American Classics

A little bit of everything.  Three American classics.  The quaint and modest shingle style home, a swimming pool and a travel trailer.  All of three of these showcased together may come across basic or boring yet they're very distinct dropped here on this beach site.

A modern vibe on the interior leads to both a traditional and retro spin on the outside.  Balance and simplicity throughout displaying some genius creativity.  Check the classic Airstream.  It's an icon no doubt and here it's purpose is multifunctional serving as the pool house or overflow for visitors.  And putting themselves out there a little further with their design they drop an above ground pool on site.  A modern twist clad in white Corian.

via knstrct and Roger Ferris + Partners

Aluminum Wrap

 

A modern, rugged vibe here showcasing this cottage and guest house.  Love the depth and texture with the matte aluminum brick style cladding.  And to take the exterior a little further they drop that wild yellow on the entry doors.  Fresh!  They've clearly embraced the natural surroundings while designing the residence as well.  Oversized windows maximizing views, large distinct overhangs providing shade and rustic weathered wood accents making up the sliding barn style doors.

The classic subway that never gets old.  Drawing pattern and style from the exterior.

 Another classic, the dutch door.  Always a good choice.

 

A nice bright white interior dominates along with a few random pastel hints in the bookcase and hanging light.  You can also catch this post over at Fred Flare.

via homedsgn

Norwegian Farmhouse

They call it the modern farmhouse.  The inspiration comes from an old barn that is adjacent to this bad boy.

 

A wide open floor plan, crazy floor to ceiling windows and some nice loud colors.  This is all about the modern vibe.

Clad in wood throughout.  Smooth, raw plywood on the interior and old, weathered barn wood on the exterior.  A cool mesh of styles and textures.

You can also check this post at Fred Flare.

via fastcompany

Living on the Edge

A modern gem oh so nicely tucked right in on the edge of a cliff and at the water's edge. A great design that not only takes on the challenges of the site but of the natural weather environment as well. Elevation changes and a tight footprint. The view from the water is just sweet.

A shot of the courtyard that separates the main living from the boathouse. Fully equipped with a wood burning pizza oven and fireplace. An exterior make-up of copper, concrete, metal and cedar cladding to battle the elements.

Check the interior. Douglas fir all over giving that nautical feel for sure along with concrete floors and oversized windows. They even have some subtle copper accents in the kitchen hardware to tie the interior and exterior finishes.

A badass rooftop entry. A two story glass enclosed elevator shaft to get you to the residence. I love the stark contrast they've created between the two points of entry off land and water. So good.

via homedsgn

Exterior Detail

There are times when I find myself looking at the precision and craftsmanship of the exterior more than the interior. It may come across as simple but I love the natural look of this reclaimed wood siding mixed with the darker, metal accents.

And, as you can see here, it's not always about heavy detail. This is about patterns in the nailing, the layout and horizontal line of the wood along with the contrast of the texture in the roof. The detail is there. Sometimes you just need to take a look at it in a slightly different way.

photos via ArchDaily

Site Perfection

There are times when you find yourself with a ton of land and for one reason or another, only a portion of the piece is suitable for building. It can get even trickier when you're site involves waterfront. Here's a little example I found on the Connecticut shoreline.

The architect was faced with a limited envelope and the challenges of maximizing amazing views and allowing for as much natural light as possible. A unique characteristic to the design here extending out two stories and resting on a post foundation. They make the most out of the space and capitalize on those highlighted ideas.

Great exterior details from the dry-set, local stone to the exposed rafter tails.

A well planned layout to showcase the views. The two structures above are linked together by an all glass breezeway.

via New England Home

San Francisco Shingle

A San Francisco shingle style renovation and addition from Gast Architects. I love a good before and after, and I'm a huge fan of the character and detail that you find in this style of architecture. The residence was originally built in the early 1900's and you can see from the before photo that the exterior was just a little tired.

The exterior takes on a whole new look with the updating of the shingle along with the black accents in the windows and overhangs.

A custom built-in bookcase that doubles as a secret door. Very cool and so unique.

A few other fine interior details to appreciate throughout the home are the plaster cove ceilings and the patterns in the hardwood.

via Gast Architects

Wavy Edge Interior

Here is another sweet idea and use of what I like to call wavy edge siding. I've also seen and heard it referred to as rough edge or Adirondack. Either way, I think it's such a cool application and brings in some unique character. This is the interior of The Book Club in London. It's a bar/performance space for cocktails, brunch, music, poetry and ping-pong.

via Remodelista

Wavy Edge Siding

Wavy edge siding is a cool way to incorporate a unique, rustic look to a project. We are designing a home right now where we are using some wavy siding on the exterior above a stucco application and the planks we picked up are amazing (above).

Wavy edge siding can be painted (example above around dormer windows) or left natural depending on the species of the wood. These examples (below) from my finish carpenter are left natural and are walnut.

The process of milling the wavy edge is pretty crazy. The natural log edge of the board is left on after cutting the wood into planks and the result is a wavy edge along the sides of each piece.

Here is a good video about the installation of wavy edge siding. Just ignore the video if you are bored, but it is still a great video for anyone who, like me, finds any sort of install interesting.