Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Stunning Hillside Forest Retreat Welcomes Nature Indoors

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT

[ Filed under Contemporary & in the Architecture category ]

Living in the midst of nature is one thing. Inviting nature into your home as a part of the living space is something entirely different. In the case of the Corallo House by PAZ Arquitectura, it is also something completely wonderful.

Residing in a heavily forested area of Guatemala City, the Corallo House incorporates the surrounding forest into its overall design. The home is in the forest, but the forest is also in the home.

One of the main goals of the project was to preserve the existing trees on the site and incorporate them into the home’s overall design.

The result is a home that uses both natural materials and nature itself – in the form of living, growing trees – to honor the beautiful piece of earth on which it sits.

The interior changes in level correspond with the natural topography changes of the site itself. The home hugs the natural contours of the landscape, connecting it even more firmly to the forest in which it resides.

Inside and out, the home’s materials reflect nature at every turn. Rich oiled wood, weathered timber, expansive glass, smooth pebbles and rough stones, shiny steel and exposed concrete – and, of course, the living trees – all combine to form a gentle conversation with the forest.

While the entire house is amazing and truly an unforgettable architectural treat, it seems likely that the residents would have a hard time enjoying the whole building. When you have a bedroom this spectacular, why would you ever want to leave it?

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Dornob Article:

Outside In House: Lively Courtyard Brings Nature Indoors

Modern Rustic: Modular Underground Forest Home Design

[ Filed under Contemporary & in the Architecture category ]

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Four Degrees: A Novel Approach to Stackable Bookshelves

Posted: 10 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT

[ Filed under Furniture & in the Bookcases category ]

It is generally easier to stack linear things – or so conventional wisdom goes. But what happens when you add just the tiniest twist – or tilt – to such traditional approaches?

These simple-seeming shelves address multiple issues at once: books are meant to lean, not stand straight, and stackable systems need to nest in order to work (which often means matching pieces on both top and bottom).

By adding just a few degrees via a slight extension on one side, all of these typical dilemmas are tackled, with gravity doing the work to keep your books safe and your shelves stacked. Designed by MicroWorks.