The House Duk in South Africa Links The Indoor and Outdoor Living

House Duk is located in Meyersdal Eco Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa. This 674 sq.m. house is another masterpiece by Nico van der Meulen Architects. We featured other homes and spaces from this architect and as usual, he never fail to impress us. House Duk has an open plan which connects it to the outdoor living which is of utmost importance to the homeowners. Views to the garden is provided in every room. The home has a chic and sophisticated design that combine different decors and materials to achieve an interesting style.

This lovely home is gracefully positioned within a secured nature reserve. To bring some gentle reminders about the serene location into the home, it used natural materials that were carefully selected by the designers. Using these type of materials unite the site and the home. Despite being one with nature in style, it also added splashes of color to liven the interior spaces with emphasis given to textures and furnishings. Nico van der Meulen Architects used floating elements in the interior which is one of their trademark. Upon closer inspection these planes appear to be the main roof structure which at first seemed to be more of a decorative feature rather than a functional requirement. It is this very principle in design that creates beautiful and practical houses which become architectural works of art. Lovely and interesting, now let us take a look at the house below:

Who will not fall in love with the beauty of this house? Its openness as well as its modern look is indeed captivating.

The facade of the house has geometric lines in it with the use of a mix of materials.

The entrance entices one’s curiosity with long stone cladded screen walls. Inside, the transparency and openness of this home that lies behind these solid entrance walls.

The interior is linked to the exterior through glass walls same as what we can see here with folding glass doors.

The living room is beautiful with its contemporary design adding some interesting decors as well as some pops of purple.

Large living areas seamlessly flowed out onto the covered patio merging the thresholds between inside and outside.

The ceiling features some floating planes to give it some depth while carrying some lights on it.

Another sitting area is found on the other side of the fireplace which also leads outdoors.

Seen here are the kitchen and living room where you can find a brick wall accent that bring some natural touch to the interior.

The kitchen is neat and lovely especially with its choice of colors.

Black dining set graced the dining area which is given more highlight because of the white flooring and glass walls.

On the lower level of the house are a dining area and a kitchen. While the upper floor used wood, this one used concrete and utilized gray and white colors.

Instead of placing chairs all around the dining table, one side has a long bench on it.

In the patio rests some comfy seating where one can gather for night celebrations.

The pool area is one part of the house that is admirable. You can also see here the terraced landscape.

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Crow’s Nest Residence: A Ski Cabin in California

The house that we will feature today isn’t an ordinary residence for it is at the same time a ski cabin. The design of the Crow’s Nest Residence is intriguing especially with its butterfly roof design. But aside from the stunning exterior, the interior is also a true charmer! We are kind of intrigued why it is called as the Crow’s Nest Residence but we have to move on with this feature anyway.

This three story ski cabin stands at the top of Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, California. The house provides breathtaking views from every corner from of the 5,600 square foot ski-in/ski-out cabin including the beautiful views of Castle Peak to the Northwest and Mt. Judah to the Northeast which can be viewed thru its corner bedroom windows. The cabin is anchored by board-formed concrete podium into the hillside showing steel, glass and wood structure that can be seen from the snow line. The house features a double-height living room located at the center of the home. Other adorable spaces in the house are its year-round south-facing deck with a hot tub, fire pit and outdoor dining table for slope-side family lunches. Let us take a virtual tour of this ski cabin below:

Lovely. The house looks really stunning with its window designs as well as its roof. The tall window that reveals the staircase is very gorgeous!

You can see here the concrete podium that serves as the foundation of the house.

The house is placed on the highest lot adjacent to the ski hill. It maintains a sense of tranquility from its forested aspects to the West and South.

Large south-facing windows, a grand stone fireplace, and log columns that reinforce the cabins are featured in the living room.

The double height living room as exposed roof beams which looks well paired with the pillars and the tall windows.

The doors are lovely! We really like the wood work of the doors for this area. Adding a shaggy area rug gives it a soft feel.

Mosaic backsplash in the kitchen adds more charm to it as well as the red pendant lights above the island.

We are sure you will agree with us that this sink is beautiful. Dishwashing will never be boring as one can take a glimpse outside while doing the chore.

The dining area has an open feel as it is surrounded by glass. Its wooden dining set and pendant lights give it a natural look.

The entry way is graced by a framed image as well as a red area rug.

This staircase towers to the upper floor with beauty made of wooden treads and steel railings.

The top most floor has this landing area with white lounge chairs.

The bedroom has a bed with storage areas under it. It also used wood like the other spaces of the house. A door leads to the terrace.

Shown here are the powder room with colorful wall tiles and bathroom.

The house has its own sauna to keep the owners warm during winter season.

You can see here an outdoor dining area in the porch and the terrace from the bedroom.

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Oceanfront Villa: A Paradise Dwelling in Phuket, Thailand

This breathtaking oceanfront villa located in Phuket, Thailand has 5 bedrooms and covers an area of 4,843 square feet. Its location allows you to get a 200 degrees stunning views of the Andaman Sea, Phuket Bay, Koh Rang Yai and Koh Maprao. It is comprised of 480m² (4,843ft²) of luxurious living space with four en-suite bedrooms with sea view and a fifth bedroom with a garden view.

This Oceanfront Villa is currently on sale for $3.15 million. Quite expensive? Well, once you see the house, you will know why it is sold on that price because in truth, you are not just paying for the house but the comfort you will get while you are in it, you are not just paying for the beautiful design but for the stunning views you get while in it. Once you are in this villa, you will forget all your troubles and worries for it is one serene spot to relax, unwind and just live your life. Take a look at how the Oceanfront Villa looks like and you’ll surely understand why it is worth $3.5 million. And we know that if you have that amount of money right now, you would want to grab it and make it your own paradise!

This exclusive and contemporary villa is considered to be one of the highest specifications among the properties for sale in Phuket.

And it is easy to understand why. Aside from its gorgeous contemporary design, it has a lovely pool that seems to be one with ocean.

Its outdoor scene will give you a lifetime holiday feel with palm trees around it while you lounge on comfy outdoor seats.

There is also an outdoor dining area which will allow you to dine with the music of the ocean breeze and the wonderful views of the trees and the skies.

The large living area boasts large sliding glass doors and floor to ceiling bay windows offering sweeping views across the pool to the bay.

This villa is fully furnished, with many designer pieces and abstract works of art just like what we see here. Everything were well chosen to perfection!

Even sleeping time will be very relaxing for you the sound of the ocean waves will lullaby you to sleep. The bedroom is very romantic and dreamy in its white colors.

If you want to work while at home, this home office will be the perfect spot to work.

You can even stretch those muscles in the home gym.

Or watch some movies in this brown home theater with comfortable seats.

The dining room is very sophisticated especially with its chandelier. Like the rest of the home’s area, it is also surrounded with glass.

The glass doors from the living room we showed earlier open out to an outdoor dining area, the pool and the 1,519m² (16,350ft²) garden.

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Island Residence: A Stunning Sustainable Home in Massachusetts

Island Residence is a project completed by Peter Rose + Partners located on the island of Chappaquiddick near Edgartown, Massachusetts, USA. The house is comprised of four structures with a 6,300 SF main residence, a 630 SF garage, a 270 SF storage shed, and a 130 SF boat house. Previously located in the site are a house, garage/guest house, and a long driveway running through a meadow. With this kind of site, they needed to move the road from the middle to a new area. It winds through an oak and pine forest without causing any damage to the trees. One goal of the project is that it be as close to invisible in the larger landscape as possible.

The house is intended to be a vacation home as it is owned by an active young family. The main house and boat house are carefully and strategically located with less impact to the environment. The boathouse sits on four thin concrete columns built without breaking or destroying any tree as it seems to hide behind the pines. The house offers views of Nantucket and the sunrise over Cape Pogue Bay to the east, and of the ocean and Edgartown and sunset over water to the west. It is low to the ground, clad in sealed, unpainted wood that gives it a different level of appeal.

First look of the house will make you fall in love with its lovely design in Cedar-clad facade.

The house contains fully operable glass windows including a corner window that opens completely.

It is comprised of different volumes which adds more appeal to it as it sit on the site surrounded with trees.

Large panels of glass slide open along the exterior allowing a good view of the surrounding and entry of ocean breezes.

The calibrated window openings “work in concert with the structure’s radiant heating and cooling to modulate the residence’s living spaces and vastly reduce the size and operating cost of HVAC equipment.”

Once inside, you will be charmed with the beauty of the interior in wooden materials.

Its layout promotes openness while creating a special connection between the interior and the environment.

Just like this dining area that is merely covered with drapes.

Even its choice of furniture is very nice as it seemingly add the touch of nature indoors.

The interior reflects a different level of artistry and craftsmanship just like this hallway.

This is one beautiful staircase. Just look at how it towers will grace!

What surround the stairs are these louvers of horizontal and vertical woods that lines it.

And this is the bathroom combining the elegance of white and the natural beauty of wood.

The house is surrounded with natural landscaping. But the added landscape considered sustainability using local species. Its irrigation system uses water collected on green roofs and stored in a large cistern.

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