The building is located in the Gothic quarter in the old city of Barcelona. It is close to the famous Ramblas, the cathedral and the port.

The property is on two levels. On the first, a bathroom with basin, toilet and 2 showers, a single sleeping space, access to a patio with table, chairs and plants, and a large living room.

The spacious 645 sq ft lounge is sunny and bright with its 3 large windows (2 with balconies). There are 4 areas in this room; a seating area with sofa, armchairs, coffee table, then a dining area with a huge table, a desk area and finally a kitchen with a staircase leading to the mezzanine which has a sofa-bed that is comfortable for 2 people. The mezzanine leads to a bedroom with a double bed. This room has a view of the hallway and a skylight.

This loft of 170 m2 is located in a building built in Barcelona over a century ago, which was previously textile workshop. This space has kept most of the original structures and attractive unified space, all painted them white: wrought iron columns to ceiling originally black-and-run lengthwise environment, wooden beams, cut by a steel rail and the 4 meters mark open architecture.

Natural light, one of the key points of this house comes from a wall-hung windows, mostly original, ensuring that all day.

The current owner, a Italian businessman who lives there with his wife for three months a year, purchased the building in 2005. Abandoned by the clergy in 1960, the building changed its identity several times: it was a dance studio, a woodworking shop and a photographer’s atelier.The former prayer hall, built for the followers of the Protestant movement founded around 1740 by the Anglican clergyman John Wesley, however, dates back to 1854 and recorded in the register of national monuments. It is located near the urban area occupied until the seventies by the notorious District Six, evacuated and razed by the apartheid regime.

Perry Harrison-Hyde, an architect commissioned to adapt the building, preserved its authentic atmosphere and created modern, unpretentious, functional interiors. Retaining original heritage of the building reqired removing all the changes done by the previous owners. For example, scraping off several layers of paint, accumulated over a long period of time, revealed beautiful wooden floor.

Sharp contast between raw, authentic architecture of the building and well balanced mixture of furniture styles makes the interiors absolutely unique. Rustic floors and white cabinets in the kitchen correspond with gothic-style, arched windows. Metal chairs and lamps work as contrasting elements. Avant-garde art pieces add colour and spice up the white, airy, breathing interiors.

Remove yourself from the modern world with an escape to a medieval watchtower overlooking the Carpini valley in Umbria, Italy. Secluded valleys, breathtaking vistas and a 12th century building lovingly restored with a minimalist bent. Mighty stone and wood marry with steel and glass while luxurious but minimalist furnishings reflect an austere past but a hedonist present. Moravola.

“The mind slips sideways a haven away from the modern world, the body unwinds as senses reawaken.”

The one-bedroom, two-floor warehouse is located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney and encompasses a large, airy open-plan living area, an overlooking kitchen located on the mezzanine storey and an uniformly-white Corian-lined bathroom. Interestingly, the existing structure of the house has been repainted white while the new elements have been developed in black creating this monochrome, undeniably modern interior.

This project is the conversion of a late 19th century former grocery warehouse into a 2 level, one bedroom residence. In the mid 20th century it had 35 years of use as an engineering workshop before being converted to an artistâ€s studio and residence in the 1970s.

Internally a 1.7 metre height difference between the 2 streets is utilised to create the tall volume of the living space, with its†floor to ceiling wall of books. The kitchen occupies the half level above, overlooking the living area and is screened by a black steel plate structure incorporating a built-in black leather bench seat.

All existing structure has been retained, lined and painted white, while all new elements are painted black. This concept is carried through to the black and white rubber flooring. All joinery is finished in black anodised aluminium, including the bathroom on the upper level, which maintains the datum established by the height of the original window openings.

The clear glazing above allows light from the new clerestory window to illuminate the formerly dark centre of the deep open planned space. Internally the bathroom is lined with Corian on both walls and floor.

The property has 2 street frontages, allowing clear separation of pedestrian and vehicle entries. The new front door is located in the former loading dock at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, adjacent to a heritage listed sandstone wall. The entry is defined by a full height steel plate portal, adding to the palimpsest of former window openings and recycled brickwork that make up this façade.

The main street façade reinterprets the original but in steel rather than timber, with the address spelt out in water jet cut steel letters reflecting the original engineering workshop signage. The contrast between the precision of the steelwork and the patina of the original brickwork summarises the transformation from 19th to 21st centuries and from industrial to residential.

Strelein Warehouse by Ian Moore Architects; photo by Iain D. MacKenzie

Millard House, also known as La Miniatura, is one of the four textile block houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was commissioned by rare book dealer Alice Millard, for whom Wright had already designed a home in Chicago in 1906.

Built in 1923 in Pasadena, California, the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Internationally recognized as one of the most architecturally important properties in the world, the 4,230 square foot residence sits on nearly an acre of gardens.

The home has four bedrooms and four bathrooms, two kitchens, and a studio guest house that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wrightâ€s son, Lloyd Wright, a year after the original home was completed.
Sold in 2008 for $7 million, sold again in 2009 for $5 million, the house is now back on the market at $4,995,000…

Buy it now!

Located in a historic building in one of Amsterdamâ€s famous canals; the canal house occupies a total area of 250 square meters. It is located in an 18th century warehouse with a panoramic view over the city. The owners wanted to keep the original open plan layout of the space so UXUS created a series of dramatic curtain walls which could be opened and closed accordingly to the needs of use. All the interior decorative items were selected to reflect the owners†eclectic taste.

Before the renovation the loft was not set up as a residence and was an empty void. Curtain “walls”, lighting and a kitchenwere added to make what was an old industrial empty space livable.

When entering the house one could but notice the most abundant material in the house which is wood. The entire loft is supported on large wooden beams and pillars which create a very warm and welcoming effect. The hard wooden floor runs length-wise of the house adding an elongated effect to the space. The virtual dividers to this open plan layout are the long draped curtains in a neutral sand tone which divide the spaces as if you are in a hospital examining room. The curtains allow for visual privacy, as this is very essential in any open plan layout. The brick walls of the loft were left untouched and have been painted in a cool white tone to compliment the wood. Some walls were painted in a blue gray tone and are used as the background, as in a painting. The plumbing pipes are exposed and run along the brick walls.

Old vintage furnishings have been selected and some have been modified to compliment the lofts interior design. Two notable furniture pieces of the loft are the Eames molded plywood chairs, 1946 which have been referred to as the “most famous chair of the century,” with a low-slung form that relates directly to the human body and holds no secrets as to how it succeeds technically. Buffets and armoires, bedside tables, and a bed for the royal and the noble; pieces where each and every one of them has a character of its own which speaks of its history and its status.

The bathroom has light gray marble tiles running up to a certain height and is painted in an anthrax color ripolin while it is separated by a curtain divider instead of a door. The anthrax color ripolin paint acts as the background or the frame for a royal crowned polished dead bird which stands proudly on its golden throne while imposingly stepping on a skull. The bathroom portrays elegance, and a sophisticated yet ironic setting.

Art pieces and polished animals such as a dragonfly, birds, a donkey, and deer horns, skulls in all sizes and of various species, a bowl with seashells and skulls set a poetic and quixotic mood to this house. The late 19th century Victorian olive green dinning chair which royally stands next to the dinning table as it creatively wears a piano jacket. Another art piece which draws attention is the Casper-like face in a black box-like case with a handle set on a very old drawer. The space is creatively designed with a juxtaposition of mid-century modern / Hollywood era. However, the lighting is very notable as it is quite modern for the design style which is carried throughout the loft. Sputnik style hanging lights create a totally different dramatic atmosphere to the living space, while science lab light fixtures bring us back to the mad scientist scenery!

The space renovation and redesign has been creative, idiosyncratic and eclectic yet on the other hand it creates an ironic, poetic and romantic living area for the occupants of this loft! Thereâ€s so much to love about this space from individual pieces which may seem extreme and terrifying yet itâ€s livable! Amsterdam Loft has received the International Design Award for 2008, and UXUS Design has been awarded with the gold award for Best Residential Interior for 2008.