The Millbrae Residence :Diverse Contemporary Home in London

The Millbrae Residence is a contemporary home located in north-western London. A courtyard with rich vegetation and an generous pool lead the way towards the main entrance. The interior design of this place is highly modern and diverse. Structured on two levels, this residence seems to be a haven for both children and adults. The core of the house is an open-plan living room, with a large sofa, dining room and floor to ceiling windows. This is the perfect place for socializing, while having unobstructed views of the pool outside. For a family with children, closely monitoring the pool from the living room is easy and pleasant. The children’s room are colorful and alive, featuring quite a few inspiring details. A home theater large enough for the whole family answers the inhabitants’ need for entertainment. See any details you enjoy?

Delightful Mix of Traditional and Modern in a Moroccan Country Home:

In case you were wondering how a Moroccan country home looked like, but didn’t have the chance to see one, here is a project that will raise your interest even more. Found on JJ Locations, this beautiful crib combines traditional elements with modern design approaches, creating a space that is beautiful, inviting and highly original. The large living room features a concrete fireplace that makes a great contrast with the home arrangements surrounding it. A generous  sofa , paintings and various colorful decorating items contribute to a vivid and dynamic atmosphere. The kitchen is highly original, featuring utilities that are skillfully camouflaged. Exposed beams and wood accents provide a great visual effect. This country residence has a total of two floors, each of them displaying a charming design. Have a look!

Glamorous Fashion Bar in Germany by Berlin Rodeo

Berlin-based architecture & interior design firm Berlin Rodeo designed a fantastic 140 square meter bar in Berlin, Germany. What makes it obviously different is the glamour feeling comprised in a space that filters light and design elements to offer the best entertaining experience possible. Located in Berlin’s Schöneberg neighborhood, the Fashion Bar exploits ever inch of the space in order to leave clients with a personal and astounding feeling of relaxation and fun in the company of friends and acquaintances. A glamorous color palette was used to induce the feeling of luxury and the designers outdid themselves with this project: red, white and gold. White sofas and chairs, wooden tables and glam textured wallpaper in red adorn the entrance part, while modern white bar stools and dark red sofas continue the design to the back of the long and narrow floor plan, in the bar section. Large red pendant lights hang over the tables, creating a soothing atmosphere. Don’t you just love how a narrow space can become a fascinating Fashion Bar?

Renovated Country House Displaying Modern Charm

There is no greater feeling of comfort than to turn your beautiful, old house into a contemporary version of itself – keeping all the memories intact while enjoying fascinating new furniture and furnishings, decorations and design elements. This country house was recently renovated to suit a more modern lifestyle. Custom woodworking and unique furniture adorns the interiors, while the outside spaces benefit from fresh air, warm sunlight and beautiful views. On the inside, white walls and wide oak flooring compose a beautiful background for the vividly colored details. Some of the walls on the first floor were removed to make space for the new open floor plan. The main living area has access to the kitchen and the study, while the staircase leads up to the bedrooms. This two-storey villa in Barcelona was designed by architect Joan Arnau Farrás of studio 05 AM Arquitectura.

Cosy Apartment With just Enough Space for Everything

Small, comfortable and bright, this next Stockholm apartment will leave you refreshed and maybe give you some inspiration on how to decorate a small apartment. Found here, the 38 square meter apartment features beautiful light-colored rustic flooring throughout and a full-size kitchen with plenty of storage space. Two windows convey all the necessary light to caress the interiors: on in the bedroom and the other in the kitchen. High ceiling and white stucco ensure that the rooms are well lit and offer a sense of grandeur in this confined space. The bedroom features a small mezzanine that can be used as a relaxation spot or a second bed. Located in a quiet location facing the courtyard, the apartment also features a walk-in closet in the living room. The small apartment has access to a courtyard with barbecue and an outdoor dining area, allowing the inhabitants to enjoy their free time close to home, in a relaxed atmosphere.

Unique Dining Experience at Phantom Opera Garnier Restaurant

The Phantom Opera Garnier Restaurant in Paris, designed by French architect Odile Decq, is a place to enjoy a good meal in the company of friends, surrounded by an interesting interior design. A curvaceous mezzanine level steals the attention once you enter through the columns of Opera Garnier’s east facade. Red and white are the predominant colors, creating an interesting contrasting effect with the fabulous Neo-Baroque interiors of the building. The architects working on this project had to overcome many problems. The architecture was to be left untouched and all the modifications had to be reversible. With a budget of $6 million, the architects managed to construct a contemporary interior that seems to be levitating without interfering with the structure of the Opera. The curvaceous mezzanine can accommodate 90 guests and offer them a unique dining experience in the presence of fantastic old architecture blended with contemporary shapes and colors and modern interior design.

Best IKEA Children’s Room Design Ideas for 2012

Not too long ago, we presented a preview of the IKEA Catalog for 2012. Right now, the catalog is launched and is full of fresh ideas. In this post we picked out the best IKEA children’s room designs, as well as cool products that appealed to our playful, but also practical nature. IKEA promised low prices and quality furniture pieces for this catalog and as you will see from the photos below and the prices in the catalog, the company delivered. From ingenious storage units for toys, to small children’s beds, chairs and various toy products, the IKEA kids ideas for 2012 are characterized by creativity and as usual, practicability. Have a look at the photos below and tell us if there are any designs that you find suited for your home. We would also like to know your opinion on the overall kids collection presented below. For more details, check out the IKEA Online Catalog here.

Vivid Architectural and Design Elements: Phinney Residence

The 2,510 square foot single family residence located in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood occupies a small lot, but encompasses modern features, the homeowners own choices in furniture and wall coverings and a clever living system for small urban residential developments: “the reverse floor plan (living on the third level), allowing the main spaces to easily access outdoor space, light and view. ” The bedroom has bamboo floors and beautiful wallpaper, creating a serene environment for the owners. The kitchen features the Gregg Suspension pendant lights by Foscarini over the kitchen island and the Castore Suspension pendant lamps by Artemide over the dining table and even more decorative and functional elements seen here.

An Open Invite to Socializing: Taiwan Noodle House Restaurant in Beijing

Taiwan Noodle House restaurant was designed by Golucci International Design and is located in Beijing, China. The place has an original interior and consists of a single large dining room, where people are not separated in any way. The table arrangements inspire openness and seem to be an invite to socializing. This is the type of restaurant where you go have a peaceful meal and a quality laugh with your friends, rather than a romantic dinner with your loved one. Thousands of plates were used as decorating items, creating an atmosphere that is partially traditional. The modern touch is added by the ceiling lamps and decorations. Large windows provide unobstructed views of the city and plenty of natural light during daytime. How would you feel about dining in a place like this? In your opinion, does its design make up for the lack of privacy?  [Photography by Sun Xiangyu]

Rural Comfort Meets Modern Lifestyle:Strekov House

 Designed by 3 +1 Architekti, the Strekov House borrowed its location’s name: Strekov, Czech Republic. The 173 square meter home is located on the border between a highly populated area and the countryside, neighboring residential buildings and vacation homes. The outside space delights the homeowners with a lovely orchard of apple trees, plum trees and cherry trees and fascinates with a panoramic view of the valley below. The main construction material was wood, making the connection to the outside rural area, the orchard and the vast 3,000 square foot property. The long garden resting on a steep terrain is a dream home for its inhabitants – perfect combination of modern lifestyle and comfortable surroundings. The three volume house is located on the lower part of the property for privacy and easy road access. Some beautiful hand-drawn architectural drawings of this house can be enjoyed below

The Hotchkiss Residence:Simple, Practical and Contemporary

The Hotchkiss Residence was designed by Portland-based studio Scott Edwards Architecture and is located on the banks of the Columbia river in Vancouver, Washington. The 1,988 square foot residence was especially redefined for a couple in their 70′s who needed a make-over of the building they inhabited. According to the architects, “the 1.5 bedroom home responds to amazing views of the river and Mt. Hood beyond. The home, designed by Rick Berry, utilizes the Northwest vernacular, which emphasizes the wood structural system, shields the home from 9 months of rain, and captures winter sunlight. The single slope roof originates over the bedroom and rises to its zenith above the living room. With a budget of $550k, the design is restrained by simplicity, emphases its structural system, compact for an aging client, and built to respond to the quick changing Northwest weather. The home linked by bridges to the owners daughters and sons homes, which sit adjacent, completes the family compound.” Have a look at the photos below and don’t forget to tell us what details you find interesting.

CG House Displaying Contemporary Architecture and Fascinating Interiors

The contemporary CG House in the Garza Garcia neighborhood of Monterrey, Mexico, can pride itself on displaying a 10,650 square foot floor plan of exceptionally designed living spaces. As described by the architects, the residence features the best architectural solutions for this particular site: “From the street, two massive oak tress rise to provide privacy and welcome shade to the swimming pool terrace above. Due to the sloping nature of the site, a massive, exposed concrete wall defines and encloses the swimming pool and garden areas of the house and sets the tone for the design of the house itself, which is clad in brown/black volcanic stone, IPE wood, white stucco and steel. A wide exterior granite staircase lead to an intimate garden of palm trees. Directly ahead is a 12 feet-high dark oak door whose grand scale offers a hint of the dramatic scale of this 10,650 sq. ft. home that lies beyond, beginning with an entry foyer whose 15 feet-high walls are adorned with silver leaf. A massive sculptural piece of coconut roots, steel and rocks was designed specifically for this space.” Designed by Monterrey-based architectural studio GLR Arquitectos, the residence rises on a sloping terrain that offered the architects with the opportunity of enjoying beautiful panoramas of Monterrey City below.