The high and low points of the installation seem to shift as they catch the light from different angles, creating a dynamic, almost kinetic effect. Designed by famed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the British Antique Museum opened in September 2022, honoring the close relationship between the town of Kamakura and Great Britain.

Just a one minute walk from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and a seven-minute walk from Kamakura Station, BAM exhibits British antiques collected over the years by museum director Masaomi Dobashi. The museum consists of four floors, each representing a different era and theme. The first floor is the museum shop, featuring a London taxi and telephone box. On the second floor, visitors will find Georgian-era antiques, including leather trunks, red cloaks, and bearskin hats worn by the Royal Guard.

On the third floor, visitors step into the world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels with a Sherlock Holmes-themed exhibit that recreates the fictional detective’s study and living space down to the most intricate details. The museum explains that “in the front, there is an armchair that invites clients in, and the gourd-shaped gasojin (soda water maker) that appears in Holmes’s story, as well as antique microscopes and physics and chemistry equipment, are reproduced as they were at the time.”

Standout objects on the museum’s Victorian-themed fourth floor include a John Broadwood & Sons piano, an extra-large gramophone made in 1935, a fireplace from a Kensington mansion, and stained glass featuring an image of Queen Victoria.

“As a connection between Kamakura and England, there is the National Trust movement that started in England in the Victorian era,” Dobashi explains on the BAM website. “It is the permanent preservation of historically significant land and assets through donations, and many scenic spots have been preserved as heritage. Kamakura is the place where the idea of the National Trust was introduced for the first time in Japan. ‘Kamakura’ is linked to the desire to cherish the good old British things, and the wonderful cultural heritage is still inherited.”

Kuma’s process of designing the British Antique Museum is documented in the book Kengo Kuma: Creating a Small British Antique Museum in Kamakura by Masaomi Dobashi, revealing more details about the connections between Kamakura, Great Britain, and Kuma, who also designed V&A Dundee, a branch of London’s Victoria & Albert Museum located in Dundee, Scotland.

“British antiques and modern electric cars are exhibited there, and it can be said that it is a timeless fusion of old and new,” Kuma says. “This time, the British Antique Museum BAM, which stands on the approach to Kamakura’s historic Dankazura, is lined with pure antiques that have absorbed more than 100 years of time collected by Mr. Dobashi. In that sense, I thought that the design of the building should be as pure as possible. As a result of repeated deliberations, we eliminated all the windows and made it simple, adopting a facade inspired by Kamakura-bori, which symbolizes the traditional culture of Kamakura.”

The post Kengo Kuma Honors Japanese Woodworking Traditions with Striking Museum Facade first appeared on Dornob.

Now, Gucci’s former HQ at the historic and high-end Grafton Street in Mayfair, London has come on the market for a whopping $66 million. The last private residence remaining on the prestigious street, the mansion is currently owned by a trust and has undergone extensive renovations since the brand vacated in 2010. But the property itself remains as gorgeous as ever, and much of the 14,000 square-foot home’s most modern touches remain much as they were during Gucci’s tenure.

There’s plenty of history in this former headquarters. Its recent refurbishing by Donald Insall Associates, though extensive, left much of the building’s original features untouched, including gold plaster work by Joseph Rose, cabinetry by John Mayhew, Georgian fireplaces, and 20-foot tall ceilings, all Victorian-era details that were part of the original home designed by Sir Robert Taylor in the 1770s.

These luxe touches certainly speak to the property’s illustrious past, not only as an HQ for Gucci from 2000 through 2010, but also as a house (literally) fit for royalty. During Gucci’s residence. Creative Director Tom Ford’s workspace was located in the first floor drawing room, a luxe and palatial space once used to entertain none other than Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

However, the spacious property also has plenty of modern touches, including a sauna, swimming pool, and plunge pool; a movie theater; a convenient elevator; a fully-equipped kitchen; and a stringent automated security system.

During Gucci’s residence, the top floor was reserved for the office of former CEO Domenico De Sole. Today, the top two floors consist of four VIP bedrooms, including a well-appointed main suite/lounge area complete with a private study, bathroom, and kitchenette. Elsewhere on this floor, a private wing houses additional guest bedrooms packed with their own top-notch perks. The mid-level floors—once home to Gucci personnel — contain an additional five bedrooms and bathrooms now reserved for the residence’s current live-in staff.

The ground and first floor — once the home’s hub for entertaining royalty and distinguished guests — remain as a series of sumptuous reception and drawing rooms, in addition to a lavish dining room, many of which were previously used as Gucci meeting areas and boardrooms.

Beauchamp Estates’ founding director Gary Hersham says the palatial property is the perfect home for anyone looking to live “like Gucci.” One look inside the magnificent mansion is enough to see that the iconic Italian fashion house certainly knew how to live and work in style.

The post Gucci’s Former London HQ is a Palatial Residence Fit for Royalty — and It Could Be Yours first appeared on Dornob.

On the surface, this term (coined by House Beautiful) may seem like an oxymoron — the “jumbo shrimp” of the design world, if you will. But get ready to see it everywhere for the foreseeable future. But what exactly is it?

Think Grandma chic; nostalgic, traditional trends like chintz; and bold Victorian patterns and furniture that are cozily eclectic and fabulously floral — a revolt against the dull minimalism that’s dominated the interiors space in the last few years.

With grandmillennial decor, vintage pieces are so much more than furniture — they’re storytellers. Much like Gen X-ers finding their nostalgia in the midcentury modern design of their forebears, here, millennials are finding inspiration in more Victorian, neoclassical styles that are evergreen and easily attainable.

Want to try out the trend for yourself? Here are some must-have pieces that would make any granny proud:

Gotta Have that Chintz

Chintz is definitely the it-pattern when it comes to grandmillennial style, and the more the better. Think cozily contrasting patterns and colors that highlight that granny chic vibe.

Schumacher Betty Chintz Pillow Cover From Etsy — $30.00

Amber Lewis for Anthropologie Floral Lamp Shade — $128.00

Need that Needlepoint

Do your grandma proud with some vintage needlepoint vibes that are crafty and oh-so chic — a stylish staple for any aspiring grandmillennial.

Vintage Framed Needlepoint Wall Hanging from Etsy — $40.00

Wayfair Needlepoint Wall Hanging — $103.99

Beginner Embroidery Kits (Set of 3) from Amazon — $15.99

Floral Faves

You’ve got the chintz nailed. Now mix and match with some floral patterns for some truly cozy feels.

Tafton Floral Club Accent Chair From Target — $290.54

Frida Floral Navy Rug From Ruggable — $89.99

This stuff is just the beginning when it comes to grandmillennialism. So be sure to scour those flea markets and secondhand stores, trawl sites like Etsy, and find the best looks for transforming your space into one that nana would be proud of — doilies definitely required.

The post Get Your Granny On with the Grandmillennial Decor Trend first appeared on Dornob.

On Primrose Hill in north London, Jamie Fobert Architects has taken a third path. A brick Victorian home typical of the area looks as it always did on the outside, retaining the character of the neighborhood and blending seamlessly with surrounding houses. But inside, dark and cramped rooms have been replaced with a striking sense of luxurious openness, and the clients have even gained two levels of living space. All of this was achieved without a hint of disturbance from the street-facing facade, but even more importantly, the new materials complement and exaggerate the old.

“When we considered the external form of the house, we were keen to find a solution that would be neither pastiche nor overbearing; instead, we have designed an elegant addition to the historic streetscape,” say the architects. “New building elements are built using water-struck and coal-fired bricks, made in Denmark. During construction, the two original upper floors were literally suspended; underneath, and within the Victorian skin, two lower floors were built. These new spaces are characterized by robust materiality, fluid floor plans, and extraordinary generosity of volume.”

Two strategies brought a wealth of sunlight deep into the home. The first was the creation of new shafts in the front and rear, which deliver natural daylight to the lower floors. The second was the insertion of nearly uninterrupted walls of glass on both levels facing the private garden. Sunken below the level of the adjacent neighbor’s yard, this outdoor space gains a feeling of a secret sanctuary full of plants, stepping stones, and seating areas.

Inside, careful attention to detail pulls new and old together. The architects were tasked with designing everything from the kitchen and lighting to the joinery and even the dining table. The result feels ideally balanced: a fluid staircase with warm timber steps merges into the kitchen, where travertine and polished concrete glow softly beside walnut cabinetry. The shafts of daylight stretching all the way to the roof of the home terminate in strategic locations, like a reflective indoor swimming pool lined with Pietra Piasentina stone.

The colors of these materials recall those of the original brick without trying to match it perfectly, and organic surfaces soften the angularity of all the new minimalist features and built-in furniture. The additions could have easily felt like an imposition on the scene, but instead, they read as a natural and respectful extension of the home. The refreshed interiors are a pleasant surprise upon entering, making the space a lot more fitting for a modern family.

The post A Victorian Facade on London’s Primrose Hill Hides Minimalist Interiors first appeared on Dornob.

What have homes looked like in America since the first mass arrivals of European colonists in the 1600s? Every era has its own influences based on global trends, the cultures of people who moved to particular regions, and the current events of the day. Now, American Home Shield (AHS) has visualized ten of the most popular styles we’ve seen over the past 450 years of American history. A series of renderings transforms the same home again and again, from the simplicity of early colonial designs to the artsy influences of Modernism.

Cape Cod (1600s – 1950s)

As the name suggests, Cape Cod style originated in the Massachusetts colony, and its particularities revolve around the harsh New England coastal climate. It’s known for a steep roof that easily sheds rain and snow, a central chimney serving a large hearth that warmed the whole house, and a rectangular shape, with cedar shingles on the exterior. It fell out of favor by the 1800s, so most of the original Cape Cod homes were renovated beyond recognition or demolished long ago. What we see today is mostly the product of a Cape Cod revival that started in the 1920s and exploded just after World War II.

Georgian Colonial (1690s – 1830)

One of America’s most consistently popular styles, Georgian Colonial spread across the entire country. It’s admired for its classic proportions, symmetrical design, and a lack of unnecessary ornamentation. Clean lines and shapes provide most of the appeal, with just a few flourishes here and there around the windows, doors, and fireplaces. They were mostly modeled after English estates with influences from classic Greek and Renaissance Italian architecture, and typically feature paired chimneys and windows in rows of five.

Federal (1780 – 1840)

Born in the wake of America’s independence in 1776, Federal style reflects a desire at the time to shrug off European and British influences in favor of a uniquely American aesthetic. Some iconic examples include Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate, the White House, and other government buildings built in that era. Just as the country’s leaders looked to Ancient Greece and Rome as models for government, architects chose elements from those historical styles as Federal influences, as seen in the columns and colonnades.

Greek Revival (1825 – 1860)

The fascination with Greek culture continued into the 19th century with the Greek Revival style, which we can clearly see in the designs of plantations in the South, state capitol buildings, churches, and urban row houses built at the time. Colossal Greek temple-style fronts with Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns and details make these houses easy to identify.

Italianate (1840 – 1885)

Though no less grand, Italianate style represented a somewhat more relaxed approach to architecture. Nearly always two stories or taller, these homes featured low-pitched roofs, wide overhanging eaves, large decorative brackets, tall narrow windows with arches or curves, wrap-around porches, and sometimes even a cupola or tower. It’s meant to capture the informal yet picturesque character of Italian farmhouses.

Queen Anne (1880-1910)

British influences came barging back into the country during the Victorian era, when Americans just couldn’t resist the ornate stylings of Queen Anne architecture. And who could blame them? Drawing from upper class and royal British style, what we commonly call “Victorian” architecture today is known for its turrets, gingerbread trim, complex interior layouts, steep roofs, bay windows, and decorative flair inserted at every opportunity.

American Craftsman (1905 – 1930)

Often referred to simply as “Craftsman,” this style arrived along with a wider cultural backlash to the Industrial Revolution, as people began to prefer handcrafted elements in favor of anything mass-produced. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which also included decorative arts, interior design, and landscape design, it was widely used to create bungalow-style homes from local natural materials. The over-decorated look of the Victorians was out and simplicity was in, and houses in this style featured thick square columns, overhanging eaves, and low-pitched roofs.

Art Deco + Art Moderne (1920 – 1945)

More works of sculpture than conventional architecture, Art Deco and Art Moderne homes make use of materials like concrete, stucco, and glass to craft appropriately artsy structures with unexpected shapes and details. Art Deco is associated with more ornamentation, geometric shapes, and zigzag patterns, while Art Moderne houses often had flat roofs, horizontal grooves or lines in the walls, asymmetrical facades, and glass-block windows.

Ranch Style (1945 – 1980)

Apparently, Americans like their homes the way they like their salad dressing. Ranch is one of the nation’s most enduring and popular styles, partially because its simple single-story designs were so cheap and easy to build. Ranch houses typically have large open spaces inside, with galley kitchens, low-pitched gable roofs, brick exteriors, and large double-hung windows.

Prefab (1945 – Present)

Often called the architectural style of the future, prefabricated homes revolutionize the construction process by building most components offsite in a factory. That means homes can be built faster and with less noise, waste, and impact on the building site, often using modular components. That modularity makes it easy to create stacked configurations in clean, simple shapes, typically clad in low-cost and durable exterior materials like corrugated aluminum.

The post See How American Houses Evolved Over the Last 450 Years first appeared on Dornob.

Freestanding offices, studios, guest quarters, playrooms, and other structures can add a lot of functionality to your property with a surprisingly small amount of work. Prefabricated options are almost instantaneous, especially if they aren’t hooked up to utilities. If you’re really handy, backyard additions are often small enough to DIY, or you can hire an architect to come up with something a little more robust. But the best part about designing these small structures is the chance to think outside the box.

With “Herald Garden Studio,” a multipurpose backyard addition in Wellington, New Zealand, Parsonson Architects demonstrates how fun it can be to experiment a little bit with visuals and materials. And hey, as long as you aren’t violating any local ordinances, why not break out beyond conventional aesthetics and bring in some elements that contrast with your existing home?

The architects began with the small two bedroom Victorian cottage house occupied by the clients: a couple and their two young sons. They knew immediately that trying to add onto this compact home would run the risk of dwarfing it, and that it was already feeling a bit cramped by close neighbors on either side. What the property did have going for it, however, was a long and narrow backyard. The property measures 243 square meters (2,616 square feet), with just enough room to leave a small outdoor space between the home and an addition.

The new garden studio feels fresh and contemporary without creating too much visual tension with its surroundings, thanks in large part to the materials chosen to build it. A shed-style roof creates an interesting angle for the front, as amplified by the frame of its covered porch. Using transparent corrugated plastic roof panels, the architects created a protected space that still lets in plenty of light. Two oversized glass doors swing out to welcome guests, facilitating an easy transition between indoors and out. Multiple complementary tones of warm wood add to the studio’s cozy feel.

The design team explains that “the new studio is designed to provide flexible additional space such as catering for children’s play, as a place for a peaceful retreat, study, or overflow accommodation. Whilst it is separate from the house at the end of the rear yard, it is visually connected and linked by sheltered outdoor space. The main space of the studio faces north, with a bathroom and storage area at the rear and a mezzanine sleeping/play/storage area above. The studio sits above the ground on timber piles, with a deck extending northwards back towards the house. The deck is cut around an existing olive tree on the Westside.”

“Both the deck, pergola, and the main interior space have been conceived as one triangulated structure, stitching together the spaces and reinforcing the interior-exterior connection, while relating to the delicacy of the surrounding vegetation. Materials are unadorned and raw but carefully assembled.”

While the budget isn’t specified, it’s not hard to imagine pulling something like this off at a modest expense, especially if you reclaim materials like windows and doors at a local building supply resale shop.

The post Angular Backyard Office Adds Space to a Victorian Cottage House first appeared on Dornob.

That makes it all the more shocking when you walk into a Victorian home that’s undergone dramatic modern renovations. While plenty of designers stick to clean, contemporary looks with a few preserved original details scattered throughout, others decide to go bold, eschewing just about everything identifiably Victorian in the entire space.

“Light Falls” definitely lands in the latter category. What began as a four-story terraced Victorian house built in 1851 has become a sculptural masterwork in the hands of FLOW architecture in collaboration with MAGRITS, though architecture purists will undoubtedly wring their hands at just how much the home has changed.

Set on a tree-lined road in the Kensington area of London, the house originally had two major problems commonly found in Victorians: it lacked sufficient natural light inside, and its interiors were highly compartmentalized, feeling cut off from each other. The owners wanted the layout of the home to feel much more fluid.

To achieve that objective, FLOW decided to start from scratch — to the greatest degree local historic preservation laws allowed, of course. They organized the interiors around a new central courtyard to open new visual connections and bring daylight into the darkest, deepest areas of the home, and they also added a basement and double-height rear extension.

FLOW’s official website reads: “Set within the Abingdon Conservation Area, the house was subjected to a number of restrictions, with its external appearance to be largely preserved. The approach taken was to creatively turn the constraints into strategies by concentrating the design features towards the core of the building. The design of the garden was also approached with some freedom, as a green folly that extends the indoor aesthetic towards the outdoors.”

“The courtyard’s visual effects were enhanced with a series of vertical cuts amplifying the effect of the cross-views throughout the living spaces. The staircase was set similarly, with an encased configuration that opens completely towards the bottom section to organize the sequence of the entertainment areas. At the rear, the dining room continues the motif, with a direct visual link towards the garden through the lightweight glass extension.”

The curvaceous white walls are striking enough in their own right, but what really makes the space stand out is the new latticed woodwork connecting the wooden staircases to the warm, organic flooring. These lines draw the eye from the floor-to-ceiling glazing in the living room all the way up to the skylight set into the ceiling, flowing up past openings peeking into the bedrooms.

The result lives up to both the project’s own name and that of the leading architecture firm. It’s pleasingly fluid, clean, and bright, and, as FLOW explains, “the name ‘Light Falls’ perfectly expresses the soul of the house; the cascading effect of daylight, brought in vertical motion to the center of the building, enlivens the interior spaces, and dissolves the borders between outdoor and indoor spaces.”

The post Light Falls: Timber Staircases Flow Through a Victorian House first appeared on Dornob.

When renovating old buildings for contemporary use, some architects deal with this challenge by replacing the original windows with large expanses of glazing, or by knocking down nearly all interior walls. Ivo Carew, a London-based architecture firm known for its conservation-led projects, looked toward the sky instead.

“The Bakehouse” is an airy transformation of a 19th-century brick bakery on a quiet backstreet in London’s Peckham neighborhood. You don’t get a sense that the building has changed much over the last century until you look up, taking in a new translucent glass volume poking out of the roof. The architects say their goal was to preserve the “simple unostentatious grace of the building” while renovating it into a comfortable home for a client working in the music industry.

The unapologetically modern rooftop extension is clad with glass panels that flank a defunct chimney left over from the former bakery’s operations, adding a whole new set of rooms to the original structure. The box’s cloudy glass diffuses light from the outside and draws it inward, granting the interiors a much-needed glow. It’s exterior appearance alone  presents an intriguing contrast with the warm earth tones of the aged brick around it, but the addition’s interiors look absolutely nothing like what you might imagine a Victorian bakery to be.

Starting with a material palette that would freshen up the brick without overwhelming it, the architects brought in tones of pale wood, dark limestone, Douglas fir floors, textural tiles in various shades of gray, and lots of white paint. Nearly all of the surfaces are new, though the architects did leave a brick wall exposed here and there. In line with their intentions, the result is unfussy, putting the focus on the quality of light that now streams in from spacious anodized aluminum windows.

If you can’t spot a second extension on the building from looking at the photos, then the architects have truly succeeded in their design. They intentionally used new yellow stock bricks (handmade in London) to blur the boundaries between old and new on the ground floor addition, along with a frameless square window. This extension creates an L-shaped living area comprised of a kitchen, lounge, and dining room, while stairs lead to the two upper floors.

Ivo Carew hopes the result will help temper the growth of the Peckham area during a period of rapid change. While the modest neighborhood was traditionally home to families and students in the past, the arrival of a new Campari bar, a multi-story parking garage, and a train line linking Peckham to east London have led to an influx of young professionals.

“We have designed a number of new art spaces and studios nearby and another one will be beginning shortly. These projects required converting redundant industrial buildings into dynamic spaces,” Carew told Domus. “It is really important that building projects in Peckham continue to take an idiosyncratic approach and resist large-scale commercial development. This is the best way to maintain the vitality of the area.”

The post Rooftop Light Box Transforms Victorian Bakery into Home first appeared on Dornob.

In the decades after World War II, many of the older terrace houses were demolished to make way for denser tower blocks, but today, municipalities and private owners are working hard to preserve them. Not only do the quality and lifespan of the original materials used to build these beauties help them last longer than some modern structures, but they’re historically significant, too. One cool trend in updating London terrace houses is the affixing of a glass extension to their rears, by which their interiors are expanded without significantly altering their facades.

As far as the British firm Guarnieri Architects was concerned, a sleek glazed box was just what this Victorian terrace in Clapham Common called for, acting as a light well to flood the interiors with daylight while providing extra room for a newly-altered floor plan. Namely, the clients requested that a new floor be excavated below ground level to create space for wellness facilities, including a steam room, hot tub, and swimming pool. The extension also made room for a few larger open-plan areas.

The architects altered the existing split-level arrangement and added the glass box to accommodate these amenities. A new mezzanine level projects a dining area out into the glassed-in space, resting just above the swimming pool. Both look out onto the back garden, newly hardscaped and walled in by wood and a lush ivy-covered wall at the rear. A ficus tree grows in an oversized pot inside the glazed box, stretching up past the floor of the mezzanine.

Inside, minimalist finishes in white, pale wood, and marble make the space seem larger than its limited 18-foot width. The architects relocated the home’s internal staircases to accommodate the new open-plan layout. The space around the pool, however, is finished in a dark gray slate for cavernous vibes. The stone in these areas is also porous, which allows it to withstand all the moisture produced by the new spa features.

For Marco Guarnieri, the firm’s lead architect, achieving a sense of lightness in the glazed extension was a top priority. The design team sought assistance from structural engineers to construct the box with minimal steel reinforcement in order to enhance its crystalline nature, providing an uninterrupted visual connection to the outdoors.

“We think that the project can be generalized as the alteration of the common 19th century typology, conceived as series of small rooms, by removing rather than adding, to create the open spaces typical of our time contemporary domestic living,” say the architects. “We like to call our project a Victorian Remix, like a DJ rearranging old records into a contemporary music performance.”

The post Victorian Remix: Home Extended with Glass Box first appeared on Dornob.

Gazing at the front of this historic Victorian house in Melbourne, Australia, you’d never guess that ‘stitched’ onto the back end is a dynamic, ultramodern extension. Studio FMD Architects took inspiration from a sentimental family heirloom located in the living room to guide the design process, adding new living and dining spaces and modernizing the existing interiors.

The only specific request of the client was to find a place in the design for three tapestries of houses that her mother had made. “Our design strategy is always to celebrate the particularities of the project, so while exploring the tradition of tapestry and stitching techniques, the concept of stitching the new house form to the old established the design approach,” say the architects.

The timber beams, which start at the point where the extension meets the original volume and continue into the backyard, are the ‘thread’ that joins the spaces together. Within the courtyard, a strategically positioned mirror seems to extend the space had “create a sense of unraveling.”

“Our design strategy is always to celebrate the particularities of the project, so while exploring the tradition of tapestry and stitching techniques, the concept of stitching the new house form to the old established the design approach.”

“The timber beams form the thread which stitches the new living room to the existing house, then beyond to the western courtyard. The timber beams at the northern point converge into a large timber column, reminiscent of a bobbin thread. Within the courtyard a mirror is positioned strategically at the end of the threads to extend the space and create a sense of unravelling (while concealing the services of the building). The timber threads twist over the western façade to provide added shading to the Living area which will soon be overgrown over by greenery.”

The post Cross Stitch Inspires Modern Extension first appeared on Dornob.

When the owners of a Victorian residence in London decided to extend their living space, sticking to the established conservative architectural style was never a part of the plan. An older brickwork extension didn’t do the property justice, and they had something much fresher and more modern in mind. Architecture firm Hayhurst & Co. took inspiration from bright, airy vibe of the classic beach house for the two-story extension, wrapping it in white-stained larch for a breezy contrast against the original brick.

Built-in outdoor furniture and planters in the same material surround a tiled concrete floor, blending the interiors right into the garden. Window shutters are made of the same white larch, offering camouflage when closed, and a large glass door opens out onto the concrete pad, which acts as a ‘rug’ to pull the entire space together.

A skylight pulls light into the double-height study inside, while a dining room and family kitchen occupy the ground floor. Plywood interior walls continue the minimalist, fuss-free feel.

More from the architects

“The property is located within a conservation area in north London. It is a typical example of Victorian terraced housing where the original character of the street frontage is retained whilst the rear of the properties undergo extension, alteration and adaption. Modifications that suit the individual needs and demands of the families that now occupy them.”

“The development of the property provided only 7m2 of new floor area – infilling the remaining return to the ground floor. But it allowed the rear of the property to be opened up into a practical, full-width space with only a nominal reduction in the size of the garden. The alterations also included a separate study and an additional bedroom to the first floor.”

“The white-stained, larch cladding wraps around the inside and outside of the tiled floor to form seats, planting beds, storage areas and the kitchen units: similar to the way that furniture is arranged around the perimeter of the rug in a traditional room. The cladding extends to form the rear elevation of the extension and includes openings for shutters with larch-clad shutters.”

The post Bringing a Beach House Vibe to a Victorian Apartment first appeared on Dornob.

Three rectilinear glass-and-steel boxes update an unconventional 100-year-old beach house in Toronto, adding extra space and a sense of modern flair without compromising the structure’s historic character. Drew Mandel Architects sought to uphold the house’s “elusive quality of heart and soul” while giving the interior a total refresh.

The clients had lived in the semi-detached, three-story beach neighborhood house for 12 years prior to the renovation, and wanted interiors that feel in sync with their jet-setting lifestyle without adding a lot of unnecessary square footage.

The top-floor addition extends the living space upwards, providing a generous box window overlooking the sea. The lower box window frames the wood-lined interior and floating staircase, and opens the bottom floor to the light.

Another cuboid addition in the rear raises the living room ceiling and provides a connection to the garden, which the house was previously lacking. The result manages to meld beautifully with the original brick exterior, and retain a cozy feel.

“The design of this renovation aims to update the house to better reflect the clients and how they live. The clients wanted the house to reinforce the existing fabric of the street by respectfully reinventing the exterior and the interior.bLooking closely at the brick lines relative to the right angle of the new box window in the image of the front façade, the house leans to (or years for) the lake. It is that sense of an ideosychrotic personality that defines this custom home renovation, as opposed to merely emulating a stylish boutique space.”

“Small moments strive to accommodate and celebrate the personality of the owners, the history of the house, and the process of its re-making: the open shelving for rotating personal objects of affection, the mobile kitchen island on wheels, the exposed steel support brackets at the junction of new and old structure, shop notes on the raw steel custom fireplace surround, old brick piers incorporated into the new entry assembly.”

The post Century-Old Beach House Gets Cozy Modern Renovation first appeared on Dornob.

The post Fun + Sun: London Townhome Filled With Character + Light first appeared on Dornob.

In Melbourne, this historic home joins the old and the new through a brilliant dichotomy. Balancing a classical element with a modern one, the Vader House from Maynard Architects is a Victorian revamp, creatively exploring both time and space.

At the North end of the property sits a high brick privacy wall, built long before the city’s planning regulations made such walls impossible. The wall provides a connection to the history of the home as well as to the history of the city.

A stunning modern glass-rich structure on one side of the lot offsets a tall brick structure at the opposite side. The older building is the lot’s original home, while the modern structure is the recent addition taken on by Maynard.

The new wing uses two of the existing historic brick walls to form its exterior, but the rest of the structure is composed of crisp, modern materials. The contrast between the old and new materials offers a rich visual connection between the old and the new.

Between the two buildings sits a huge courtyard with a secret. The deck slides from one side to the other to expose either a swimming pool or a small yard, extending the usable space in the courtyard.

Although the home is set in densely-populated urban Melbourne, it has the airy, light-filled nature of a country estate. Movable glass walls in the home’s new wing open up one entire side of the building to the courtyard, bringing the outside in effortlessly.

More info from the architects

“Emerging from behind its high boundary wall, the distorted roof form of Vader House interrupts the symmetrical roof line typical of Fitzroy, and breathes new life into this Victorian Terrace. The extension is a framed steel skeleton which envelopes the unusually high masonry boundary wall built prior to height restrictions, reclaiming it into the interior. The roof then responds to site setbacks which result in a distorted and subverted answer to regulations. This produces high folded internal planes, allowing double height ceilings, a mezzanine level and spacious interior.”

“The Eastern and Western facades of the extensions are encased in a shield of louvres. These peel back to reveal a folded internal environment of soft colours framed by exposed steel beams. Playfully splashes of deep red enliven the interior which is occasionally punctured by windows allowing a cinematic light to dance over the internal workings of the Vader House.”

The post Victorian Revamp: Historic Elements in a Modern Context first appeared on Dornob.

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Between science fiction fan art and historical Victorian remodeling, this turn-of-the-(20th)-century Craftsman-style home was radically remodeled into a blend of new-age fantasy and original reality.

ModVic is a restoration-and-redesign business that started with a leaky roof and ended in entrepreneurship as Bruce and Melanie Rosenbaum discovered a love for fixing and enhancing period pieces, starting with their own house.

Their pinnacle piece (to date) is appropriately and simply titled the Steampunk House, and has won them national acclaim and professional attention. Its contents range from era-specific antiques to creative Steampunk-style hacks, mods and additions.

Reuse is rampant throughout, in the form of modified or outright recycled appliances as well as pieces and parts (many of which originally had nothing to do with home interiors), including fire hoses, steam whistles, decorative mantels, rotary telephones and typewriter keyboards, modified and adapted for modern living.

An antique printer’s bench and salvaged pedestal are joined in the kitchen to create an island and countertop, accompanied by a series of ornate metal stools with original bases and reupholstered seats.

A converted wood-burning stove now serves electrically-cooked meals, while an adjacent vintage water tank provides drinks for the couple’s puppy. Updated light switches use worn metal face plates, but include modern dimmer switches.

Its owner and co-(re)creator highlights the importance of having the right craftsmen to make a project happen: “Throughout the years – my wife and I have been able to identify trustworthy carpenters, painters, plumbers, electricians, color consultants, architectural historians, architects and others who love restoring older homes. We rely on all these partners to make it all happen – every time we work with these passionate professionals – we feel it’s a spiritual journey for all of us of uncovering our past and preparing for our future.”

“We see Steampunk and repurposing as a beautiful, functional solution to a variety of design challenges.”

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