Contemporary Villa London, Mallorca
Posted on: September 10th, 2012 by ModShopInt
ernational design studio CMV Architects have completed the Villa London project. Completed in 2004, this contemporary property can be found in Llucmajor, Mallorca, Balearic Islands.
According to the architects: “The contemporary Spanish house is located in the Sa Torre housing development, in a plot of land next to a cliff. The client, a well-known English writer, raises an extensive programme to fulfill needs of every member of the family. The infinite sights on the sea will be the basic premise of the project. The necessity to open the house to the landscape, taking advantage of the local characteristics, entails the disintegration of the volumes, fleeing from the massification.
“The construction is set out as a set of independent entities: independent pavilions placed, one next to the other, along the axis of the cliff, each one of it keeping its own privacy and independence. The common areas work as connection spaces. Finally, a writing pavilion is set out in a privileged area of the plot, allowing to cut off from the rest of the contemporary Spanish property and providing tranquility and easier concentration for the writer.”
Modernist Residence, Madrid
Posted on: September 10th, 2012 by ModShopAccording to the architects: The architecture studio A-cero, led by Joaquin Torres & Rafael Llamazares, presents one of its last unifamiliar housing projects.
“The contemporary Spanish house is located in a rectangular plot of 2,800 m2, where there are plenty of pines and oaks. Since A-cero aims to preserve these Mediterranean species, the housing project pretends to live with them so much so that both embrace in the facade. The low slope plot follows the existing urban parameters with the curving shapes characteristic of the Studio.
The contemporary Spanish property is built of ventilated stone white marble real cream combined with bamboo wood, giving it character and sobriety.
“Inside, the spaces are wide and full of light in every room of the house. For the floor, A-cero chose a cream polished marble for the living room and an Havanna oak for the bedrooms.
“Suggestive forms of architecture are introduced into the interior of the house thanks to a furniture design with plenty of curves.
“We have to highlight the kitchen, with an A-cero design that follows the thread of the project. The finishing is made of wood and White Corian.
“The furniture in the house combines the A-cero designed ones with other elements chosen by the property, where simplicity and elegance are the general trend. The white color, flooding the room, is mixed with warmer tones in browns and grays.
“The distribution of the house is done in three levels. The first floor has three en suite bedrooms, while the ground floor houses a large living room, a guest toilet, kitchen with storage area, and a spacious master bedroom with dressing room. In the basement floor is situated the garage, service area and other facilities.
“On the outside, A-cero respects the existing vegetation on the plot and makes a pool with changing room.”
Panoramic Views At Haus D, Italy
Posted on: September 10th, 2012 by ModShopVie
nna-based design studio PAUHOF Architekten has designed the Haus D project. The beautiful property has been built on a steel site with undulating views to the nearby Mountain. The contemporary property can be found in Novacella, Italy.
According to the architects: “House D is a single-family dwelling with an integrated studio-gallery. Built on a steep slope, it weaves itself into its immediate surroundings and at the same time alludes to the more distant mountain landscape. On the one hand, it is embedded in the suburban settlement, on the other, it stands out as the end point of a southward-facing vineyard. This ambivalence is emphasised by the previously existing natural stone wall that runs along the eastern side, reaching out into the open landscape. The organic curve of this wall – a line characteristic for the entire western slope – the stone border of the private driveway, and the snaking path of the road define the specific situation. In this way, we conceived this contemporary Italian house as a kind of joint that extends past the steep slope to connect the existing elements.
“The structure of the contemporary Italian house – that is, the section and/or the floor plan – results from the unusual nature of the site. On the south side, the house extends along the entire length of the building line, forming a four-story stacked volume (approximate height difference: 12 m). Otherwise, the rounded contour of the plan abstractly follows the property line. The structuring of the interior spaces is an artificial reflection of the specific topographic situation. All views are choreographed to capture as much of the still intact surrounding landscape as possible while blocking out the immediate, less attractive neighborhood. The spiral course of circulation manifests itself in the hovering roof structure (a snaking timber construction) that follows the curve of the northward-facing atrium, winds upward, is briefly supported by the bedroom façade, and then continues off into the vineyard as a tapering pergola.
“Four floors, each unique, determine the spatial continuum. The lower level houses the semi-public, neutrally toned studio-gallery with fair-faced concrete walls and natural illumination from a side light and clerestory windows on the slope side. The entrance to the contemporary Italian property leads via a wide, half-indoor, half-outdoor, concrete staircase to the domain of the lady of the house: a two-story-high studio library and adjacent work area with a glass wall looking down onto the gallery. Grouped around the quarter-circle-shaped void of the gallery are the children’s bedrooms, a guestroom, and the bath- and utility rooms. Colours and materials in general play an especially important role and were planned in an inspiring collaboration with the artist Manfred Alois Mayr from Bolzano.”
Luxury Palace Hotel Byblos, Saint Tropez
Posted on: September 10th, 2012 by ModShopHotel Byblos Saint-Tropez was recently promoted to ‘Palace’ status, one of the few French properties to claim this much coveted award. To qualify for the Palace distinction, hotels must have more spacious rooms than 5 star properties, better facilities and higher standards of service.
The Palace distinction highlights the influence of France around the world and reinforces the position of the luxury French hotel as an exceptional hotel on the international scene.
Since 1967, Hotel Byblos, the jewel of Groupe Floirat, has been a legendary icon of the Cote d’Azur for 45 years.
The luxury French hotel resembles a Provencal village composed of small buildings placed side by side. A roof made of curved tiles lined with ‘Génoises’; wrought iron balconies; fountains; small cobblestone squares; a hundred-year-old olive tree; palm trees; bougainvillea and jasmine — a total of over 400 plant species; an expansive patio; a large swimming pool, a waterfront bar; two restaurants, a Sisley Spa and the ultra-chic Les Caves du Roy nightclub.
The 91 room hotel including 50 suites which were fully renovated in 2011 are an icon of the Cote D’Azur, the luxury French hotel is the place to stay in Saint-Tropez.
The trendy hotel even boasts its own exclusive iPad and iPhone app offering a concierge service and much much more. And from September 29 until October 7, the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez – international sailing competition brings a real buzz to the hotel.
Set in the heart of Saint-Tropez the glamorous Byblos is the flagship hotel of the family owned Groupe Floirat, whose portfolio also includes the Black Legend nightclub in Monaco, La Réserve, St Jean de Luz and Les Manoirs de Tourgéville in Deauville.
Luxury Montrose House, South Africa
Posted on: September 6th, 2012 by ModShopAccording to the architects: “This unique site resulted from the demolition of an existing house. The site was divided by the existing driveway, which rose steeply from the end of the cul-de-sac below. The new building’s form, perched as it is in a commanding position, was perceived from the outset to be a pavilion overlooking the lawns and the forested valley below.
“The clients’ brief had a few specific requirements; orientation towards the Constantia Valley and distant False Bay, and the dramatic views up the mountains above Kirstenbosch were essential, as was the emphasis on developing the site to maximise the garden and lawn area. Following the brief the driveway was relocated to the southern boundary of the site to allow this and open up the lawns and the gardens towards the sun and mountain views. There are panoramic vistas towards the south and west from the bedrooms and living rooms; while the pool and terraces are located on the north-east side, in a courtyard protected from the Southeaster gales by the intersecting linear forms of the contemporary South African house.
“The triangular shape of the site, and its elevation above the street and steep incline, required extensive excavation and retaining, in order to provide a driveway of acceptable gradient, and extensive building platform on one level, and garden terraces all round.
“The double-winged roof, floating above the bedroom wing, and virtually glass box-enclosed living rooms, are the main architectural features of this contemporary South African property. These are complemented by secondary architectural elements such as the cantilevered end of the main entrance feature wall, the floating stone-clad fireplace, continuous perimeter cantilever terraces to the bedrooms and the wrap-around cantilever eyebrow.
“Finishes include: polished granite floors, no carpets, no curtains and the floating feature roof with clerestory lighting. The clients’ preference was towards a slick modernist environment with a definitive northern European flair. The imported light grey granite floor slabs set the tone for a colour palette of cool greys rather than natural browns, a refreshing change from prevailing trends.”
