Designed by Japanese architect, Shintaro Fujiwara, a house which was located in residential Showa-cho area of the city, Osaka, Japanese, was built to answer the need of a homeliving. The design of the residence has a narrow frontage, which is a part of a row house (17.89m ×3.94m). A big problem in the progress of the planning was that it could take only less than 3 meters for effective flange width inside when it was built in such a long narrow lot. The project aims to create a spacious atmosphere by leaving gaps between each floor and maintaining sight lines from front to back. Read more

The outdoors as a one of exterior elements which has a natural appeal to humans. The sky, earth, water, and other outdoor elements make us feel refreshed, calm, and one with the earth. How do we get these elements from the outside, inside of our home interior? The obvious way is by bringing plants into our living space. Although, a wonderful idea, here’s 10 other simple ways to bring the outdoors in.

1. Bring in Natural Fibers, Textures and Patterns: Wicker, Rattan, Hemp, and Jute are all materials that are inspired by nature. Choose these materials in your furniture for a comfortable oasis to relax. In decor – baskets, rugs, and even lampshades will bring the outdoors to your relaxing space. Read more

The owners of this house wanted to use the land for living space, a garden was inconceivable, they only want green. Therefore, one of the primary motivations of the team Formwerkz Architects was to look for spaces to try to correct this imbalance, and satisfy their customers. The result is a beautiful planter upright on the front gate and a green wall that doubles as a screen curtain on the second floor. The client, a mother of two young boys, wanted a house where she could keep an eye on their children without having to be in the same space. Read more

Designed by Arsh Designed Group, The building was created to fit the landscape requirement. City of Tehran is an absurd constructed landscape. Here, the conventional typology for achieving high density which is that of towers, is replaced by a completely different spatial strategy whereas density is achieved through massive deployment of a mid-rise building type; which is that of four to five storey piloted apartment buildings. The dominance of this type has yielded a some what absurd urban morphology whereas the exterior manifestation of the apartment buildings from a street point of view are limited to a single two-dimensional façade. Read more

In an interesting article from the New York Times this week, different families completed not so typical renovations. A few years ago, the Sleeper family moved from their crowded Missouri ranch house when they saw an eBay offering for three acres with an empty sandstone cave in Festus, Missouri. The initial idea to build a larger home on the land was soon abandoned as the family realized the potential the former quarry offered. With 15,000 feet of naturally insulated space, the Sleeper family took up a new residence – inside the cave. The older family members helped add more “home” touches to the cave and since the cave’s bare walls shed sand, the Sleepers placed interior roofs or umbrellas over areas like the kitchen that need to stay sand-free. Other than that, the family truly enjoys the natural feel of the space and have created a comfortable home. “The inside of the house feels like you’re outdoors without the discomfort of hot or cold,” Mrs. Sleeper states. Read more

Designed by Johnston Architects, the house offered a smart composition between wooden house and beautiful surroundings. The architect could blend the design and the surroundings element, such as the site contour and trees. The Architect let the trees at the site grow, and change them become a part of the design. Its beautiful wood house located on the Oregon Coast where the Coquille river meets the ocean. The house was built on a 2,500 square feet area and it has an amazing natural views. The two wings of the L-shaped plan reach out to the ocean and river views, which are framed by enormous cypress trees. The house provides shelter while opening to the expansive sky, ocean and dunes beyond. Equipped with large geometrical glass opening, this house could received the huge amount of natural light. Read more