright forest green paint lines the window frames at Camberwell Cork House, helping to draw focus to the lush planting outside.

The paint juxtaposes the deliberately simple, white-walled interiors of the house extension, while outside it pops from against walls of tactile cork cladding.

Find out more about Camberwell Cork House ›

House 669, Sweden, by HelgessonGonzaga Arkitekter

HelgessonGonzaga Arkitekter incorporated sunny yellow frames throughout House 669, a prefabricated home it created in Stockholm.

The irregularly placed windows help enliven the otherwise neutral finishes to the home while adding a sense of "individuality" to its uniform structure, the studio said.

Find out more about House 669 ›

Cork House, UK, by Nimtim Architects

Another studio to have married bright window frames with cork cladding is Nimtim Architects. At this extension in London, the studio punctured the cork-lined walls with Barbie pink timber frames, offering a contemporary counterpoint to the Victorian house to which it is attached.

The windows are complemented by more subtle pops of pink inside, including the kitchen splashback and metal legs of the dining chairs.

Find out more about Cork House ›

Bouça Family House, Portugal, by Fahr 021.3

Turquoise accents feature throughout this family home by Fahr 021.3 in Porto, including its window frames and doors.

The colour was intended to help liven up the interiors, which are finished with white walls, wooden floorboards and wall panelling, while also giving the home "an element of distinction", the studio said.

Find out more about Bouça Family House ›

Valetta House, UK, by Office S&M

Among the distinguishing features of the Valetta House loft extension in London are its yellow-framed arch windows, three of which feature in one of the bedrooms.

Office S&M modelled these on the arched sash windows found in neighbouring Victorian residences but gave them a vivid yellow finish to appeal to the client's children. The colour was based on a light fitting the client had picked for the kitchen.

Find out more about Valetta House ›

Dailly, Belgium, by Mamout

Slender sage-green frames trim the window openings in Dailly, a courtyard house nestled between two buildings in Belgium.

It is among the pastel tones that its architect Mamout has used to bring character to the home, in addition to an array of reclaimed materials sourced from a warehouse that previously occupied the site.

Find out more about Dailly ›

Ugly House, UK, by Lipton Plant Architects

Ugly House is a 1970s house in Berkshire that Lipton Plant Architects expanded with a contrasting two-storey extension.

A bright orange finish was chosen for the windows, including the large garden-facing opening in the kitchen that juxtaposes pastel-blue cabinetry and wooden floorboards.

Find out more about Ugly House ›

House in Ancede, Portugal, by Atelier Local

Large rectangular and circular windows bring light inside House in Ancede, which Atelier Local completed on a sloped site in a nature reserve near Porto.

The openings are outlined with bright red aluminium, brightening the cool-toned interiors that are defined by exposed blockwork and concrete to evoke brutalist architecture.

Find out more about House in Ancede ›

Yellow House, UK, by Nimtim Architects

Another project on the list by Nimtim Architects is Yellow House, named after the spectrum of yellow-green hues that run throughout its interior.

This includes the buttercup-coloured wooden frames of the rear picture window and three skylights in the living room, which stand out against a backdrop of white walls and neutral furnishings.

Find out more about Yellow House ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring tactile organic modern interiors, eclectic hotels and flooring that enhances the connection between indoors and outdoors. 

The post Nine home interiors brightened with colourful window frames appeared first on Dezeen.

A "classical" two-storey colonnade characterises this family home in the South Downs National Park, completed by London studio Sandy Rendel Architects.

Named Bury Gate Farm, the five-bedroom house replaces a 1950s bungalow on a sloped site on the outskirts of Pulborough, which overlooks fields and woodland.

According to Sandy Rendel Architects, it is designed as a modern interpretation of a "parkland villa", intended to complement both the rural site and local vernacular.

This led to its colonnaded southern elevation, which draws on classical architecture but is crafted from concrete and brick, offering a more contemporary look.

"The South Downs National Park requires a landscape-led approach that respects local character," Sandy Rendel Architects founder Sandy Rendel told Dezeen.

"The challenge was how to craft sensitive contemporary design that responds to and enhances this protected landscape without resorting to historic mimicry," he continued.

Bury Gate Farm has a stepped plan, with living spaces positioned to the south and organised linearly along the colonnade.

"The colonnade offers the building presence and scale in the wider landscape and a classical order that is reminiscent of a parkland villa," said Rendel.

"On a more pragmatic level, it also provides passive solar shading to the large areas of glazing on the south facade and sheltered external pockets from which to enjoy the landscape," he added.

Externally, the home is defined by a palette of brick and rammed and precast concrete. Their muted tones were selected to complement the oak trees in the woodland to the north, as well as stone architecture in the area.

"The predominant historic local sandstone and ironstone are a key feature of the local built environment but unfortunately are no longer quarried in a quality suitable for building stone," Rendel explained.

"Instead their tones and textures were reflected in the new house with a simple palette of materials consisting of waterstruck brickwork combined with rammed and precast concrete," he continued.

Inside Bury Gate Farm, the walls are finished in clay plaster and the floors with timber, providing a warm and natural look to all spaces.

The home is complete with a large rooftop array of solar panels, an air source heat pump and an MVHR system to enhance its energy performance.

Sandy Rendel Architects is a London studio founded by Rendel in 2010. Previous projects by the studio include a barrel-vaulted barn conversion in West Sussex and a narrow house slotted into a disused alley in Peckham.

The photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

Project credits: 

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In this lookbook, we collect eight kitchens that contrast rough and smooth textures, glossy and grainy surfaces, and a variety of colours for an overall eye-catching interior.

The kitchens in this roundup exemplify how a combination of seemingly clashing materials can create a rich and interesting palette.

Some opted for contrasting a number of cool-toned colours with warmer hues, while others made a striking impact by setting colours on opposite sides of the colour wheel side-by-side, like greens with pink or red.

Here are eight kitchens with eye-catching material palettes made up of contrasting colours and textures.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring eclectic hotel interiors, organic modern living rooms and homes where continuous flooring creates a connection between indoors and outdoors.

Brunswick apartment, Australia, by Murray Barker and Esther Stewart

Architect Murray Barker and artist Esther Stewart opted for colours and materials in keeping with mid-century interiors when updating this 1960s apartment in Melbourne's Brunswick neighbourhood.

The duo reconfigured the apartment layout, creating an L-shaped kitchen with pistachio green units set against red Rosa Alicante marble on the tabletop, worktops and backsplash.

Find out more about the Brunswick apartment ›

St John Street, UK, by Emil Eve Architects

In its renovation of a London warehouse apartment, local studio Emil Eve Architects aimed to add warmth and colour to the interior without losing its industrial character.

In the kitchen, the glossy and colourful surfaces of the dark green wall tiles and bright yellow pendant lights contrast with the rough textures of the exposed concrete structure and brick walls.

Find out more about the St John Street ›

Lovers Walk, Ireland, by Kingston Lafferty Design

Dublin studio Kingston Lafferty Design also used a red-toned stone in this family home in Cork, Ireland.

The kitchen was overhauled with red tones in various mix-matched materials, including ruby-hued timber cabinets with bright red trims and veiny red quartzite used in the island, splashback and countertops.

This was contrasted with cool tones in the polished floor and steel-blue-painted ceiling.

Find out more about Lovers Walk ›

Locke am Platz, Switzerland, by Sella Concept

Smooth, red cabinets are set against a blue-green marble back and worktop in this kitchenette, which is located in a studio apartment in the Locke am Platz hotel in Zurich.

London design studio Sella Concept used vibrant colours and an assortment of different materials throughout the hotel interior, with the aim of "juxtaposing modernism with a classic theatrical flair".

Find out more about Locke am Platz ›

Paris apartment, France, by Hauvette & Madani

Green and pink tiles create a contrasting wall pattern in the kitchen of this Haussman-era Parisian apartment, which was revamped by local design studio Hauvette & Madani.

Light pink wall cabinets and a bright green stove complement the wall pattern behind them, while a sculptural wooden table adds to the eclectic selection of mixed and matched furniture throughout the home.

Find out more about the Paris apartment ›

Dumbo Loft, USA, by Crystal Sinclair Designs

This loft apartment in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighbourhood was renovated by interiors studio Crystal Sinclair Designs, which aimed to add European flair to the industrial space.

The studio offset the cool tones of the steely appliances and grey-veined arabascato marble with a wooden farmhouse-style island and deep-red qashqai rug.

Find out more about Dumbo Loft ›

Budge Over Dover, Australia, YSG

Paired-back hues in the terracotta brick flooring and Marmorino plaster walls provide the backdrop to a rich material palette in the Budge Over Dover house in Sydney, which was revamped by interior design studio YSG.

The studio used a combination of raw and polished finishes in the open-plan kitchen and living room, with black-stained timber cabinetry and a kitchen island composed of a Black Panther marble worktop set atop an aged brass base.

Find out more about Budge Over Dover ›

Jewellery Box, UK, by Michael Collins Architects

Jewellery Box is a two-storey extension to a terraced house in London by Michael Collins Architects, which is characterised by vibrant interiors concealed by a subdued exterior.

The kitchen features bright blue units that contrast with shiny gold backsplashes and slender handles on the tall cabinets.

Find out more about Jewellery Box ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring eclectic hotel interiors, organic modern living rooms and homes where continuous flooring creates a connection between indoors and outdoors.

The post Eight kitchens with striking material palettes of contrasting colours and textures appeared first on Dezeen.

A dwelling with a "tin hat" by Nimtim Architects and a colourful extension by Charles Holland are among the 16 London homes named on the shortlist for this year's Don't Move, Improve! competition.

A triangular house in a former garage by studio Brown Urbanism is also on the shortlist, alongside an extension by Cairn that is the first structure in the UK to be built from a low-carbon cement called LC3.

It is the fourteenth edition of the annual awards programme, hosted by New London Architecture (NLA), which aims to celebrate "the diversity of homes across the capital" – specifically those that have been renovated or extended.

NLA's head of content Federico Ortiz hopes that the 2024 shortlist will become a useful resource for people in the city looking to improve their homes.

"The shortlist for Don't Move, Improve! 2024 is an extraordinary showcase of innovation and creativity, offering a unique resource for Londoners who want to reimagine their living spaces and keep calling their neighbourhoods home," said Ortiz.

Other projects on the list include the pink-hued Aden Grove by Emil Eve, the light-filled Apartment with a Mezzanine by Office Ten Architecture and the renovation of the 1960s Chelsea Brut by Pricegore.

Whittaker Parsons' wood-lined Flitch Cottage extension also made the cut, alongside The Green Machine by Suprblk Studio and Heyford Avenue by Manuel Urbina Studio.

Other extensions up for the prize include one in Stoke Newington by VATRAA and the Perforated House by Novak Hiles Architects in Wandsworth, which is named after its perforated brickwork.

The final four projects competing this year are Two-Up Two-Down House by Khan Bonshek, Wimbledon Villa by Gundry + Ducker, Jacob's Flat by Paul Archer Design and Hillside House by Mike Tuck Studio.

The projects were shortlisted from over 150 entries by a jury made up of urban design manager at London Borough of Camden Ed Jarvis, architecture director of Wallpaper* magazine Ellie Stathaki, David Kohn Architects associate Jennifer Dyne and Hilson Moran sustainability director Marie-Louise Schembri.

The jury highlighted the standout trends for 2024 as the use of sustainable materials, bold colour palettes and cost-efficient solutions.

This year's overall winner will be revealed at a ceremony on 14 May at The London Centre, alongside other prizes including the People's Choice Award, which is now open for voting.

Last year's overall winner was The Secret Garden Flat, designed by Nic Howett Architect to feel "like an oasis" in the city.

Other winners included Low Energy House by Architecture for London, which took home the Environmental Leadership Prize, and CLT House by Unknown Works, which received the Unique Character Prize.

Scroll down to see all 16 shortlisted projects:

Aden Grove by Emil Eve

Apartment with a Mezzanine by Office Ten Architecture

Chelsea Brut by Pricegore

Flitch Cottage by Whittaker Parsons

The Green Machine by Suprblk Studio

Heyford Avenue by Manuel Urbina Studio

Hillside House by Mike Tuck Studio

House extension in Stoke Newington by VATRAA

A House in East London by Charles Holland Architects

House Made by Many Hands by Cairn

Jacob's Flat by Paul Archer Design

Perforated House by Novak Hiles Architects

Tin Hat by Nimtim Architects

Triangle House by Brown Urbanism

Two-Up Two-Down House by Khan Bonshek

Wimbledon Villa by Gundry + Ducker

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French studio Barrault Pressacco has completed the 102LET house outside Montpellier, mimicking the area's suburban architecture to conceal an interior defined by bright, open spaces.

Positioned on a sloping site in the village of Pradez-le-Lez, the single-family home aims to challenge the typical standards of suburban housing, proposing a "new model" for the area.

"Urban development zones are invested in by private developers who propose identical, copy-and-paste houses," Barrault Pressacco told Dezeen.

"Architects have the skills needed to reinvent this model, to inject contemporary lifestyles into it, to propose virtuous construction methods and local materials, to work on the quality of spaces, while keeping the economy in check," it continued.

According to Barrault Pressacco, the floor plan was developed to create a "fluid lifestyle between indoor and outdoors", while local planning regulations required the building to match the colours and finishes of the area's existing "Mediterranean-style" homes.

The home's more private spaces, such as its bedroom and bathrooms, occupy the partially-sunken back of the building, allowing the front to be used as an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area.

Partially double-height, a focal point of this living area is a large staircase finished in exposed wood and black metal, leading to an additional two rooms on the home's first floor.

At the front of 102LET, a wall of sliding glass doors opens onto a covered patio, sheltered by a tiled pitched roof, typical of the area. This roof is supported by a row of slender concrete columns framing the garden beyond.

"Within the building envelope, the boundaries between inside and outside are blurred, but the limit between the landscape and architecture is sharp," explained Barrault Pressacco.

"In a landscape often devastated by fences and palisades, we choose to address privacy through architecture," it continued.

Internally, the studio prioritised deliberately simple, economical finishes, leaving much of 102LET's concrete structure and wooden roof exposed and complemented by white plasterwork.

"Inside the house, we opened up as much as possible and freed up the floor plan to encourage communal living," explained the studio. "The form and the materials are simple, the concrete visible. The choice of the structure of the house made this possible."

Paris-based Barrault Pressacco was founded in 2009 by Thibaut Barrault and Cyril Pressacco. Previous projects by the studio include a mixed-use block that referenced typical Parisian apartments but was constructed using biomaterials.

Other recently completed houses in France include the old farmhouse in Normandy overhauled by Studio Guma and the tiled Maison Jericho by Olivia Fauvelle Architecture.

The photography is by Severin Malaud unless stated.

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A large tree lies at the heart of a cedar-clad residence in southern California designed by US studio Brett Farrow Architect, which used various tactics to "meld nature into the home's ethos".

Located in the beach town of Encinitas, just north of San Diego, the house was designed to replace a family's existing ranch-style home that no longer fit their needs.

Brett Farrow Architect, which is based in the nearby town of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, set out to create a new residence that embodied a spirit of place.

"The design of the home is a reflection on the natural environment and climate of coastal southern California," the studio said.

Roughly square in plan, the new house rises two levels and totals 3,223 square feet (299 square metres).

Facades are clad in Western red cedar that was lightly finished to preserve the wood's "natural beauty and unique character". The same cedar is found within the dwelling.

"Exterior finishes were used on the interior to create a pleasant confusion upon entry and a questioning of where the outside ended and the inside began," the studio said.

Early in the design process, a guiding concern for the team was preserving a large, native Torrey pine tree that had been planted decades earlier and had grown to dominate the site.

"Although majestic in many ways, the tree, unfortunately, put the entire site in shade and made for a gloomy interior in the existing home," the studio said.

To ensure brighter conditions in the new residence, the team inserted a courtyard into the plan, creating a dedicated space for the pine tree. Glazed walls were placed around the courtyard to bring in sunlight.

The team located the main living space on the upper level, within the tree's "sunlit branches".

"This was the first step in a design that sought to meld nature into the home's ethos and combine it with classic California notions of being able to enjoy outdoor living year-round," the studio said.

In an unfortunate twist, the pine tree began to lean during the design stage and ultimately had to be removed. The clients opted to plant another tree in its place, and the original design was kept intact.

The courtyard now holds a seven-metre-tall tree called a coast live oak, which was craned into place shortly before the house was completed.

The tree acts as a screen, shielding certain areas of the house from street view and blocking some of the "powerful afternoon sun" that comes from the west.

Within the home, one finds a fluid layout and a casual atmosphere.

The ground level contains a study, two bedrooms, a family room and a garage. The family room opens toward a backyard with a cold plunge pool, swimming pool and casita.

The upper level encompasses the public space and a third bedroom.

Rooms feature a mix of earthy and industrial materials, including wooden ceiling beams and cast-in-place concrete walls and flooring.

Large windows and sliding glass doors – some up to 18-feet (six-metres) wide – were incorporated throughout the home to diminish the boundary between inside and out.

The team used a layering effect to provide privacy while maintaining a strong connection to the outdoors.

"This layering of the home's functions with courtyards, decks and plantings provide privacy where needed and opportunities to enjoy views out to the Pacific," the team said.

Other California projects by Brett Farrow Architect include "chiseled" rowhouses near an ecological reserve in Carlsbad and the conversion of a shabby auto shop into a mixed-use complex for working, dining and drinking.

The photography is by Auda & Auda Photography.

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A green-steel structure and walls of exposed blockwork and plywood feature inside this house and artist's studio in Paris by local practice Jean Benoît Vétillard Architecture.

Named Maison Nana, the home is located on a dense urban plot in Bagnolet and provides a series of flexible spaces organised around a central skylit atrium.

Maison Nana is accessed by a paved garden, which Jean Benoît Vétillard Architecture has placed across half of the site.

It is fronted by a glazed garden room, sheltered by a gently undulating awning and animated by oversized red steps that provide seating and space for plants.

"Following the volumes of the adjacent dwellings the land is divided into two parts," said Jean Benoît Vétillard Architecture.

"The built volume is placed in the southern part, where the volumes of the buildings adjacent are higher, [and] the northern part is converted into a full garden," it continued.

From the garden room, glass doors lead into the open-plan ground floor. Here, a living, dining and kitchen space is wrapped by exposed blockwork walls and framed by slender steel columns in a pale shade of green.

Overlooking this space is a skylit, wood-lined atrium that extends vertically through the entire home, punctured by openings in the living areas above and glass brick windows on the exterior wall.

Bedrooms, bathrooms and a studio space are organised in a U-shape around this atrium, with a finish of plywood panelling and deliberately simple fittings to allow them to be easily adapted to different uses by the inhabitants.

"The ground floor is left raw, and the more intimate [upper] floors are treated in wood, a more noble material," said the studio's founder Jean Benoît Vétillard.

"The idea was to remove any form of hierarchy and scale in the rooms on the upper floors, through a complete treatment in wood and a minimum of details," he told Dezeen.

The rear facade of Maison Nana is largely enclosed due to the height of the adjacent buildings but the front elevation overlooks the garden with a symmetrical arrangement of square windows and a cladding of blackened timber planks.

Other homes recently completed in Paris include an apartment in a converted textile warehouse by Isabelle Heilmann and a revamped Haussmann-era residence for an art collector by Hauvette & Madani.

The photography is by Giaime Meloni.

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Designer Maria Vittoria Paggini has used colourful wallpaper and murals depicting nude bodies concealed behind peepholes to transform her home for Milan design week.

Located in the 5vie design district in the heart of the city, Casa Ornella is annually redesigned by Vittoria Paggini who presents the project during Milan design week.

This year, the property – which is also partly an art gallery, is themed "porno-chic".

"Casa Ornella is a maximalist house" said the designer, who is opening up her home to the public during the week.

"Porno-chic stems from a strong need for rediscovery and self-awareness. To achieve this, I felt the need to bare myself and decided to use the metaphor of the naked body, pushing it to the extreme to make it invisible to the eyes," she told Dezeen.

"Going beyond that, porno-chic aims to be a style of 'rebirth,' a recognition of oneself through the home or any place to inhabit."

The interiors feature a living space characterised by artist Tatiana Brodatch's striking wallpaper. Oversized spots and stripes in pink and purple hues form the backdrop for images of faceless, nude male sculptures touching themselves.

Finished in Brodatch's signature lumpy plasticine, the figures look like they are flying through space.

Two boothlike, art deco armchairs with burl wood casing were positioned next to this feature wall, as well as a translucent table designed by Vittoria Paggini and topped with twisting, marble and Murano glass candelabras by Aina Kari.

Visitors can see Brodatch's wallpaper through a circular peephole on one of the corridors, which adds to the "sensual" atmosphere of the home, according to the designer.

Elsewhere, brown curtains illustrated with naked female bodies and a small but suggestive figurative sculpture sitting on a silver tray are reflected in a swollen gold mirror.

One corridor is characterised by a large-scale floor mural of a nude woman, created as a set of abstract brown and pink shapes.

The only room not open to the public is the bedroom, which is decorated with a graphic, floor-to-ceiling mural of naked men surrounded by decadent architecture, influenced by 13th-century paintings.

Visitors can view the bedroom mural, created by Milanese illustrator Damiano Groppi, through another peephole.

Sugary pink walls, striped and chequerboard accents and multiple mirrored surfaces throughout the home add to its maximalist design.

Casa Ornella also includes two more Vittoria Paggini-designed products, which are being debuted for the design week and take cues from "the world of jewellery".

These are bulbous gold taps created for Milanese brand Manoli – positioned above veiny Gio Ponti basins in the bathroom – and slender light switches designed for Officine Morelli.

According to Vittoria Paggini, these pieces are "what is most characteristic of the porno-chic style".

"They serve two different functions but have the same language that aims to communicate sensuality and timeless elegance."

The annual Milan design week has kicked off in the Italian city, with projects on display ranging from a collection of everyday objects designed using algae and sculptural lights by Leo Maher that reference "a hot-pot of queer culture".

The photography is courtesy of Maria Vittoria Paggini.

Casa Ornella is on display at Via Conca di Naviglio 10, Milan, during Milan Design Week from 15 to 21 April 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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New York architecture studio HGX Design has created a linear, glass-fronted home in the Hudson Valley informed by the "individual notes of a music composition".

Located in Germantown, New York, the Hudson Valley Residence spans  7,300 square feet (678 square metres) and is comprised of interconnected rectangular volumes with courtyards inserted between them.

HGX Design created the house to host the owner's visiting family and it now stands as the main dwelling on the 35-acre property, which is dotted with agricultural buildings and another residence.

The structure's horizontal form was informed by the vernacular architecture of the surrounding farmland.

"Comprised of a series of utilitarian, simple form buildings with a repetitive vertical rhythm, the home's elongated footprint is reminiscent of the long, low-lying characteristics of agricultural buildings that dot the surrounding regional landscape," said the studio.

It consists of four rectangular wings that branch off of an entry foyer. Utility spaces, such as a powder room, laundry room and storage, were placed directly adjacent to the entry, while a long hallway leads to the entrances of three guest bedrooms.

On the other side of the entry, the largest of the volumes holds an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, which connects to a primary bedroom and bathroom.

Floor-to-ceiling windows line the majority of the exterior, with the remainder clad in a vertical cedar siding.

The 13-foot-high panels were used to capture the rising sun from the east at the front of the house and the setting sun at its back, as well as to create shifts in the material palette throughout the day.

"The house meets the sky in a very minimal way, while remaining lightly seated on the ground," said HGX Design founder Hal Goldstein.

"It's a predictable system that flows like a piece of music, with subtle tone-on-tone interactions with the elements that bring the colours and material palette to life throughout the day."

The studio also explained the home defies "the traditional expectations of an open plan" with "no barriers to the visual or physical flow of the home".

"The intimacy of the home's smartly laid out spaces defy the traditional expectations of an open plan, with 11.5-foot ceilings throughout," said the studio. "Separations are defined by sunlight during the day and artificial light at night."

The house's interior palette consists of neutral tones, with walnut flooring running throughout and dark wood panelling and grey tile used in the bathrooms.

A gym and media room are located in the basement, while a pool, pool house and two outdoor areas sit at the entrance and back of the home.

"The land, the views, and the architecture combine in ways that contribute to a very spiritual place," concludes Hal Goldstein. "The overall flow is truly musical, like individual notes of a musical composition, which was the goal of our work from the beginning."

HGX Design is New York City-based studio founded in 2020 by Hal Goldstein with a focus on corporate, commercial and residential projects that "inspire human connection and fulfilment".

Other projects recently completed in the Hudson Valley include a sake brewery infused with elements of local and Japanese architecture and a hotel consisting of Corten steel-clad cabins.

The photography is by Scott Frances unless otherwise noted.

Project credits:

Design/Architecture firm: HGXDESIGN
Managing partner: Hal Goldstein
Creative director: Hal Goldstein
Lead designers/architects: Hal Goldstein/Stefan Kusurelis
Contractors: CofH Builders Inc.
Constructors: Pete Mostaccio
Engineers: DiSalvo Erickson (Structural Engineers), Crawford Associates (Civil Engineers)
Landscape architects: Wagner Hodgson
Lighting consultant: Claude R. Engle Lighting Consultant
Mechanical: Crawford Associates
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning: Crawford Associates

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For our latest lookbook, we've collected eight living rooms from Denmark to Japan that have been decorated in an organic modern style, featuring natural wood and stone details.

The deceptively simple organic modern style combines modernist interior designs with natural materials and earthy colours.

Plenty of wood, in the form of flooring, panelling and furniture give these interiors an organic feel. Designers have also chosen stone to create the same effect, with stone floors, tables and sofa bases adding an elegant and natural touch.

All of these living rooms also have discrete and neutral colour palettes, with hues of brown, beige, tan and various white and cream shades creating restful environments.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring floors that connect the indoors and outdoors and interiors with mezzanines.

Heatherhill Beach House, Denmark, by Norm Architects

Danish studio Norm Architects designed the cedar-clad Heatherhill Beach House to resemble a traditional barn, with a material palette that leans heavily on wood and brick.

In the ocean-facing living room, the studio combined a brick floor and wooden wall with modernist furniture, including the slender graphic Valerie Objects Hanging Lamp by design studio Muller Van Severen.

Find out more about Heatherhill Beach House ›

The Maker's Barn, UK, by Hutch Design

Originally a concrete pig shed, Hutch Design transformed The Maker's Barn into a holiday rental using "natural and honest" materials.

Its living, dining and kitchen area features a concrete fireplace, bulbous soft furniture and a shaggy beige rug in front of floor-to-ceiling windows that underline the house's connection to the landscape.

Find out more about The Maker's Barn ›

Tribeca loft, US, by Timothy Godbold

This Tribeca loft inside a former textile factory has a dramatic double-height living room surrounded by large windows. To make the room feel more intimate, interior designer Timothy Godbold added sheer curtains and softly rounded furniture.

A discrete colour palette of cream and beige hues is offset with plenty of green plants, while a central stone table and stone sofa base add a rustic touch.

Find out more about Tribeca loft ›

Palm Springs, UK, by Will Gamble Architects

Named for the California desert town, the Palm Springs extension in London draws on the area's specific type of modernism. This is exemplified by the use of natural materials and floor-to-ceiling glazing.

The sandy hues in the living room also nod to the arid Palm Springs surroundings, with a sage green sofa adding more colour to the interior.

Find out more about Palm Springs ›

835 High Street, Australia, by Carr

The interiors of this flat in Melbourne form a softer contrast to its gridded concrete facade. A rounded sofa with undulating shapes is juxtaposed against branch-like side tables and designer Hans J Wegner's classic Flag Halyard chair.

Textile accents in the form of a patterned rug and a fur throw also help make the room feel cosier.

Find out more about 835 High Street ›

Amity Street Residence, US, by Selma Akkari and Rawan Muqaddas

The living room of Amity Street Residence in Brooklyn, New York, houses a collection of sculptural furniture pieces that give it an art-gallery feel.

Here, designer Isamu Noguchi's Akari rice lamp with its bamboo stem matches a wooden chair and plinth and contrasts with a green marble table.

"A warm colour palette was deployed to unify the spaces by way of gentle oak floors, cream-hued walls that contrasted with dark stone, and stained-wood inset bookshelves," said designer Selma Akkari.

Find out more about Amity Street Residence ›

Azabu Hills Residence, Japan, by Karimoku Case

Azabu Hills Residence (above and main image) sits on a hilltop in Tokyo and was designed to have a "calm and serene atmosphere". Local zelkova wood was used for its custom-made furniture, including an ovoid coffee table.

A clever use of materials enhances the organic modern interior, with a glossy, lacquered brown vase standing out against the textured rug and sofa.

Find out more about Azabu Hills Residence ›

Can Santacilia, Spain, by OHLAB

New and old meet inside the Can Santacilia apartment building in Palma de Mallorca's old town, parts of which are from the 12th or 13th century.

In the living room of one of the flats, architecture studio OHLAB used geometric-shaped rattan furniture and a rug to bring a natural colour palette into the all-white room.

Find out more about Can Santacilia ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring floors that connect the indoors and outdoors and interiors with mezzanine.

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Movable metal shutters reveal bright red balconies at this social housing block in Barcelona, created by local architecture studios MIAS and Coll-Leclerc Architects.

Located on a triangular plot to the south of the city, the building provides 72 apartments across seven storeys and is clad with vertical panels of terracotta-coloured glass-reinforced concrete.

MIAS and Coll-Leclerc Architects' distinctive use of colour for the development references the area's history in textile manufacturing where fabrics used to be dyed red and dried in the sun, giving the neighbourhood its name Marina del Prat Vermell, or Red Meadow Marina.

To maximise the number of units that could be fit on the site, MIAS filled its maintained outline and prow-like edges. Two large cuts divide the housing into three smaller, "porous" blocks with planted pathways in between.

"Porosity refers to the permeability of the building, allowing air to flow through both the structure and the streets intersecting the main volume," MIAS founder Josep Miàs told Dezeen.

"I am particularly interested in architecture that does not confine, that does not precisely define its physical limits, but instead creates spaces for the gaze to extend beyond the confines of the container," he added.

Splitting the project into smaller blocks avoided the creation of large corridors, instead creating corner apartments with equal access to light, air and views.

While the layout of the apartments in the centre has been kept consistent, the two prow-like corners to the east and the west of the site contain unique spaces tailored to their more angular and narrow floor plans.

"I think the main achievement is that while being in a multi-family building, you have the sensation of being in a detached single-family home as if you do not belong to a residential building with seven floors," explained Miàs.

"The interior spaces flow, relate to each other easily, and connect with the exterior, with distant views, so that the interior spaces expand to the outside through the terraces."

Each apartment has access to its own covered terrace offering views over the city and sea, sheltered from the sun by folding metal shutters that animate the facades and are lined internally with bright red finishes.

Inside, this red has been carried through to the doors, window frames and furniture, providing contrast to the otherwise minimal white walls and exposed concrete ceilings.

The roofs of the blocks are finished with a combination of planting and photovoltaic panels that cover around half of the building's energy consumption, according to MIAS.

Dezeen's Social Housing Revival series recently highlighted the rapid ramping up of social housing provision in Barcelona, as part of a series of measures by the city to tackle issues of housing affordability.

Other social housing projects recently featured on Dezeen include a Parisian estate by SOA Architectes with arched windows and sloping roofs and La Brea Affordable Housing in West Hollywood, designed by Patrick Tighe and John Mutlow as a contemporary take on art deco.

The photography is by Adrià Goula.

Project credits:

Architect: MIAS Architects, Coll-Leclerc
Client: IMHAB Municipal Institute of Housing and Renovation of Barcelona
Collaborators: Carla Blanch, Marc Subirana, Mar Genovés, Manuel Giró, Mauro Soro, Maria Chiara Ziliani, Marta Casas, Anna Massana

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Toronto studio Workshop Architecture Inc has created a prefabricated home in Ontario with an exposed structure and blue-painted elements on the interior.

Located in Tiny, the Unfinished House is a 1,400-square-foot (130 square metre) two-bedroom, two-bathroom home with additional flexible spaces that double as accommodations for visitors.

On the interior, the unfinished appearance is a result of budget constraints and a desire to reduce materials to achieve "comfort, durability and low energy use".

"The house looks raw and unvarnished," said Workshop Architecture Inc. "The name Unfinished House refers to an aesthetic attitude, an approach to material reduction, and budget restraint that leaves parts of the design incomplete."

The house accommodates two couples, one in an in-law suite with a private entrance, bathroom and kitchenette that can be closed off from the remaining space with a cobalt blue sliding door.

A screened-in porch and mezzanine were designed to be converted into bedrooms for visiting friends and family.

The main entrance leads into a small mudroom, with the primary bedroom, a bathroom and a laundry room on either side. Two staircases surrounding the space lead down into the main living space and up to the mezzanine.

The living space is long and linear, with a light blue kitchen integrated into a far wall and the living space across from it, with the porch at the end.

The sliding door leads into the in-law suite's kitchenette and bathroom, which were clad in white and blue tile with the same blue cabinetry and grout.

Upstairs, the mezzanine contains a home office and den that can be used as extra sleeping space, while utilities such as the interior heat pump were tucked along the back wall.

Webnet wire rope was use as a railing or protective wall, to maximise light and ventilation throughout the space.

It is a nautical reference, as the studio was informed by the vernacular architecture of rural Ontario for the house's design, materiality, and colour selection, which includes a mixture of seasonal and permanent beach houses and farms.

Workshop Architecture optimised the house to lower its greenhouse gas use by 90 per cent, according to the studio.

The walls were prefabricated off-site and insulation was incorporated outboard, or on the opposite side of the vapour barrier as most homes, which meant the interior wall structure could be left uncovered, eliminating the need for interior cladding.

"As the insulation is outboard," said the studio. "The douglas fir plywood and pine wood framing is left exposed on the interior for visual interest and for small storage shelves, inspired by William Turnbull Jr's Hine House at Sea Ranch."

Triple-glazed pine and aluminium-clad windows were set deeply into the walls to create sills that can double as seating, desks, and counters.

"Unlike many contemporary projects, there is a purposeful restraint in glazing," said the studio. "This is a suburban-scaled site, but with the careful window placement, there is a feeling of being alone in a forest."

The windows were also placed to create cross ventilation, with smaller square windows on the sides of the house facing neighbours to increase privacy.

The studio also limited concrete use by eliminating a basement, choosing instead to lay the house on a shallow foundation and concrete slab, which was then left exposed on the interior to avoid the use of additional flooring.

The underside of the roof deck, wood framing, exterior framing and white sheathing were also left exposed.

"Where multiple two-by-six studs form a column an arte povera (poor art) attitude is at play – no upgrading to solid wood, glulams, or wrapping the dimension lumber," said the studio.

The house runs on a heat pump, LED lights, and an energy recovery ventilator for moisture management and "very little electricity", with no gas connection.

Solar power infrastructure for hot water and electricity was incorporated into the house for later build-out, "when the owner's budget allows".

Ceiling fans were also installed in the bedrooms, living room and porch to move hot air down in the winter and help mitigate heat and humidity in the summer.

"During a major heat wave in 2023, the house stayed under 20 degrees with no air-conditioning," said the studio.

The studio is using the prefabricated panels piloted during the project on a 16-unit affordable housing project in Toronto.

Workshop Architecture Inc is a Toronto-based architecture studio founded in 2010 by David Coluss and Helena Grdadolnik with a focus on sustainable and equitable residential projects.

Other recent residences built in Ontario include a cedar-clad holiday home tucked into a hill by Studio AC and a Toronto home with a pixilated brick facade by Partisans.

The photography is by Scott Norsworthy

Project credits:

Design team: David Colussi, Helena Grdadolnik, Nina Hitzler
Structural engineer: Konsolidated Structural
Mechanical and electrical engineer: CK Engineering
Passive House Certifier: Peel Passive House
Prefabrication: Simple Life Homes
Contractors: Evolve Builders Group, Muskoka River Fine Homes

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Finnish studio MNY Arkitekter has completed Two Sisters, a timber holiday home in Salo that is designed to allow two siblings to live "together separately".

To create a dedicated space for each of the two sisters, MNY Arkitekter divided the home into two standalone units joined by a central terrace overlooking the surrounding rocks and pine trees on Finland's west coast.

"In many ways the site is one of typical Finnish inner archipelago terrain and vegetation, and one of the main goals was to preserve as many trees and visible rocks as possible," MNY Arkitekter founder Mathias Nyström told Dezeen.

"Equality of the views from the two units was also important and had a significant impact on the layout."

The home's two units "fan out" to provide privacy and avoid the surrounding trees, while making space for an existing sauna, utility room and overnight shelter on the site.

Each block features large windows at its western end, looking towards the sea and pine trees to the west. Openings facing the central terrace have been placed to minimise overlooking.

"Being in one of the units you can only see the other from certain points, otherwise you mostly sense the existence of the other part," said Nyström.

"You are on your own, but feel part of a bigger entity," he added.

Each living space at Two Sisters has been finished with black kitchen counters, a dining table and a large freestanding fireplace. Built-in bench seating provides space to sit and look out over the landscape.

In the northern block, a bed is housed in a small nook off this living space backed by a full-height window, while to the south the slightly larger unit provides a double bedroom and two single bedrooms alongside the living space.

Two Sisters has a prefabricated structure of glue-laminated timber, finished externally with vertical planks of spruce. Internally, pale timber walls, floors and ceilings are treated with lye.

"The aim for the atmosphere was to create a uniform, serene space where nature plays a big part - the end result is very uplifting," said Nyström.

"The weathered silver-grey wood will fuse the building in the landscape with rocks and pines. All in all it is a down to earth and subtle building," he added.

Elsewhere in Finland, MNY Arkitekter created a home on the shoreline of a small lake in Tenala using seven different varieties of timber.

Other recent projects in the country include a sauna and restaurant on the edge of Lake Saimaa by Studio Puisto and the steel-clad Dance House by JKMM and ILO architects in Helsinki.

The photography is by Multifoto Ab unless otherwise stated.

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A minimalist exterior of white render and local stone paving reference the traditional architecture of Italy's Salento region at Casa Ulìa, a villa by local architecture studio Margine.

Named Casa Ulìa, or Olive House, after the trees on the site, the 480-square-metre dwelling near Lecce was completed for a couple who wanted an "oasis of peace" away from city life.

To reduce the home's visual impact on the site, Margine limited it to a single storey above ground containing the living spaces and bedrooms and created a basement for an events space, spa and garage.

Carefully positioned openings in its pared-back exterior frame the rural landscape, while perforated brick screens filter light down into the home's lower level.

"Discreetly, as if hiding behind centuries-old olive trees, Casa Ulìa leverages an underground space to maintain a purely horizontal development on two levels," explained Margine.

Casa Ulìa is divided into two blocks. To the east, a rectilinear volume contains a living, dining and kitchen space and to the west, a square block has three bedrooms and bathrooms.

A fireplace raised on a marble-tiled plinth provides a focal point for the living area, which sits between a wood-lined kitchen and a separate study space.

Above the kitchen counter, a horizontal window frames a view of the landscape, while in the living area, a sliding glass door opens onto a patio sheltered beneath a concrete pergola.

For the paving of this terrace, Margine used local Leccese stone. Along with the minimalist white exterior, this "echoes the region's vernacular tradition" the studio said. 

"A large central fireplace, the beating heart of the villa, unites the dining and living areas, completing the living room by enveloping guests in a cosy and convivial atmosphere," said the studio.

"A glass window etched into the panelling, framing the landscape, giving the feeling of cooking outdoors," it added.

Three routes lead to the basement level spaces – a ramp and garage for vehicle access at the rear of the home, a curved external stair and an internal stair at the centre of the plan.

The minimal, clean lines of the exterior are carried through to Casa Ulìa's interiors, with plain white walls and grooved wooden panelling in the bedrooms.

"The house stands out for its essential lines and refined use of materials, with white plaster and stone-effect stoneware floors that also cover the bathroom," said the studio.

"The use of large formats brings continuity to the surfaces, fueling the overall minimalism of the design."

Elsewhere in Italy, UK studio Jonathan Tuckey Design recently restored and extended a historic farmhouse to create a family home and JM Architecture used glossy white-concrete panels to clad a holiday home with a pentagonal plan.

The photography is by Marcello Mariana.

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As TikTok and other platforms become increasingly flooded with home-styling ideas, Michelle Ogundehin shares advice on how to navigate changing trends in the era of ubiquitous social media.

Newspaper journalists are often keen for a quote on "the latest trends". What do I think of polka dots? What about red paint: hot right now, non? It depends. Or recently, what could I say about the TikTok trend "bookshelf wealth"? Hmmm, interesting.

Obviously, just because images of a lot of spotty things have been cobbled together by someone on Instagram, or an influencer declares in breathless tones that poppy has surpassed magnolia in the paint stakes, does not make it universally true. But this is not to flagellate the notion of "trends" per se – the stylistic movements that visualise our cultural climate can be genuinely intriguing.

Here-today-over-tomorrow fads can be noxious

True trends always answer a need. Emerging from an alchemy of desire, available resources, and cultural resonance, they have the power to make visible unspoken truths. However, the here-today-over-tomorrow fads can be noxious. The thing is, true trends don't occur in a vacuum; you can always trace their roots. In short, no roots = no relevance = fad. And I'll come back to the bookshelves.

Alternatively, it's called marketing. Because someone, somewhere will make money from you feeling compelled to throw out your perfectly good cushion, frock, phone, or sofa to replace it with a newer, more "on-trend", faster, smaller, prettier, or any other adjective you care to insert here, model.

Social media platform-time is bought to advance the cause and propel the message. Whether it has staying power though, is entirely another matter. This is where the aforementioned relevance and roots come in.

Arguably there are moments when it seems as if one creative camp has agreed on a singular approach. The spring special April issues of the fashion magazines collectively trill that "it's all about pastels!" But is it? Or did the picture desks just pull together all the sugary-coloured images from across the collections of 20 different designers and call it a moment?

After all, it's habitual for colours to lighten in the spring and darken as we approach winter. More of note would be if everyone went grey for April. But that probably wouldn't make for an uplifting (ie sales-savvy) coverline.

It's the same in interiors. When I was editor-in-chief of ELLE Decoration, occasionally I'd receive a letter from a disgruntled reader bemoaning the season's hot new look. Why had it changed from last month's look, which they loved?

As consumers and designers, we must self-interrogate

My reply was always the same: my job is to show you what's out there, your job is to decide what you like, and then stick to it. Or change if you want to. But the key is that it's your choice. What I always wanted to add was: and don't devolve the responsibility for your taste!

It's also true that there used to be a bit of a journalistic mantra that went along the lines of: one's an oddity, two's a coincidence, but three's a trend! So, if three of a similar thing plopped into the inbox, then it was worth looking into.

However, the follow-up question is always: why? Why is this happening? Is there anything behind it? Just because something is new doesn't make it news. And, crucially, is it adding anything to the cultural conversation?

I think this latter point is ever more relevant today. It can no longer be justified to create for the sake of it (that is arguably the purpose of art). Instead, as consumers and designers, we must self-interrogate.

Has this product genuinely improved the models that precede it by using less resources, demanding less energy, eradicating plastic, and thus being less likely to end up as waste? If not, then why make it?

That aside, sometimes a "trend" reflects more of a mood than a whole "moment". Take the unexpected red "trend". We could post-rationalise this as being rooted simply in a feeling of dark times drawing us to colour. It makes us happier.

Engaging your own inner critic becomes ever more vital

On the other hand, red is a deeply emotive hue, one of the most visible of the spectrum, thus a colour that intrinsically demands our attention. This is why it's used for both stop and sale signs. We're literally hardwired to see it. So, is this a verifiable trend, or merely the power of colour theory? Maybe it doesn't matter?

However, when considering social-media trends, we generally only see more of what we think we already like. This is fine when we're talking pops of colour, a lot less so regarding deep fakes deliberately designed to thwart opinions.

Bottom line, engaging your own inner critic becomes ever more vital. The platforms will always deliver a constant stream of fodder, but to paraphrase the inimitable Coco Chanel: content is what's out there – but it's up to you to choose what to believe.

Now back to those bookshelves. The images themselves are irrelevant. If someone was to go out and buy books by the metre to "get the look" then they've missed the point entirely; let's not reduce the notion of home to a mere backdrop – it should be your personalised space from which to thrive.

Thus, to me, "bookshelf wealth" is the visual expression of the authenticity that we're currently craving in a world that appears to have gone right royally tits up. Homes with shelves bursting with well-read tomes, curiosities and the talismans of life, however quirky, are an antidote to the virtual.

It dwells firmly in the tactile and tangible world of the analogue as so beautifully depicted recently in Wim Wenders' latest film, Perfect Days, wherein the main protagonist lives contentedly in his chosen world of flip phones, cassette tapes and simple routine.

Stop the press! A trend that reflects the rejection of the maelstrom of modern life

It's about honouring yourself, your journey, your interests, and proudly displaying it all. It stands on the shoulders of the movements we've seen already towards fermenting, knitting, and baking sourdough. It's about truth-telling and slowing-down; renovating not relocating; ditching the work/spend cycle and stepping off the consumer conveyor belt.

It's not so much a look as a potent signifier of a shifting of priorities. It's back-to-basics and living on a human-needs-first scale, as an antidote to the prevalent norm of life being voraciously consumed at technological pace to maximise productivity for someone else.

Stop the press! A trend that reflects the rejection of the maelstrom of modern life, indicating long-term thinking and emotional evolution to be the way forward. That may not make for a super snappy soundbite, but it certainly bodes better for our future than crimson walls, or polka dots.

Michelle Ogundehin is a thought leader on interiors, trends, style and wellbeing. Originally trained as an architect and the former editor-in-chief of ELLE Decoration UK, she is the head judge on the BBC's Interior Design Masters, and the author of Happy Inside: How to Harness the Power of Home for Health and Happiness, a guide to living well. She is also a regular contributor to publications including Vogue Living, FT How to Spend It magazine and Dezeen.

The photo, showing House M by Studio Vaaro, is by Scott Norsworthy.

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Mexican studio PPAA has completed a concrete villa beside Lake Zurich in Switzerland, fronted by a long water feature that helps to illuminate the interior.

Stepping down a sloping site in Uetikon to the west of Zurich, the home is designed by PPAA to "blend into the terrain" with a pale concrete exterior and full-height glazing.

"The house is part of an area that is currently being regenerated with many new buildings," PPAA founder Pablo Pérez Palacios told Dezeen.

"Our proposal was therefore to create a timeless house, using natural materials: wood and concrete, to harmonise as much as possible with its surroundings," he added.

Approaching from the road to the north, the home appears as a single-storey volume. A wood-lined section of the facade demarcates its entrance and conceals a garage door.

The home opens to a large L-shaped living, dining and kitchen space with a ceiling that slopes upwards to a row of south-facing windows with panoramic views over the lake and a water feature that resembles an infinity pool.

Described by PPAA as a "water mirror", this pool is designed to reflect the landscape and light into the villa."The idea was to reflect and emphasise the lake by raising it to the house and framing the views over the landscape," explained Palacios.

"On the other hand, if you look at the house from the outside, everything seems to be on the same floor, so you can't see the water feature, making it a subtle touch," he continued.

"The water feature also acts as a mirror reflecting the sky and the daylight, illuminating the interiors."

A straight wooden stair lined by thin sheets of metal leads down to the lower level, which contains bedrooms, bathrooms and a small gym.

Dug into the landscape on one side, the lower level is lit by small openings at the rear of the home covered by slatted wooden screens, contrasting the more exposed upper level.

Glass doors lead out to the home's rear garden, where a grass area steps down to a swimming pool and terrace to the southwest.

Designed by PPAA to be "timeless", the interiors are an extension of the pared-back exterior finishes with white walls, pale wooden floors and exposed concrete ceilings.

PPAA, known fully as Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados, was founded in 2018.

Previous projects by the studio include a home in a forested area outside Mexico City with an A-frame and a house with bedrooms submerged within the surrounding stony terrain.

The photography is by Rafael Gamo unless otherwise stated.

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UK architecture studio Foster + Partners and local studio Ponce de León Arquitectos have broken ground on its first project in Uruguay, an apartment building wrapped around a multi-storey glass courtyard.

Located in the upscale Carrasco neighbourhood of Montevideo along the beachside avenue Rambla Tomas Berreta, The Edge will contain eight apartments, with a pool, gym, sauna and shared garden located on the lower levels. The project is being carried out in collaboration with Ponce de León Arquitectos.

The building's facade will consist of private terraces that stretch along its 197-foot (60-metre) length. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors enclose each floor and end in curved corners.

White concrete will be used to clad the outside – a nod to the "pale tones" of the beaches of Carrasco.

In the lobby of the four-storey structure, a circular courtyard is lined with clear glass and features a tree.

"The cast glass courtyard is at the heart of the design, bringing daylight and greenery directly into the building and creating a unique experience for the residents," said Foster + Partners partner Juan Frigerio. "Its sculptural quality underlines the project's contemporary elegance."

In the upper levels, the courtyard slices through apartments located at the centre of the building, with other apartments flanking them on either side. Here the open-air courtyard will be completely enclosed by semi-opaque glass to provide light as well as privacy.

In these apartments, the courtyard insertion will form a slim passageway framed by a built-in bookcase that leads to the living areas. More built-in bookcases will line the base of the glass insertion.

"The building's split-core allows for a natural separation to the apartment entrances, which are located on either side of the leafy central space with private access to the floors above," said the team.

Each apartment contains access to a terrace, while private rooftop gardens line the top level, with these outdoor areas providing cross-ventilation.

The building's shared garden is located on the other side of the courtyard, which steps down into a subterranean level containing a pool and gym.

"We are delighted to see the practice's first project in Uruguay coming to fruition," said Foster + Partners head of studio David Summerfield. "Our design seeks to offer the highest quality living experience, by perfectly balancing views, light, and green space."

Elsewhere, the studio recently revealed images of a twisting, garden-covered building in Hollywood and completed an Apple Store buried below ground in Shanghai.

The images are courtesy Foster + Partners

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Belgian studio Ae-Architecten has used glazed yellow bricks and concrete-lined living spaces to renovate SL House, a detached home in Ghent, Belgium.

Ae-Architecten was tasked with converting the home back into a single-family dwelling after it had been subdivided into two flats in the 1980s.

The studio stripped away its later additions and opened up the home's interior with an exposed concrete framework to create a flexible, "future-oriented" living space, it said.

"The construction looked quite solid at first glance, but it was a lot worse than we initially thought, and spatially a lot of quality had probably been lost in the division into apartments," Ae-Architecten co-founder Jan Baes told Dezeen.

"The new in-situ concrete structure, made using rough-sawn timber formwork, allows for greater flexibility and relationships between spaces," he added.

Instead of a complete overhaul, the studio viewed the renovation as a new "layer" to the home, retaining existing elements and complementing them with contemporary additions.

This is particularly evident in the brick exterior, where the existing masonry sits alongside glazed yellow bricks that Ae-Architecten used to infill old openings.

"Of all the elements already present in the existing house, the brickwork was perhaps the most valuable to preserve – there were already two types of masonry present and these gave a vertical rhythm and refinement to the house," Baes said.

"This gave rise to the idea of adding a third type of masonry that could give the house a more contemporary character by interacting with the existing masonry, so we chose a glazed yellow brick," Baes added.

"We consider the house as a palimpsest in which we preserved the qualities in the existing fabric."

SL House is organised across two storeys. The ground floor contains an L-shaped living, dining and kitchen area alongside a study and bathroom.

A wooden bookshelf, counter, curving bench and window seat help to subdivide this larger space, while a corner formed of glass sliding doors opens onto the garden.

"We tried to create a large living space with different zones," explained Baes.

"On the one hand, we tried to precise and define the spaces with the furniture and, on the other hand, we tried to optimise the links to the different parts of the garden through new cut-outs."

Above, the first floor contains the bedrooms and a terrace with an outdoor shower, topped by a high parapet that follows the slope of the roof.

The primarily neutral palette throughout the home is punctuated by green accents, with a bathroom lined entirely in green plaster and the full-height bedroom cupboards also finished in green.

Based in Ghent, Ae-Architecten was founded in 2005 by Baes and Petra Decouttere.

Previous renovations in Belgium featured on Dezeen include the refurbishment of a 1960s home Hoeilaart by Mamout and Stéphanie Willocx and Madam Architectuur's addition of a green-tiled home to a home in Dilbeek.

The photography is by Tim Van De Velde.

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Scalloped facades featuring tones of cream and red brick define a U-shaped housing block by Bell Phillips in Marylebone in central London.

Named Cosway Street after the road on which the building sits, the design of the 49-home development in the Lisson Grove Conservation area aims to repair the fragmented streetscape by re-establishing the urban block.

London studio Bell Phillips wanted to create a contextual and contemporary addition to the Georgian and late Victorian architecture that surrounds the site.

"We found inspiration in the particular way that the urban blocks in the area celebrate corners with curved or chamfered bays," studio director Hari Phillips told Dezeen.

"We translated this into a concave inflection at the corners of our building ,which we then extended into a motif that runs along the main facades," he continued.

Bell Phillips was commissioned by Westminster City Council to contribute to the Church Street masterplan, a key regeneration scheme to provide the area with new homes.

The site, which was part of the masterplan's first phase and was allocated for private housing, helped cross-subsidise the delivery of 28 social rent homes on neighbouring sister schemes, according to the council.

The U-shaped, three-sided perimeter block consists of 49 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments across five floors, all arranged around a communal garden inspired by traditional London squares.

The scalloped building is split into three distinct sections, each defined by a brick colour and mortar that responds directly to the character of the building across the street.

The fluted facade motif echoes the circular columns and arched windows of a nearby Grade II* listed church and is repeated at different scales across the building.

"By flexing the rhythm, colour and tone of these fluted bays to match the surrounding buildings we found a language for the new building that is its own whilst very much embedding itself in its setting," said Phillips.

A palette of three bricks in soft hues of cream, buff and red form the tonal palette of the building. Precast concrete sills and lintels were coloured to match the bricks.

"Regardless of the age of buildings, the surrounding context is uniformly brick with details in stone or stucco," explained Phillips.

"With this in mind, brick felt like the natural response, with precast concrete standing in as a contemporary replacement for stucco as a secondary material around windows, along the parapet and to the entrance surrounds," he continued.

The studio designed the building's external walls using precast elements faced with brick, which it said were produced offsite to reduce build time.

"From the outset we were conscious that the fluted brick facade would be challenging to construct in traditional hand-laid brick," explained Phillips.

"The rhythms and proportions of the fluted facade are designed to echo adjacent buildings, [and] these were rationalised into a limited number of repetitive curvatures during the design process to simplify the moulds required," he continued.

Darker mortar was used for the ground floor, which then transitions to a lighter colour for the storeys above.

Inset balconies carved out of the facade were designed to give the block a sculptural quality while adding depth and shadow. The apartments that crown the building have private outdoor terraces that provide views towards central London.

Inside Cosway Street, the apartments have a material palette that reflects the tones and colours of the exterior. Designed by Amos and Amos, the homes have large windows and high ceilings throughout to maximise daylight.

The dual and triple-aspect flats have open-plan living spaces that open out onto the inset balconies, with some homes featuring secondary openings onto the outdoor spaces via a bedroom.

Cosway Street was designed by Bell Phillips up until planning, and delivered post-planning by Osborne Contractors with David Miller Architects.

Bell Phillips was founded by Phillips and Tim Bell in 2004. Previous projects by the studio include mirrored and larch-clad pavilions added to a science and innovation campus in Oxfordshire, and a timber "tree-house" pavilion in Elephant Park in London.

Other multi-unit residential projects in London featured on Dezeen include a mixed-use project combining housing, artist studios and a gallery in Bermondsey by Coffey Architects, and a courtyard housing block of grey brick in Clapham by Sergison Bates Architects.

The photography is by Kilian O'Sullivan.

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Amsterdam studio Woonpioniers has used natural materials and prefabricated elements throughout the Sprout Ruben & Marjolein house, which includes an open, greenhouse-like volume.

Built as a prototype for the studio's Sprout concept, the Netherlands home was designed to feature as many bio-based materials as possible, including a wooden frame structure and hemp insulation.

Designed by Woonpioniers, the home is based around a modular form which is intended to be transportable and adaptable, comprising partially prefabricated units that can be lengthened or shortened as well as linked and stacked.

For this prototype, which is located in Olst, Woonpioniers created a small house comprising a two-storey volume topped with a mono-pitched roof.

Delivered as a design and build project, the home was designed in collaboration with its residents and features a minimal arrangement of spaces and a pared back, natural material palette.

"It was interesting to go deep about what we thought was truly important to us and therefore how we wanted to live," Ruben Stellingwerf, who was one of the clients, told Dezeen.

"We live a lot smaller, but it doesn't feel cramped or confined at all."

Most of the home was clad in silver-toned timber battens, excluding a semi-outdoors living area and terrace at one end of the house. Glass infills the timber structure around the top edges of the space to create a clerestory window, while glass sliding doors set in wooden frames sit underneath.

Inside the greenhouse-like volume, the studio added a dining area designed to be open to the outdoor space, as well as a more private office, which is separated from the dining room by wooden panel-lined walls.

"In winter you 'harvest' a lot of heat, which reduces your heating costs," studio architect Leen Bogerd told Dezeen. "When it gets warmer, you open all the doors and you actually have a fantastic veranda."

On the other wall, an additional sliding glass door in a timber frame leads to a kitchen decorated with wooden and yellow-painted joinery and a honeycomb-patterned backsplash.

Beyond the kitchen, a timber staircase was located across the corridor from a downstairs bathroom with wooden cupboards.

On the upper level a terrace area was topped with a low, sloping ceiling. Acting as a mezzanine level in the greenhouse-like portion of the home, the terrace offers views into the dining area below, as well as framing views of the sky through a glass roof.

A skylight can be opened up as part of the roof to provide unrestricted views out from the upper floor.

"In addition to the greenhouse, the terrace is our favourite place in the house," the other client Marjolein Bartels told Dezeen. "With a little sunshine you can already bathe in the sun there very cosily, and you can also go stargazing there in the evening".

The terrace is connected to a bedroom, where the ceiling slopes up to create the feeling of a more spacious room.

"We built the house as a prototype, but for actual clients," the studio explained. "Therefore it also has highly personalised interiors and a personalised main configuration that puts a twist on our flexible concept."

"After this and one other ‘prototype', we've developed the detailing of Sprout in such a way that we're able to build more custom projects," it continued. "We believe Sprout could be the next step towards tiny housing in Europe."

Other homes in the Netherlands recently featured on Dezeen include a refurbished compact apartment filled with flexible spaces and a raised woodlands holiday home designed to reference birdhouses.

The photography is by Jonah Samyn.

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Canadian studio Reflect Architecture has renovated a home in Toronto for a new generation of the same family, while incorporating an extensive art collection.

North Drive House was the childhood home of one of the owners. After stints living abroad and in Downtown Toronto, the couple were lured back to the two-acre property for the space to raise their young family.

However, the residence's traditional interiors were not to their taste, so Reflect Architecture principal Trevor Wallace was called in to undertake an extensive renovation.

His approach was to create a deliberate "tension" between the need to display an extensive contemporary art collection – which includes pieces by Robert Mapplethorpe and Erik Madigan Heck – and fulfilling the needs of a family home.

"The idea of living in a gallery was always important to the owners, but the critical distinction is that they didn't want to live in a museum," said Wallace.

"This is a family home above all. The owners have always imagined that their kids would one day look back on living here and think it was pretty cool that they were playing soccer or running around inside what felt like an art gallery."

The team retained the existing layout and circulation while updating the spaces with fresh materials, colours and forms.

Most in line with the gallery-like aesthetic, the living spaces, hallways and corridors feature stark white walls and minimalist detailing such as flush doors and entryways.

At the centre of the home is a staircase designed as if a piece of sculpture itself, comprising layered bannisters, stepped profiles and curvaceous forms.

A similarly playful tactic was applied in the living room, which features a rippling, ribbon-like fireplace designed by Brooklyn-based designer Leyden Lewis.

"We had a lot of fun exploring and playing with the staircase's shapes and orientations," Wallace said. "We wanted it to feel organic and fluid, and that required being playful. That was true for the entire house from start to finish, it was important that we didn't take the whole thing too seriously."

The spareness of these spaces is swapped in the cooking and eating areas, which feature darker, richer colours like the teal dining room.

A knotted light fixture by Lindsey Adelman hangs over the large stone dining table, accompanied by chairs with ochre velvet upholstery.

In the kitchen, tone-on-tone travertine cabinetry and surfaces include a new 15-foot-long (4.5-metre) kitchen island.

An existing gabled skylight overhead was maintained, but its beams were updated with a copper hue to "complement the travertine".

The room is oriented towards a glass wall facing a Japanese maple tree in the garden, under which sits a large dining table by local furniture designer Mary Ratcliffe.

Wallace founded Reflect Architecture in 2016, and the studio's previous work includes a Toronto home renovation with a blue slide as its centrepiece.

Other recently completed residential overhauls in the city include a residence connected by asymmetric brass-lined portals and a house where built-in storage volumes were added.

The photography is by Doublespace Photography.

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For our latest lookbook, we've rounded up eight home interiors that make clever use of mezzanines to optimise floorspace.

Mezzanines, which are used as an intermediate level between the lower floor and a ceiling, have the ability to increase gross internal floor area by capitalising on extra ceiling height.

These raised floors offer additional room to host a variety of spaces – including bedrooms, home offices and reading spaces, to name a few.

Ranging from compact apartment renovations to newly-built, split-level holiday homes, this diverse collection of home interiors showcases how mezzanines can be used as a creative solution to maximise floorspace and create dynamic home layouts.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring minimalist bathrooms with peaceful interiors, compact garden studios with neat storage solutions and homes lit by central courtyards.

Hickson Residence, Canada, by Ménard Dworkind

Located on the south shore of Montreal, this 1980s house was renovated by local studio Ménard Dworkind and features rounded plaster details and a terracotta fireplace.

The studio added a sculptural mezzanine to the 520-square-meter home, which hosts the bedrooms, bathrooms and an office overlooking the double-height living room below.

Find out more about Hickson Residence ›

Dumbo Loft, USA, by Crystal Sinclair Designs 

Crystal Sinclair Designs renovated this loft apartment in Brooklyn to include a mezzanine hosting a book collection, as well as a bedroom accessed via a ladder.

The studio retained the space's existing industrial look but complemented it by adding wooden furniture and white and grey marble.

Find out more about Dumbo Loft ›

105JON, Spain, by Vallribera Arquitectes

This renovation of a narrow terraced house in Spain by Vallribera Arquitectes saw the studio add a mezzanine level to increase the home's limited floor area.

Defined by its blue-painted steel and chipwood construction, the mezzanine level offers space for two children's bedrooms, along with a bathroom and a small study.

Find out more about 105JON ›

Kerr, Australia, by SSdH

Housed in a former chocolate factory, Kerr is a warehouse apartment in Melbourne designed by local studio SSdH to include a split-level layout.

A mezzanine-style level wrapped by a white steel-mesh balustrade occupies the upper floor and contains an open-plan living space and kitchen.

Find out more about Kerr ›

Horno de Pan, Ecuador, by ERDC Arquitectos

ERDC Arquitectos and Taller General used brick and glass to construct this arched roof home in Quito that features an open mezzanine level.

Split across three levels, the lowest level offers living and kitchen areas, while an entry, bathroom, bedrooms and studio are provided on the upper floors.

Find out more about Horno de Pan ›

Ferguson, Scotland, by Duncan Blackmore, Lee Ivett and Simon Harlow

Brightly coloured walls decorate this tiny apartment in Glasgow designed by Duncan Blackmore, Lee Ivett and Simon Harlow, which contains no freestanding furniture.

To maximise floor and height space within the 25-square-metre home, a small mezzanine level hosts a sleeping space that is accessed via built-in wooden steps.

Find out more about Ferguson ›

House in Rua Direita de Francos, Portugal, by WeStudio and Made

Mezzanine levels feature throughout the living and bedroom spaces within this gabled, stone house in Porto designed by We Studio and Made.

A staircase in the kitchen space leads up to a study on a mezzanine level, while ladders in the bedrooms lead up to mezzanines situated above en-suite bathrooms or storage cupboards.

Find out more about House in Rua Direita de Francos ›

Casa Alférez, Mexico, by Ludwig Godefroy

Situated in a Mexican pine forest, this brutalist holiday home by Ludwig Godefroy is defined by concrete walls, built-in furniture and wooden floors.

Composed of five half-levels organised around double-height spaces, the home's compact arrangement was strategically designed to prioritise height over width.

Find out more about Casa Alférez ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring minimalist bathrooms with peaceful interiors, compact garden studios with neat storage solutions and homes lit by central courtyards.

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