Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Backyard Atelier: Smooth Garage-to-Studio Transformation

Posted: 23 Feb 2012 08:00 AM PST

[ Filed under Offices & Studies & in the Interiors category ]

Those of us lucky enough to have garages know that they are useful for all kinds of things aside from storing vehicles. They act as impromptu practice spaces, workshops, winter-time beverage coolers, and the sites of much male bonding. The owner of this particular garage wanted to use his space as an office, but did not want to feel like he was spending his days in a garage. Dutch firm Architecten|en|en went to work creating a cozy but professional home office.

The studio is an extension and overhaul of the existing attached garage space. The client, designer Hugo de Ruiter, needed a place to not only conduct daily business but to meet with clients as well. For obvious reasons, calling meetings in the garage of one’s home is not ideal – so the addition takes on a life of its own, looking as different to the existing structure as possible.

The addition extends the garage both outward and upward, adding depth and height to the space. The exterior is clad in perforated corrugated aluminum skin that sets the office apart from the structure to which it is attached. Large folding aluminum doors protect the all-glass front and offer a bit of privacy and shade when needed.

Texturally, the aluminum plates seem to be a visual continuation of the home’s existing roof tiles. Thus, the add-on space appears to belong there but definitely has an identity all its own. Where the old and new structures meet, a thin strip of glass provides an unexpected additional burst of sunlight inside while further reinforcing the “new” and “existing” dichotomy.

According to Hugo de Ruiter, the space is the perfect size for an office. It is small enough that he does not feel out of place working in it alone, yet large enough that holding a meeting with several clients at once is not cramped or uncomfortable. As home offices go, this one looks amazingly sophisticated and not at all like it exists in a place once reserved for vehicles.

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Dornob Article:

Old Garage Converted into Urban Home

Suburban Camouflage: 14 Lifelike 3D Garage Door Murals

[ Filed under Offices & Studies & in the Interiors category ]

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Elegant Bathroom Exhaust Fan Disappears When Not Needed

Posted: 22 Feb 2012 02:00 PM PST

[ Filed under Hardware & Fans & in the Fixtures category ]

Exhaust fans may be a necessary part of bathroom design, but they are also a decidedly unattractive part. Designer Michael Samoriz invented the Invisible wall-mounted fan to be both unobtrusive and functional.

The Invisible design incorporates a recessed exhaust fan into a bathroom’s wall, using ceramic tile to camouflage it against the rest of the wall.

When the fan is not needed, it recedes into the wall and is, just as the name promises, totally invisible other than its surrounding LED frame.

When you need the fan to remove moisture from the air, it pops out and air is drawn in through the vents on the sides. The fan only attracts attention when it is being used, which seems to us is the mark of an elegantly designed fixture.