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You are browsing the archives of 2009 November 25.

Designed by Eddie Kenda and built by Halemist, this beautiful house comes from “The Architecture Company” and is located in North Maroubra, Australia. Being given that its location is by the beach, the views from the residence are absolutely fantastic, which is also a strong feature of the building. The first floor houses the living-rooms, [...]

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Maroubra Residence in Australia, a Display of Beautiful Interior Design

Designed by Cabracega Studio, these four sofas in the images below are able to store… 14 GB of memory. They were especially designed for users to gather around and exchange information in a more unconventional way: through USB cables. The sofas were  made with built-in desks that can be removed in order to install the [...]

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

USB Sofa, A Couch With a Different Type of Storage Space

Black Friday . . . are you preparing to battle the holiday shopping crowds? With the economy in a slouch, you had better be ready to fight for the best sales. You have to be fast and first into the store. You need amazing skills to navigate parked cars, blocked aisles, any obstacle that comes [...]

Architects Nacho Ruiz and Jose Antonio Ruiz Allén Esquiroz from Zon-e Arquitectos have been commissioned to come up with a social housing solution in the small mining town of Degana in Spain, and by the looks of it, they’ve done a sterling job. In a city where nothing new has been constructed for more than [...]

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Social Housing Solution in Degana, Spain

I recently attended a conference in October 2009 held by the Design Institute of Australia. Rob Adams was speaking. Following are some points I happened to take. 

• Climate change cannot happen without transforming cities
• 1000 houses on the fringe costs 300 mil more than 1000 within existing infrastructure. We need to “re-program” the existing.

containing our future development and infrastructure within our current city boundaries while achieving greater efficiencies and affordability is every Australian city’s aspiration. Achieving this has to date eluded us and will in the future become the litmus test of our commitment to succeed in the race for sustainability.

quote from AA essay, Jan/Feb2009

• Adam’s has been integral in the transformation of Melbourne into a 24 hour, livable city.
• Redevelopment is slow. To get Melbourne to where it is now took 25 years. Politicians aren’t conducive to slow progress. We have to stage development to appeal to political periods of power. Shows that progress is being made.

• The street is the city. We need to give the street back to the pedestrian and take it back from the automobile. Pedestrian paths need to be widened, other forms of transport are to be accomodated such as bus, bike, tram.
• In Melbourne dwellings to need to be moved to the city. Postcode 3000 planning policy. This is hard though, as the perception of “dwelling” needs to be altered among many.
• Though suburban areas are to be preserved. A massive part of Australian culture and can be used for catchment, re-vegetation, solar collection. Some interesting ideas relating to decentralisation of utility services such as power and water.

‘Power generation at its peak could have been better secured and off set by distributed solar power generation fed into the grid from the suburban roofs’

via BEDP, Transforming Australian Cities Report, July 2009

• Another phase of Melbourne’s future development is by enhancing its transport corridors. They account for 6% city’s ?population?. 

If this current strategy were to be expanded by connecting all activity centres with a network of high-density corridors along all the existing and proposed public transport routes, we would have a far greater likelihood of success. This success would be further ensured if planning controls were amended along these routes to provide as-of-right development to a height of between four and eight storeys and to the depth of one site (or fifty metres). Heritage buildings and public parks would be protected. With limited car access, the road space would be calmed in favour of public transport, bicycles and pedestrians. If the increased value of these properties was partially captured and used to provide affordable housing, then this approach would deliver a web of high-density, mixed-use corridors linking activity centres. This web would be supported by a quality public transport system within easy walking distance of the adjacent suburban areas. The need to own a car would therefore be limited.

quote from AA essay, Jan/Feb2009

[via BEDP, Transforming Australian Cities Report, July 2009] 

• No sloping car parks. Sloping car parks are hard to reprogram in the future.
• Concluding remarks

Australia requires a big shift in the way it visualises its cities and infrastructure. We need to break the myth that higher densities mean high rise development. More importantly, we need to quantify all the hidden costs (external costs and underpriced infrastructure) of continuing to build at low density on the periphery of our cities, and reinvest these hidden costs in making higher density Urban Corridors viable

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In the last few years kitchens have changed because we have become more demanding of our time and having less of it to spend cooking. Many of us are on the move, always busy, looking for time saving methods. Then, there are those of us who are more interested in having a stylish kitchen, rather [...]

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Minimalist Black & White Kitchen Design by Futura Cucine

Designed by Eva Harlou the Z-House is a 700 sqm house located on the eastern coastline of Jutland, Denmark. The minimalistic Z-shape of the house is a simple geometrical shape that creates a three level house with outdoor terraces on two different levels with views towards the sea. Ramps lead from the surrounding garden to [...]

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Z House by Eva Harlou

The heart of Moroccan design is vibrant colors and patterns, tiled courtyards and elegant rooms. If you have fallen in love with all things Morocco then you’ll love these handmade Moroccan poufs designed by John Derian. Each of these leather ottomans is stuffed with foam and natural fibers for equal doses of style and comfort. [...]

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Beautiful Poufs in an Array of Stunning Colors by John Derian

Today we would like to present some interesting apartment interiors that we think fall in the category of “complex” arrangements. That is because there ere many elements that needed to be combined and placed together in the same room. You are looking at a two-story high apartment from Portland, Oregon that was developed in a [...]

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Complex Apartment in Oregon from Sienna Architects