Located in Tokyo, this small house is extremely white, almost ghostly, but also sweet and cute, just like the cartoonist figure of Casper – the friendly ghost. And as an old good Casper animation film does, this building arouses nice, joyful emotions. As the song goes “All you need is love”; in architecture and design, it can be put this way: “All you need is joy and surprise”. That’s why I’m in love with this house. It brings joy and surprise, to me at least. Continue reading →

Of all five senses, architecture often can´t capture one in particular: flavor. The Black Teahouse by a1 architects is a fine example of how to honour or even approach such an impossible task. Sitting beside a lake surrounded by woodland near the city of Ceska Lipa, Czech Republic, this ‘temple for tea’ has only 13, 50 sq. m. and is composed by an interior room that extends outside into a large veranda built with larch planks. Continue reading →

When I took the first look at the Chucaknut Drive Residence, situated on the coastline of Washington State overlooking the San Juan Islands, I thought to myself: “We’ve seen it long before! Is this going to be called the new architecture? But that’s just like the 30’s with their window divisions, large glass areas, and simplistic facades… Beautiful? Yes, but nothing catchy.”

However, something made me take a second look at this lovely coastal home. Perhaps it was the charming peaceful nature the house resides in and therefore has to confront it. But is ‘confronting nature’ the right expression for this project? Looking at the large quadrate-divided window facades of this 1,400 sq. ft 2-storey home, and the wooden structure of its roof, I suddenly felt I should look out of the window from the inside of the house and… that was it! I got the idea of the architects! Take a look yourself… Continue reading →

This small brick house, dated from the second half of the 19th century, was in a deteriorated state when it was bought by the current owners. The building had hosted different functions during its existence, like coach-building workshop or an artists’ studio. Frankly speaking, I’m not sure if I would buy such a thing (not really valuable from the historic point of view) and in such a technical state, but the new owners had a strong vision and succeeded in turning the structure into an interesting place with its own distinct style. Continue reading →

In the middle of a vertical rhythm of tree trunks, an orange metal line draws a roof. Located near the Mount-Orford, Quebec, Residence Eastman surprises for its unusual volume shape. By the look of it, it is clear that the architects’ notion of the ideal house is fundamentally different from conventional ideas. Continue reading →

This project is situated in the rural area of Eastern Belgium. The ground floor takes a vast area of 350 m2, but it enclosures open outdoor spaces within its walls. The entire planning of the Kempeneers house is orientated from the outside envelope towards the interior spaces. The house is not exposed to its surroundings, quite the opposite – it looks like a modern fortress. Continue reading →

I live in a city which has hundreds of historical buildings, many of them are under state protection as monuments of architecture, and the whole center of the city stands under the UNESCO protection. Yet, almost once a month I bump into the original wooden windows (because they are so old and “bad-looking” and need professional restoring) being thrown away and new ones (often plastic ones) are put in.

The problem lies in many aspects, but let me focus on the idea where the windows are taken out of their native place. At best, a professional carpenter-restorer has the opportunity to take the original handles and knobs and re-use them in other projects. Unfortunately, in most cases the original substance goes to waste.

I’m not sure if the designers of the Rake project have analyzed the problem in such a way, but what they did create is fresh, cool and intriguing. They collected the windows from the nearby building that was being demolished and reused them in the new-made cube pavilion in Trondheim, Norway. Windows of different sizes and looks were gathered to form the facades, whereas doors form the ceiling. Continue reading →

As I saw the Horinouchi House in Tokyo I was immediately fascinated! It was love at first sight, and I’m not exaggerating. First of all, the shape of the house is really catchy, even if you don’t admire the proportions or color, the image of the house itself is so positive that I’m sure you can’t help smiling (…because I am, all the time, while writing this).

Some people might laugh at me (again, it’s always good to give somebody a reason to smile), nevertheless I’m deeply convinced that this project is a fine example of what modern architecture is all about: to give one’s imagination some food, not to leave one careless, to be interesting, and to be positive in its idea and message. To me, all of this is carried out beautifully in the Horinouchi House. Continue reading →

The simplicity of this house is manifested in its generosity. Big spaces, gorgeous white, exquisite warmness of wooden cladding – it is so Mediterranean I can almost smell the Basil. Only the sultry silhouettes of Federico Fellini’s femmes-fatale are missing here. Continue reading →

This black chunk of building is surprisingly inviting. It invites you to explore what the heck is this weird dark block doing on the peaceful lawn. Some of you might consider it dull or think some other unworthy things, but you will be mistaken! Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to one of today’s biggest trends – modern rural architecture (in case you are not in the loop). Continue reading →