Nestled atop Cortez Hill stands the historic ‘El Cortez’, San Diego’s leading landmark since its grand opening in 1927. From its opening through the 1950s, it was the most glamorous apartment-hotel in San Diego, hosting multiple U.S. Presidents such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Gerald Ford, as well as entertainers like Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley. Today, the historically significant ‘El Cortez’ combines a contemporary high-rise lifestyle with the lure and attraction of old world charm.

While the building’s exterior is Spanish Renaissance style, owner Sasha Favelukis of Sequoian Investment Inc. considered modern Australian design team Pauly De Bartolo and Ivan Rimanic of De Bartolo + Rimanic Design Studio (DBRDS) a natural choice for the remodel of his 600 square foot condominium. To maximize space in the 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom small home, an ‘Australian-inspired’ custom kitchen was designed to provide additional depth of storage as well as a linear bench which runs the length of the kitchen, dining and living area to maximize storage and provide window seating.

The kitchen is clad in white oak to impart a textural balance between the dark wood floors and the white walls and features. A white modern interior allows the space to evolve from bright and clean during the day to evocative and golden in the evening, capturing the dynamic view of the San Diego skyline at night.

To reflect upon the history of the space in an otherwise modern interior, a wall featuring period-style moulding and a soft grey color was designed for the bedroom.  All of the design elements were hand selected to provide a cohesive, relaxing and unique feel for this modern living space. The only original elements are the bathtub and bathroom floor. To make his design vision a reality, De Bartolo reached out to the team at Hold It Contemporary Home to supply all of the furniture, artwork and accessories.

Through minor, non-load bearing interior modifications to the converted hotel rooms, DBRDS transformed the feel of the condominium into an open floor plan, allowing for flowing space and more natural light. The General Contractor on the project was Alan Loghman of Pacific Design & Construction. Read more …

Spanish studio A-cero designed the B&N House project. The architects ave turned an existing house into a contemporary two-story home in Madrid, Spain. A-cero designed almost every single detail: from the unusual structure, to the interior beams and panels adorning the living area and the furniture that blends chromatically with the whole house concept. Everything respects a very modern line, even the bedrooms which are designed to be a little bit warmer than the rest of the house.

Source: HomeDSGN Read more …

The Block House, located in Melbourne, Australia, is a residential project with strong industrial elements, completed by Taylor Reynolds. The place exhales elegance and the excellent choice of neutral colours reveals a minimalist grace and a refined contemporary design.

The Era Coffee Tables and Erik Chairs from Camerich as well as the Return Bench from Gus are all available from Hold It Contemporary Home. Obviously, great minds think alike!

Source: Contemporist Read more …

Architect Jonathan Segal designed the Lemperle Residence on a pie shaped oceanfront lot in La Jolla, California. Read more …

Slip House was designed as an adaptable prototype for learning about sustainable design, as well as ways to build affordable homes. Designed by Carl Turner Architects, the design is made up of three stacked boxes that are “slipped” (cantilevered). The top floor, which houses the living area and rooftop access, is covered in milky glass sheets that also extend up above the roof to create the deck.

This design also happens to be one of the most energy efficient houses that has been built in the UK, with numerous green additions to the structure including: solar-assisted ground source heat pump, photovoltaics, a wildflower roof, and rainwater harvesting.

Source: Design Milk

Read more …

Great River Company’s modern house numbers are made from recycled 3/8″ thick architectural grade aluminum and come with a brushed finish and clear protective coating to help withstand extreme weather conditions. Custom fonts and orders are also available!

Source: 2Modern

Aging barns are often left to simply deteriorate, but in their dramatic A-frame silhouettes and wide-open simplicity, some architects see the potential for a transformation into a modern, livable residential space. Dutch architecture practice Kwint Architecten integrated the remains of an existing structure into a new Wood-Slatted Barn Home with a traditional gabled roof, preserving its history while giving it a greater purpose.

Source: Web Urbanist

New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward rebuilding effort, Make It Right, has a lot star power associated with it, including Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry.

The cement siding (painted Teacup Rose on one half, Lily Lilac on the other) is decay resistant, low maintenance, and made of recycled materials.

Gehry stated, “I wanted to make a house that I would like to live in and one that responded to the history, vernacular and climate of New Orleans. I love the colors that the homeowner chose. I could not have done it better.”

Source: Apartment Therapy

Visitors to Lisbon can now spend the night in the former Swiss Ambassador’s luxe mansion — on the cheap! The Independente Hostel and Suites transformed the historic Bairro Alto estate into an affordable dormitory suitable for travelers of all ages and budgets. A seamless combination of historic architecture and interiors with thrifty travel, this is one European hot spot not to be missed. The Independente gives travelers on a budget a unique taste of both worlds, with the luxurious atmosphere of a palace but at hostel prices.

Source: Inhabitat

All the rooms of this renovated Tokyo house by Japanese studio Naf Architect & Design are connected to a wooden box at its centre. The architects liken this connecting room to an electrical switch box. It contains staircases leading up and down, an entrance from the house into the client’s chiropractic surgery and a small seating area. Narrow grooves between each of the wooden slats let light filter inside and provide space for hanging picture hooks. The living and dining room is located on the first floor just above, where the the roof of the box forms the surface of a kitchen worktop.

Read more …