Located in a green landscape flanked by trees on all sides, the OUTrial House has some defining features that make the 1,937 square foot residential structure seem part of the landscape. In order to keep the surroundings as natural as possible, Polish architects from KWK Promes “raised” a carved part of the grassy property up to act as the roof, creating a continuation of nature around and on top of the house. Some new tasks were given to the architects after starting the project and they changed the arrangement quite a bit: “When the whole was ready, the client came up with another request, to create some space for a small recording studio and a conservatory. The latter was obtained by linking the ground floor with the grassy roof through an “incision” in the green plane and “bending” the incised fragment down, inside the building. This procedure turned the roof into an atrium, as the only way to reach it was through the interior of the house.

As opposed, however, to a typical atrium, the newly-created space has all the advantages of an outer garden while remaining a safe, internal zone within the building. This way, a new type of house was created, and its designation – outrial – is to convey the idea of an atypical atrium which is part of both the interior and the exterior of the building. The studio was created in a similar way as the conservatory, but in order to ensure work comfort for a rock musician, it was isolated from the rest of the house by shifting it upwards.” The interiors were flooded with natural light bouncing off the green landscape and the interiors were designed to contrast with the grass-covered outdoor staircase and front entrance. A luxurious mixture of natural and man-made create a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere.

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Perched on a hillside in Saint Barts, this contemporary villa stands out due ti its generous heated infinity pool, water-fall stone garden and mesmerizing ocean views. With enough space for a large family, Villa Avenstar is structured on three levels and accommodates five bedrooms. Here is more from the official project description: “The villa’s hub is on the second and main level, whose open floor plan encompasses a large living room with home cinema, a dining area, a well-equipped gourmet kitchen and a guest bath. The pool and as a spacious terrace for sunning, relaxing and alfresco dining are also on this level; a second very large deck is on the lower level making Avenstar the perfect venue for hosting a wedding or other special event. There is a beautiful master bedroom with bath en suite and showers for two on both the first and second levels. The lower level has three bedrooms; two being large king bedrooms with baths en suite and one bedroom for the children with two double beds and an en suite bath“. If the photos below don’t provide enough inspiration, renting the villa is also possible, at costs ranging from $25,070 to $35,070 per week.

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Completed in 2011, House BM is part of Architecten De Vylder Vinck Taillieu‘s residential portfolio. This 304 square meter concrete house in Ghent, Belgium was built as part of the tree-filled property. Starting from a map with the exact position and diameter of every tree on the property, the architects had to come up with a solution to building the house without interfering with the surroundings.  The result is a multifaceted round structure, with an interior courtyard defined by mature trees.

A total of 18 windows spread across the facade and interior courtyard allows the interaction between the interiors and the exteriors, constructing an interesting connection. Built on a foundation that allows tree roots to expand in any direction, House BM respects its surroundings and displays a set of carefully designed spaces that care for the inhabitant’s need for comfort. Interiors dressed in concrete finishes contribute to the overall strength and design, but also define a contemporary collection of interior spaces.

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Kern Residence was developed by Semple Brown Design and is a massive, 12,000 square foot project located in Castle Pines, Colorado. One of the main objectives of the architecture team was to create a modern and sophisticated building, one that would mirror the personality of the owners. All these, while adapting to the site’s meticulously manicured landscape: “In order to best respond to the site and relate the structure to its context, the entry point into the house needed to be a full story lower in elevation than the arrival point onto the site, thus resulting in the challenge of gracefully bringing the home owners and visitors alike down to the front door through a landscaped outdoor room. The interior spaces are laid-out in a horizontal format with clean modern lines, carrying the language of the exterior inside.  There is a strong and deliberate dialog between the exterior and interior spaces created within this project“. Enjoy this project’s overall appearance?

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In the fashion world, trends come and go literally as quick as the seasons change. One minute it’s all about colour blocking, the next everyone is going mad for pastel colours, stripes or lace. The trends that we see on the catwalk often tend to filter through to interior design, whether that be the colours, patterns, prints, textures or materials. However, the products that seem to be most influenced by the fashion world are usually fabrics, wallpapers and other soft furnishings. We don’t normally tend to think of sanitaryware as being subject to the seasonal changes of the fashion world.

Italian bathroom manufacturer Ceramica Cielo has set out to change that. It’s new Jungle collection is like a haute couture line of sanitary ware that wouldn’t be out of place in a fashion shoot. Following careful experimentaion with an exclusive technology, Ceramica Cielo has found a way to enhance the visual and tactile properties of ceramic giving its new bathroom line a distinctly fashionable look. The unexpected finish is reminiscent of crocodile or python skin and begs to be touched and admired. The collection is available in a more traditional white, a sophisicated black, an exotic dundee brown, an eye-catching cowhide or a racy red.

So what do you think? Is this collection the ultimate fashion accessory for your home? Would you like to match your bathroom to your shoes or your handbag? Or is this a step too far?

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