The Mona Vale Residence was built to demonstrate several sustainable design initiatives and prove that progressive home composition can still yield a contemporary and visually pleasing coastal home. Choi Ropiha Architects designed the home with expansive views of Mona Vale Beach and the Sydney, Australia home has a large north-facing skylight that brings light into the structural core of the house, which traps and holds the free heat. Outside, a 15,000-liter tank recycles rain and greywater, annd solar panels provide power surplus to the local grid. [via contemporist]

Continue Reading

One of the oldest and most-known wineries in Spain’s La Rioja’s region has become one of the most cutting-edge, architecturally, thanks to a redesign courtesy Zaha Hadid. To celebrate its 125th anniversary, the Rafael López de Heredia Tondonia Winery restored a building the founder took to the Brussels World Fair in 1910. The historic building is now completely surrounded by a new pavilion made from reclaimed timber, linking the wineries past and future legacy with a functional space that welcomes tasters and visitors eager to explore the winery’s history. [via archdaily]

Continue Reading

A Singapore home built to harbor elements generally pushed beyond the boundaries of the home, designers at Wallflower Architecutre + Design moved the pool and garden within the house, while retaining the outdoor appeal of the spaces. The bedrooms and living areas were located to the second story, freeing the ground floor from walls and barriers necessary for privacy. The open ground floor flows unrestricted from pool to living room, garden to dining room, never obstructing the visual plane. The exterior walls of the home are thick to resist temperature changes and help funnel air currents through the courtyards. [via contemporist]

Continue Reading

Through wall-to-wall windows, residents of the Bueth House peer out across the beautiful people basking in the shadow of the Hollywood Hills. The contemporary home was designed by Los Angeles-based SPF Architects and comes with a built-in “discotheque,” cutting-edge artwork, stainless steel-clad kitchen and custom furniture throughout. Outside, a pool is the focus of the home’s expansive courtyard, which boasts some of the best views from the site. [via decoist]

Continue Reading

Italian skateboarders have taken over a 1940s theater to headquarter its daily grind. Bastard is the new flagship store that shares space with Comvert, an Italian skateboard and snowboard maker. The studiometrico renovation centered around direct visual and physical communication and interaction, a feat made possible by the cinema’s expansive, open space. The first floor is the store, which was built so shoppers could easily meet and mingle with staff. Furniture and racks effortlessly move across the marble floor on wheels. Across from the design department, where a movie screen once stood is a 45-foot tall two-story structure that houses both a “products depot” and a giant, 600-square-yard skate bowl. [via archdaily]

(see the full gallery after the jump)

Continue Reading

An Asian-inspired home in the heart of Bel Air, this 9,300 square-foot home on Stone Ridge Lane exhibits art with museum-like flair and provides large, contemporary spaces for families who like to spread out or enjoy entertaining. At the heart of the $7.9 million home, natural light illuminates a koi pond surrounded by dark bamboo flooring. Abundant spotlighting transforms walls into vertical gallery space and marble floors throughout reflect the home’s numerous windows. Outside, a 65-foot lap pool and a large lawn are accompanied by a “grand sandbox” for children. [via contemporist]

Like the famed animated fish, the Nemo House appears to emerge from the water. Located on a stunning, sloped lot, the home was designed by Mobius Architekci and will break ground this month. When completed later this year, the Corten steel-clad home will stand out among others in the Ilaway, Poland, neighborhood and will offer its residents their own private spaces, each with view of the lake. [via plusmood]

The two separated spaces of the superkül-designed cottage are joined by a glass walkway. The 2,000 square-foot Ontario, Canada, home is sparse enough to retain a utilitarian feel, but sleek enough to be comfortably contemporary. The home’s decking and interior is clad in natural wood inspired by the rocky landscape, and exterior walls are split my copious openings that link outdoor activity spaces — complete with a kid’s play area and outdoor shower — with indoor living and entertaining. [via momoy]

Built in the southern rim of the Phoenix South Mountain Preserve, the Eddie Jones-designed home was built with cues taken from the Sonorah Desert. The natural slope of the home’s lot dictated the form of the terraced, brick home. Floor-to-ceiling windows soak up as much desert sun as possible, while an outdoor fireplace and shimmering pool create evening play spaces under the stars. Throughout the home, brick and blocks spiral and stagger through multiple mini-levels. [via digsdigs]