A Home Whose Driveway Is Functional Indoor Space: The Autofamily House.

Robert Konieczny of KWK Promes, the architecture firm behind The Safe House, a wild fortress-like house with moving walls, continues to integrate unique thinking into their designs.

Modern Luxury Living - The Architecture & Interior Design of the Balance Hill House.

The Balance Hill home by Kirkpatrick Architects, with interior design by Antonia Hutt & Associates, is situated on a dramatic hillside terrace, high above the LA basin. In addition to the home's dramatic exterior design, inside it has regulation size bowling lanes, a glassed in wall wine storage, and a home gym in addition to the bedrooms, bathrooms, a formal dining room, kitchen, casual dining area and bar.

A Modern Oasis In the Middle Of Yucca Valley: The Black Desert House Is Stylish Inside and Out.

The “Black Desert House” is a modern architectural home available to rent for professional Fashion, Editorial, Film and Advertising photo shoots, movies and commercials. Sadly, it cannot be rented as a vacation home. The 1,570 square foot home is fully furnished with designer decor and lighting and located about 2 hours outside of Los Angeles in Yucca Valley.







The secluded site offers ample parking with nearby lodging for staff and crew. Nestled in spectacular surroundings the Black Desert Home has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a laundry room, carport, kitchen, living and dining rooms, and is fully air conditioned. The home also has a 30-ft long, 8-ft deep black bottom swimming pool with an outdoor hot and cold shower.






Conceived by Creative Director Marc Atlan — in collaboration with Oller & Pejic and Moderne Builders — the “Black Desert House” was spatially designed to capture every facet of the surrounding beauty, at all moments of the day. Majestic yet minimal, sophisticated yet primally simple, the “Black Desert House” offers an unforgettable and timeless experience of sensory inspiration.




Soaring panes of glass frame 70 miles of unspoiled Mojave Desert landscape; an ever-changing panorama of shade, color and light as the sun shifts westward. Articulated around a central courtyard, the 3-bedroom sleeping area opens onto the skewed rectangle of the deep, black-tiled pool.






The surrounding terraced patio is sheltered between the house and the towering boulder formation which, after dark, is strikingly illuminated from below.









The architecture spirals down to the level of the kitchen and dining room, for all intents and purposes the central cockpit of the house, and then descends via deeply tiered steps into the vast sunken living room. Black walls, midnight quartz, high-gloss anthracite and darkened steel form the backdrop for sporadic bursts of color.












Site Plan:


Floor Plan:


East and West elevations:


Specifications:

ROOMS:
Living Room
Dining Room
Kitchen
1 Master Bedroom with en-suite Bathroom
2 Guest Bedrooms
1 Guest Bathroom
Laundry Room
Carport

SQUARE FOOTAGE:
2.5 Acre Lot
1,570 Sq. ft. Residence
4,850 Sq. ft. Total Usable Space including:
- 1,380 Sq. ft. Pool & Lounging Area
- 740 Sq. ft. Dining Patio
- 630 Sq. ft. Inner Patio
- 530 Sq. ft. Carport

FURNISHINGS:
Ingo Maurer “Zettel’z 5” chandelier.
Andrée Putman “Morgans” polished aluminum chair.
Philippe Starck “Miss Sissi” white table lamps.
Marc Sadler “Giunco” white floor lamp.
Warren Platner “Knoll” dining table.
Konstantin Grcic "Stool One” red bar stools.
Philippe Starck “Masters” black dining chairs.
Elizabeth Paige-Smith “Blow” orange side table.
Antique Louis XV silk & gilt armchairs.

POOL & OTHER:
30-ft long & 8-ft deep pool w. outdoor H/C shower.
Terraced patio with multiple sunning platforms.
Air Conditioning throughout the entire house.

LANDSCAPING & OUTDOOR LIGHTING:
Spectacular landscape lighting & architectural hardscaping.
Plants are primarily High Desert native species i.e.: Joshua tree, juniper, pinyon pine, incense cedar, desert willow, etc.
Sculptural olive trees in entrance patio.

LOCATION:
2-hr. drive from Los Angeles.
30-min. drive from Palm Springs Intl. Airport.
20-min. drive from Desert Hot Springs.
10-min drive to Joshua Tree National Park.

More information about Marc Atlan Design, Inc. here
structural engineering: castillo engineering
energy analysis: alternative energy systems
general contractor: moderne builder

All information and images courtesy of The Black Desert House website. Photos © Marc Angeles and Nikolas Keonig, 2013

Modern Desert Villa Retreat by Weinstein Vaadia Architects Brought to Life by Studio Aiko.

This Desert Villa Retreat was created for an architecture competition by Tel Aviv based Weinstein Vaadia Architects.











The project was then brought to life by Studio Aiko through 3D computer visualization.

Weinstein Vaadia Architect's general brief was to create a peaceful and calm surrounding in which the villa is located. This desert scene was created by Studio Aiko and merges the magical scenery of the desert with the modern architecture of the villa. With still frames supplied to them by the client, they added their own mystery - and a bit of humor- in the video below:



The most challenging task for Studio Aiko was to create a believable surrounding terrain with rocks and sand in order to achieve a realistic look. They used different types of scatter techniques on rocks and vegetation - a thing that caused them lots of RAM peaks. For the setup of this scene they used V-Ray sun and physical camera. This resulted in great exterior shots. The final achievement of the feel and mood was done in post which added a subtle and calm mood. V-Ray displacement gave them the ability to create the detailed terrain and the rock fence. It required some extra use of RAM so they needed to work efficiently and to optimize every aspect of the project.





About Weinstein Vaadia Architects (וינשטין ועדיה אדריכלים):
Weinstein-Vaadia Architects is a design-oriented Tel-Aviv firm that specializes in architecture, interior design, and landscape design. Founded in 1994, the practice's portfolio includes a range of public and private projects throughout the country. Our buildings celebrate the beauty of simple and natural notions of life such as light, air, vegetation, and movement. We strive to be both precise and relaxed like nature, not by imitating it, but by exploring the interplay between these two positions. Our work focuses on hospitals, such as the Childrens Hospital at the Sieff Medical Center, Tsfat; wineries, such as the Galil Mountain and Golan Heights Wineries; and educational projects, such as the Center for Environmental Education at Hiriya Recycling Park. The firm is led by partners Shai Weinstein and Gil Vaadia.
http://www.zwwv.com




About Studio Aiko:
Founded by Yair Alony and Meny Hilsenrad in 2005, Studio Aiko is a young & dynamic CG visual FX studio.

We provide high-end visuals and aim for excellence, while constantly renewing and refining our professional skills. The quality of our CG is very important to us - whether the project be a commercial ad, content for T.V., or an architectural visualization, Studio Aiko is committed to producing work of the highest quality for its clients.

We offer our services to a wide variety of companies, as well as focusing on our independent goals - to produce original content and ideas.
http://www.studio-aiko.com