House VK1 by Greg Wright Architects

House VK1, a single family dwelling by South African practice Greg Wright Architects is situated between the lion’s head cliffs and the sea in camps bay near cape town, South Africa. The common areas of the house are elevated to provide impressive ocean views. A wall comprised of large sliding glass doors may be opened entirely to lead to a veranda and pool. Inhabitants access the private rooms of the lower level via cantilevered concrete stairs. Wrapping a central courtyard, natural light permeates the ground floor from above. The material palette comprised of polished concrete floors, textured concrete, stainless steel with accents of natural gray stone and glass creates a canvas background for the dynamic activity occurring within.

House VK1 by, Greg Wright Architects, Photography by Adam Letch, via: designboom

American Standards Lamp by Peter Bristol

For better or worse, construction materials, methods, and dimensions are quite homogenized in the United States. From the 2×4 wall studs to the cheap light switches, it seems that when building a wall, location is really the only decision left to make. The utilitarian relationship between these standard materials, dimensions, and parts comes together to create a modern icon that is hidden in plain sight. By deriving its character directly from this set of rules, the American Standards Lamp’s is instantly familiar and intuitive to use (for people living among these standards). Flipping on the American Standards Lamp is as routine as unlocking the door. The lamp creates diffused light and provides an accessible extra power outlet.

American Standards Lamp, by Peter Bristol

Haifa House by Pitsou Kedem Architects

A private residence built in the center of a historic avenue and at the very heart of Haifa’s French Carmel neighborhood. The avenue is studded with a number of residences designed in the Bauhaus style. The Bauhaus style gained its hold in Israel in the wake of international styling trends and is a ornament free design style, both simple and down to earth. The style celebrated the aesthetics of the machine and was characterized by uniformity of color and by unassuming and simple finishes and facades. The style faithfully represented the spirit of the age and the location. This project, designed decades later, creates a line that connects contemporary styling with the spirit of that bygone era. The project emphasizes and sharpens the differences between apparently similar design styles of contemporary minimalism influenced by Japan and the austere moderation of the modernism that characterized the end of the 1950′s. Both of these paradigms translate into a way of life, to the Israeli environment and climate. The sophistication and the minimalism that existed at the heyday of the Bauhaus period have been translated, in this latest reincarnation, into a special purity and prestigious restraint. In his design, the architect has expressed his own, localized interpretation for free planning in which there is a special continuity achieved through light, appearance and movement and the placement of secondary spaces around one, large and open central space.

Haifa House, Israel, by Pitsou Kedem Architects, Design Team: Pitsou Kedem, Irene Raz, Hagar Arad, photography by Amit Geron

Heima Series by Francis Cayouette for Normann Copenhagen

It’s time to spice things up. Its time for colors — and lots of them. Got a candlelight with a white candle. Let them burn down and get your hands on color-candles. Can’t get hold on colored candles! — add some colors around the candlelight.

The Heima series is designed by Francis Cayouette which consists of five products.

Heima Series, Heima Candlestick, by Francis Cayoutte, for Normann Copenhagen

Casa em Grandola by RRJ Arquitectos

Casa em Grandola, by RRJ Arquitectos, via: ultimasreportagens

Bistro Chair by Robert Stadler for Thonet

“To design a new bistro chair for Thonet is a touchy task. Initially I was proposed to customize a typical Thonet chair for the Corso restaurants of which’s design I am in charge of. But I preferred to elaborate a new chair instead of producing one more Designer comment on this essential piece of furniture. My starting point was the fact that today chair 214 (historically baptized Nr. 14) is rather expensive, which represents a certain break in regards to Thonet’s history. Indeed the company is renewed for being the first having achieved a world wide distribution of their furniture thanks to it’s ingenious conception based on dismantling. Yet, after more than 40 millions sold chairs the manufacturing of the backpart is still rather traditional. With chair 107 I focussed on a new design of that element which is now being produced in an almost totally automated process.”

Bistro Chair, by Robert Stadler for Thonet

Single Family House by Andreas Fuhrimann Gabrielle Hächler Architects

The house for a family with two children is situated on a former hillside vineyard that had remained undeveloped. On the northern slope of the hill adjoining a non-developable zone, the house is surrounded by large old trees. In order to be able to even use the site it was necessary to terrace the immediate surroundings, and the house was developed along the lines of the formed topography.

In the process, the four terraces themselves function as exterior spaces, each corresponding to a specific interior space. The unusual topography is also mirrored in the construction of the building. The connection to the terrain is a stepped, largely subterranean basement storey made of internally insulated exposed concrete, above which is a prefabricated wooden construction with a ventilated Eternit façade. The large-format plates are a prototype with a textile-like embossing, producing a raw and haptic appearance.

Inside, a stairway core constitutes the centre of a spatial sequence that unfolds over three storeys. At the entrance level are the children’s rooms, with the cellar rooms at the back. The floor above is set back, creating differentiated spatial heights for the different areas of the house. The doorways on the intermediate level with the living rooms and the parent’s bedroom allow a free circular movement. Due to building regulations, the roof above the living room slopes parallel with the terrain, and runs directly over into the flat roof of the studio and the guest room in the upper storey. A roof light running the entire width of the building creates a studio-like character at the top, simultaneously lighting the high living room.

Single Family House, Zurich Oberland, Switzerland, by Andreas Fuhrimann Gabrielle Hächler Architects, Photos by Valentin Jeck, via: Flodeau

Chantal Table Lamp by Stephen Burks for Ligne Roset

Table lamp with base and shade in clear mouth-blown glass. Red textile cable and black manual switch.

Chantal, by Stephen Burks, ReadyMade Projects, for Ligne Roset

Yarralumla Residence by Katon Redgen Mathieson

Located in Yarralumla, Canberra, the clients purchased the adjoining property to their existing contemporary residence to accommodate a tennis court, indoor swimming pool and guest accommodation. A new simple, single level off-form concrete structure houses the heated pool, shower facilities, a kitchenette and a sitting area with a fireplace. Sliding glass doors open to the east and west from the indoor pool and the sitting room, with timber screens providing sun control to the west. Three large circular skylights are located above the pool. A lightweight steel structure accommodates guest accommodation within an upper level. A palette of Off-form concrete, grey stained timber and Travertine stone floors are used throughout. The new pavilion sits comfortably in scale and style with the existing residence, and forms a strong architectural background to the tennis court from the main house.

Yarralumla Residence, Canberra, Australia by Katon Redgen Mathieson

Photography: Disportraits by Matthias Schaller

Matthias Schaller is a retrospective of Schaller’s photography in book form. Presenting all his major bodies of work from the last ten years such as the series “Studio Gursky” (2000), documenting Andreas Gursky’s Düsseldorf studio; “Die Mühle” (2001-02), showing the studio-home of Bernd and Hilla Becher; and “Controfacciata” (2008), colourdrained images of the interiors of Venetian palaces. Including thumbnail images of all these series and a bibliography, this book is the perfect entry-point to Schaller’s oeuvre and a comprehensive summary of it.

Matthias Schaller, Photography by Matthias Schaller, Hardcover, 332 pages, Published by Steidl, English, ISBN: 9783869303239
Buy it here: Amazon