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It’s this sort of thinking that went into the entire kitchen’s design, adding up to a space that Nick and Nikki love to spend as much time in as they can. “I know this sounds so simple, but I adore the fact that I can fully open the dishwasher on the island and the lower cabinets on the walls at the same time to put the dishes away, without any of the doors touching,” Nikki says. Adds Hilgefort, “It’s one thing to lay out cabinets to look pretty. But it requires another layer of thought to have every component in a kitchen work together harmoniously.”
The other wall is dedicated to a Thermador refrigerator, GE microwave and Gaggeneau steam oven. “That steam oven is one of our favorite appliances,” says Nick. “When we first decided on it, we weren’t sure how much use we’d really get out of it, but as it turned out, a lot. We use it to steam veggies from our garden and fish; it’s such a healthy and delicious way to prepare food. It’s in a good location, too: just under the microwave, which gets the optimal higher height because we use that more often.” Another of the couple’s favorite features is the instant hot-water dispenser. “We’re big tea drinkers, and it’s so nice to be able to fix a pot instantly,” says Nick. “Plus it adjusts to whatever temperature is needed for different types of tea leaves.” The wood dining table, built by Bench Made Woodworking to Drawing Dept’s specifications, is ideal for two when tucked under the island. But when guests come over for a casual dinner, the freestanding rectangular table can be pulled out from the island to comfortably seat five. “On one end of the table,” says Hilgefort, “the two legs are parallel with the short side, while the legs on the other side are perpendicular with the long ...
A stainless steel enclosure suspended over the range hides the Thermador hood and echoes the exposed steel beams running through the house. The back-painted-glass backsplash provides a low-key complement to the kitchen’s industrial elements. Cabinets: Abstrakt, Ikea; floor tiles: 18- by 24-inch Trust Titanium, Atlas Concorde; counters: Kashmir White granite; sink: Kohler Vault; faucet: Axo Citterio Semi-Pro, Hansgrohe
One kitchen wall is devoted to the retractable doors, and another is completely open to the family room, so Hilgefort and Busch were strategic about maximizing the two walls that remained. The rear wall and the island are where the majority of the action takes place. The vast island countertop and Thermador range with two ovens are great for everyday cooking when it’s just the two owners, and are really helpful for large gatherings, such as the couple’s holiday cookie exchange. “This year I’ll have both of our mothers, plus my 92-year-old grandmother,” says Nikki. “Everyone will have the countertop and oven space she’ll need to spread out, while my grandmother can sit at the bar comfortably to watch and enjoy it all.”
Beefy steel beams hold up the cantilever and extend deep into the recesses of the house. The cantilever and the other outdoor features proved pricey. To stay within a realistic budget, “we picked our moments that were worth the splurge and minimized costs in other areas,” Hilgefort says. This meant making some compromises, like forgoing custom cabinetry for Ikea. “The key was detailing everything in the right ways to provide a custom look throughout,” Hilgefort says.
A fire pit beyond the pool allows the party to extend past the immediate area — even in late fall. “We take the chairs out day or evening, maybe roast some marshmallows,” says Nikki. “When the weather’s nice, we love to invite our friends with kids to swim. Whether they’re in the pool or family room, the kids are always in view from this kitchen.”
Finally, this desert contemporary residence in Phoenix demonstrates the indelible impressions the pueblos have made on home design across the Southwestern U.S. The first impression of this house is that it's modern, but notice the tiny wood-lintel-topped windows at the center left. There is a mixture of rounded and sharp-edged forms here, as well as a combination of stucco and stone exterior wall finishes. The parapet design is maintained on the primary forms. However, shed overhangs at the large windows form from the adjoining higher walls and are supported by a simplistic modernized cylinder as the post support. More: Explore Spanish eclectic home design
Frequently referred to as desert modern or contemporary, houses of this type are found from western Texas through New Mexico and out to the deserts of California. Clearly the sharp corners signify a departure from pueblo revival, but look at the massing and organization of spaces. A courtyard, similar to ones in previous examples, provides the path of entry. While there are groups of large windows, the overall forms are enclosed and solid.
Sunlight, shade and shadow play over the forms of this contemporary New Mexico example. Consider the contrast with the International style or midcentury modern architecture, in which the structure delicately traces around and through glass walls. Here the solidity of the forms conveys protection. Vigas capped with copper pierce the entrance porch roof, while rough-hewn beams, brackets and a post support it. Notice the deep inset of the windows with rounded corners and their wood lintel set in to clear their openings. A charming wooden gate opens into an intimate entrance courtyard.
This contemporary Tucson, Arizona, house also has a territorial theme. The stuccoed body with rounded corners mixes elements of Spanish eclectic designs and modern blockish forms. A large stone-clad rectangular mass terminates the left elevation and defines the left side of the entrance porch. A hipped roof with Spanish tile and exposed rafter tails extends forward of the primary forms on the right end of the elevation. That Spanish eclectic reference and the towered form illustrate a complex composition.
This territorial-style house in New Mexico displays the signature brick courses at the parapets. Greek revival influences also show up on the trim and details of the windows and doors as well as the porch columns. This very unusual mixture of architectural details seldom occurs in such a diverse cultural marriage. Monterey style has similar characteristics and developed around the same period as territorial design.
architectural alliance inc Timbers make up the porch beam, posts and decorative brackets for this New Mexico courtyard. These elegantly simple details define the style and subtly contrast the heavy appearance of the stuccoed walls. Notice the wood lintel above the windows. In original adobe structures, this was used to create the bridge to provide openings in the thick and heavy walls.
Certain aspects get sharpened in this new Arizona house, but the first impression is that it remains rooted in the pueblo aesthetic. Notice the mixture of large blockish planes dissected by sections of glass walls. Also, portions of the roof have a sharp edge with a copper fascia, while other portions are the traditional parapet type. Overall the massing is organic and true to pueblo form.
This newer Arizona house is wrapped with a sinuous stucco coat that softens its edges and becomes unified by the monochromatic scheme. The massing undulates around rooms and porches in different widths, heights and depths, emulating the forms of the boulders in the foreground. These characteristics can all be found in the ancient adobes of New Mexico. This house straddles a delicate line between being modern and achieving the rustic and simplistic qualities that make the style so adaptable and appealing.
Looking in the other direction from the kitchen area, we can see the door to the bedroom, which has its own window on the short side. If we compare ÁPH80 to Diogene, each is lined with wood on the inside, but whereas Piano's design splits the internal functions into two down the middle, Ábaton's pushes the occupied area to one side, allowing the open side to function as the circulation spine.
The model shown here is the largest one; it has an open living space between the bathroom and the bedroom. Here we are looking toward the bathroom, which shares a wall with the kitchenette. The ventilated, gray cement board facade gives way to sustainably sourced wood inside. In between is wood framing and insulation.
The gable-shaped ÁPH80 is fairly open in the middle and solid at the ends, owing to the placement of the living space in the middle of the plan and the bathroom and bedroom at either end. Layout options can easily change what fits where within the footprint (again, ranging from 145 to 290 square feet) — changing it from, for example, a full dwelling to just an ancillary building with only bedrooms, a dorm-style building with bedrooms straddling a bathroom, or a completely open-plan living area with a kitchen.
The folks at Ábaton can boast that while the dwelling takes four to six weeks to manufacture (depending on its size, since they offer a range of footprints and amenities), it can be assembled in only one day. Even the largest model (almost 30 feet long) can sit on a truck's flatbed.
ÁPH80 145 to 290 square feet While Spain's Ábaton (Camino Alonso, Carlos Alonso and Ignacio Lechón) cannot boast of a Pritzker Prize, this did not stop them from tackling a similar problem with their design for a transportable house for two people. The abstract appearance of the project comes from its exterior articulation in cement board panels, some of which hinge and slide for windows and doors, opening up the otherwise sealed building.
The interior is separated into two zones, wet and dry; both are lined in wood. In the former are the bathroom and kitchen. Here we see the kitchen on the right, with the bathroom behind the door on the left. The orange door functions in two ways: In one position it closes off the bathroom from the kitchen; in the other position it closes off the wet and dry areas.
Vitra Piano's design is easily the smallest dwelling of the three covered here, and this makes it as much a statement as anything. But Diogene is also a fully loaded package that, like an airplane, takes advantage of every square inch of space. This analogy extends to the aluminum exterior, whose windows and rivets look airplane-like. On the exterior we can see the photovoltaic panels and solar water tubes mounted to half of the gable roof. There is also a rainwater tank underneath the floor that, combined with a biological toilet, aims for the building to work off the grid.
Diogene 80 square feet This prototype house, developed by Priztker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, was installed on the Vitra campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, in June 2013. The name Diogene refers to the Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope, who supposedly lived in a barrel in the Athenian agora to reject the amenities of civilized life. Piano's interest in small dwellings goes back to his student days, but he didn't realize anything until Diogene in 2009. Following the project's publication in one of his monographs, he teamed with furniture maker Vitra to mass produce the model. The prototype on the Vitra lawn is considered an experiment that will be tweaked before production begins.
The following three prefab dwellings each tap into the idea of home through the distinct gable form. One was designed by Renzo Piano for the furniture company Vitra. Another comes from Ábaton and was designed and built in Spain. The third is a Canadian product that was unveiled at the IIDEX Canada expo recently. Let's take a look at each and see how they compare.
How to use it. A natural-style landscape adds to a sense of place — such as here, with aspens and native grasses. If you have wild aspens on your property, you may want to plant more. If the trees are thriving, you might have to cut back young ones that come up from the roots.
Distinguishing traits. The trees are slender, with greenish white to creamy tan trunks while young, turning white with black scars as they age. In the wild, aspens grow in clusters or large groves, often by the acre. They spread underground by roots, and thus all trees in a grove are related, considered as clones with similar characteristics, which explains why a grove changes color in fall all at once. Growing tips. Aspens generally thrive where winters are cold and summers cool. In the wild they grow in a range of soils, from moist to dry, deep to rocky. In a garden, though, moist and well-drained soil is best. (Too much watering hinders fall color.) Don't expect a long life from planted trees. Remember that trees that like their situation will spread by the roots and send up suckers — start with a few and end up with many. Prune to shape or cut out dead wood. Watch for diseases and pests, which can be frequent, especially outside of the natural aspen range. In recent decades even trees in the wild have been struck by a widespread dieback.
Quaking aspen grows wild all across the northern U.S., as far north as Alaska and south into the mountain areas of California and the Southwest and Rocky Mountain states. The tree is deciduous, a species of poplar, which as a group tends to be fast growing and sometimes weedy. The aspen's roundish leaves, deep green in summer and golden in fall, inspire the common name: They quiver and quake in the slightest breeze. Common name: Quaking aspen Botanical name: Populus tremuloides Where it will grow: USDA zones 1 to 6 (find your zone) Water requirement: Moderate Light requirement: Full sun (light shade is OK) Mature size: 20 to 40 or 50 feet tall and 15 to 30 feet wide
In the right landscape situation, quaking aspens are fast-growing trees, beautiful even when they're not sporting fall color — with dark green foliage in summer and white trunks against the snow in winter.
The pool and park bridging the 55-story hotel towers follow a theme found throughout Singapore: creating a new ground plane raised well above sidewalk level. It is the stuff of science fiction (think of the raised walkways in the silent film Metropolis), but in Singapore it is a reality — if one predicated on money and linking private enclaves rather than the public realm. The rooftop infinity edge pool is one reason people opt to stay at Marina Bay Sands. It offers dramatic views of downtown, though it is not a place for the vertiginous. I wasn't a guest, so in this photo I'm peering in from the adjacent public deck.
The massive complex is considered the most expensive building in the world, at a cost of $6 billion for construction. It could be argued that it was worth it, given the visibility it has given Singapore and the resort's ability to lure visitors with conferences like WAF, an annual festival that aims to award the best architecture in the world. In this photo, the hotel rises over the clamshell-like museum in the lower-right corner, with the glass-walled mall in between. In the bottom-left corner is a double-helix-shaped pedestrian bridge that links Marina Bay Sands to the Singapore Flyer Ferris wheel and other tourist spots.
The Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort (a hotel, casino, mall, convention center, movie theaters, museum and promenade covering 38 acres) was completed in 2011 and has already become Singapore's unofficial symbol. The most distinctive formal gesture of architect Moshe Safdie's design is the hotel, which consists of three towers (with nearly 3,000 rooms total) linked at the top by the public Sands SkyPark and a pool for hotel guests.
Singapore's founding by the British in the early 19th century was strategic — to counter the Dutch shipping dominating the region. Likewise, its current flourishing can be attributed to its proximity to China, India, other parts of Asia and Australia. Like major cities in nearby countries (Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Bangkok, etc.), Singapore is a city of living and working vertically. Even the gardens are vertical.
“Our kitchen is a celebration of cooking,” says Nikki, “while its openness to the outdoors is a celebration of the nature that surrounds us. It’s a happy, light- and view-filled space that we are lucky to enjoy all year round.”
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