Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Art of Living: Abstractions Enliven a Glass House Facade

Posted: 06 Aug 2012 10:00 AM PDT

[ Filed under Offbeat & in the Architecture category ]

If art and function sit on ends of some kind of architectural spectrum, this is a certainly a structure that leans toward (or at least originated closer to) the former.

For passers by, what looks like a white minimalist painting shifts with perspective, perhaps featuring a figure or two now and then as well. From within, occupants face a choice: hide behind the picture-like pieces in privacy or seek views but consent to be on display.

This front atrium space looks and feels a lot like the area behind glass at a museum – a method of distancing the subject from its viewer physically but not visually. As one progresses through the residence, the abstract forms give way to more functional rooms.

Designed by Bassam El-Okeily and Karla Menten (and photographed by Tim van de Velde), the home certainly makes a statement – and like all art, its interpretations are subjective and neighbors may or may not be pleased to be pulled in as de facto participants of (or as frames for) the project.