Dream Home
Dream homes – everybody has one. From cliff-side modern marvels to majestic traditional mansions and waterside homes with enviable views, a dream house has the elements to elevate your lifestyle. Look through HomeDSGN’s collection of featured dream homes and be inspired for your next upgrade or remodel…or just fantasize about living in them!
Dream SL House Near Canberra Offers Wonderful Views Through Every Window
By Gabriela Vatu • Apr 29, 2021
Modern homes blend in with the environment, come with ingenious solutions to heating and cooling the rooms, and offering the inhabitants everything they need. The SL House in Australia proves that several times over.
Located in Aranda, a suburb of Canberra, the house needed to fit in with the characteristics of the location where you can find mature Eucalypts and Acacias as street trees and lots of other plants.
One of the things the architects from Ben Walker Architects sought to do was to create an internal living environment that perfectly embraces the views offered by the area the house is built on. Therefore, the kitchen, the living, and dining spaces have views of the surrounding trees and hillsides.
The house features a lot of thin vertical apertures but also large, broad picture windows. The outside of the house is covered in steel and hardwood to better enhance the idea that there’s a desire to blend in with nature.
The SL house also includes northern windows to provide passive heat gain in the window. At the same time, the windows include eaves or hoods to control heat gain during the scorching Australian summers. The walls are also built specifically for these jobs as they feature internal lining, stud frame, membrane, batten/air zone, plywood, membrane, and cladding. The floors and ceilings are also heavily insulated, and the windows feature high-performance glass to reduce thermal transfers from exterior to interior.
The house features a wonderful kitchen that mixes in black and rich wood colors. The ceiling of the kitchen comes in two levels, with windows inlaid between them, in order to allow even more light in.
The living room also comes with a wonderful feature where the wall retracts to allow access to the deck and the garden. The bedrooms also open up to the garden.
Photographs: Ben Guthrie
The Dragonfly House Offers Best Views of Whitefish Lakes
By Gabriela Vatu • Apr 23, 2021
In Whitefish, Montana, a gem of a house is hidden in the middle of nature – the Dragonfly House. This vacation house creates a great place for a young family to take a breather outside of the city out on the shore of the lake.
Built by the architects at Olson Kundig, the 6500 square feet home has been around since 2016, allowing the owners to live within the woods while overlooking the Whitefish Lake.
The vacation house features three levels, with the ground floor featuring a rec room, a TV room, a wine room, and a patio. The main level includes the pantry, kitchen, dining and living rooms, gameroom, and a screened porch, as well as a covered deck. The upper level includes the master suite and closet, as well as an extra bedroom.
The exterior of the house features reclaimed barnwood, which helps the house merge with the forest. Most of the house, however, is floor-to-ceiling glass, allowing for breathtaking views of the nature around it.
One of the best features of the house is the guillotine doors that slide up to allow an indoor-outdoor style of living, connecting the living room to the deck.
The house itself comes with furniture that’s in tones of gray, all blending in beautifully. You can view the plans for the house below.
Photos: Nic Lehoux
The CasiTa in Phoenix Comes With Huge Pivoting Glass Door
By Gabriela Vatu • Apr 15, 2021
The Casita House in Phoenix, United States stands out thanks to its modern design and attention to detail. It’s a beautiful home that’s not massive, yet plenty spacious, created by the architects at The Ranch Mine.
The name off this particular construction is spelled as such, with a capital T, because the shape of the house is of a T. We have two symmetrical bedrooms that hug the living space and the kitchen/laundry/bathroom area.
The whole house covers 974 square feet, but appears to be much larger since it features a massive pivot door that opens up the living area towards the covered patio. The patio itself comes in with another 255 square feet of living space.
A glass door is fantastic and it allows so much natural light inside, but we should also massive the massive walls that are also made from floor-to-ceiling glass on the South, North, and East elevations.
The massive door, however, is clearly the star piece of this house. Weighing 750 pounds and being 12 foot wide, it’s definitely imposing, but also so practical.
This construction was thought out to be a guest house, but the builders made sure that comfort was not forgotten. There’s an indoor fireplace and the glass walls are supposed to help everyone enjoy what nature has to offer.
The inside of the house is also super chic. The gray flooring fits well with the crisp white walls, the gray couches and the wood coffee table, table and chairs, and the available kitchen cabinets. It’s all pretty cozy and makes up a wonderful living space.
Photographs: Roehner + Ryan
The Zapote House in Mexico, an Oasis Within a City
By Gabriela Vatu • Apr 13, 2021
Built in 2018, this 615 square meters home in Merida, Mexico, is unassuming from the streets, but a real oasis once you step through the gate.
Created by the architects from EURK buildesign, with the project led by Roberto Diaz Braga, the home is located in a so-called “urban island,” an area that features everything inhabitants need to live in comfort.
From the street, this house doesn’t necessarily scream “look at me!” but once you pass through the gates, that changes completely. The walkway towards the house doesn’t tell the whole story of what you’ll find within the home or the inside garden, which is nothing short of breathtaking.
The entry hallway has an extremely tall ceiling, with the upper floor only taking up a portion of the area with a narrow hallway.
The house “revolves” around the inner garden where you’ll find lots of trees and greenery, a sitting area, and a pool.
On one of the sides of the house, you’ll find the living area, with cozy couches that allow you to chill out in front of the TV. In another area, you’ll find a round table you can sit around and play boardgames, or chat with your favorite people. One of the best features of this area is the slide-away wall that enables the inhabitants to enjoy the outside weather, while inside.
The open kitchen is in another area, featuring a beautiful island with a cooktop and stools for those who want to help around or chat up the cook. On the other side of the house from the kitchen, circling the massive tree in the yard, you’ll find another large table you can sit around alongside tons of guests. The wall nearest the table also opens up towards the garden.
Outside, the garden is gorgeous. Mature trees give plenty of shade, allowing the inhabitants to enjoy a green oasis. A beautiful pool is also present, enabling those who want to take a swim. In the beautiful weather from Merida, Mexico, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a perfect time for a dip.
The home features multiple bedrooms, all of them on the upper floor. The rooms are spacious and so are the bathrooms that are spa-worthy.
You can check out the plans for the home’s right here so you can draw inspiration for your own oasis.
Photos: Tamara Uribe
Situated in an oceanside paradise in Portugal, this Comporta home is absolutely stunning; the perfect mix between comfort, luxury, and everything that makes a beach house idyllic, even if not necessarily on the side of the Ocean.
Created by the architects at GSS architectos, this beautiful home is located in an urban subdivision in a plot that’s not necessarily extremely large. Bordering a pine forest on one side, and surrounded by vegetation, the home is a true oasis.
The house features an inside-outside dining and living area, with a simple retractable wall separating the areas, closing off when necessary.
The house comes with a massive open space featuring a living area with cozy couches, a dining table, and the kitchen. Just to the side, beyond the retractable wall there’s a secondary area where you can eat.
The kitchen itself is sleek and shiny, contrasting to the muted colors used in the rest of the areas by making use of dark shades of gray. The simple wooden stools offset the dark color and soften out the area.
The living area is separated from the bedroom by functional storage cubes that also permit the light to filter through.
The house comes with a massive bathroom that features a glass ceiling, allowing tons of natural light inside. Minimalist in design, the bathroom features a stand-in shower, a massive mirror, and his and hers sinks.
The main bedroom in the house is also decorated in the same muted colors and you can notice how much natural light filters in.
The outdoor area is even more impressive than the house itself, featuring a sitting area, a deck, and a pool to chill out in.
There’s even an outside shower you can enjoy. Thanks to all the vegetation, it seems as if you’re out in the wild. The sandy walkway towards the pool is also a particularly nice touch.
You can also check out the house’s plan so you get a better idea of the layout.
Photographer: Gui Morelli
Down into the idyllic town of Margrethausen in the Albstadt district in Germany, we find a beautiful home that offers breathtaking views of the surrounding hills and neighborhood.
Designed by architects from Dietrich and Untertrifaller Architekten, the house is built with sustainable materials and beautifully integrates in with the surroundings. Yet, we find there’s something futuristic about the place, mostly thanks to the glass walls, the soft lights, and the design.
The built of the house was done with concrete at the base, but the structure is all timber.
As you enter the house, you meet more wood – wooden ceilings, wooden paneling on the walls, and wooden floors. The design is simple and stylish and the huge windows are a big statement.
The outdoor space carries on the same wooden floor we saw inside, with a huge deck. The extended roof offers some coverage as you enjoy lunch outside.
The furniture inside is also minimal – simple table and chair set, airy chandelier, massive kitchen island, and some comfy and fun poufs which offer a colorful accent for the room.
The upper floor offers a wide-open concept with lots of storage on the sides and more floor-to-ceiling windows. The covered terrace also offers more ways to enjoy the outdoors.
Wall dividers offer a lot of storage room, as well as some privacy. The owners added some curtains to the glass so you can get some privacy from the neighbors.
The vertical wooden slats on the windows for the bathroom provide extra privacy and shading.
The floor plans show how open the plan of the room is, and how you do not need a lot of things to have a beautiful home.
Photos: David Matthiessen
Boathouse Doubles As Cozy Home on Lake Joseph
By Gabriela Vatu • Mar 29, 2021
When you live by the lake, you need to mix in the useful with the beautiful. This striking home made sure to do just that by doubling as a boathouse.
Located in Lake Joseph, Ontario, this one-story wood-clad home by Akb Architects, is absolutely stunning, blending in with the surroundings. Douglas Fir timbers, cedar and torrified ash were the main materials used for construction.
With its own dock area, the house makes it easy to jump in for a swim or take off in your boat.
The house is made out of three pods which encompass four bedrooms, four baths, and a huge common living area. The boathouse is set at water level, offering this home that something “extra.”
Inside, the home features more wood paneling on the walls, while the floors are made of stone. It’s all built not just for beauty, but also for functionality, as the home needs to withstand the harsh seasons in Ontario.
Beautiful spot to admire nature and perhaps read a book or enjoy a cup of coffee, no matter the season.
The vast living room features a full kitchen and minimal furniture. Yet, it’s enough to entertain lots of people.
The bedroom also features floor-to-ceiling glass windows, offering views to the surrounding property.
The rocky outside make for an impressive view from this particular spot.
You can notice the separate pods of the house here, and how well it blends in with the surrounding nature.
The living area allows residents to huddle up around the fire as they cozy up on the couches.
Photographer: Shai Gil
Stylish Apartment in Vietnam Highlights Massive Open Space with Wall to Wall Windows
By Gabriela Vatu • Mar 25, 2021
In the heart of Hanoi, Vietnam, lies the Eurowindow building, a fabulous tower with glass windows that’s full of little gems like this eye-catching apartment.
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- The walk-in dresser area is through the small hallway.
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- The small bedroom gets light, but also privacy.
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- Beautiful muted entry way
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- At night, the appartment looks mesmerizing.
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- The master bedroom lies behind the living room couch.
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- The large bedroom features a master bathroom and a dressing area.
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- Beautiful space with natural-materials furniture
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- Unique kitchen island grabs the eye as you enter the home
Originally built with a different layout, the owner wanted something different, something with a little bit more flow, something that allows for more enjoyment of the main area of the apartment while also making room for plenty of privacy.
Designed by the architects at DaoHo Studio, this 146 square meters apartment start off with an entryway in muted colors and natural wood furniture.
The entryway gives way to the open space that encompasses the kitchen, dining, and living areas. The star feature of this space is the unique kitchen island in chrome shades. Off to the side, the spacious dining table is simple yet impressive.
We have a small bedroom behind the kitchen, and another lies to the right side of it.
The room has a unique flor to it, especially given the large open space area. The floor to ceilings windows also allow lots of natural light, while the white curtains provide some privacy.
The bedrooms have all they need – storage room, a comfy bed, lots of light, and privacy.
The master bedroom is the special area where it’s clear that the owner put a lot of time and effort in. The bed is slightly up on a platform as the whole room dips.
The master bedroom features a massive master bathroom and a dressing area. The areas are perfectly split with a massive wall with this extremely interesting nook.
At night, the living area and the bedroom flow together beautifully, allowing lots of soft lights – nothing too bright.
The bathroom also features the same mirror motif we saw earlier, stylish black accessories, and muted tiling. The wooden elements in the show offer the room that little something extra.
A wonderful transformation that makes the most of the available space on this high-rise apartment in Hanoi.
Vacation Home Perfectly Blended In with Nature in Iceland
By Gabriela Vatu • Mar 22, 2021
Perfectly nestled in the hills of Selfoss, Iceland, this holiday home is breathtaking. Private, environmentally-friendly, masterfully blended in with the surroundings, this home is inspiring.
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- Magnificent views from the living area
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- Hidden in the hills
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- Minimalistic and chic furniture
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- Environmentally-friendly, this house slopes with the hill.
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- The perfect spot to relax with a book
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- Wood panneling integrates with the surrounding
Built in 2020 following plans by architects from Krads, this beautiful home covers 170 square meters. The home uses lots of wood and other natural materials as it seeks to take nothing away from the magnificent views of Lake Þingvallavatn.
Not only does the home use lots of wood paneling, but the roofs are also covered in local greeneries and moss.
Architects were careful to follow the local landscape, creating the house’s concrete foundation in three staggered planes that seek to imitate nature. This creates the wonderful slopes of the home in tandem with the hill.
The home’s insides are also filled with wooden paneling – on the walls, on the ceiling, and on there’s wood present in the floors too. Plus, the furniture perfectly blends it all together – simple, yet efficient.
In the living area, you can even take a dip while you take in the wonderful views of the lake.
This hallway also features a huge window which alows us to look into the terrace that overlooks mountains Jórutindur and Hátindur.
From higher up, you once more enjoy the view of the lake while relaxing with a cup of coffee or tea.
The living area is also breathtaking, while the muted colors of the furniture make it so nothing detracts from the floor to ceiling windows and the view it offers.
This may be a vacation home, but it could very well be one that you do not with to ever put an end to. The landscape was preserved as pristine as possible, making room for the home without disturibing the surroundings. Since you can easily stand on the roof here, it’s easy to see how architecture can be done right to allow the perfect balance between the needs of humans and those of nature.
Photographs Credit: Marino Thorlacius
Extensive Two-Year Remodel Transforms this Texas Home from Early 90’s
By Stefan Gheorghe • Nov 2, 2020
Texas is a land that is renowned for all things ‘big’ and when it comes to expansive homes and villas, the state holds true to its motto! Designed originally by David Shiflet in 1992, this exquisite Texas home was painstakingly revamped and remodeled by Mark Ashby Design to usher in an air of modern minimalism. In its new avatar, the large home feels both relaxing and captivating.
The Westlake Hideaway sits on a lot that overlooks a secluded cove and this gave the architects an opportunity to combine complete privacy with unhindered views. With an interior that elegantly combines neural colors with splashes of blue and woodsy charm, every room inside the residence stays true to the new contemporary style.
Dark, framed glass doors welcome you at the entry with an open plan living are dining area next to it. A wood and white kitchen follows next with the custom family room on the other side. A woodsy accent wall with geo contrast steals the show in here while the bedrooms are draped in a bit more of bold color!
It is easy to understand the basics of the makeover in here. The architects chose a wood and white color palette to improve lighting in every room even as they alter the style of the home, Metallics and bespoke wood features bring contrast with playful splashes of color being relegated to personal spaces. An impressive and understated makeover that feels organic!
Dilapidated Old Home in Mallorca Gets a Smart Budget Makeover
By Stefan Gheorghe • Oct 28, 2020
Giving the old a new lease of life is a difficult task at the best of times. It gets harder when you are doing it on a tight budget. The St. Miquel 19 Refurbishment by Carles Oliver in Mallorca, Spain is one such exceptional residence. Revamped and refurbished to blend the old with the new in a seamless manner, the house was previously neglected and abandoned for a long period.
In its new avatar, distressed finishes, smart modern ergonomics and a world of white shape the residence. The old wooden ceiling has been carefully preserved and enhanced and another layer of textural char to the spacious new interior. Sections of the old house along with the rugged archways have also been left largely untouched.
The entire makeover was done on a budget of just € 18,000 and most of this amount was spent on turning the dingy interior into a more inhabitable space. Insulation and energy-efficiency were the top priority in here. An open plan living area, smart kitchen and dining space lead way into the bedroom on the other side of the home.
Roof insulation and the new biomass stove make a big difference to the interior and the transformed Spanish residence is perfect for those looking for affordable housing. Light, bright and still intriguing thanks to the many weathered finishes, this is one home that is unique in every sense of the way!
Photograph Credits: José Hevia
Small Scale Multi-Residential Building in Melbourne Clad in Serene Neutrals
By Stefan Gheorghe • Oct 26, 2020
Minimalism meets nature at the Carter Toorak House designed Carr in the inner suburb of Melbourne. The street façade of this multi-residential building offers complete privacy while the rear section is connected with the residential units in a seamless manner. With eight residential units inside the building, space is maximized in a stylish manner inside each apartment.
Interior of each apartment is clad in neutral hues with white and gray shaping the backdrop. Marble and wood surfaces steal the spotlight in the sleek contemporary kitchen. A bight, dark club chair sits at one corner of the house while sliding glass doors connect the living area with the outdoors.
Marble fireplace in the living room along with a custom entertainment unit next to it bring textural contrast to the living area while the same color palette is continued in the bedrooms and bathrooms as well. Each of the apartment units is different in its own way with greenery adding color to the interior in its own unique way.
It is the fusion of timber, marble and glass creating the harmonious backdrop in every room with bronze accents adding metallic glitz to the sophisticated backdrop.
The natural stone stands out as a luxurious feature in the kitchen, bathrooms, and fireplaces, while cabinetry is offset by bronze touches. Greenery and connection to nature were important consideration at Carter and a flowing indoor-outdoor relationship has been created through floor to ceiling windows and verdant landscaping, carried out in partnership with Acre.
Photographs Credit: Timothy Kaye
Have you ever looked at your pet and realized you are so in love with them that you’d do essentially anything to make sure they’re safe and happy? Well, that’s precisely the thought process some homeowner’s in the Netherlands had when they asked the designers of their new house to work with them on building a home that would let them watch their dogs play in the yard from any angle. They meant it, too; the finished home is completely circular, providing the owners with a 360 view so that they can keep an eye on and enjoy the site of their dogs while the animals play happily outside and get plenty of exercise.
The home, called the 360 Villa, was designed and brought to life by Dutch architects 123DV. For their purposes, the home gave designers a chance to explore how architecture can be a medium that is fully and genuinely inclusive of humans and animals and their lives, needs, and habits, rather than just being built around them. The dogs in question are a pair of stunning and well behaved Alaskan Malamutes; quite large and affectionate animals who are clearly much loved by their owners, a Dutch couple.
The finished custom home is, on its exterior, wrapped in a glazing that acts like constant glass window panes. This, in partnership with the shape, is what allows those inside to see out to the yard, all the way around the house and from any interior vantage point. This way, when the dogs want out again but the owners must tend to responsibilities inside, everyone can have what they want and the owners can still keep a safe eye on their furry friends while they’re working or cleaning indoors.
In total, the villa encompasses 85 square meters; this size was determined to provide ample space for the couple and their two large dogs, considering everyone in the interior planning as well as the exterior and shape choices. Even the dogs are afforded ample space to play and move freely and comfortable when they are inside, which is beneficial since they are of a high energy breed.
The exterior of the house is surrounded by a gently sloping lawn that gives the dogs all kind of space but also affords the house a higher vantage point in the yard. This provides an effectively uninterrupted view of the dogs from the inside of the house while they play. The surrounding glazing is protected from sight-blurring rain splatter and sun glare by the way the roof extends over the edge at the wall, acting as a shading canopy without blocking out the stunning abundant natural light the windows let into the home’s interior space.
Of course, any house that’s made with an entirely glass exterior and wraparound windows needs to find other creative ways to preserve privacy. This is another way that the incline of the yard serves a tangible purpose. The top of the slope actually meets the window higher up on the side that faces the street rather than the private yard. This affords the home a great view without exposing its entire wall length out to the sidewalk and passersby.
Inside, the home is largely open concept in order to make it feel extremely spacious and full of good flow despite its slightly more modest (by some standards) square footage. The central social space in particular is open-plan, letting the kitchen, dining room, living room, and the sliding doors that lead to an open deck feel like a wonderfully melded hub space. This area actually takes up about two-thirds of the home.
The private areas of the home are unique because they can also be opened out into the main living area for extra effective flow, or closed off for more spatial delineation thanks to a set of sliding doors that portion out the bedroom space and bathroom. When it’s all opened up wide, a large circular skylight above the central living room floods the entire home in cheerful, natural light.
House Design in Brazil with A Large Pergola For a Family With Two Dogs
By Sophie • Apr 29, 2020
This project involves (for leisure use) the extension of an existing house, located in a quiet and surrounded by trees neighborhood in Brasilia-DF. The family (composed of a couple, three children and two dogs) loves to receive friends at home. They felt the need for a larger space, outside the main house, for social events.
Family Mamurbaba House in Turkey
By Sophie • Mar 25, 2020
Mamurbaba House by Orkun Nayki Architecture is a family house designed on a 817 m2 parcel. It was designed with the living standards of a family as our focus. Considering the dynamics of the region in the project design, the functionality, simplicity and sustainability of the structure were prioritized. A minimal, simple and transparent style is adopted in the design without compromising the modern line. In this direction, the content, naturalness and compatibility of the spaces, orientations and materials used are provided. It is completely compatible with nature, sustainable and timeless.
2inOne Aframe House in Austria by Haro Architects
By Sophie • Feb 27, 2020
2inOne is an integration exercise within the urban fabric. The plot is located in Gneis, a suburban area of the city of Salzburg characterized by a dense fabric of single-family homes. Over time and as a result of successive segregations, “residual” plots have emerged which, due to their size, proportions or orientation, are less attractive for real estate development.
Sloped Villa With Green Roof in Belgium Studio Okami Architects
By Sophie • Feb 20, 2020
The invisible house was designed by Studio Okami Architects.
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