Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Luxury Beach Getaway Can Slide Away From Eroding Coast

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT

[ Filed under Portable & in the Architecture category ]

A weekend beach retreat is a fabulous thing no matter where you are in the world, but on some beaches in New Zealand it can also be a dangerous thing. On the Northern New Zealand coast, the tide is quickly stealing away the beach and making homes there dangerously untenable.

Because of the coastal erosion taking place, New Zealand planning conditions require homes built on the endangered beaches to be removable. This luxury beach hut built by Crosson Clarke Canachan Architects sits on built-in sleds to allow it to slide away whenever the sea gets a bit too close for comfort.

When closed up, the hut looks a bit like a tall wooden enclosure of the sort sometimes used to hide garbage cans or utilities. But when the family of five who owns the structure comes to stay for a weekend, the building is completely transformed.

A huge shutter opens up on the front of the home, exposing a two-story glass facade. Other shutters open on the sides of the building, exposing further windows. Hidden behind the wooden slat exterior is a rooftop deck that allows the residents to enjoy their spectacular view.

As with most beach huts, this one is quite snug and cozy. A combined living room and kitchen sit beneath the mezzanine bedroom in the front of the home while the children’s room occupies the back and features triple-stacked bunk beds. The permanently-attached sleds on the bottom of the building mean that if the home needs to move, the owners have only to hitch it to a tractor and haul it to safety.

Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Dornob Article:

Operatic Curves: Luxury Long Island Beach House Retreat

Rocky Cliffhanger: Monumental Luxury Beach Vacation Villa

[ Filed under Portable & in the Architecture category ]

[ Dornob | Archives | Categories | Privacy | TOS ]

Ups and Downs: Minimalist Desk With Topographic Storage

Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:00 PM PDT

[ Filed under Furniture & in the Desks category ]

The Land(e)scape Desk from design student Elodie Elsenberger uses no nails, screws or glue to keep it together. It was constructed using electrical cord as the only fastener; the cord was woven through the wood pieces to not only hold the parts together, but to create unique storage and organization cubbies.

As it passes over and through the surface of the table, the electrical cord adds visual and tactile interest. The bumps on top and the cages down below suggest some type of alien landscape populated entirely with office supplies.

The particularly remarkable parts of the Land(e)scape Desk are the lamp (a bare light bulb in a cage) and the upright book/paper organizers which consist of tall loops of wire enforced with thin blocks of wood. The desk looks like a rather thin and delicate affair, but it is robust enough to hold all of the regular office debris we all seem to acquire over time.