Home Design Find

No Comments »

A Historic and Artistic Eco Resort in Balinese Bridal Houses

On the Indonesian island of Bali, the eco resort town of Ubud is an arts and cultural center.

John and Cynthia Hardy have created there a sweet and simple getaway with all the artistic charm and history of Indonesia.

They located eleven antique bridal houses from Java and transported each to Bali to create a unique eco resort, the Bambu Indah.

Each of the Javanese teak wood houses on the property originally served as a bridal house for a Javanese nobleman.

Some of them have the luxurious comfort of a boutique hotel.

The Udang House offers a unique view of fish beneath the ‘floor.’

Bambu Indah combines traditional Balinese architecture with an eco flair.

Some are quite polished and sophisticated, with fine Indonesian antiques.

In one, a rustic outdoor shower over a scattering of stone encourages communing with nature.

In another, an outdoor wash room leads to a small bamboo ladder up to sleeping quarters.

Each bridal house puts the visitor in close contact with nature.

But all pay homage to a distinctive rustic Javanese style.

No Comments »

Old Stone and Glam Moderne Villa in Noto, Italy

Masseria Constanza is an ancient stone villa in Noto, Italy that was too decrepit to inhabit.

It has been beautifully restored, preserving the best of its antiquity, and made available for short-term rent.

Somehow design elements separated by half a millenium work together perfectly.

A giant refrigerator in the perfectly functional kitchen reoccupies the old hearth.

In the bedroom, a five hundred year old stone floor is now traversed by glass – walling off a shower room.

Guests are seated in state beneath the old stone walls – and a glam chandelier.

The graceful arches of the Renaissance feature in the living room.

These huge arches have been perfectly fitted with today’s glazing.

There is actually something right about the glam moderne treatment of the ancient stone villa.

And outside, todays swimming pool is overlooked by a wall that has stood for centuries.

No Comments »

A Lonely Cedar Sauna is Milled in 3-D CNC

On an isolated rocky outcropping on the shore of Lake Huron north of Toronto, lies a sauna with a secret interior.

Late afternoon sun fills an otherworldly cedar space with a warm light across curvy woodwork that swells into deep windowsills and skylights.

Canadian architecture studio Partisans used 3D modelling and CNC-cut models to design a space that is a sophisticated exercise in building science.

They worked with local sawmill MCM Inc on the fabrication and installation of the cedar woodwork, using 3D technology to scan, model and build the grotto.

Then it was prefabricated before being boated and craned into position.

The timber is formed into panels with parallel grains, creating the illusion of a softly water-carved interior.

Its cavernous milled cedar interior emulates the form of a seaside grotto.

Skewed porthole windows bring in abundant light into the sauna.

The traditional stepped sauna seating arrangement becomes a single undulating shape.

Ventilation is milled in a striated pattern that develops naturally due to the construction technique.

The final touch? Sensitively chosen hardware perfectly complements the complex cedar curves.