This small, 79 square meters, house is located on a gentle hill in Tokyo.

From Mount Fuji Architects:

This house for a couple is built in a residential area on a gentle hill in the northern Tokyo.
The site is located at the top of a hill connected with a narrow path leading to the actual building lot.

The ground level is gradually climbing higher from edge of the site.
Although the site has particular sense of oppression and dusky feel, and the actual building lot is completely enclosed by the adjacent houses, we realized with the characteristic of the place as the depths of the urban condition without exposing to the outside, and secluded from the town.
In this case, it is more suitable to extend the volume vertically rather than horizontally.

Similar reason can be found in the nature that a tree enclosed by other tall trees in a deep forest tends to have vertical directivity for its growth.
The geometry achieved through “Cartesian coordinates system” is typically applied in architecture since it has advantage in terms of the repetitive expansion in a fixed orientation.
However, this system is not suitable here as previously described. Rather, it is desirable to apply a geometric rule, which can pick up the subtle, close relationship and the balance between the site and its edge conditions.
Thus, we decided to utilize the “polar coordinates system” as the geometry defining this architecture, which describes the location of an element by the distance and the angle from the center of the site. (Please picture the 2-dimentional Voronoi diagram.)

In detail, the arch-shaped “column-beam” frame structure made by LVL/Laminated Veneer Lumber in 51 mm thickness is rotated in the regular angle of 11.25 degree (360 degree/32 frames) to form this architecture.
Each frame gets 55 mm higher than the previous one, therefore there is the height difference of 1.7 m in frame as they go around 360 degree.

This system forms the fluent Hyperbolic Paraboloidal curve surface providing the entrance to the roof terrace, while it also functions as the high side light that brings in the only open sky toward the east and the greenery of the neighboring house as a framed picture.
At the center of the polar coordinate is condensed with 32 pieces of the LVL columns, forming a large central pillar with the diameter of about 1.1 m.
The interior is divided into four territories by this central pillar, in the similar format found in the traditional Japanese houses in square shaped plan divided into four territories _ although the division does not occur in fixed 90 degree because the system is based on the polar coordinate.

In addition, the central point is defined at the eccentric point in the planar to differentiate the distance from the circumference, while the rotation angle of the column-beams is maintained in regular manner. With this system, the outer columns far away from the center have larger intervals, while the inner columns near to the center have denser intervals.
The frames rising up spirally make variations in the ceiling height, which define the characters of each four territories.

For instance, the intimate shadowy territory by the denser distance of the columns and lower ceiling is defined as the sleeping space, and the bright, high-ceiling territory applicable with large window opening by the larger distance of the columns can be suitable for dining space, The floor level is also shifted as skipped floors according to the division of the territory by the central pillar, although the height difference is based on the topographic condition of the existing site.
The completed house was formed by the strict rules of the geometry, but somehow it achieved the atmosphere unlike the artificial object.
When we sit down at the bottom of the central pillar and lean against to look up, those radially extending beams appear to be the branches of a large tree.
Surrounding of the central pillar stem provides the “place of inhabiting” for the life peacefully. Here, there is a different quality of the place, unlike the transparent “space” to be called as a “house”.
This make us realize that the center of a “space” may reflect on a social “meaning”, while the center of a “place” would consist of the sense of “existence”

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This 65 square meters loft in Des Moins, Iowa was a warehouse. Now transformed into a beautiful two-story apartment.

From Substance Architecture:

This 700-square foot loft walk-out apartment is located in a recently renovated warehouse in Des Moins’ Court Avenue District. The narrow unit had few assets: ample daylight and two-story volume. A simple object was placed just off-center and a mezzanine was created along the northern third of the space.

The object placed in the space was modeled after a “corn crib” – an agricultural outbuilding used for storing and drying the corn. The “crib” subdivides the space, placing private functions to the north and public functions to the south. The “crib” itself houses a powder room and food storage on the lower level, and a sleeping loft on the upper level. An island separates the kitchen from the dining and living space. Given extreme spatial constraints, the space takes advantage of creative and efficient solutions to the basic domestic program.

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This sculptural and sleek sofa will add a lot of minimalism to your interiors without it being the square and usual choice of furniture for the minimalists.

From Leolux:

[sculptural form melting towards the floor] This programme’s striking “melting” forms ensure that the elements flow into one another and create a truly convincing look. Combining several elements offers many options, helped by the oblique flowing lines that fit perfectly over one another whenever the elements are pushed together. Majestic in leather, warm and vivacious in fabric coverings.

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The difficult thing of working at home is to stay focused on the job at hand and a cluttered and ugly workplace is no help at all. So here is a hand picked collection of home offices from the Deskography, a site dedicated to home office design ideas.

From Deskography:

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Previously a refuge for shepherds is now transformed into a small family residence with all the modern comforts.

From Herreros Arquitectos:

The project converts an existing vernacular structure that formerly served as a refuge for shepherds into a small residence for occasional use. The approach consisted of replicating the original volume symmetrically to conserve the original conditions and technical function of an apparently innocent construction that was designed intelligently where its orientation, ventilation and water collection facilities, etc. were concerned.

A dry-constructed outer wall stimulates an open and voluntary dialogue with the different aspects of the local climate. Seeing, lighting, ventilating or heating are various operations associated with two independent systems of openings and shutters that imbue the northern and southern faces with an ambiguous and enigmatic look. The interior reproduces the original and primitive compartments (for animals, shepherds and forage) in two directions: North (kitchen, bedroom and bathroom) and South (dining room, living room and study). Each compartment contains one single major object (table, sofa, writing desk, bath, bed and cooker) which serves to define each space and its use.

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Combining the usefulness of ordinary furniture and accessories always brings out interesting concepts and Sleepy Lamp is a great example of that.

From Studio Klass:

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With over 60 years of work on kitchen design Cucine Snaidero provides choices from classical to the avant garde and unusual. Here are some photos of their collections.

From Cucine Snaidero:

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The penthouse apartment is made in order not to compete with the client’s art and furniture collection.

From Robert Mills Architect:

The Walsh Street penthouse apartment sits atop of a new development in the heart of South Yarra. The interiors were purposefully pared back in order not to compete with the client’s extensive furniture and art collection. The white surfaces and limestone floors create space and light, and a consistency in finish for all living, bedroom and bathroom areas. The rooftop garden, designed by Jack Merlo, opens the home to a view of Melbourne’s busy city skyline.

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“A House Made Of Two” is considered an experiment for allowing more life style options in the life based in the urban area.

From naf architect & design:

This is a project of one family living in two houses built slightly apart from one another.

One great volume of a house which covers the entire plot was supposed first. Then this volume was carved in a curve in three segments and two volumes at the both ends were built as two houses on the site.

The wood structures and finishing materials of two houses are standardized to emphasis the relations of two volumes being originally from “one great volume” and that they are one though apart. Carved volume in the middle became a courtyard leading to the approach to two houses.

Having another house for movies at night, overnight guests or work at home allows the inhabitants the liberty to do what they please at a time they want. This distance between two houses may be just right for inviting grandparents to move in someday or providing privacy to children at puberty.

The purpose of building two houses slightly apart is not the same as that of having a villa at a resort or a farm household having a main building and a barn.

This project is an experiment for allowing more life style options in the life based in the urban area.

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Animal friendly reinterpretation of the traditional wall hanging animal heads combined with the usefulness of light.

From Sistudio:

Origami’s Hunter is an abstraction of the traditional wall of a hunter. The animals heads hanging on the wall  have been reinterpreted as a collection of lamps and have been designed following the principles of origami. The series of animals consist on a rhinoceros, a deer and a goat.

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