The main living area functions as an easygoing lounge, ideal for entertaining, with a vintage billiards table and low-slung sofas from Ikea. The concrete flooring is durable and easy to clean—a rebuttal to precious French parquet.
Balnarring Retreat is a minimal residence located in Victoria, Australia, designed by Branch Studio Architects. The retreat embraces a low-tech aesthetic towards the operation of the building itself, fully embodying the idea of retreat and slowing down. Celebrating craftsmanship and integrity of materiality instead of technology, every wall of the building have been designed to contain components that manually fold, open and close to manipulate the space and transform the program of the building.
The Yucca Valley retreat includes an outdoor shower with byCocoon showerheads and faucets.
The architect designed the kitchen cabinetry, and used wood left over from the demo of the house’s exterior wall for the dining table. A piece by Nicolas Grenier hangs above a cabinet the residents found at a garage sale.
“The house is still in its original state. Our job was to bring in some color,” says Lezanne.
"It is also possible to add a separate kitchen island in a different color than the rest of the kitchen," suggests Christensen.
Lawrence relaxes in the master bedroom with a hand-rolled cigarette. The room
has a lavender ceiling (Alice was told it’s the best color to see when waking).
Living Room
Constructed predominantly with locally quarried stone, steel, poured concrete floors and a turf roof, the horizontal outline of the property harmonizes beautifully with its rugged natural surroundings. The house also has an outdoor terrace with a pool and fireplace, where you can enjoy a cup of tea and take in plenty of fresh air.sd
A drop-down countertop conceals dishware and other kitchen belongings.
A Cuadra San Cristóbal courtyard surrounded by vibrant pink walls.
With a nod to the natural skew of the cliffs nearby, the
roof creases inward on the edges, with folds called crickets. The design is twofold:
The lower roof utilizes a number of super-integrated gutters and the upper roof collects rainwater.
A green laminate countertop by Abet Laminati is surrounded by Norman Foster’s Emeco 20-06 counter stools at the island in the kitchen, which has an integrated Frigidaire induction range, Faber Cylindra Isola range hood, Blomberg dishwasher, Fisher & Paykel fridge, and flat-grain fir plywood cabinets by Portland craftsman Doug Chamblin.
Charred cedar and ebony sculptures, afternoon light
The designers refurbished this fireplace surround with deep green Waterworks tile, so as to remain consistent with the color palette used throughout the house.
A vintage Molded Plywood Lounge Chair (LCW) by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller sits in front of built-in shelving in untreated hemlock.
The living room is populated with a molded plywood Eames chair and a vintage Italian lamp.
Artist Christopher Florentino says his respect for Gene Leedy drove his update of the architect’s 1963 Ellison Residence in central Florida: “Being original is important to me. I don’t want Gene Leedy to come here and be like, ‘Damn, you killed my vision.’” In the living room, George Nelson’s Saucer Bubble pendant hovers over Eames classics, like an LCW chair, a Molded Fiberglass armchair, and a Molded Plywood coffee table. Christopher found the lounge, an Eames replica, in a dumpster and couldn’t let it go to waste. A Warhol print hangs from the sandstone block wall; the Ekko mobile is by Matthew Richards.
Materials like the tan leather sofa and circular area rug soften the stark contrasts in color.
The red chairs were made from castoffs as part of Tolstrup’s Re-Imagine series, and the blue one is a small Pallet chair from Studiomama.
A lofted sleeping pod offers a bit of privacy and helps maximize space. Beneath it is a zippy yellow bathroom.
This London guesthouse's primary colored decor is centered around an abstract painting. Photo by Ben Anders.
A silver-and-red Castiglioni lamp illuminates the primary bedroom.
The dining room includes a 1980s Philippe Starck armchair. The trays, also by Haddock Studio, are part of a group of pieces made from old redwood boards found in the building’s basement.
“After our first Zoom meeting, Tommy came back with renderings that blew us away,” Keith says. “He got what we were trying to do.”
Brothers forewent large windows and instead specified a series of glass doors—fitted with Walter Gropius–designed handles—along the house’s western side.
Brothers’s workspace uses skylights to let in sun. The lack of windows helps him focus on his craft.
The library’s entrance features massive panel doors made of tropical freijó wood. Inside, leather armchairs by Jorge Zalszupin accent the space.
Architect Gustavo Costa calls the home library the “project’s heart.” This central space houses the owner’s expansive collection of about 5,000 books, and acts as a meeting place for friends and colleagues. A Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Red and Blue chair completes the space.
Santiago Calatrava's 1990 Stadlehof tram station in Zurich is a parkour paradise, and can be rather creepy at night.
The Bay Service Center was a bit of an oddity in the Dow canon, but the 1961 structure made of Styrofoam and concrete still stands today.
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