Sunday, March 15, 2009

Contemporary Interiors That Inspire Me

I posted a whole collection of photos below of exteriors that really inspire me and become part of my designs, it only makes sense to display some of the unique interior features that I love.













































House Design 4 With The Greencube

This is the most recent design I have created to date, and encompasses all of the things I am looking for, but like anything, there is certainly room for improvement. Like the previous design, I believe the floor space of this house is about 5500 sq ft.

Note the special feature of this house, which is also mentioned in the title. "The greencube", essentially this is a 2 storey greenhouse that is half inside and half outside the house. I think this is a really cool design feature.

This design used the previous design, "House Design 3" and built upon it, changed some things, and took away some unnecessary features.

The photo below shows the master en suite complete with a slate covered fireplace.


The photo below is a view from the loft (fireplace side). The fireplace actually starts on the main floor, and reaches the ceiling. At the loft level, an additional gas fireplace and TV are mounted on the opposite side.

Another view from the loft level, opposite fireplace side.

The 3d rendering below shows the modern, but minimalist kitchen. Essentially a galley style kitchen, one long row of cabinets and uppers, and one long island. Of course, the latest stainless steel appliances, induction cook top etc will be featured. Dining is to the left of the kitchen (not shown in this view)

This view is from the main floor and shows a good overview of the main foyer / great room / kitchen area.

A 3d rendering of the master bathroom. Note the continuous counter top connecting the vanity counter and the bathtub deck. Stairs made of matching wood will lead up to the bath tub.
Another interesting feature is the ledge stone brick wall that accommodates the tub filler. This same wall, ideally, will be exposed on the shower side and provide shelving area for shower accessories/products, hiding them from view from anyone not actually in the shower. The shower itself is 10' wide, and has shower heads on both ends.


The dining area, which affords a beautiful view of the courtyard and backyard through massive glass windows.

"The Greencube". As the name suggests, this is a greenhouse. The unique thing about this design element is that it actually is half inside and half outside the house. Allowing the plants residing inside to get the maximum amount of light all year round. The greencube has double glass doors to the inside of the house so it can easily be accessed and enjoyed year round. A small concrete patio inside is ideal for relaxing and is large enough to accommodate a bistro set.
A feature not shown, but one that would be implemented is a waterfall faucet on the top of the first level of the greenhouse, that spills into a pool carved into the concrete floor, creating a unique water feature.

The 3d rendering below shows the courtyard and details the opposite side of "The Greencube". Much like house design 3, the courtyard features a pool, spa, and covered arbor for seating on hot summer, or rainy days.


A 3d view of the entire property, which shows the 3000 sq ft exterior garage, which faces the attached garage on the left side of the house. The gray strip connecting the two buildings is actually a below grade "tunnel" if you will. Accessible from the garage area of the home, which allows you to walk between the house and the external garage without stepping outside.


A 3D rendering detailing the rear of the house and external garage.
An analysis:
I really like this design, however i do see a few downfalls to it. First, it might actually be too big. I know it sounds counterproductive, but the fact is, a small family doesnt need a 5500 sq ft house. Ideally i would like to scale this back to around 4000 sq ft.
The open concept design is certainly a requirement, however this might be a little to open, removing any intimacy of the space. When im looking at the 3d rendering of the main area with its double height ceiling, I feel somewhat lost, like the space is too big and too open to be comfortable. In addition, this double height space is not ideal for the heating bills. We all know hot air rises, and I feel a lot of heating effort will be lost by heating all the air in this space.

House Design 3

This was the first true attempt at creating a complete house and furnishing it in 3D. I would say right now this design is definitely in the running. I believe the total size of this house (living space) for the main and upper floor is approximately 5500 sq ft.

A floor plan showing the 2nd level loft area.


A floor plan showing the main floor area as well as the exterior hardscaping.


A view from the loft area, stairs side.


A view from the loft area, non-stairs side.


The photo below shows a 3d rendering of the master suite. I really like the idea of having a stacked ledge stone "looking" fireplace, it gives a sense of homeyness to the room and provides an ideal place for a TV.


The photo below is a 3d rendering of the main level, kitchen and dining area. Again, the open concept home has very little walls and doors, and in this case the massive windows seem to bring the elements from the courtyard into the home.


The photo below is a 3d rendering of the main foyer / great room area. Notice the double height ceiling and loft design. There are essentially two lofts, one on each side of the house, and a bridge/lane way connecting them over the front doorway. The only staircase to access the second level is shown to the left of the storage room door.



The photo below is an alternate view of the foyer / great room. It demonstrates what you would see upon initially walking into the home. The double doors on the right would lead to a home theatre, the open hallway on the left is the stairway to the upper floor.

Note the floor to ceiling ledge stone fireplace. What i love about this design is the commanding presense this fireplace brings. Also, the fireplace is mimicked on the outside of the house, which I thought was a really cool effect.


The 3d rendering below shows the courtyard in the rear as well as the expansive stamped concrete patio that features a pool and hot tub. Note the fireplace on the wall of the house, its an exact copy of the interior one on the opposite side of the wall.

What is interesting about this design is the 2nd floor deck / terrace. I love the concept, but am unsure if it would be feasible in this climate. Mainly because of the flat design and a concern with snow loads and drainage. Second, because it would only be able to be used 7 months of the year, and we certainly don't need that space when there is a large concrete patio on the main level.


Keeping with the modern aesthetic, a slate colored stucco is used on the 2nd level of the home, while the main level is a thin, stacked ledge stone (or a faux equivalent). I'm not overly impressed with the look of the front of the house, the back looks much more unique and inviting.



The photo below shows a left side view of the house, the large double doors lead into the garage. The windows to the left are for the master en suite closet and bathroom.


A 3d view of the rear of the house, which clearly shows the rear patio area, pool, loft and 2nd floor terrace.

Design: Wings Concept House

I don't exactly know where the inspiration for this design came from, but in keeping with the courtyard design, I envisioned something like a boomerang or wings of an airplane. And this is what developed.












Design: EB1 Concept House


The EB1 concept was inspired by the photo below. I liked the way the home is cantilevered over the ridge, and tried to cantilever some build outs in this design. This was really just an exercises to develop a shape, and i didn't continue with it.







Design Considerations & Features

From some of the photos in the previous posts its pretty clear to see what type of look I'm trying to obtain. However its important to note some of the environmental factors that will affect the design.

For one, since this home will be located in Canada, there are certain things that will have to be considered:


  1. A flat roof - The flat roof is very much a part of a lot of these modern homes, however most of these homes are located in sunny or dry climates, like the Southern USA or the warmer parts of Europe. A house in Canada with a flat roof could be asking for trouble during the winter season. I know its certainly possible to do, i mean, almost all industrial / commercial buildings have flat roofs here, but i feel a slightly sloped roof would likely be a safer design, while still maintaining a modern aesthetic.
  2. Stucco - I love stucco. I love the way it looks, I love its clean, seamlessness. BUT i don't like the potential maintenance. Again, in a climate where things can go from -30 C to + 30C its hard to find a material that will resist this well. Stucco can crack under expansion and contraction. I feel that a combination of a modern brick / ledge stone on the lower part of the home, and then stucco or some other panel type material on the upper parts of the home would be an ideal choice.

Some design elements that I feel are important, that you will find in many of my designs are:

  1. Concrete floors - I love the look of polished concrete. Its easy to care for and easy to maintain and wont show dirt as much as a dark wood or tile floor would. Assuming concrete floors are present, the home will likely not have a basement and thus be built on a slab. If we decide to use wood or tile flooring anywhere, it will have to be a light to medium color. This is simply because we have dogs that shed, and our current home has beautiful dark chocolate colored maple flooring...that needs to be vacuumed every two days. Dark flooring looks wonderful, but is extremly hard to keep clean.
  2. Single Level Design - No basement. I find that in most cases, we never spent time in our basements, and if the home is big enough there isn't a need for one. In addition, a basement is almost not possible in a lot of these designs, a lowered level in conjunction with the expansive open space of the main floor and concrete floor wouldn't be feasible from a construction and support point of view.
  3. Loft - I love lofts. I had one in our previous home and I really liked it. Right now a loft is a toss up. I could see a loft being used as office space, and not much else. So if the home is big enough, a single floor with expansive ceiling height may be sufficient.
  4. A courtyard - I'm not 100% sure why, but I seem to have an obsession with courtyards. In this case, I'm referring to a partial courtyard, where 3 of the 4 sides are the walls of the home and one side is open, so that the home "wraps" itself around the courtyard. I'm a big fan of outdoor living, so i feel a large seating area, pool or pond in the courtyard with the home surrounding it would be a great way to bring a natural element to a home with an industrial feel.
  5. A greenhouse - This isn't a 100% requirement but i feel some type of addition either to the home, or inside of the home that is strictly used for plants and air quality, would be a very cool feature to have.
  6. Open Layout - This is likely a given, but worth mentioning. I see large expansive spaces as a must, where one large room could accommodate multiple areas, like a kitchen, dining area, living room etc. I feel that walls should only be used in private spaces, like bedrooms, bathrooms and closets. The rest of the house should be pretty open and free flowing.
  7. High ceilings - Although this ties into the "open layout" concept above its important to note that the ceilings should be high, to further open up the space. The height of the ceilings are going to be dependant on whether or not a 2nd floor / loft is present. I envision all main floor ceilings being a minimum of 10'. If the home was a single floor design, i think all the ceiling would have to be 11', with perhaps the lobby / great room area being raised a couple more feet to give an even more expansive space. If the home had a loft or wing with more than one level, then a 10' ceiling on the main floor along with 10' or 9' ceilings on the upper floors would be ideal.
  8. Generous office space - Since me and Erin work from home, its vital that we each have dedicated office space large enough to be able to spend the entire day in without feeling isolated.
  9. Attached and detached garage facing each other - The home should have its own attached garage enough for 3 or 4 cars. It should face the external garage / warehouse, which will be approximately 3000sq ft. The garages need to face each other so they can utilize the same laneway. Our current home has the garages on oppsosite sides of the property, creating a larger driveway and more maintenance.
  10. Low maintenance materials - Keeping with a minimally modern design, all the exterior and interior materials should be low maintenance. For example, exterior wall panels made of metal or composite. All landscaping pathways and garden borders should be polished or stamped concrete. The driveway, should, ideally be paved. The interior should feature concrete flooring, quartz composite countertops and low maintenance easy to clean wood.

Location Assumptions:

Yes, its ideal that before you start designing your home, you want to have a piece of land already in place. However, I'm not at that stage yet. So all these homes are designed on the assumption that the location will be a relatively flat piece of land, with the rear of the property having a forested area. The rear forested area is important because the rear of the house will be covered in windows and will blur the lines between indoor and outdoor living, so a natural environment with privacy is a must.This isn't a far reaching assumption, most of the property in the area I'm in right now would meet this requirement.

Exterior Designs That Inspire Me - Part 1


Before I introduce any of my designs, I wanted to create a post that demonstrates where I get some of my inspiration from. I am by no means trying to copy any of these homes, I just take bits and pieces of things I like, and try to merge them together into one synergenistic design. The majority of the images below are related to the exterior designs, the shape of the home itself, since I feel thats the best place to start when creating a home that must be obviously contemporary / modern.Before I introduce any of my designs, I wanted to create a post that demonstrates where I get some of my inspiration from. I am by no means trying to copy any of these homes, I just take bits and pieces of things I like, and try to merge them together into one synergenistic design. The majority of the images below are related to the exterior designs, the shape of the home itself, since I feel thats the best place to start when creating a home that must be obviously contemporary / modern.















































Minimally Modern. Contemporary Residential Architecture Design Blog By Shawn Gusz. Profiling The Design And Development Of A New Contemporary Home To Be Built In Ontario, Canada.