With design ideas changing from one room to the next, the metamorphosis will keep you amused at every turn. This unique house with eclectic décor will blow you away.
Despite being part of a typical housing estate, this house in and of itself is extraordinary. Low-rise perimeter fences have their advantages. They show off the front façade consisting of stunning orange brickwork, vine-covered terraces, exquisite floor tiles in beautiful patterns, Roman-style urns, and metal doors with industrial flair.
For the owners, the handsome place is both a home and a full-fledged photo studio. Made for great wedding shots, the eclectic style showcases creative DIY decorations and periods that change from one room to another. The reason is obvious. People don’t want to have their pictures taken against the same background forever. That explains everything that culminates in the eclectic style.
Once a car port, this brick-walled workspace represents newfound freedom and enthusiasm.This old-fashioned canopy bed has wheels. The owners can move it to a different location if need be. It can be part of a peaceful garden setting, or set up under the trees for great photo ops.A cute outdoor kitchen is crafted of materials recycled from old scaffolding.
Intriguing window treatments and fabric drapery on the ceiling fill the room set for great photography amid a carnival ambience.
Made for great wedding shots, the interior boasts beautiful décor items from different periods and styles. There is unity in diversity nonetheless.The eclectic style provides opportunities to find new meanings in vintage materials. Old boxes can transform into cool shelving, while ramie sacks make for good-looking carpet on the stairs.
The sleek home-cum-studio is unique in every sense of the word. Appropriately named “Adab,” it thrives on adapting various styles in interior design and putting them to good use in the most creative of ways.
This 141-square-meter residential space belongs to a mother and her daughter who share a love of Japanese minimalism. “Both mother and daughter like the clean look of Japanese woodwork for the neat and relaxing feeling it gives the house,” said Ornchuma.
Their preference appeared simple enough, but in practice, renovation wasn’t all that easy. Ornchuna had to get rid of all the walls and redivide the whole space without harming the condominium’s structural integrity. She attaches a lot of value to using wood in the Japanese style: interior decoration isn’t just a question of adding furniture. She applied her special knowledge to the living area to create clear divisions of usable space with a pleasing furniture arrangement.
The slender-legged furniture doesn’t busy the room with lines, and matches the floor color, giving the room a more connected and still expansive look.A Japanese-style room isn’t limited to futons; you don’t have to forgo a sofa, just use neutral colors and avoid clutter.
“As a central focus for the family, the living room should be spacious,” she said. To this end, other areas connect directly to the living room, the only separation being a counter bar in the kitchen. The two bedrooms are further in, and higher up is a workroom with a sliding door.
To create more usable space, Ornchuma set the wood floors at different levels. “The most interesting feature here is the use of sliding doors. Japanese houses use them because of space limitations, a good reason for using them in a Thai condominium, too.”
Unusual materials come into play. Instead of glass, Ornchuma sometimes chose polycarbonate, which lets light in while blocking lines of sight and is also quite elastic, a useful property for sliding doors.
While we were talking, the daughter opened the polycarbonate-paneled sliding door to join us in the workroom. She lifted a raised section of flooring to reveal hidden storage space beneath, showing another good feature of the Japanese style. “I store miniature models and drawing boards down there, some longer than A4-size paper, they fit perfectly under the floor.”
What they both really like about life in this minimalist condominium is its homey feeling. Visiting friends agree that it’s a great living space. Of course, what really makes a home is the relationship of the people living there, but the heartwarming feeling of family here is easy to see.
A deep understanding between owner and designer translated into a warm, welcoming american classic home with exquisite décor, full of personality and style.
This 290-square-meter condominium suite on the Chao Phraya river is graced with a panoramic view of the King Rama I Bridge and the Thonburi area.
When the owners began life as a family, this was their first home. Thittawan Chaiyawon was both a designer and a close friend, so at this turn in life they invited her to weave their new family’s dreams to become the fabric of a beautiful new reality.
From the moment we stepped inside, we were impressed. Beyond the classic American-style décor with its mix of fashionable industrial, the cheerful personality of the still-young mother/owner could be seen in every nook and cranny as she entertained us with tales about their earlier life.
“When we got married my husband’s grandmother gave this room to us. For comfort’s sake we wanted to fix it up to reflect what we liked, since we figured on being here at least 4 or 5 years.”
The ambience they were looking for was “American classic.” Interior decoration came down to adding one sweet detail after another. The decorator told us this was great fun for her from beginning to end.
“We tried to preserve the basic room plan and any valuable materials: the marble floor, the kitchen marble. We put in full-size wooden doors, and where floors were wood we stained them a deeper color. We tore out and replaced all the old utility systems and the ceiling. We wanted a higher ceiling, so more light and air could come in and it wouldn’t feel stuffy.”
Another unique feature: every piece of movable furniture was tailored to suit the wife’s feminine character. “We discussed this all with the furniture maker. He’s a friend who had come back from New York with us. The dining room table, for instance: our original thought was for a rust colored metal table. He told us, though, that it would truly and especially fit my character if the color was gold. We agreed to it. And it came out incredibly beautiful.”
“A home has to be perfect, and full enough that you can be happy living there,” the designer spoke for her dear friend. “It’s lucky she liked my ideas: not everyone’s like that.”
The upholstered head of the bed is taller than usual, easing the classic style a bit.
The wife says the one who was the most help in setting things up right was the child in her belly. “Before I was pregnant I didn’t much like staying at home, I’d rather go hang out with my friends. But when I started getting big, I preferred staying at home. Now I’ve started studying piano, and I fun practicing for my child to listen to.”
A warm, welcoming home and a lively family: this American classic environment looks to be just right for the new baby.
Looking for a beautiful box style for your dream house? Here’s a box-shaped house inspired by the ethos of “form follows function” plus the beautiful panoramic view of an exotic Tropical garden. For lack of a better word, it’s a perfect combination of visible shape, color and texture, and practicality that happens by chance and ends in a happy and beneficial way.
The 350-square-meter modern box-shaped house took two years in the making.
Patchara Wongboonsin, the project architect at POAR, said that he didn’t have a particular style in mind when he started examining and evaluating different designs for the new home.
At the time, charm and good looks weren’t that important. He just wanted to create a practical, well-functioning house. After much deliberation, he had the winner — a modern box-style home that brings on the happy vibes by letting nature permeate.
“The house isn’t meant to be photogenic,” said Patchara when asked about some elements of design. “Everything and every component part has a reason for its existence. Take for instance the big steel beams upfront that make the house look rather unique. They are there for a future expansion plan.”
Overall, the interior is plain and uncluttered. Every living space and function is well thought out keeping in mind the movement of the sun and the amounts of light that change throughout the day.
Like so, the washrooms, storage space and essential maintenance work rooms are located in the west side of the house plan where the heat of the afternoon goes to work removing stuffy odors and preventing moisture damage.
A high-ceilinged room on the first floor makes the interior living space feel light and airy all day long.
There is no need for air conditioning or electric lights during daytime hours, which translates into big savings on utility bills.
Immediately appealing is the master bedroom, which spans 13 meters from one end to the other.
The master bedroom enclosed by glass walls affords a beautiful view of the courtyard garden abundant in Tropical plants and exotics thriving luxuriantly. It’s exemplary of integrated design that blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. The result is an amazing panorama that the homeowners enjoy in the comfort of their bedroom.
A beautifully crafted stairway hides behind the wall for good reason. It’s obvious the architect didn’t want anything in any way, shape or form to interfere with the relaxed ambience of the living room.Kids’ bathrooms are the most colorful parts of the home.
For charm, good looks and the interior that’s pleasing to the senses, a palette of natural, earthy colors is used. The walls are painted a soft shade of gray to enhance special effects from nearby green spaces. The architect also uses wood jambs and engineered oak wood flooring to create warm interior spaces.
Tropical trees and exotics thriving luxuriantly in the yard reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the home, creating indoor thermal comfort.
/ Story: Ajchara Jeenkram, Wuthikorn Suthiapa / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
For 40 years, this modest two-story home has stood in a residential neighborhood near Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Noise pollution has turned many people away, but the architect David Chan ofDesign Collective Architects (DCA) has grown so acquainted with living in the area that he decided to stay. A frequent flyer, he thinks it wise to live a stone’s throw away from it all.
No need to say renovation came as a challenge for Chan, who usually made a living designing larger houses. Strictly speaking he had a task that required great effort and was hard to accomplish: Create the good life in a space that was far from generous.
He started out with ventilation improvements. To bring in crisp, clean air, solid front doors were removed and replaced with steel wire mesh paneling. Meantime, blowholes were put into the exterior wall to facilitate heat dissipation and increase indoor thermal comfort.
Chan did a partial tear-down, turning the upper floor into a mezzanine. The result was a light and airy living space in an 80-square-meter townhouse with double high ceilings. Where appropriate, he added windows and other wall openings and painted everything white and soft shades of gray to make the interior appear larger than it was.
Design being so well thought out, who needs air conditioning?For security window bars, simply does it.
Despite it being a small townhouse, Chan added some much-needed patches of green to the design. He put a hole in the backyard floor and planted a leafy tree that was visible from the living room and bedroom.
The complete makeover went as planned. Chan and his family now live in a beautifully remodeled home in an expedient location in Selangor that best suit their specific needs. Incredible as it may seem, the tiny home is where life begins again, and love never ends.
/ Story: Otto Otto / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sungwan Phratep /
Introducing a plain and simple concrete home that captures the essence of the cultures of Southeast Asia. Like an unforgettable journey back in time, it uses bamboo design for interior decoration. Step inside and be enthralled by a bewildering array of items made of bamboo and craftworks showcasing a passion and individuality.
The homeowner is a nationally renowned painter. When his old house was receiving more visitors and friends than it could handle, he decided to build a new one right next to it. The result is a living space handcrafted with grace and sustainable elegance.
The first floor holds a trendy open-concept living room with dining space done in the loft style. It houses a collection of paintings that dominate bare concrete walls.
If visitors should feel like spending the night here, guest accommodation is only a flight of cantilever stairs away.
There is a touch of the exotic in the bedroom designed by award-winning designer/carpenter Yutthana Bumrungkit. He thinks this modern building needs a bit of craftworks to create a delightful local ambiance.
Ceiling treatments are fashioned from cleaved bamboo paneling, while the walls are covered in flattened bamboo poles arranged horizontally to highlight a naturally split pattern and nodes in rustic amber color.
Even the doorknob is crafted of a bamboo gnarl.Light switches are hidden in plain sight behind knotted bamboo sticks put together in a miniature lattice.The rustic handrail is crafted of a giant bamboo pole, part of the designer’s rare collectibles.
Ceiling treatments combine strand woven paneling with braid design, ideal bathroom décor of bamboo aficionados.An ultramodern chandelier fashioned from sheets of mulberry paper fills the interior with an orchestra of electric lights.
The raw look of lofts and warmth that comes with bamboo design combine to give this house modern rustic appeal while showcasing the owner’s passion and individuality.
In a nutshell, the giant woody grass of Southeast Asia still has plenty of room to grow in the world of modern design.
Tropical houses are known for being well-ventilated and filled with natural light, and we have come to expect that they be built the traditional way. Well, they need not be. This airy house with a twist looks cool with a beautiful swimming pool beside the living room.
Wanting to build a stylishly chic modern home, the owner sought the advice of Ayutt Mahasom, the architect renowned for innovative integrated design that was his signature. Obviously he came to the right place.
The architect started out with the form, color and texture first and foremost. All aspects of interior and exterior design were taken into account until he found the right balance.
To fulfill the owner’s wish, he designed rooms on the upper floor to appear as if they were hovering in mid-air. This was achieved by concealing supports in beams and structures that connect them to the foundation behind aluminum composite panels in black.
The result is an airy house filled with natural light that appears lightweight, while the external envelope is characterized by sharply angled architectural designs.
The front façade is the house’s most eye-catching feature. It’s built strong using aluminum board and batten siding in rich, gleaming shades of bronze.
The exterior wall panels go through mesmerizing color shifts as sunlight and temperatures change throughout the day.
Great looks matter, but attention to detail is just as important. The house sits on high ground 1.5 meters above street level. To conceal the difference in elevation, the architect puts in subtle steps and gentle slopes arranged in way that’s well suited to the purpose.
Taken as a whole, inspiring beautiful yards add curb appeal to the home. Nature pervades the landscape. Where appropriate, the architect puts in lush green lawns and leafy trees to create a peaceful Tropical ambience. It’s so thoughtfully designed that visitors don’t even notice the difference in ground level.
The hallway is lined with mirrors to make the indoor green space appear larger than it is.
The house affords 1,200 square meters of living spaces divided into three separate units for the parents and their two daughters.
There is a shared poolside living room that looks like a summerhouse with 3.5-meter-high ceilings. A peaceful and relaxing place, it’s the heart of family life thanks to Ayutt taking the time to make sure the furniture selected is right and appropriate.
To avoid muddling up the general appearance of the bronze façade, the architect chose only pieces in light colors in keeping with the modern minimalist-style home.
All things considered, the house is elegantly fashionable. It’s light and airy, and it’s made for comfortable living taking into account the climate of Tropical regions
Architect: Ayutt Mahasom of Ayutt and Associates Design (AAd) (www.aad-design.com)
Windows are great ways to allow natural light into the interior space. Why limit yourself like it’s a rectangle with corners? There are other attractive window design options. Check this out.
Cave windows are stylishly unique, albeit not an easy task. You will need special jamb shafts, caps, and bases, as well as professional installers to accomplish the task. The jambs bear the weight of the window and wall. Their strengths are vitally important as precautions against cracks in the wall. Done right, cave windows are aesthetically pleasing sights to see. Your kids will definitely love them.
Round Windows
Round window frames measuring 1.2 meters in diameter can be crafted of a concrete pipe. Put cushions on the window sill to ensure it is soft to the touch, and it will be your new favorite spot in the house.
Panoramic Windows
If you like a crisp, cool breeze but don’t want the heat of the scorching sun, panoramic windows may be for you. The long horizontal design is an ideal solution where a lot of natural light is desired without sacrificing thermal comfort in the interior space.
Tall Windows
Tall windows and narrow rooms with high ceilings make fine pairings. You can make them look fashionable by separating the main window frame into two sections. Fill the top part with a row of swing-out casement windows, and the lower part with awning windows.
Diagonal Widows
Slanting windows are seriously cool, but be patient because they take a long time to install. Oftentimes building constructors will first need to measure the aperture, have the casements made to custom specifications, and then put different parts together on site.
Shelf Windows
If the display of souvenirs and beautiful objects is your style, just add a flat length of rigid materials to the window frame. You will have handsome shelving to show off your sentimental collections.
Sink Windows
The stuffy atmosphere is no more. Let a custom-designed overhead window light up your kitchen sink, and get rid of that airless, musty feeling.
Moroccan Windows
Making your own Moroccan windows is easier than you think. All you need are pieces of plywood cut to Moroccan arch specifications and painted white. You will also need brass-plated window latches and handles. Attach them to you window frames and enjoy a touch of the exotic.
Vertically Stacked Windows
A neatly arranged stack of awning windows can make your home or workplace look unique. Add a personal touch to your design by putting messages, labels, inspirational quotes, or pieces of graphic design on glass shutters.
/ Story: Atto Otto / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sungwan Phratep /
If living in a minimalist, rustic farmhouse is your thing, but what you’ve found so far isn’t cool enough, then this hip house amidst the rice fields of Chiang Mai may change your mind. The hybrid wood and concrete home stands in nature’s peaceful embrace. It’s attached to paddy fields on a rural road leading to the city. Here, misty morning mountain views can be seen from miles around.
Albeit a little plain and unpretentious, the two-story family home has some modern elements to it. That’s reason enough for Keatnapin Sobhinnon and Patsa Attanon to buy it for their quiet country retreat away from hectic urban life.
Building a home on sloped ground typically calls for a split level floor plan, and in this particular case stepped foundations become necessary. This results in utility spaces and service rooms being assigned to different levels.
On the outside, an open air car park is leveled out for safety. It’s supported by a concrete retaining wall to prevent erosion on sloped yard. The front entry area is easily accessible via a wooden footbridge, an architectural feature that makes the house façade look calm, cool and welcoming.
Walk in the door, and you find living room décor delightful and attractively old-fashioned. Do-it-yourself crafts and decorating ideas add fun touches to every part of the room.
Chiang Mai being a handicraft capital, the homeowners enjoy the freedom of creating their own design for every piece of furniture. Then they simply ask local artisans highly skilled in woodworking to make the pieces to their specifications.
Needless to say the interior decorations convey a great deal about their fun and vibrant personality – warm, inviting and without pretense.
To create extra living space outdoors, the couple make the terraces larger than originally planned. This is achieved by connecting the platform next to the house to a nearby rice granary, or “Ruaen Long Khao” in the vernacular of the Northern Region.
Strictly speaking, it’s a storehouse on stilts for threshed grain common in the area. The old granary has since transformed into lodging accommodation for visiting houseguests.
An expanded terrace space connects to the nearby “Ruaen Long Khao,” an old rice granary-turned-lodging accommodations for visiting houseguests.
As Patsa described it: “It’s beautiful out here all year round. I especially love it when it rains as rice paddies and the surrounding hills come alive with all shades of green, entirely different from our home in Bangkok.
“When we came here for the first time, it felt like being in another world. No need to say we were filled with joy. I think this house was made for us.”
With a breathtaking panorama of mountain landscapes and the comfort of their home, it’s easy to get why the couple love this country home among the rice fields so dearly.
Owner/Designer: Keatnapin Sobhinnon and Patsa Attanon
/ Story: Wuthikorn Sut / English version: Bob Pitakwong /
/ Photographs: Sitthisak Namkham /
Ever wonder what a dream house for cats looks like? Here’s a perfect place to find happiness and fulfilment in life for kind pet owners and their feline friends. This new house in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia is obviously designed with cats in mind. The front façade is wrapped in galvanized expanded metal mesh from top to bottom to protect the cats from wandering off or going into harm’s way.
Sharing his slice of paradise, Chan Mun Inn of Design Collective Architects (DCA) said: “I live with my wife and our seven cats in this house.
“There used to be only four, but I adopted more cats. So I ended up with seven of them. They were the reason that we left our old apartment in the city and built a new home in the suburb.”
He made the right decision. The apartment back in Kuala Lumpur was a bit chaotic. The new house in suburban Petaling Jaya, Selangor turned out to be a convenient and practical solution. Now he can work in the comfort of his new home and occasionally go to meetings in the city.
In the process, the quality of life for him and his family, as well as that of the cats, has improved markedly.
The overall design got its inspiration from Rumah Melayu, or the vernacular dwelling of the Malays. The new place of residence differs from traditional residential design in that it’s built of modern materials, utilizing new technologies.
The new home boasts high ceilings for a light and airy feel. Correct orientation allows it to take advantage of certain aspects of the surroundings. Take for instance, the pinnacle of the steeply pitched roof, which is set at an angle that effectively shades the house from the scorching afternoon sun.
This results in thermal comfort in the interior living spaces. Like the house on stilts done in accordance with tradition, the ground floor is set aside for a carport, storage spaces, and a gym, while the entire upper floor provides ample spaces for modern living.
The front façade covered in expanded metal mesh is built that way for a very good reason. It protects the cats from wandering off, getting lost or going into harm’s way.
In the meantime, they keep the domestic feline population from coming in contact with stray cats. Plus, attention to detail ensures that every door closes securely. Even door knobs are carefully thought-out so that no cat can open them.
The entire wall is covered in beautiful brickwork. Natural tones and rough textures make the 10-meter-high wall look very interesting.The home office offers maximum workspace, while the bedroom is cool and restful. Unmistakably very good ideas!
Thoughtful design ensures that surrounding landscapes can be seen in full view from the master bedroom. Well, at least for now. Everything changes. “The view from my bedroom will be the same until someone buys those hills,” said Chan Mun Inn with a smile.
This has been the story of kind pet owners and their feline companions, who had to choose between suburban and city living. With less traffic and more natural surroundings, they have made the right decisionb. In such a beautiful home, they can live happily ever after.
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