This impressive house, situated in Sao Paulo was designed and built by Fernanda Marques Arquitetos. Occupying 250 square metres, the objective to create a seamless transition between the interior and nature was met, as was the owners' idea of perfect architecture: a country home with a nod to architect Mies van der Rohe. Stone schist was used throughout along with limestone floors and a combination of glass and steel. Exterior living was equally as important to the owners, with a deck, nearly the same size as the house, surrounding the interior. Inside, the furnishings have a mid-century/ modernist appeal, with furniture pieces from many of the greats including Oscar Niemeyer's Lounge chair. Likewise, glass objects by coveted designer Jeff Zimmerman can be found lining the bookcases. A stunning execution from the architecture right down to the soft furnishings.

For more work by this architect go here.

The Millbrook house designed by Thomas Phifer architects is situated in Millbrook, New York. Set on a 200 acre site, the house maximises its spacious position by employing discreet geometric structures that complement its idyllic countryside setting. The main structure, a cantilevered weathering-steel box, hovers elegantly above the car park, whilst elsewhere in the structure, a glass pavilion flows out seamlessly to the lawn. The living space which combines the kitchen and dining areas, is dressed with classic furniture and floor to ceiling windows. The bedrooms face east for the morning sun with their own respective bamboo gardens out to the fields beyond.

This house, which pays homage to the style of Richard Neutra sits proudly in Mexico by architects Parque Humano. The AA house, was designed as a man-made pavilion so that the owners could observe and live in close proximity to nature. The L-shaped structure of the house utilises modernism's presiding aesthetic, whilst keeping the house enormously functional. All the rooms are centered around the central living areas, and back onto an adjacent courtyard and swimming pool. Floor to ceiling glass windows flank most rooms, enabling the interior and exterior of the home to seamlessly integrate, whilst brick is utilised throughout to provide insulation in winter, and protection from the intense high summer temperatures. The soft wooden tones of the interior enable this house to feel light and airy, maximizing its spacious interior.

Designed by Portuguese architects Bak Gordon, the residences replace former industrial sheds in the Santa Isabel district of Lisbon.  The design of this house draws reference to the city that exists within the city. The architects' brief called for the construction of two houses, a bigger one for the family’s daily life and another two-bedroom one to be rented -  all to be built in the area of about 400 square meters for which construction was authorised, replacing the existing sheds. The house is built solely of exposed reinforced concrete, with very regular and hierarchical spaces. Inside the house, we move among patios and gardens where trees have been planted, projecting the house’s scale over time. The peripheral limits have been covered in green climbers, while the other walls and roofs are left simultaneously powerful and delicate, to resist the pressure of the environment.
 

 The Californian landscape wouldn’t be the same without the iconic buildings of architect John Lautner, with his soaring glass and concrete mansions capturing the optimism of mid-century architecture. The celebrated architect would have been 100 last week, and to mark this milestone, the John Lautner Foundation has organized tours of some of the architect's most beloved Los Angeles properties.  While we unfortunately aren’t in L.A. to enjoy this, we took the opportunity to revisit his amazing work through one of our personal favourites – The Sheats-Goldstein residence. The home, a somewhat cave-like dwelling, overlooks Benedictine Canyon in Beverly Hills and is considered one of the best examples of Lautner's work. Designing not only the house, but also the interiors, windows, lighting and furniture, Lautner created an aesthetic where form became a function of the whole.

Originally built in 1963 for Mr. and Mrs. Paul Sheats, the house fell into disrepair until new owner James Goldstein purchased it in 1972 and commissioned Lautner to restore its appearance in keeping with his original design philosophy.  The house undertook a series of renovations that took place over two decades. James Goldstein still owns the house today, and continues with the upkeep to preserve the architects vision.

Lautner’s homes have become Hollywood icons in their own right, having been film sets for many a Hollywood blockbuster. You may recognize the Sheats house from both The Big Lebowski and Charlie’s Angels films. Have a watch of the great montage Curbed LA put together of Lautner’s work featured throughout cinematic history.

Story by Louisa Penney

John Lautner on Film from curbed los angeles on Vimeo.

Located in Jiutepec, Mexico amongst a vast terrain that previously homed Fichus trees, Casa La Semilla by architects T3Arc was designed around the idea of creating a house that would not impact on its natural surroundings. As a result, the previous tenants, the Fichus trees, have been utilized to their maximum advantage, making it difficult to determine the boundaries between inside and out. Constructed predominantly from concrete, the house covers 200sqm and is underpinned by three central columns and a single concrete beam that completely crosses them as an inverted pendulum. The surrounding trees are used to shelter the south sun (Jiutepec is a very hot area of the state of Morelos, Mexico) whilst simultaneously allowing a the space to maintain a completely open façade to them. With only a master bedroom and small room for a child, the rest of Casa La Semilla is open, allowing its inhabitants to live as close to possible to nature, amidst beautiful views of its lush landscape.

Story by Louisa Penney

Having designed and renovated homes that have a modernist sensibility, it's fair enough to say that Californian architect Bruce Bolander has well and truly caught our attention. The Bleakley home, situated in California, comprises a poolside cabana for lazy summer afternoons with bespoke furniture, alongside a stunning modernist pool reminiscent of work by Richard Neutra - one of modernism's most acclaimed architects. The interior utilises expected materials like tiling, wood paneling and wooden floors to complement its modernist appeal. It's a beautiful example of modernism restored to all its original glory.

For more of his work go here.

Blurring the line between horticulture and art, landscape and architecture, the Square Bar at the new Hotel Novotel Auckland Airport is has quite literally, taken on a life of it’s own. Sitting at the centre of this bar is a stunning array of native New Zealand flora in the form of a two story ‘green’ wall, created by Natural Habitats.

With a track record of successful green wall projects (including the Stephen Marr Wall inside Takapuna’s Department Store and Britomart East wall) Natural Habitats director Graham Cleary believes that this wall, which was installed earlier this month, ‘could be our best yet.’ Not only visually interesting and environmentally beneficial, the wall was designed to add a sense of balance and harmony that is difficult to achieve by other means.

The emphasis on indigenous foliage, a composition of ferns and pan pacific creepers, complements the new hotels distinctive New Zealand style. Designed by Warren & Mahoney, the hotel incorporates sustainable Southland Beech woodwork, black sand inspired marble and its 263 rooms combine New Zealand’s distinctive cultural heritage with modern architecture.

The benefits of real, living plants in places where you don’t expect to see them don’t end at the aesthetics. The 60m2 of vertical vegetation will improve the bar’s indoor air quality by increasing humidity levels and removing air pollutants, not to mention inspire conversation. As if we needed another reason to go to the bar anyway...

 Story by Louisa Penney

Completed last year, this Waiheke residence by Fearon Hay Architects is comprised of freestanding structures around a sheltered central courtyard and rests in a saddle above Matiatia Bay.  The natural undulations of the saddle have been subtly emphasized to form a natural setting for three roofed structures and a freestanding pool. Fearon Hay explain that their early inspiration for this work came from a study of lightweight, canopy-like structures, tensioned to the ground plane. Draped roof planes are tensioned in this house to the surrounding landscape over interior and exterior spaces and its monochromatic palette of muted exterior materials is complemented by rich timbers, textiles and coloured stone internally. With interiors by Penny Hay, furniture by some of our favourite manufacturers including B&B Italia and floor lamps by Tom Dixon (and the Spin-Candelabra spotted on the table), with further lighting by Catellani & Smith, and tapware from Boffi, this is a stunning home, that is suitably and accurately referred to as the Island Retreat.

This modernist house in Ireland was originally designed for Sir Basil Goulding by Scott Tallon Walker Architects in 1971-1973. Goulding, a great gardener and art collector and was so concerned about his beautiful gardens along the Dargle Valley that he wanted the new building to take up as little of the garden as possible. The resulting design (at a mere 142 square metres) is cantilevered over the Dargle river in Enniskerry, Ireland, and is supported on the only rock outcrop available without disturbing the natural vegetation of the river gorge.  Diagonal bracing effectively converts the side elevations into beam structures, and a steel column support at the second bay from the rock face below, together with rock anchors make the three-bay cantilever over the river possible.   The summerhouse was listed for preservation in 2000 and the architects were subsequently commissioned to restore it. Internationally, it is considered a modernist icon and continues to inspire with its recent inclusion in ‘The Iconic House’ by Thames & Hudson.