Fireplace
Ralph Germann Architectes Design a Private Residence in Préverenges, Switzerland
By Magaly • Jun 11, 2020

House FFL is a private home located in Préverenges, Switzerland.
Completed in 2014, it was designed by Ralph Germann Architectes.
Miguel de la Torre Arquitectos Complete a Home Remodeling in Colonia San Angel, Mexico
By Courtney • Mar 7, 2019

When remodeling this home, an attempt was made to preserve the most important aspects of the old construction, and so respect the wishes of the homeowners.

Miguel de la Torre Arquitectos was in charge of the remodeling in the year 2016. The property is located in Colonia San Angel, a neighborhood of Mexico City, Mexico.

In its exterior, walls of stone and concrete mix with the green of the gardens that surround the home. The home has large terraces from where we can enjoy time spent alongside nature, as well as large glass doors through which light seeps into the interior.


A beautiful main entrance area welcomes us with a decorative touch of the style of the area. The foyer is characterized by its rustic stone floors, concrete walls, wooden beams that protrude from the ceiling, and decorated floor tiles that give a unique feel to the space.

The modern minimalist kitchen, where wooden floors and exposed brick walls create a wonderful contrast between the modern and the rustic, is a space full of light and good taste.

In the simple and comfortable living room, the real protagonist is the fireplace, set between concrete walls.

In a common space are the living room, dining room, and the kitchen.


- House with concrete and stone walls, seen through the garden
- Terrace with hardwood floors
- Entrance with stone floors, concrete walls, and ceiling with wooden beams
- Modern kitchen with wooden walls and floors
- Living room fireplace in concrete wall
- Modern dining room, floor and walls in wood

The architectural firm Rob Paulus Architects renovated this construction in 2012 for a doctor. Its size is of 4500 ft2, and is located in Tucson, Arizona, USA. This renovation opens up the house to encompass the lush desert landscape while improving the interior of the property. The new shapes are crisp and clean to contrast with the rounded exterior of the existing building.

Using a reductive approach in the interior, the walls are disassembled to provide better function, circulation, and views. Outside, an existing trellis porch transforms into an outdoor living room and a kitchen with a new elevated canopy.





A palette of colors and natural material dominates the new scheme with an emphasis on fir wood that was influenced by the client’s desire to create spaces inspired by nature. This warm wood is used in all interior cabinets, but it also appears on the outside as the bottom part of the roof plane that hangs over the area of the outdoor room. The existing closed house is transformed to interact with the exterior while creating a relaxing interior space in a decidedly modern transformation.






- Terrace with arid vegetation
- Outdoor furniture
- Large decorated terrace
- Pool area
- Living area in leather furniture
- Large kitchen-dining area
- Modern kitchen in wood
- TV room
- Modern sink area
- Pool area at night hours
Modern Apartment with a Marked Industrial Style Designed for a Young Businessman
By Magaly • Nov 8, 2018

This fabulous and modern apartment located in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, has been designed by the architects Ivan Yunakov, Olga Korniienko, Natali Raga, and Yaroslav Katrich, all working for the firm 33bY Architecture. The client was a young entrepreneur, and the home has a distinct industrial style.

It has an area of 97 square meters and was carried out in 2018. In the interior, a palette of dark colors and a variety of materials were used, with different structures. Among those materials were brick, natural African black stone, onyx, leather, copper, and wood. Upon entering the apartment, the first thing we notice is the wall made of black stone on one side, and the black surface with golden decoration elements on the other side. The living room is combined with a kitchen, a dining room, and a work space.


The space was separated by using glass partitions, looking to align the boundaries between the facilities, but at the same time to achieve open and floating spaces. The glass structure is made by using the “smart glass” system technology; it can be converted to matt to achieve greater privacy within the room.
The panel that was used to balance the dark tones is white onyx with backlighting framed by copper edges. It works at night and creates a cozy atmosphere, and is the focal point of our interior, seen from all the main facilities of the apartment.












- Elegant entrance in black and gold
- Spacious and modern lounge
- Elegant lounge area
- Modern furniture in leather
- Stone wall
- kitchen area
- Modern kitchen with bronze details
- Details
- Sober dining room
- Modern room with brick wall
- Room connected with modern bathroom
- Modern and elegant bathroom
- Modern and elegant bathroom
Project Based on Optimizing the Reuse of Small Sites in London
By Magaly • Nov 7, 2018

With the aim of optimizing the reuse of small plots, part of a new policy of the mayor of London, the architectural firm FORMstudio set to work on this new project, located in London Borough of Southwark, United Kingdom. The 240 square meter area is part of this new plan that encourages municipalities to proactively support new, well-designed homes in small plots through planning in order to significantly increase the way small challenging plots can meet the needs of housing in London. Benbow Yard is a perfect response to this policy.

The houses with patio, in the London district of Southwark are located in a closed and irregular plot, previously occupied by a metal factory. The challenging site had narrow access, perspectives and problems with daylight, and these limitations have directly determined the shape and the fenestration of the pair of new single-family, two-story and three-bedroom homes.


The ground floors are lined with a contemporary pale brick with vaulted floors with zinc coating for retaining walls: materials that refer to the industrial heritage of the site but that are articulated with a refined level of detail to create a sense of quality.










- Small terrace with stone wall
- Terrace connected to the interior
- Modern lounge area
- Living room with stone wall
- Living room-kitchen in modern style
- Modern minimalist kitchen
- Modern dining room in wood
- Stairs in wood
- Room full of natural light
- Modern bathroom
- Exterior night view
A Small House Where you Feel the Balance Between Inside and Outside
By Magaly • Oct 26, 2018

In a quiet street in the city of Akashi, in Hyogo prefecture, Japan, is this house designed by the architect Yousaku Tsutsumi of the architectural firm Arbol. It has 81 square meters on one floor where three patios have been designed.

They sought to make their spaces harmonize with the wind, sunlight and lifestyle, since the house is surrounded by forests. Without invasion of privacy, approaching nature, the design mixes a rich life that eliminates the barriers between the inside and outside, in order to feel the endless expansion to the outside world from the comfort of their home.


As for natural light, the design takes direct sunlight and the reflection of light on the exterior wall. The afternoon sun, which comes from unexpected places through waves of sunlight that seep through the trees, flows silently into the rooms in winter
In the surroundings, the house is closed, seeking to provide privacy to its inhabitants. The plan was created to create a feeling of warm life, with rich vegetation.











- View of the wooden entrance
- Black fireplace
- Living room overlooking the small garden
- Dining room connected
- Dining room in fine wood
- Light wood kitchen
- Bath in simple lines
- Night view of the dining room
- Night view of the dining
- Night view of the living
- Night view of the exterior
Beautiful Home Built near the San Lorenzo River
By Magaly • Oct 17, 2018

Surrounded by green hills and the San Lorenzo River in Sorel, this house has a refreshing view that gives color. This home has a total area of some 418 square meters and was uyndertaken by the architectural firm DESK architects who delegated the project to its architect Etienne Duclos.

The residence is programmed in 3 large volumes for 3 precise functions; the service block, the day block and the night block. The service block and day block are covered with wooden cladding, well anchored to the floor to join the interior and exterior. The more nocturnal block is closed with black steel and placed in the other two blocks, like the containers loaded on the cargo ships that parade daily in the river.

It is positioned to benefit from the natural topography of the site. From the road, the long and narrow land, it is possible to reach the river. This characteristic determines the location of the residence; an opportunity to have a garden level completely open on the river.
This residence of G + C, with volumes and simple lines, is organized efficiently and offers open spaces for a young family.
















- View of the house in the green colonies
- View of the main front of the house
- Covered terrace
- Interior of high ceilings and fireplace
- Large kitchen in white and wood
- Modern kitchen in black and white
- Large kitchen connected to the outside
- Aerial stairs
- Room with river view
- Children’s room
- Bathroom with beautiful views
- Exterior night view
Wonderful Project of a Modern Barn with Elegant Interiors
By Magaly • Oct 15, 2018

This residential project has been carried out by the architectural firm Amalgam Studio, which has its headquarters in the famous city of New York, under the direction of its professionals Ben Albury, Lucas Leja, Vi Huynh and Nikki Drewett. It is located on a hillside on a 120 acre rural property located near the city of Rhinebeck, epicenter of the culinary of the Hudson Valley and artistic revival in the area of Columbia County, United States. It has an area of 5000 ft2 and was conceived as a modern barn, a family residence of stone and wood of 465 m², which has four bedrooms.




The family residence celebrates the constantly changing seasonal landscape, designed to exploit natural light throughout. The fully glazed entrance is lined with pines from the distant half. Its skylight and the central ladder of floating threads divide the home between its public living room and the private sleeping areas. Private areas have varied and controlled views of distant hills, winding rivers, nearby forests and wildflower meadows. The living areas use large sliding glass doors on the decks to offer wider views of 180 degrees. On the upper floor there is a bright, white and polyvalent loft, with skylights deliberately placed for optimal observation of the stars. In short, it is a house that plays with light.

















- View to the distance of the barn
- Barn with wooden walls
- Wooden terrace
- Modern and bright modern kitchen
- Kitchen-dining area
- Modern kitchen-dining room
- Dining room in wood
- Dining room in wood
- Aerial stairs
- Spacious room with wooden floors
- Room with wooden walls and ceilings
- Spacious and bright bathroom
Urban Residence with Wonderful Views
By Magaly • Oct 12, 2018

This small urban residence is located in Seattle, United States and is a clear example of what is possible to achieve by looking at these forgotten landscapes as new opportunities.


The architectural firm The Miller Hull Partnership understood it this way and took advantage of the space and its landscape converting this space of 800 ft2 (20 feet wide by 40 feet long) into what it is today.

This unique space provides the opportunity to re-imagine how people can reconnect with water in areas where the scale of ubiquitous industrial structures tends to break that relationship. With similar industrial warehouses lined up on many urban water fronts, there is the possibility of reconnecting people with navigable waterways, even in industrialized environments.

Located at the top of a warehouse larger than a football field, the unit is near the edge of the building to supervise the marina and the waterway below, while enjoying panoramic views of the Olympic Range.
Carried out in 2008 one of its main attractions remains its views.









- Terrace with views
- Terrace with wooden floors
- Living room with wonderful views
- Living room with libraries
- Passage area
- Room with terrace
- Wood kitchen
Remodeling a construction that dates back to 1911
By Magaly • Oct 10, 2018

This modest house was built in 1911 with blocks of stones resulting from the excavation of the ground for the railway. It was originally thought to be inhabited by the workers of the construction of the railway in the town of Montreux, Switzerland.

In 2014, this 260 square meter project was remodeled by the firm Ralph Germann architectes. The space, located on a sloping slope, offers a breathtaking view of the Alps, Lake Geneva and the Riviera.

The renovation of the building by the architect Ralph Germann shows visible signs of the transformation in the exterior facades. Completely empty, the building maintained its original design, the central staircase with its walnut and wrought iron fence. This construction that originally housed three apartments was opened to unite all the floors of the house, now concentrated into a single home.

To strengthen the link between the levels, the architect came up with a creative solution. The load-bearing walls on the staircase were opened to insert open concrete elements, built at the site from molds. Responding to the demands of thermal and acoustic insulation, the creation of these concrete openings proved to be a very effective solution. Heat, light, and sound pass through, allowing family members to communicate from one floor to another. In addition, these cavities also serve as storage spaces.











- Side view of the construction
- Entrance with glass and wood door
- Small lounge area in neutral colors
- Living room sharing spaces
- Relaxation area
- Kitchen in concrete
- Kitchen with access to the terrace
- Dining room in wood
- Single room
- Bathroom area
House with Wonderful Views of the Desert
By Magaly • Oct 3, 2018

The Ghost Wash House, as this private property is called, was designed by Architecture – Infrastructure – Research, Inc., which is an architecture and urban design firm focused on applying advanced research methods and sustainable practices into designs that cover the needs and wishes of each client, and which was founded by Darren Petrucci in 2001. The home is located along the lower hillside of the north side of Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley, a small, affluent town in Maricopa County, Arizona, in the United States. It was completed in 2017 and covers a total ground area of 8,500 square feet.


The site is flanked by two desert washes that move water from the top of the mountain into the valley below. A third topographic condition — a “Ghost Wash” — runs through the center of the site, giving the property its name, and is framed by brick bars.











The eastern of these two protects the wash from the desert sun that shines upon it in the morning. It also houses the garages, the kitchen, an office, and the family room. The western bar shields the property from the intensely hot west sun as it sets in the valley. In turn, it houses the private areas of the home, such as the bedrooms, another family room, and a recreation space. The living room and dining room are house in the interior of a long sequence of courtyards and gardens that flow along the Ghost Wash from the south entry to the north pool house.








- View of the main entrance
- View of the main entrance
- Entrance with glass wall
- Entry in concrete and glass
- View of the landscape from the terrace
- Furnished terrace with views
- Modern and spacious lounge
- Living room with modern furniture
- Rest area
- Hallway in wood
- Large kitchen in white
- Modern dining room
- Bathroom with glass walls
- Study with views
- Modern desk in wood
- Nighttime views from abroad
Remodeling an Old Farm to Turn it into The Home of a Large Family
By Magaly • Sep 28, 2018

House EKC, as this project is called, was designed by Ralph Germann architectes, an architectural firm based in Martigny, in the canton of Valais, in Switzerland. The project itself is located in Val Ferret, the name given to the two separate valleys, departing from the Col Ferret on the border between Italy and Switzerland, on the southern and eastern sides of the Mont Blanc Massif, in Switzerland. It was completed in 2016 and covers a total ground area of 200 square meters.


The home was built to house a family of five consisting of a couple and their three children who live in the village of Orsières. Previously an old barn originating from the 1920s, the upper part of it was used to store hay, while the lower end served as a stable for goats, sheep, and other animals. The size of the barn, however, was not enough to house such a large family (five members), so Ralph Germann architectes added a contemporary wooden annex to the barn, which is connected by a gangway on two levels.
The interior was completely refurbished and refurnished with a reinforced concrete structure of walls and slabs in order to meet the seismic requirements of the Swiss region.












- Living room with wooden floors
- Modern fireplace in black
- / Dining area in wood
- Large and open kitchen
- / Gallery
- Wooden stairs
- Wooden stairs details
- / Bathroom in wood
- Exterior night view
Its Wonderful Views are its Most Outstanding Point
By Magaly • Sep 21, 2018

In the “Region of the Lakes”, located on top of a mountain on the Peninsula of Lonconaos Lake, about fifteen kilometers from the city of Futaleufú, in the Chilean Patagonia, this small but charming cabin frames its main view towards the lake and everything else is forgotten before the wonderful views.

It has 65 square meters of construction and was designed by the architectural firm Paul Steel Bouza Arquitecto in 2017.
The living room and the master bedroom are connected to a terrace above the lake, with a glass wall providing an absolute and free view. The restroom and other rooms are at the back of the house, which reduces the overall space space, creating an “A” form.






A backyard with an acrylic roof serves as access to the house. It is closed through a metal door that works in two ways: the first is to protect the house in periods of storms, and the second is to give privacy to the bathroom since it has an open window that leads directly to the lake.
The sloping roof rises to create a loft which is accessed by a retractable staircase, which frees up space in the small dwelling.






- View of the cottage on the top of the mountain
- View of the cabin among thick vegetation
- View of the cabin from the air
- Cottage with wonderful lake views
- Interior covered with wood
- Rustic and cozy interior
- Cozy relaxation area
- Warm and cozy room
- Exterior night view
A House in Which Concrete and Glass are The Protagonists
By Magaly • Sep 19, 2018

This construction, in which glass and concrete act as protagonists, is located in a pericentral neighborhood of the city of Córdoba, in Argentina. It has been designed by the architectural firm Adolfo Mondejar – Architects Studio under the direction of its professionals, Adolfo Mondejar, Francisco Figueroa Astrain, Adriana Barberis, and Ezequiel Lauria. It is intended for a young family, and covers an area of nearly 350 square meters.


The program incorporates intermediate spaces such as the gallery, the green expansion of the bedrooms, and a pond in the master bedroom, which give the necessary environmental conditions. Also, there is a space of semi-open expansion in the living room, conceived with vines that refresh the interior of the house from the south and propose a new place of play and rest. The social areas of the home are accessed directly from the gallery.


A concrete staircase leads to a terrace space for events. The idea is summarized in two concrete walls that have a large slab of exposed concrete for a ceiling, 4 meters above the ground, creating the gallery. To further preserve the vision of concrete walls, three interior boxes lined with quebracho wood were designed to hold the bathrooms, toilets, and bedrooms.














- Aerial view
- Front view of the construction
- Terrace with large pool
- Entrance area with concrete beams
- Large outdoor area
- Furnished terrace
- Covered terrace with dining room
- Terrace with outdoor furniture
- Modern living room with glass walls
- Social areas connected
- Internal corridor with wooden walls
- Large bathroom
- Terrace in night hours
Spectacular Remodeling of a House that Was in a Neglected State
By Magaly • Sep 4, 2018

This remodeling is of an old house in Seoul, South Korea, that could not function in its entirety due to small leaks and cracks, both inside and outside; the result of carelessness. It was carried out by Lee Ju Young of the architectural firm G / O Architecture.


The large space of 421 square meters was remodeled in 2017 seeking to please the client as much as possible, who wanted a complete renovation where the atmosphere was warm and cozy and oozed a modern style.

It was a typical house in which they were mainly interested in the interior, whether they be as extravagant as marble imported from Italy or not, and had a fantasy of European-style decorations, fireplaces and large chandeliers. And so, they began by eliminating the false decorations that filled this house.


The method of separating spaces from blocked walls to open walls was changed.
In the living room, they installed a square wall with openings at different heights, in the corridor and on the second floor and changed the ceiling. In the room of the youngest son, they also created a cozy atmosphere. It is important to control the degree of privacy of a home to give its occupants safety and comfort.



















- Bright and spacious room
- Bath done in white and green
- Desktop area
- Modern study
- Study with terrace
Holiday Home that Combines Modern Architecture with Reclaimed Rustic Materials
By Magaly • Aug 29, 2018

This wonderful holiday home with high wooden ceilings and wide open spaces was designed by the architecture firm Coates Design Architects in 2016 and has an area of 3835 square feet. It is located in a historic mining area in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, USA, where the climate is extremely cold and snowy in the winter months and scorching during the summer.

Extreme weather conditions challenged the design team to create a comfortable environment without the use of traditional cooling and heating systems with energy consumption





The design created combines a modern sustainable architecture with recovered rustic materials. An entrance hall and a mud room conserve energy and create an elegant entrance in the main living room. This independent room has a double function as a special place to receive visitors and an air chamber to keep the outdoor elements contained. The cold currents of winter and the excessive heat of summer are kept at bay with this simple solution.
There are two master bedrooms and a room with bunk beds in the main house to accommodate family members. The two-car garage has an electric vehicle charging station, a cellar and plenty of storage space.























- Exterior view of the house
- High external glass walls
- Large covered terrace
- Entrance with stone walls
- Living room with high ceilings and stone fireplace
- Modern and cozy kitchen
- Kitchen with large window
- Spacious living room with glass walls
- Dining room with hanging lamps
- Hall with windows
- Night view of the exterior
Discrete Remodeling of a Mid-Century Bungalow
By Magaly • Aug 24, 2018

This discreet renovation of a 1950’s bungalow belonging to a family of 5 is located on the northern shore of Castlecrag in Australia and has an area of 170 square meters. The simple project has been under the direct supervision of the architectural firm Downie North Architects, who have turned a mid-century residence into a spacious home, cozy and full of natural light.

Having previously lived in a large family home, customers were concerned about the “reduction.” However with some minimal modifications, the requirements could be accommodated within the existing building. The design focused on eliminating the unnecessary elements in order to determine a natural place for each space, while raising those functions and creating awareness and connection with the place.




The alteration focused on creating a large open space, housing, kitchen, living room and dining room, which uses key carpentry pieces to create different areas and implicit thresholds that define the lobby, the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room, the pantry, and the study.
The palette of materials is based on the natural environment of Castlecrag: a clean palette of white and gray, the irregular glaze of the ceramic tiles creates reflections, and the red brick recovered that borders the roof makes reference to the house and its surroundings.
The new architectural composition is highly efficient, dynamic but serene










- Exterior view of the brick facade
- Modern wooden shelf
- Living area full of natural light
- Modern living room in bright colors
- Modern kitchen on white
- Living room with skylights
- Modern Living room
- Small dining area
- Modern Kitchen in white
- Simple bathroom on white