Located in a former garage in a Bordeaux industrial district, this house was fully refurbished and divided into two main areas: a public one for interaction with visitors and a private living space. The first comprises a kitchen, cellar and guest room. The owners’ private space contains a large lounge lined with bookcases and an inner courtyard. The indoor swimming pool links the gym to the bathroom, which in turn leads to the bedroom through a dressing room. A space with a snooker table on the upper floor overlooks the lounge.

The unusual space, with a sweeping light-filled 32-foot-high living room, reached through a long, low slate passageway, has survived largely intact through the hands of several well-known owners.

The residence, originally commissioned by a real-estate lawyer, was later sold to fashion designer Halston, who used the living room to host bacchanals for his famous friends. Its most recent owner, the late German-born industrialist and photographer Gunter Sachs, replaced the wall-to-wall carpeting with white-oak floors and added balustrades on the precarious mezzanine and catwalk. The Rudolph scheme otherwise remains intact.

The most recent owner, the late Gunter Sachs, a wealthy German photographer, international playboy and former husband of Brigitte Bardot, filled much of 10,000-square-foot space with modern art from the ’60s and ’70s. including dozens of celebrity photographs by Andy Warhol, some of which were taken at the house.

In 1990, a few months before Halston died, he sold the house to Mr. Sachsand Gianni Agnelli, the Italian industrialist, who was also known as an international jet-setter and playboy in those years. Eventually Mr. Gunter bought out Mr. Agnelli’s interest.

Mr. Sachs was a descendent of the creators of the Opel automobile. He died in May at the age of 78 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Switzerland, and his death was noted by some as the end of an era of international jet-setters.

The Halston house is the only complete residential townhouse that Mr. Rudolph built in New York. He designed and lived in a triplex addition that hovers over a traditional townhouse on Beekman Place, and a townhouse-like mixed-use building on East 58th Street.

Mr. Gunter installed oak floors and glass half-walls on the interior balcony and walkway, but otherwise did little to change to look and feel of the space, brokers said.

Rudolph had already served as Dean of the Yale School of Architecture and achieved international acclaim when he built the house in 1966. His clients wanted an “urban retreat,” and thus, Rudolph constructed a facade of steel and glass which purposefully demurs to its more traditional neighbors.

After a period of immense popularity, Mr. Rudolph’s work with its stark concrete, forms fell out of favor, before experiencing a new wave of interest. He died in 1997.

 

The house is one of a few dozen exemplars of modern architecture in Manhattan by architects like Edward Durell Stone, George Howe and Philip Johnson that—unlike the sea of Victorian brownstones and neoclassical limestone houses—rarely hit the market.

This iconic property is now back on the market. The asking price is $38.5 million, above the sale prices on more traditional houses nearby.

“We look at it as a piece of art,” said Noble Black, a broker at Corcoran Group, who is listing the house along with Bonnie Pfeiffer Evans and Carmen Marques Perez. “There are no comps for a house like this.”

            

The one-story house is one of FLW’s smaller homes and one of his favorites. It showcases a lovely ellipse shape and occupies an area of 2500 square meters. Featuring three bedrooms and two bathrooms, the crib has flowing and gently curved spaces, perfect for family living. The Kenneth Laurent house displays a custom made interior design, with several intriguing items, all included in the sale. Some of the unique elements that this home comes with, are a pair of barrel chairs, panel armchairs, six hassocks, various tables, wrought iron fireplace grates, slatted wall lights and decorative screens. So if you are on the lookout for a one-of-a-kind residence, this genuine Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece can be yours, but it might take you back about 700,000 USD.

The house is set on 1.2 rolling semi-wooded acres. Built for Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent following Kenneth’s debilitating WWII combat injury, it’s the only handicapped accessible FLW house. Remarkably, the couple has lived there ever since, deciding to move into assisted living only recently. Thanks to their longstanding stewardship, not much has been altered structurally. Earlier in the year, however, some of the original Wright furniture went up for auction. The pictures precede that event so may not reflect the current state.

This authentic home belongs to Barbara Aurell,  designer at Espacio en Blanco (White Space), the concept of whiteness being sustained by her own house. It is situated in the neighborhood of Garcia de Barcelona and its main objective was that of taking advantage of the 70 m2 space on two heights and, at the same time, of the natural space offered by the entrance window. The 20 m2 yard gives clarity, the space offering a harmonious line from the entrance to the living area and creating a pleasant atmosphere that makes you feel at ease.

The general air is that of an industrial loft with white walls, but without loosing the character of home. The interior provides an intelligent combination of vintage and modern decorative objects that reveal the personality of the owner (the sofa, the chaise longue are only a few details that contribute to the general character.)

The light definitely occupies an important place, offering a distinctive ambient (both the natural light and the light offered by the lamps).The whiteness of the walls makes everything seem more spacious, while the shades of red and the contrast with black add a tone of personality to the house.

This futuristic looking apartment is a duplex rehabilitation project recently completed by A-cero Architects in Galicia, Spain. Here is an excerpt from the official architects†description:

The wide entrance hall distributes, on the one hand, the most public area, composed by a big dining room and, on the other side, a courtesy w.c, a bedroom in-suite with a finished bathroom that can be for guests or for service and the kitchen. On the opposite side, there are the sculptural stairs that will lead us to the most private stays. In the living room, as in the rest of the house, the white colour is the protagonist. Only some elements like the lacquered black wood console by “A-cero in”, the Ace model couches, also by “A-cero in” upholstered in velvet champagne tone, break this white monochromia.

On the other hand, also in this floor, one more service area is located, with a courtesy W.C, a kitchen and a service or guest bedroom in suite with complete bath. The kitchen, which has an elongated disposition, was designed by A-cero just for its space, also characterized by the white colour, and emphasizes the Hi-Macs black desk. A sculptural staircase drives to the low part of the house where the principal bedroom in suite is located, with its own bath and dressing-room, and another two bedrooms. In the bedrooms, the closets are lacked and in the principal bedroom the bed with surrounding headrest and small Capri model tables by A-cero in”. We find this approach extremely daring, though A-cero proved us time and time again they are up for extreme design challenges. What do  you think of this Sci-Fi looking apartment?

Besides, the house has truly tremendous volume combining excellent entertaining space generous family accommodation with private garden and communal gardens.

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.

Designed by Przemo Lukasik of the architectural office Medusa Group architects, this loft is an example of – still rare in Silesia – adaptation of industrial architecture. After extraction was discontinued at Zaklady Gorniczo – Hutnicze “Orzel Bialy” (a mining and steelworks complex) in Bytom, the lamp room and time clock room were scheduled for demolition. Suspended on eight reinforced-concrete pillars, derelict and half-disintegrated. Its unique location, interesting form and adequate area made the architect think about it as a future home.

Mr Lukasik decided to sand and paint the existing steel structure, juxtaposing it with the ceiling where the concrete was exposed after other layers were removed. The colour scheme of the interior and of the elevation was intended to fit well into the typical spectrum of grayish tones used in heavy industry, with deliberate avoidance of the popular silver. It is only the new-built parts – the toilette and dressing room – that has been accentuated with some red.

Interventions are minimal inside and out, but the project is notable for reusing something so atypical and unique in and of itself. The architect’s ability to see the inherent qualities in something not immediately appealing helped save an industrial artifact and create a unique home for the architect and his family.

The two sides, along the lower loft rooms – open with sliding doors. There are numbers and graphics depicting the role of the room. In the eyes immediately throws one thing.

For many people, the concept to live in an unusual, almost abandoned place is strange. Where is the house with a garden? Where is the red tile on a sloping roof of a terraced house? Unthinkable. And I like it. A lot.

When asked about how it will fit the area, Ms. Glassberg said

We’re leaving the containers as they are. We feel when we cover the trim around the edges, it’s just going to look like a modern house

Panels were removed to make the doors, and lots of windows give the narrow space an open look. The construction uses the latest in green materials and technology: with the help of BNIM Architects, the house is using geothermal heat, soy foam insulation and bamboo flooring.

The container house is in the middle of a traditional block filled with bungalow homes.

(Neighbors are) always out watching. Sometimes we can’t get any work done because they want to talk about it. But all in all, we’ve had good reactions,

Glassberg said.

The house was built in about five months. It’s more than 2,000 square feet in area, has two bedrooms and a large office in back.

We love it. It’s great space for living, great for entertaining,

Glassberg said.

Debbie is a former toy accessory designer who hopes to make container houses the government could use for natural disaster victims, colleges could use for dorm space, and neighbors could use to expand existing homes.

More pictures on Flickr