10. Materials matter This image took us by surprise when it secured a spot on the list of the top 10 garages. Curiosity aside, it shows that readers are not just interested in how a design looks, but also with how it functions. The attention to the material of this driveway in Ohio, USA by Signature Coatings, is proof that function is as important as form.
Rosene backed the existing built-in shelves with a grasscloth wallpaper with metallic glints. Its texture helps break up the expanse of white on the walls of the large room. She helped the homeowners arrange their existing prints, books and favourite objects on the shelves, and she helped them find new pieces to fill the empty spaces. The wife enjoyed hitting the showrooms with her designer. Together they looked for items with interesting shapes and organic textures that fit the scale of the room.
All of the wall Here’s an example for lovers of bold colour. Rather than a small accent, go big and paint an entire wall in the hue. This hallway demonstrates how well these two colours work together. Similar to the bathroom examples, hallways are an excellent place to play with bold colour, since they are thoroughfares of the home and not spaces we hang out in for long stretches of time.
A balcony on the first floor overlooks the living space and provides a view of the black steel and timber cross beams beneath the gabled roof. “The gabled roof required collar ties to stop it spreading. Instead of a single diagonal beam/steel tie, we added cross members to create an interesting detail when viewed from the top hallway,” says Mountstephens. “The black steel plates cover the joins in the timber and echo the steel windows and black light fittings.”
How did you add character and soul to the space? Added custom kitchen joinery in plywood with a metallic automotive coating that provided lustre while complementing the matt walnut floors. Specified ribbed-glass walls and sliders to provide dynamic levels of light and movement between the rooms. Specified hand-applied micro-cement to the bathroom walls to reinforce the warehouse feel in a way that is both sophisticated and authentic.
“Flat-pitched homes are great, but you will need to consider what the impacts of handrails and screens will do to the look,” says Montgomery. “Likewise, steep pitched-gable roofs are also good, where you can recess the deck into the roof and utilise the pitch of the roof as screening and handrails, which will have even less visual impact from ground level.” Tip: Keen on utilising an existing wall, parapet or structure as a handrail or balustrade? Make sure it meets the building-code requirements and have it reviewed by a structural engineer first.
4. Moody hues “Smoky, cool and muted grey-blues are hugely popular, but the biggest standout we expect to continue in 2020 is green,” says Melanie Stevenson, marketing manager at Porter’s Paints. “Complex, deep greens, black forest greens, decaden, blue-greens and vibrant olive tones are creating a lot of interest. “French Wash paints are also having a resurgence. Not the tobacco-yellow washes of the ’80s – a French Wash finish is now being used to create sophisticated concrete-look walls, using subtle tones of grey to create a concrete effect,” she says.
Key element: heirloom-quality classics Furnishings and accessories in Mediterranean-style spaces are typically big, sturdy and built to last. Classic pieces are favoured over passing trends, with natural materials including carved timber, wrought iron and leather taking a starring role. Upholstery tends to be richly textured and solid in colour, with patterns coming into play in accent pieces, pillows and rugs.
“The house is a testament to the wonderful craftsmen who built it,” Richard says. The sliding timber windows and screens, pivot doors, timber ceiling and cladding and joinery were all handcrafted elements that were custom made for this house. “The design called for minimal tolerances [margin for error], which required a high level of skill and cooperation between trades,” Richard says.
Rather than opting for the usual concertina glass doors, Cole chose to surround the living areas with insulated timber. Moveable walls transform the space from warm and enclosing to open and unimpeded. The windows in the timber walls also serve to frame views of the valley when closed.
A CONTEMPORARY EXAMPLE: Architects Destination Living designed this house in Flinders to be at one with its surroundings. Through the use of cantilevers and extensive glazing on the lower level, the house appears to almost levitate above the ground. It allows the light and sea breeze to circulate through the home, while the contemporary lines and low lying form echo the rolling country in which it sits.
Louise Nettleton Architects SaveEmail The cantilever One of the most common design tools used by architects to make a building appear to float or defy gravity is the cantilever. This is where a projecting structure such as this upper-level outdoor terrace appears to float in mid air without support. In fact, the terrace is supported at one end by a column and beam grounded in the base sandstone wall. The concrete beam is cleverly integrated and camouflaged into the design of the structure and is strong enough to hold the bold design. The architects have also been clever in separating the base design, which is sandstone, with the upper level raw concrete giving the impression that it is flying off firm ground.
A solid base of cantilevered concrete slabs and solid retaining walls provide ample thermal mass to the building to balance out the extremes of temperature in this remote area. This structure also provides a grass-fire protection barrier to the lightweight structures above. Photography: © Edward Birch
A corrugated Colorbond steel skirt and exposed concrete cantilevered slabs, support an economical timber frame and lightweight truss framed roofing. The walls are clad in “log cabin” vertical weatherboards. Photography: © Edward Birch
The gently sloping corrugated iron roofs reminiscent of the surrounding hills, and the hidden gutters keep the façade uncluttered. Photography: © Edward Birch
Design
Grounding the building The same house featured in the previous photo uses the cantilevering effect on the back side of the building, but this time the glass box barely hovers over the solid ground, as opposed to hovering over a vast landscape. The box is held rigid by the masonry grey block wall grounded to the earth below. The scattered stones that make up the side path pass beneath the cantilevered structure, making it appear as if nothing is holding it up.
Bagging Brick Walls - how to.
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