GRAPHĒ

At-Home Wellness Is Going High Design

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:56:39 -0700

From mirrored outdoor saunas to smart steam showers, sculptural and tech-forward fixtures are redefining how we treat ourselves at home—and how home feels.

A proper steam or sauna has long meant leaving the house to find one at a spa, gym, or hotel with a day rate. That’s quickly changing, and at-home wellness is more than a trend—the global sauna market is expected to grow from $950 million in 2025 to more than $1.5 billion by 2033, with private homes making up the biggest share of this growth.

For many design-conscious homeowners, steam showers and backyard saunas are now just as desirable as chef’s kitchens, pools, and outdoor entertaining spaces. And, when it comes to at-home wellness, few companies have been shaping the category for as long as Thermasol.

The company introduced the first residential electric steam shower in 1958, and has spent the 68 years since proving that wellness belongs at home. Now owned by Finnish sauna pioneer Harvia, which acquired it in 2024, Thermasol is continuing to elevate and revolutionize the way we experience wellness at home.

The Thermasol Vue sauna is an elegant glass form that reflects its surroundings, making it a visually unobtrusive way to introduce a sauna to the home.

Photo courtesy Thermasol

"We’ve officially outgrown the era where a home wellness space meant cramming a stationary bike into a spare bedroom and calling it a day," says Nathan Hagemeier, president of Harvia. "Today’s homeowners are demanding intentional, architecturally stunning sanctuaries built directly into the floor plan. We are no longer designing houses just to shelter people; we are designing them to actively restore them, turning ancient thermal rituals into the ultimate modern domestic luxury."

The Thermasol Vue allows the sauna to become an integral and playful part of the architectural vision.

Photo courtesy Thermasol

The Thermasol Vue sauna epitomizes this approach. Unrecognizable from the typical cedar box in the corner of the garden, Vue—which has been awarded a Luxe RED Award for its design—features panoramic glass walls framed in black enamel and thermally treated wood. The glass reflects its surroundings, allowing it to dissolve into the landscape while offering privacy to those inside.

Thermasol Fortis is an elegant outdoor sauna with timber cladding and a glass front that creates a contemporary take on the classic sauna typology.

Photo courtesy Thermasol

See the full story on Dwell.com: At-Home Wellness Is Going High Design
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Before & After: How a Portland Couple Took Their Midcentury Kitchen From Cramped to Chef’s Kiss

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:56:13 -0700

After a decade living in the 1965 house by a celebrated local architect, the pair tasked Risa Boyer Architecture with reconfiguring a few of its common spaces—which went a long way in rejuvenating the residence.

As soon as Jeff saw this midcentury-modern house by renowned architect John Storrs in Portland, Oregon, he knew it was the one.

Jeff, based in San Francisco, was being transferred to Portland for his job as a marketing executive in 2013, and his East Coast–based husband, Todd, was about to join him. Together, the couple planned to divide their time between Portland and Massachusetts.

After 10 years of living in this post-and-beam Portland house designed by celebrated local architect John Storrs, Jeff and Todd hired Risa Boyer Architecture to renovate. They knew they wanted to focus on opening up the kitchen.

Luke & Mallory

To prepare for the move, Jeff and a friend convened in Portland to scout 12 houses with his real estate agent in a single weekend. Their focus was mostly historic homes in walkable central-city enclaves—but then the car weaved upward into the Southwest Hills neighborhood and they reached this house at the end of a quiet street.

"My friend literally walked in the front door and she said, ‘We live here,’" Jeff recalls with a laugh. Todd had to make a leap of faith, not seeing the house in person before they made an offer, but he trusted Jeff and loved what he saw—first electronically, and then in person after the purchase.

Before: Kitchen

Before: The kitchen, as in many midcentury-modern homes, was relatively closed off from the dining area, but the hanging upper cabinets above the peninsula counter were not in the original plans.

Photo: Risa Boyer Architecture

Before: In the cramped kitchen, even some cupboards were hard to access without bumping into the fridge or knocking over the dog bowls.

Photo: Risa Boyer Architecture

See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: How a Portland Couple Took Their Midcentury Kitchen From Cramped to Chef’s Kiss
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Women-Led Repair Workshops Are Teaching Hard Skills—and Confidence Too

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:56:23 -0700

Much of the U.S.’s housing stock is suffering from deferred maintenance. So those who weren’t taught to DIY growing up are turning to newcomer-friendly classes to fix up their pads.

As the sun sets over Chicago, a group of 20 gather in a parking lot in Logan Square watching Juliana Masci, their home repair instructor, hold up a wall anchor. "This will need to be drilled into the drywall," Masci says, with a power drill in her other hand. "Who’s up first?"

One volunteer, Lauren, takes a cautious step forward. "I’ll try, I guess," she says nervously. Lauren takes the anchor in one hand, while Masci shows her how to place it against a sheet of drywall mounted on a box of two-by-fours. She demonstrates how to use her full bodyweight to lean into the drill as she pulls the trigger. It takes a few tries; there’s not enough pressure on the drill to get the anchor into the drywall. She tries again. The group starts clapping, shouting "you got this!" as she tries again, then again. Finally, the anchor slides right in. The group erupts into cheers.

"It’s perfect," Masci beams.

This is the scene at Babe’s, Chicago’s first-ever women’s sports bar. But these 20 visitors aren’t here to watch the Chicago Sky WNBA game—they’re here for Tool School, a training program that teaches women and femmes DIY home repair skills. Founded and led by Masci, Tool School is part of a growing movement to impart a set of basic construction and renovation skills to homeowners and renters who weren’t necessarily taught to hold a hammer or wield a drill as children. In a digital-first world, it’s a surprisingly novel idea: Unlike the usual DIY training that comes from YouTube videos or Home Depot online learning, Tool School is focused on the IRL meetups and group training that build community around the often-assumed niche (and gendered) skills like replacing a light fixture or mounting your television. During this Tuesday evening’s Drywall Mounting course, several students said they hoped to learn how to properly hang art in the apartments, or secure floating shelves that could hold the weight of their library. For these attendees, home repair is more than a chore done alone in one’s apartment; it’s a reflection of the growing numbers of woman homeowners and the rising costs of renovation.

Students at Chicago’s Tool School meet at Babe’s, the city’s first-ever women’s sports bar.

Photo by Taylor Moore

The idea for Tool School stemmed from Masci’s own love for tinkering and building, which she developed as a child through her father. Though she went on to study architecture, she gravitated toward the construction side. After years of working in the industry as a construction project manager, it dawned on her that many home and business owners might actually be able to do some of these projects themselves if only they had the skills. Those who grew up with parents who taught them, like Masci, had an advantage. "I determined that more people need DIY education, specifically women and femme folks."

This is especially true in recent years, as women have become a force in the housing market. Though women weren’t legally permitted to obtain a mortgage without a man’s signature until 1974, they are, today, surpassing men in buying homes. A 2025 report from the National Association of Realtors found that single women account for 25 percent of first-time home sales, up 14 percent since 1985; single men account for merely 10 percent. Though some might opt to hire out even minor projects, a survey by Lombardo Homes found that 27 percent of women don’t feel safe being alone with a contractor, and 60 percent felt that they were treated differently from men by contractors.

Though DIY projects are often framed as making aesthetic changes like remodels or refreshes, many first-time homebuyers end up addressing unseen, basic maintenance issues within the first year of buying a home. Especially for those lower-income buyers, neglecting even minor repairs—recaulking bathtubs or fixing cracked drywall, for example—can have an outsized impact on income in the future. The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies notes that deferring maintenance can increase a household’s long-term expenses; a study by anthropologist Robin Bartram finds that "routine dilapidation makes otherwise affordable housing unaffordable."

The ContractHer founder Tisha Jordan, in blue, with workshop participants.

Photo courtesy The ContractHer / Tisha Jordan

In Baltimore, The ContractHER, a DIY training company for women, provides multiday home repair and improvement workshops; they also teach students how to bid out projects and hire contractors if needed. Founder Tisha Jordan was navigating a difficult divorce and purchased a fixer-upper, opting to do renovations herself to save money, she told Washington’s NBC4. In New Hampshire, Mill Hollow Works teaches a variety of co-ed carpentry, woodworking classes, but understanding the need for peer support they also provide a Handy Woman Master series where participants learn framing, flooring, plumbing and electrical, and more. These IRL programs like Tool School teach skills and techniques, but Masci adds that they most importantly build self-assurance for those jumping into the unknown.

"It’s not a lack of skill," she says. "It’s a hundred percent a lack of confidence—a feeling of I’ve never done that before, so I don’t feel like I could do it." That sentiment echoes other findings from the Lombardo survey, where 40 percent of women feel they are treated differently from men at hardware stores and one in five report feeling judged by store employees. It can lead to insecurity, not just in these physical spaces but in their own abilities, says Masci. "It’s a natural progression of what's happened throughout history; women have to be overprepared, you have to be twice as knowledgeable," she explains. Showing up to a hardware store as a woman or femme might require extra confidence, which can be fostered in supportive, positive group settings like these.

The Women’s Carpentry Weekend held by Mill Hollow Works took place outside.

Photo by Heather Holloway / Mill Hollow Works

See the full story on Dwell.com: Women-Led Repair Workshops Are Teaching Hard Skills—and Confidence Too
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Their Mediterranean Courtyard House Is Warmed by the Sun and Cooled by Sea Breezes

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:56:38 -0700

Slow Studio used passive design principles to craft a flexible home with a thriving garden on a tricky L-shaped lot overlooking Spain’s Costa Daurada.

Guillem and Arantza Pujadas spent years searching Spain’s Costa Daurada for a home that matched their family’s lifestyle. With three children, they wanted a place where family life, work and their love of the outdoors could naturally coexist.

Guillem, founder of Shaka Surf Castelldefels on the Catalan coast, has built his life around the Mediterranean, and he prioritized having a daily connection to the water and the natural landscape. Arantza works as a doula, supporting women and families through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period, and she dreamed of a peaceful home that could accommodate her practice.

On Spain’s Costa Daurada, Slow Studio used passive design principles to create an efficient, flexible family home for Guillem and Arantza Pujadas.

Photo by Ariadna Puigdomenech

The residence is composed of two wings connected by a central courtyard.

Photo by Ariadna Puigdomenech

Together, they imagined a residence with an edible garden where they could host friends—and where their children could grow up with room to explore. They visited plenty of houses with beautiful sea views and generous layouts, but none felt right. "We gradually realized none of them brought together everything we were looking for," says Arantza. "So we decided to build it."

The family found an unusual, L-shaped lot overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. While the southern edge offered spectacular light and coastal vistas, its narrow footprint made building a standard family home impossible without taking up most of the outdoor space.

Framed by views of the courtyard, the dining area is positioned within the home’s central circulation path, making it a natural meeting point.

Photo: Ariadna Puigdomenech

See the full story on Dwell.com: Their Mediterranean Courtyard House Is Warmed by the Sun and Cooled by Sea Breezes
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Wake Up to Fjord Views at This $1.5M Island Home in Norway

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:56:15 -0700

In a small fishing village in the Lofoten archipelago, this 1950 wood-paneled house sits at the literal end of the road, with a berry-filled garden, a practically private beach, and a brand-new outdoor sauna.

Location: Kjerkveien 35, Ramberg, Norway

Price: 15,000,000 NOK (Approximately $1,555,695 USD)

Year Built: 1950

Renovation Date: 2012

Footprint: 1,862 Square Feet (4 Beds, 2 Baths)

Lot Size: .72 Acres

From the Owners: "Kjerkveien 35 sits at the very end of a quiet road on a small grass headland, surrounded by white sand beaches, mountains, farmland, and open ocean. One of those beaches is, for all practical purposes, private, reachable only across the property’s own land, while the other curves out toward the broader bay. From the deck, the view looks over farmland, summit, fjord, and sky.

When the home first went on the public market, it drew bids well over the asking price. We had approached the past owners privately, off-market, before any of those bids closed, and they accepted ours—not because it was the highest, but because they trusted we would continue the tradition of caring for the place. We have lived here since, and we hope to pass it forward in the same spirit.

Part of what makes the home feel so rare is that the privacy is built into the landscape around it. The surrounding farmland is protected from development, and the house itself cannot be seen from the main road. The only approach is a private farm track that ends at the property. The fields are also a designated bird-nesting sanctuary, which during the summer months keeps the public out entirely.

Ramberg is a small village on the island of Flakstadøya, midway through the Lofoten archipelago, with Leknes airport a short drive away and Reine, Nusfjord, and Henningsvær within easy reach. There are only a few neighboring households, all of whom live here year-round, creating a small, family-friendly community even through winter.

After two years, we’ll say it plainly: We do not believe there is another home in Lofoten with quite this combination of privacy, a central location in the archipelago, views, and access to the wild and the northern lights. To us, it is the gem of Lofoten."

Built in 1950, the three-level home has been gently updated. It has white-painted paneling and simple rooms that keep its traditional Lofoten character intact.

Photo by Charles Post

Built in 1950, the three-level home has been gently modernized over time, with white-painted paneling and simple rooms that keep its traditional Lofoten character intact.

Photo by Charles Post

A wraparound deck extends the living space outdoors during the long summer evenings.

Photo by Charles Post

See the full story on Dwell.com: Wake Up to Fjord Views at This $1.5M Island Home in Norway
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For £675K, You Can Score a Subversive Suburban Home in the U.K.

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:56:40 -0700

Location: Salcombe Way, Ruislip, United Kingdom

Price: £675,000 (Approximately $906,525 USD)

Year Built: 2025

Architect: Wadhal

Footprint: 712 square feet (2 bed, 1 bath)

From the Agent: "Set within a historic manor estate in Ruislip, Wade House is a contemporary reimagining of the detached suburban home, defined by a materially honest palette and Scandinavian influences. Ruislip itself holds a notable connection to early modernism; with the arrival of the London Underground, the area saw the emergence of a distinctly progressive architectural language, later associated with the so-called "Metroland" ideal, where suburban living and modern design ambitions converged. Wade House is a two-bedroom home that takes these influences and brings them into the modern day. Contemporary stained glass filters shifting light across warm Ketley tiles, which, together with underfloor heating, run throughout the ground floor. A sculptural silver fir stair rises into a vaulted volume of beams and sky. Bedrooms remain calm and pared back: white walls, timber ceilings, concealed detailing, and warm, indirect light. Sustainable principles have been applied throughout, with the house being highly efficient. Advanced insulation and an air source heat pump deliver low-cost, low-emission living. Passive airflow cools in summer; drainage is concealed to maintain clean lines."

Photo by Lorenzo Zandri

See the full story on Dwell.com: For £675K, You Can Score a Subversive Suburban Home in the U.K.
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A Bright Yellow Foyer Is Just the Start of a Color-Coded Transformation for This Madrid Flat

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:56:12 -0700

A blue partition marks the living area, red shutters bring in light and air, and green tile forms a threshold from the bedroom into the en suite bath.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Madrid, Spain

Architect: Gon Architects / @gonarchitects

Footprint: 1,162 square feet

Builder: REDO Construcción y Arquitectura

Photographer: Imagen Subliminal / @imagensubliminal

From the Architect: "The story of Casa EME begins with a memory and a desire. A memory belonging to Manuel, its owner—an enthusiast of design and cooking—when he first entered the apartment, before purchasing it, during one of many visits to flats in central Madrid. He had the feeling of having already lived in a similar place, at least with the same spirit, but in another time. And a desire: to imagine himself reading in that house on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, sitting on the sofa as light pours in through the five large windows of the living room, framing the views of Madrid.

"Located in a corner building in the Madrid de los Austrias, Casa EME acts as a watchtower inserted into a dense and compact urban fabric of Baroque origin, surrounded by the hustle and bustle and tourism characteristic of contemporary historic centers. With a floor plan whose geometry recalls the shape of a bow tie, the original apartment, fully oriented toward the exterior, lacked a clear spatial logic. It was composed of five rooms of varying sizes, six balconies, and two street-facing windows, unified by an impressive continuous floor of solid tropical ipe wood in multiple tones. Like a large carpet, the flooring covered the entire apartment, with only exception of the bathroom, which was finished in ceramic.

"The new proposal is based on a strict and deliberate premise: to preserve the existing wooden floor in its entirety, not only as a covering, but as a material memory that anchors the project to place and time. This decision conditions an intervention whose main virtue lies in working with what already exists, while reestablishing the topological and programmatic relationships of the apartment to suit Manuel’s way of living.

"The existing floor was left untouched. Upon this same wood, the new home unfolds, maintaining the system of rooms from the previous configuration. Like a game of sliding pieces, the program shifts across the plan until it reaches a new order, a clearer, more efficient, and more suggestive way of reading the domestic space.

"Among the most significant reprogramming operations, the bedroom is now directly linked to the bathroom, whose interior evokes an outdoor landscape through the use of greens in varying tones. This connection is articulated by a closed, cloud-green pass-through volume that promotes flexibility of use and integrates clothing storage. Both spaces are now connected through the footprint of the former bathroom, materialized as a ceramic trace that is deliberately exposed, emphasizing time and the memory embedded in the house. The kitchen now occupies the heart of the home, a social space that becomes the center and meeting point when friends gather to taste Manuel’s specialty: beef ragu lasagna. The entrance, the most fragile and narrow point of the apartment, is redefined by lowering the ceiling and marking it in yellow. Finally, one of the doors that previously connected to the living room has been removed, transforming that space into an unnamed, flexible room of multiple uses, equally suited for studying or accommodating guests without disrupting Manuel’s daily rhythm."

A blue partition marks the living area, red shutters bring in light and air, and green tile forms a threshold from the bedroom into the en suite bath.

Photo by Imagen Subliminal

See the full story on Dwell.com: A Bright Yellow Foyer Is Just the Start of a Color-Coded Transformation for This Madrid Flat
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With a Tree House and an Amphitheater, This $1.3M L.A. Compound Is Pure Whimsy

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:56:37 -0700

Completed in 1948, the quirky hand-built property unfolds over two hillside parcels in Elysian Heights.

Location: 1964 Landa Street, Los Angeles, California

Price: $1,349,999

Year: 1948

Designer: Robert A. Johnson

Footprint: 1,257 Square Feet (3 Bed, 2 Bath)

Lot Size: 26,000 Square Feet

From the Agent: "Privately sited in the dramatic canyon landscape of Elysian Heights’ Fellowship Heights, this singular handcrafted home was built in 1948 by civil engineer Robert A. Johnson as a labor of love. Original woodwork, exposed beams, a cozy fireplace, intricate inlaid cabinetry, and custom built-ins infuse the interiors with folk-art soul. Large windows flood the spaces with natural light and frame sweeping canyon views and mature trees, creating a seamless connection to the outdoors. Thoughtfully arranged across two levels, the home offers three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The grounds constitute a gardener’s sanctuary: lush plantings, meandering pathways, layered terraces with custom stonework and ornate tile, and two elegant water features. The adjacent parcel significantly enhances privacy and creative possibilities with a hillside mosaic; a dedicated tiled amphitheater suited for performances, rehearsals, and gatherings; a custom studio; and a hillside tree house. Two additional detached structures offer space for artist studios, home offices, guest quarters, or creative workspaces. Historically resonant, with the neighboring land recognized as the birthplace of the Sierra Club, the R.A. Johnson Residence stands as a rare convergence of architecture, craftsmanship, landscape artistry, and creative spirit, and an exceptional opportunity to steward a deeply personal piece of Los Angeles history."

The property spans two parcels, totaling more than 26,000 square feet.

Photo by Cameron Carothers

See the full story on Dwell.com: With a Tree House and an Amphitheater, This $1.3M L.A. Compound Is Pure Whimsy
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Take in the Rugged Beauty of the Ozarks Through Walls of Glass

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 08:56:12 -0700

This glass-and-steel Bee Branch home frames panoramic lake views and is listed for $4.3M.

2623 Alum Cave Road in Bee Branch, Arkansas, is currently listed at $4,295,000 by Becky Allred at Capital Sotheby's International Realty.

Perched above the shimmering waters of Greers Ferry Lake on twelve private, gated acres, this residence represents one of the most remarkable residential offerings in the Arkansas Ozarks. Meticulously designed by Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects, the home was engineered for enduring strength. A foundation of steel and concrete anchors the structure into one of the region’s most commanding ridgelines. The exterior blends hand-laid natural stone with a standing seam metal roof and precision wall systems, while expansive TimberTech decking wraps the home, supported entirely by galvanized steel.

Floor-to-ceiling Pella Reserve windows and sliding doors frame uninterrupted lake views, creating a seamless connection between indoors and out. Inside, more than 6,500 square feet of living space unfolds beneath soaring knotty pine ceilings and exposed steel beams. The open-concept great room, dining area, and kitchen are anchored by a dramatic marble fireplace and a continuous wall of glass capturing panoramic views of Greers Ferry Lake and the Ozark Mountains.

Custom cabinetry and curated furnishings throughout create a fully turnkey experience. The chef’s kitchen is appointed with professional-grade appliances, including a Sub-Zero refrigerator, Wolf rangetop, and Fisher & Paykel ovens and dishwasher drawers. A book-matched marble island and custom cabinetry are complemented by dual tankless water heaters and whole-house filtration, reflecting an uncompromising standard of quality.

The primary suite offers a private retreat with sweeping lake views, a spa-inspired bath, and fireplace. Guest suites mirror the home’s elevated standard, each thoughtfully designed with premium finishes and furnishings.Wellness and recreation are seamlessly integrated, with a lake-view fitness suite, custom sauna, and a lower-level game room complete with kitchenette—spaces designed for both relaxation and entertainment.

Technology enhances every aspect of the home, with Crestron automation controlling lighting, climate, audio, and exterior illumination. Sonos sound flows throughout, while advanced security, fiber internet, and a premium WiFi network ensure seamless connectivity.Behind the scenes, infrastructure matches the home’s ambition, including a whole-house generator, multi-zone HVAC, fresh air exchange, dehumidification, heated floors, and a substantial propane reserve, ensuring year-round comfort without compromise.

Listing Details

Bedrooms: 3

Baths: 3 full, 2 partial

Year Built: 2023

Square Feet: 6,500

Plot Size: 12 acres

Courtesy of Capital Sotheby's International Realty

See the full story on Dwell.com: Take in the Rugged Beauty of the Ozarks Through Walls of Glass
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If You Love Rivers, This $995K Oregon Home Will Float Your Boat

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:56:24 -0700

Renovated by Workaday Design, the waterfront retreat was made for stormy days by the fire and sunny afternoons spent mastering your kayak.

Location: 34098 Brooten Road, Pacific City, Oregon

Price: $995,000

Year Built: 1985

Renovation Date: 2023

Renovation Architect: Workaday Design

Footprint: 1,968 Square Feet (2 Beds, 3 Baths)

Lot Size: .22 Acres

From the Agent: "Set along the Nestucca River in Pacific City, this remodeled waterfront home was reimagined by architectural and interior design firm Workaday Design, led by Jason Stamp. Recent improvements include new roofing, windows, insulation, electrical work, and a complete interior remodel with an emphasis on clean lines, natural light, and high-quality materials. The result is a home that feels calm, refined, and designed around its connection to the landscape. Inside, wide-plank engineered oak floors, smooth-finish plaster walls, custom handmade cabinetry, quartz surfaces, and carefully curated lighting create a cohesive aesthetic. The open-concept living, dining, and kitchen spaces are designed for function and visual simplicity, with a European Rais stove anchoring the living area. In the kitchen, integrated Fisher & Paykel refrigeration, Electrolux induction cooking, Franke fixtures, soft-close custom cabinetry, and under-shelf lighting keep the design streamlined and quietly sophisticated. Natural light was a major focus of the remodel. Added windows, expansive skylights, and reworked living spaces bring sunlight deep into the home while framing views of the river and opening the home up to the shifting coastal light. Integrated smart home features include programmable heated floors, automated skylights with rain sensors, adjustable lighting tones, and an EV/Tesla charging station. Both bathrooms have spa-inspired upgrades like heated slate floors, handmade Moroccan tile, quartz counters, premium fixtures, custom glass, and a steam shower. The primary bath also has a cast-iron soaking tub. The detached garage has been converted into a yoga and wellness studio, with added windows and flexible space for fitness, work, art, or boat storage. Outside, the dock and ramp were completely rebuilt, creating direct access to the Nestucca River for world-class salmon and steelhead fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and year-round time on the water."

Existing windows and sliding doors on the north side of the house frame views of the Nestucca River. "The living room became a sanctuary where one can watch nature pass by," says architect Jason Stamp of Workaday Design.

Photo by Cody Cha

"The Oregon coast has plenty of overcast, stormy days and we wanted to ensure the house felt warm and cozy," says Stamp. "The wood floors and kitchen cabinets offer visual warmth, while the Rais fireplace provides physical warmth."

Photo by Cody Cha

See the full story on Dwell.com: If You Love Rivers, This $995K Oregon Home Will Float Your Boat
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Prismlike Rooms Give This São Paulo Home a Sense of Remove From the City

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:56:24 -0700

They form a jigsaw along a second-level terrace, with glass corners drawing in sunlight and opening onto a pebble path planted with succulents.

There is a view of Andrea Guerra’s São Paulo house that leaves you awestruck when you notice it, because you feel as if you suddenly understand its depth. From the pool on the ground floor is an upward, lateral view of the second level, where prismlike boxes form a row of small rooms. The vantage reveals the geometry of house, its height and horizontality, and, when the doors at the corners of the rooms are open, the intrinsic connections between inside and out. "It’s a view that still stuns me," says Andrea, two years after moving in.

Through the front door of Andrea Guerra’s São Paulo home, designed by architecture studio Pascali Semerdjian, are rhythmic ceiling beams mirrored by steps with a water feature.

Photo: Fran Parente

This epiphany is part of the experience of Prisma House (Casa Prisma, in Portuguese), designed by Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos as an exercise of the unexpected. Andrea and her husband, Luis Guerra, wanted patios, a sense of openness, and an element of surprise. So the studio’s founders, Brazilian architects Domingos Pascali and Sarkis Semerdjian, came up with a prism concept, a series of openings throughout the 7,800-square-foot plan that bring in light and the outdoors. These elements were never thought of as ornamentation or mere solutions to specific spaces, but as a design language in search of a unique geometry and a constant connection between the interior and the exterior. "We have light coming from many different openings and situations," explains Semerdjian. "We have all these small ‘happenings,’ as we call them, that are oriented towards the sun."

Andrea, an art promoter, and Luis, who works in finance, initially weren’t going to build a house from the ground up for themselves and their two kids, ages 16 and 20. "We were living in the neighborhood of Jardim Paulistano, in a 1950s house that we had remodeled. We were looking to move within the same neighborhood and the original idea was to find something ready or that would need a minimal intervention," recalls Andrea. But after a year of searching, they decided to pivot and bought a "worn-down house" on an 11,300-square-foot site and demolished it to start fresh. "We knew it was going to be more work and effort, but if we were going to do it, we wanted to do it right," Andrea says.

Up the stairs and through another door is a corridor that doubles as a gallery space. An opening in the ceiling "in the form of an inverted volcano" brings in light. The door at the far end is a bathroom, and around the front door is Andrea’s office, placed there in the floor plan so visitors wouldn’t have to come through the house for meetings.

Photo: Fran Parente

Moving in the opposite direction, the corridor leads to the living spaces.

Photo: Fran Parente

See the full story on Dwell.com: Prismlike Rooms Give This São Paulo Home a Sense of Remove From the City

Patchwork Textile Is the Digital Palette Cleanser We Need Right Now

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:56:21 -0700

Designers and makers share why they’re turning to the age-old craft at a time when we're all looking for an antidote to life online.

From major media headlines to conversations in bars, at the beginning of 2026 we all agreed that this year would be the year of analog. We had had it with prioritizing our screens. We would put ’em away and bring out our knitting needles, or gardening gloves, or meditation pillows. Seven months later, whether or not we’ve all successfully ditched our phones, the desire to live a little less intimately with our devices has remained. Part of what we’re running from when we turn our phones on airplane mode, or lock them away in a nightstand drawer, is the homogenous—and frankly boring—quality of content online nowadays. This broader trend is showing up in our interiors in obvious ways, like the return of the landline, and in less obvious ways, too. Some are finding their escape by turning to something the algo could never produce: the craft of patchwork which, with its randomness and sense of texture, is very much a product of human creativity.

"A patchwork curtain can become a strong statement in a room, but it can also feel very soft and natural," says Munich designer and artist Lea Sigg. "For me, it is less about a specific interior style and more about the atmosphere you want to create."

Courtesy of Lea Sigg

Many of the patchwork textiles I see on Instagram are curtains specifically, in photos where light filters through each uniquely colored square. They’re mostly by independent makers selling one-of-one creations directly to followers. Munich designer and artist Lea Sigg became hooked on patchwork after first making a set of curtains for her friend upon request. "It almost felt like the curtain had two lives: one as a textile object and one as a kind of painting made of light," she says. "There is something very magical about that and I still cannot fully explain it. Maybe that’s why I like it." As a broader cultural trend, Sigg thinks the desire for something that you can visibly tell was made by hand draws people to patchwork. "There is a certain care in it. We are surrounded by so many things that are Al-generated, mass-produced, perfect and replaceable," Sigg explains.

"Even without knowing where each fabric comes from, people instinctively sense that it has been assembled by hand, piece by piece," French designer Coralie Halbout says. "In a world of mass production, there’s something comforting about objects that celebrate craftsmanship and imperfection."

Courtesy of Polka Atelier

Coralie Halbout of Polka Atelier, in La Rochelle, France, similarly fell into making patchwork curtains after making a backdrop for a photoshoot from her fabric scraps, then realizing how the method can be both practical and aesthetically distinct. "Patchwork is naturally a resourceful technique. It allows me to work with remnants, vintage fabrics, or small quantities of exceptional textiles that would otherwise be impossible to use for full-length curtains," Halbout says. "But sustainability isn’t only about reducing waste. It’s also about creating objects that people want to keep for a very long time."

The new Alex Mill x Quiet Town collaboration includes two different colorways of the Work Jacket and Saturday Shorts, in addition to an overnight bag.

Courtesy of Alex Mill and Quiet Town

See the full story on Dwell.com: Patchwork Textile Is the Digital Palette Cleanser We Need Right Now
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A Wavy Wardrobe Echoes Original Barrel Vaulted Ceilings in This Renovated Barcelona Flat

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:56:14 -0700

The scalloped pattern was a starting point for several features across the 646-square-foot apartment, which now has an open floor plan.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Architect: Bardo / @bardo.arq

Footprint: 646 square feet

Builder: Herton Reformas

Photographer: Germán Saiz

From the Architect: "Bardo’s first project in Barcelona begins with a deep structural intervention: the removal of several load-bearing walls in a 19th-century building. This operation allowed the floor plan to be opened up and entirely rethought, while preserving the visibility of the original constructive essence. The most recognizable element of this architecture—the Catalan vaulted ceiling with its ceramic joists, known as revoltó—became the true starting point of the design. It is neither concealed nor neutralized; its rhythm and texture set the tone for the entire project. As a Madrid-based studio, this was not a system we were used to working with, yet it immediately caught our attention. This led to two key decisions: translating its cadence and geometry into curved forms—most notably in the large wardrobe/bed unit in the dressing area—and adopting a neutral palette throughout the house, reserving color exclusively for the ceiling beams and vaults, allowing them to stand out within the overall space.

"As a result, the only other color appears in the bathroom, the sole space free from this architectural element. From this cadence, the house develops a language based on curves. The dressing room becomes the most evident gesture: its curved facade echoes the rhythm of the joists and translates it into the vertical plane, transforming a functional element into an interior facade that organizes the space and guides movement. The overall palette is composed of warm, neutral tones—creams, wood finishes, and soft textures—providing continuity and calm. In contrast, the beams are highlighted with color, reinforcing their presence as key elements within the composition. The house is no longer understood as a series of enclosed rooms, but as a fluid sequence. Mirrors are used as spatial tools: they amplify natural light, visually connect different areas, and create depth without reintroducing partitions.

"In the bedroom, a curved glass enclosure filters the relationship with the living area. More than a door, it becomes a piece that softens the boundary and turns the transition into a continuous gesture, maintaining visual connection while introducing privacy. The kitchen acts as the domestic core, with fluted wooden fronts that contrast with the neutral palette, and a large smoked mirror that enhances the sense of openness in the living area. In the main bathroom, yellow ceramic tiles wrap walls and ceiling, creating a more intense and sensory atmosphere. The result is a home that emerges from its own structure. A house that respects the original architecture and transforms it into the driving force of a new spatial identity, where every gesture responds to a shared logic and the whole is experienced as a continuous journey."

Photo by Germán Saiz

See the full story on Dwell.com: A Wavy Wardrobe Echoes Original Barrel Vaulted Ceilings in This Renovated Barcelona Flat

One Night in a Cold War-Era Bunker Turned Airbnb in New Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:56:41 -0700

On a trip to Roswell, a city known for UFOs and military secrets, my girlfriend and I stayed in an appropriately off-center spot: a former missile base made into a subterranean rental.

Welcome to One Night In, a series about staying in the most unparalleled places available to rest your head.

During the Cold War, when humanity seemed hellbent on annihilation, underground Atlas missile bases made of steel and concrete were built across the United States to ward off World War III.

Newer missile technology quickly replaced those Atlas bases, and the sites were all decommissioned and closed by the mid-1960s. Today, though, you can sleep in one below the plains of southeastern New Mexico, if you’re not claustrophobic. Gary "Siloman" Baker bought the decommissioned complex in Roswell—minus the missile—30 years ago and transformed its launch center into an overnight stay that he operates as an Airbnb.

Baker is one of a number of people around the country and as far away as Cornwall, England, and Australia who have turned subterranean bunkers into short–term rentals and even residences. In Arkansas, the Titan II Nuclear Missile Complex prioritizes the party over missile history; the former missile complex made into an underground rental includes a small nightclub. (Owner GT Hill says he’s hosted families from Taiwan, a slew of social media influencers including YouTube celebrity Mr. Beast, and, possibly, a swingers group.) A decommissioned Atlas base in Kansas has "survival condos" where owners, and pets of a certain size, can ride out apocalyptic events for up to five years for $1.3 million (there’s also an Atlas missile base Airbnb listing in Kansas), and a Texas company called Atlas Survival Shelters offers everything from bomb and tornado shelters to "billionaire bunkers" that, according to its website, can house up to 15 people in the event of "pandemic outbreak, civil unrest, malicious mobs," and other events.

Baker’s place in Roswell—listed as one of Airbnb’s top-rated OMG! homes—seemed like it’d actually be a pretty ideal overnight stay while my girlfriend, Jen, and I explored the alien kitsch of the desert city, where a UFO may or may not have been discovered in 1947. The decommissioned base sits just 20 miles from the area’s UFO-shaped McDonald’s and the giant alien outside the Dunkin’ Donuts downtown. And staying there—on Jen’s birthday—would be fittingly "out there."

Gary "Siloman" Baker turned the decommissioned Atlas missile base in Roswell, New Mexico, into an Airbnb that’s one of the platform’s top-rated OMG! vacation rentals. The silo extends 180 feet underground.

Photo: Jason Nark

"The land beneath it is silent—but listening," read a confounding review by a former guest from Sedona that Jen found on the Airbnb listing. "The container was never meant for humans. And yet, we entered anyway."

Jen and I have slept in some fancy New York hotels, and we’d recently spent a week in dreamy beachfront casitas in Oaxaca. I’ve also spent a lot of nights sleeping in tents, the bed of my truck, or in glorified sheds for reporting trips, and Jen had slept in an underground structure before. The silo felt somewhere down the middle. She was intrigued, so I reached out to Baker about his silo, and he offered us a media discount to stay there in early April.

"When do we leave?" Jen said.

Saturday

3 p.m.: An underground missile complex doesn’t stand out in the landscape, so we have to pay attention to the mile markers as we drive through sagebrush and yucca outside of Roswell. We flew from Philly to El Paso yesterday, and slept hard at a classic motor inn about 90 minutes away in Alamogordo. In the morning, we walked in the dunes at White Sands National Park for Jen’s birthday. Roswell is about a 120-mile drive from here.

Baker’s directions take you to a cattle gate and up a dirt road to a small, fenced-in area with a large concrete and steel pad. It looks like a public works yard in Anytown, USA. During the Cold War, though, that concrete pad could have opened up like some hellmouth, and an 82-foot missile could have rocketed toward Moscow to wreak havoc.

An employee of Baker’s named Manny meets us topside and leads us to a single, nondescript bulkhead door to the silo’s stairwell. Inside, it’s crammed with black-and-white Atlas photos from the 1960s down every step. That history-heavy theme plays everywhere down there, even into the bathrooms.

The guest apartment, which according to the Airbnb listing has "about 1,250 square feet of space," is in the upper level of the former launch control center. The complex also includes a part-time apartment for Baker.

Photo: Jason Nark

Manny takes us to the apartment where Baker spends time when he’s not traveling with his wife. Baker, who was born in Alaska, is a warm and talkative historian who can wax about missiles and the Cold War for hours. He says he fell in love with missile silos when he attended Roswell’s New Mexico Military Institute decades ago. During the Cold War, more than 100 Atlas sites were built across the U.S. before they were decommissioned. Decades later, the Atlas sites that were left behind in Roswell became playgrounds for him.

"I bought two together thirty years ago for $55,000 a site," Baker tells us in his apartment, which sits below the guest quarters. "For me, this was just fun, something I always wanted to do."

Since then, he’s invested about $500,000 to make this place habitable for guests—it’s spotless and as well-lit as a big hole in the ground can be—and he charges close to $850 a night for overnight stays. He also hosts private tours between checkout and check-in. "If you’re looking just for a night’s stay, this is not it," he says.

5 p.m.: Manny takes us to the Airbnb unit, a former launch control room that sits beyond massive blast doors above Baker’s apartment. The launch controls are gone and the simple guest unit is circular, like Baker’s unit, with a laundry room, bathroom, and kitchenette that was, oddly, stocked with lots of food. The lighting isn’t great, but it’s not dark. There’s a couch and small table to eat meals, and more missile memorabilia, including magazines, coffee mugs, miniatures, pillows, and hard hats. A New Mexico vanity license plate affixed to the wall catches my eye; it says "Siloman."

The small bedroom, for some reason, has two twin beds (air mattresses are available for additional guests). "I guess we’re cuddling," I say to Jen.

This isn’t my first experience writing about underground living. In 2006, I visited a home/office built in New Jersey by Malcolm Wells, the late architect who pioneered underground buildings. I’ve also written about earthships, which are often quasi-underground. In 2024, I also profiled Rod Rylander and the off-grid, affordable home he was building halfway in the ground in southwestern New Mexico for Dwell.

Jen, as I mentioned, has actually slept beneath the earth though. During an Australian road trip, she stayed in a subsurface motel in Coober Pedy, a mining town where half the population lives underground because of extreme heat and flies. She visited a church there, shopped for opals, and had drinks with Greek miners, all underground. (There are plenty of "cave" and "earthen" Airbnb listings in Coober Pedy, too.) "The town resembles the surface of the moon and is just as quiet," she tells me on the drive to Roswell.

The guest unit is decorated with on-theme books, photos, drawings, and memorabilia.

Photo: Jason Nark

See the full story on Dwell.com: One Night in a Cold War-Era Bunker Turned Airbnb in New Mexico

These Bamboo Tiny Homes in the Philippines Start at $15 a Square Foot

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 07:56:26 -0700

Kawayan Collective referenced a centuries-old housing style to make prefabs that are easy to build and resilient in tropical weather.

Rosanne Ceriales knew it was time for her family to find a new home. A public school teacher, she had started a new job in her hometown of Santa Catalina, on the Philippine island of Negros, and wanted to build a home that felt different than the urban concrete housing she had lived in with her husband and 11-year-old son. Concrete homes become stiflingly hot and humid during the country’s torrid summers. "Ventilation and being environmentally friendly were my main concerns," she says, wanting something that leaves a smaller carbon footprint.

So, after some research, she turned to a material her grandparents had used: bamboo. Still, she didn’t come across bamboo until seeing homes built with a technique called composite bamboo shear walls, where structural bamboo panels are held together with mesh and enveloped with cement, significantly reducing the use of concrete. Some of the homes, built in the northern Philippines, had withstood strong typhoons. "I thought, Oh, it’s also possible that these houses will be storm resistant and not easily moved by earthquakes," Ceriales says.

Bamboo has been used as a building material for centuries in Southeast Asia and South America, both of which boast dozens of native species. In the Philippines, it has traditionally been used to build small rural cottages called bahay kubo, which are breathable in humid climates and raised on stilts to avoid flooding and pests. These homes, like that of Ceriales’s grandparents, are an icon of rural areas, but they are generally bespoke. But a cooperative she found is working on a way to turn the archetype into a mass housing solution. Kawayan Collective manufactures prefabricated bamboo frames at a facility just two hours away, outside the scuba diving destination of Dauin. It was founded in 2019 by Filipino-American architect Ray Villanueva and his wife, Amy Villanueva, who left the U.S. and started building bamboo structures in the Philippines using composite bamboo shear wall technology developed by Base Bahay, a nonprofit based in Manila.

Kawayan Collective, a cooperative in Dauin in the Philippines, produces panelized bamboo walls to build tiny homes that start at $15 a square foot.

Courtesy of Kawayan Collective

Workers load bamboo panels onto a truck at Kawayan Collective’s facility.

Courtesy of Kawayan Collective

Homes can be finished with plaster to create an additional moisture barrier.

Courtesy of Kawayan Collective

See the full story on Dwell.com: These Bamboo Tiny Homes in the Philippines Start at $15 a Square Foot

Designed for Multigenerational Living, This Forested Compound in Colleyville Seeks $3M

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 14:56:36 -0700

The secluded estate has been reimagined on five lush acres with a resort pool and guesthouse.

7312 Hix Court in Colleyville, Texas, is currently listed at $3,065,000 by Andrea Miranda and Jorge Miranda at Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty.

Tucked away on a five-acre wooded cul de sac backing up to Big Bear Creek, this reimagined Colleyville estate offers a rare, multigenerational layout centered on indoor/outdoor connectivity. Through a recent comprehensive renovation, the property trades typical suburban sprawl for a cohesive compound design, linking a 5,978-square-foot main residence to a 903-square-foot independent guest house via an intimate central courtyard.

The design bridges clean contemporary updates with rugged natural surroundings, prioritizing sight lines through extensive glazing. In the main house, a game and entertaining wing opens to the outdoors with panoramic full-slider glass doors. An adjacent lounge offers quartzite surfaces, commercial-style glass entry doors, and dedicated AV-home automation infrastructure.

The culinary core is anchored by a massive 15-by-6-foot central island wrapped in book matched Panda Marble, pairing high-contrast stone with premium integrated Thermador and Wolf appliances, dual farmhouse sinks, and discrete custom cabinetry.

Across the shared courtyard, the steel-framed guest house functions as a flexible, self-contained pavilion. Punctuated by six sets of updated steel doors and minimalist Juliet balconies, it serves as an airy, light-filled volume for extended stays or remote work.

In the terraced backyard, over 2,000 square feet of low-profile patios and updated timber decking step down toward a bridge-approach pool and spa, a stone fireplace, and a built-in outdoor kitchen. Framed by a dense greenbelt, the design creates a highly private, resort-scale footprint that defers entirely to the landscape.

Listing Details

Bedrooms: 5

Baths: 4 full, 2 partial

Year Built: 1982

Square Feet: 5,978

Plot Size: 5.16 acres

Courtesy of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty

See the full story on Dwell.com: Designed for Multigenerational Living, This Forested Compound in Colleyville Seeks $3M
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Ikea Might Have Just Solved One of the Biggest Problems With Its Furniture

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:56:29 -0700

Forget those rickety particle board shelves. The Swedish furniture giant’s new collection doesn’t require assembly and is built to move.

Picture this: you’re 19 and you’ve just moved into your first apartment. You have plenty of books and tchotchkes to store so you buy Ikea’s infamous Billy bookcase. It’s the most affordable shelving you could find without scouring Facebook Marketplace for half a lifetime and it fits all your stuff. A year passes. Your rent gets raised, you decide to move to another part of town with friends. You pack all of your odds and ends up into boxes, and break down the Billy to bring it with you. Once you get to your new place, try as you may, the Billy bookcase just won’t stand straight in the way it used to, and it now wobbles whenever anything bumps. It’s a story as old as flatpack furniture, and it’s one that Ikea’s latest collection might actually solve.

Kompishäng, which launches in U.S. stores on July 31 and online on August 15, includes 11 pieces that don’t require assembly and are designed to be easily moved. There’s range: a side table; a jute bag with handles that functions as a plant pot cover; a rolling bag on wheels that looks an awful lot like a Hulken; and a foldable desk with a built-in handle, among other first apartment basics. The smartest piece from the collection is probably the stools, which can nest like the Artek 60 for compact storage, or stand atop one another to create a shelving display. Since the pieces don’t have separate components, there aren’t pesky tools, oddly vague instructions, or the challenge of having to build them or reassemble them.

"This table isn’t just a temporary solution," says David Wahl, the designer of the collection’s foldable red table pictured here. "It’s designed to accompany life’s transitions—equally at home in a first apartment, a family house, or even a retirement space."

Courtesy of Ikea

The idea for Kompishäng—an Ikea-ism for "hanging out with friends"— was inspired by conversations between twentysomethings living in Central London and Ikea staff. Two recent industrial design graduates working as interns at Ikea also brought their firsthand experience. With input from a young set, Ikea aimed to address the most persistent irritations one faces at that particular phase of your life, namely moving often, sharing furniture with flatmates, and not having an easy way to transport anything. This involved practical solutions, like a metal bookend that sits on the floor and holds titles in place, and stylistic guidance: the interns felt that a more neutral color palette, rather than the bolds Ikea is known for, would help bring calm to these transient spaces.

"We wanted to create a collection that could be moved with your body alone. Without needing a car," Ikea designer Wiebke Braasch said in a statement shared with Dwell. "Moving plants was a bigger problem than I ever imagined, and it was fun to come up with a new solution that makes it easier to both carry and protect them while moving." Given how geared the pieces are toward lowkey moves, the practicality of these pieces also depends on them being sturdy enough that they can hold up against the banging and shoving required of those of us who move by Uber, or even the subway. Though vintage Ikea furniture may command high prices nowadays, newer pieces aren’t particularly known for their longevity.

The furniture in Kompishäng is low profile, but that’s one of its greatest assets. When dinnertime is over, the table can be folded away and the stools can cleanly stack atop each other.

Courtesy of Ikea

Even with its subdued color palette and solutions-oriented design, the furnishings mercifully still have personality; they look like they’d get along easier with used furniture than some of the more playful Ikea designs (we’re looking at you, inflatable chair). It’s also easy to imagine a new grad appreciating being able to fold this stuff up and sling it over their shoulder when it comes time to move across town. Or, if they manage to settle into some place for longer than a year, that it’ll outlast the lease.

The Internet’s Favorite Transformer Table Is Truly a Great Hack for Small-Space Hosting

Budget Breakdown: In This Hamptons Cottage, a Series of "Micro Tweaks" Add Up to a $1M Overhaul

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:56:06 -0700

Architecture in Formation gave a shingle-style ’90s home a well-needed refresh by reworking the layout, updating the material palette, and adding bold pops of color.

The Long Island hamlet of Springs is one of the only places out East that might still feel undiscovered. The farmland turned working-class suburb turned artists’ haven is known for shingle-style homes on modest wooded lots, where savvy weekenders now go to escape not only the hustle of New York City, but also the rest of the Hamptons summer crowd.

Before: Exterior

Before: In 2002, lawyer Gianni Servodidio purchased a cottage in the East Hampton hamlet of Springs. The shingled home had a front bay window and minimal landscaping.

Photo courtesy of Architecture in Formation

After: Exterior

Architecture in Formation founder Matthew Bremer introduced large Anderson 400 series windows and doors to provide access to the pool from the living room and dining area.

Photo: Eric Petschek

"It’s this little enclave where you’re immune from the traffic, chaos, and pretentiousness of the rest of the Hamptons," says lawyer Gianni Servodidio, who first visited the area on a summer timeshare in his twenties. In 2002, Gianni decided that if he couldn’t yet afford to buy a home in Manhattan, he’d invest in one where he could get away from its rat race. "I landed on this quaint little house, way out deep in a rural part of the Springs, and bought it for not a lot of money," he says. Two decades later, it needed a refresh, so Gianni called his neighbor.

Before: Dining Room

Before: The dining room was the home’s only space with an indoor/outdoor connection.

Photo courtesy of Architecture in Formation

See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: In This Hamptons Cottage, a Series of "Micro Tweaks" Add Up to a $1M Overhaul
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Dating Back to 1870, a Sunny Yellow Home in Charlottesville Asks $2.25M

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:56:41 -0700

The renovated residence still has its original moldings and windows—plus a contemporary two-story addition.

Location: 1112 Park Street, Charlottesville, Virginia

Price: $2,250,000

Year Built: 1870

Footprint: 5,340 square feet (4 bed, 4 bath)

Lot Size: 1.1 acres

From the Agent: "The owner/architects have taken one of the original stately Charlottesville homes from 1870 and brought the outdoors into the house. Keeping the charm at the front with original moldings and windows, the two-story addition flows seamlessly to the backyard. This newer build has floor-to-ceiling Spanish cedar windows with views of the 1.1-acre manicured lawn. The heart of the house has accordion doors that open completely to a sapele wood deck overlooking the 6.5-acres of green space at Davis Park. The kitchen includes custom cabinetry, a separate bar, and a large pantry. The home also has a concrete pool with a bluestone terrace, and a one-car garage."

The renovated residence still has its original moldings and windows—plus a contemporary two-story addition.

Photo by Beth Monaco

The lush site is home to mature shrubs, historic oak trees, and tulip poplars.

Photo by Beth Monaco

See the full story on Dwell.com: Dating Back to 1870, a Sunny Yellow Home in Charlottesville Asks $2.25M
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In Gainesville, a Renovated 1920s Home Goes for Bold—and $584K

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 07:56:14 -0700

In the city’s historic Duckpond neighborhood, two artist-designers brought Scandinavian maximalism, custom millwork, and whimsical color to a French Eclectic house.

Location: 521 Northeast 6th Street, Gainesville, Florida

Price: $575,000

Year Built: 1920

Renovation Date: 2023

Renovation Designer: Studio Blinky

Footprint: 1,962 square feet (3 beds, 2 baths)

Lot Size: 2 acres

From the Agent: "Built in the early 1900s in Gainesville’s historic Duckpond neighborhood, this home reflects more than a century of change. In its most recent renovation, two artist-designers embraced those layers of history rather than restoring the house to any single period. Original French Eclectic details remain untouched, while Scandinavian maximalism, custom millwork, and bold color add something new. A custom wooden garden arch and blossoming landscaping frame the approach to the house. Inside, an original limestone and marble fireplace anchors the living room, while a bright blue staircase adds a pop of color. On the ground floor, a series of newly added archways connect the living room, screened sun porch, dining room, kitchen, and playroom, echoing the home’s original arched dormers. Throughout, built-ins add storage, display, and bursts of color. A tucked-away room offers flexible space for play, work, or reading. Considered updates—including skim-coated walls, refinished original floors, trimless lighting, and microcement surfaces—add contemporary notes alongside the home’s historic details. The renovated kitchen pairs Reform oak cabinetry with green countertops designed by Müller Van Severen, combining natural materials with a more playful sensibility. Three upstairs bedrooms and a shared bath sit beneath angled ceilings and dormer windows that bring light deep into the home. Built-in bookcases, a yellow stair-landing library, and lighting from Raw Color, HAY, Gubi, and others extend the design language into the home’s more private spaces."

The front walkway is framed by a custom wooden garden arch.

Photo by BlueHour Media Co.

The limestone-and-marble fireplace in the living room is original to the house.

Photo by David George

New archways on the ground floor connect the living room, screened sun porch, dining room, kitchen, and playroom, while nodding to the home’s original arched dormers.

Photo by David George

See the full story on Dwell.com: In Gainesville, a Renovated 1920s Home Goes for Bold—and $584K
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Another Norman Jaffe Gem Gets Bulldozed—and Everything Else You Need to Know About This Week

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:56:22 -0700

I.M. Pei's Dallas City Hall is declared an endangered building, the near-collapse of Pfizer’s former New York headquarters reignites safety concerns, and more.

In May of 2025, Norman Jaffe’s Stern House in East Hampton Village was demolished, adding to a growing list of significant homes by the modernist architect that have met the fate of a bulldozer. Now, the Bliss House in Southampton, New York, has been demolished, too. Here’s how the celebrated example of organic modernism ended up a "pile of rubble" despite years of preservation efforts. (The Architect’s Newspaper)

At the former Pfizer headquarters in Midtown New York, inspectors found buckled structural columns that were "bending like cigarettes," which prompted an emergency evacuation. Records show the building had already racked up numerous safety violations and worker injuries before the near-collapse. (The City Reporter)
Plans from the 1980s for an unrealized 60-story "Trump Castle" in New York City by Philip Johnson and John Burgee have resurfaced, detailing an extravagant design complete with spires, drawbridges, and even a moat. The drawings foreshadow some of Trump’s grand architectural ambitions today. (The New York Times)

Dallas City Hall, the brutalist landmark designed by I. M. Pei, has landed on both the World Monuments Fund and Preservation Dallas lists of the nation’s most endangered places. But it might not be enough to save it: Preservation advocates warn that pressure from private developers and hefty rehabilitation costs are putting the building at risk of abandonment, and even demolition. (The Dallas Morning News)

A recent investigation revealed that a mafia-like network of unlicensed food trucks has taken over stretches of the National Mall in D.C., operating with alleged food safety violations, majorly inflated prices, and aggressive tactics that have driven out many licensed vendors. Authorities say the operation is tied to a group of repeat offenders who use shell companies to stay under the radar. (Washingtonian)

Top photo by Tim Godbold

A Mirrored Kitchen Makes This Very Narrow Sydney Terrace Home Feel Much Larger Than It Is

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Thu, 9 Jul 2026 11:56:28 -0700

It gives depth to the ground-floor living space, made brighter by a wall-to-wall skylight and floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open onto a rear courtyard.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Bondi Junction, Sydney, Australia

Architect: Studio Carson Kelly / @studiocarsonkelly

Footprint: 1,023 square feet

Builder: First Grade

Photographer: Dina Grinberg / @dinagrinberg_

From the Architect: "For a year, the principals of Studio Carson Kelly—architect Klaus and creative director Nicholas—lived in the house as they redesigned it, studying its light, its failures, and its latent capacity before submitting a fresh scheme for approval. That period of occupation is embedded in the outcome. The planning reflects a close understanding of how a house of this scale can sustain daily life without expansion—a compression of circulation achieved through spatial logic rather than sacrifice. A dog-legged stair performs double duty as both movement and infrastructure, integrating the laundry within its form and resolving into a compact landing from which each bedroom on the first floor level occupies the full boundary-to-boundary width of the site. Redundant corridors are removed; movement is folded back into the architecture itself.

"The roof became the primary surface for introducing daylight. A series of skylights—including a boundary-to-boundary skylight at the center of the plan—draw light deep into the section, allowing it to move and shift throughout the day in a house that might otherwise read as dark and compressed. Clerestory glazing extends this vertical distribution further.

"Material selection is structured around contrast as a way of giving each zone its own register while maintaining coherence across the whole. A custom elongated brick format carries the exterior language inward, appearing underfoot in the courtyard, rising into built-in seating, and forming the enclosing walls of key interior spaces. Its recurrence across these thresholds dissolves the boundary between inside and out, allowing the courtyard to extend the living zone without additional area. At the lower level, a patchwork terrazzo field operates as a composed surface that catches light and shifts in tone across the day, anchoring the space with a quality closer to permanence than finish.

"The kitchen is conceived as a sequence of interconnected zones. Mirrored joinery defines the primary storage wall, amplifying light and extending sight lines to work against the house's narrow dimension. Intersecting this is a stainless-steel working zone whose reflective quality ties it back to the mirrored elements and maintains a coherent visual language across the space. A floating stone slab, pulled off the perimeter to allow full circulation, operates simultaneously as dining table, island, and social anchor—consolidating functions into a single monolithic object and allowing the kitchen to remain open and flexible across different modes of use.

"The bathrooms shift into a more immersive material register. Stone is handled as an enveloping surface rather than an applied finish, wrapped and varied in scale across mosaic, elongated formats, and larger slabs. Glass brick introduces a softer atmospheric layer in the primary bedroom within the otherwise rectilinear geometry: a circular aperture formed from square units that reads as a moment of visual relief within the ordered framework, filtering light into a diffused glow while obscuring sight lines with depth and texture. The primary ensuite carries this furthest—a generous shower volume set beneath a full skylight that opens directly to sky and tree canopy above."

Photo by Dina Grinberg

See the full story on Dwell.com: A Mirrored Kitchen Makes This Very Narrow Sydney Terrace Home Feel Much Larger Than It Is

From the Archive: A Closer Look at Artist Jim Isermann’s Pattern Happy Universe

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Thu, 9 Jul 2026 10:56:42 -0700

"Ultimately, I still believe in the pragmatic populist ideal that nothing is beneath being improved by being well designed," the designer—whose work spans tiles, handmade rugs, paintings, and more—told Dwell 20 years ago.

Welcome to From the Archive, a look back at stories from Dwell’s past. This story previously appeared in the June 2006 issue.

Many contemporary visual artists are mining the reservoirs of design history in their art practice. Museum exhibitions on the conflation of "art" and "design" abound, generating new discourses and practices that blur critical distinctions between the two realms. One of the artists who has been at the vanguard of these concerns is Palm Springs, California-based Jim Isermann.

Over the last 25 years, Isermann has combined the functional and the aesthetic in complex but surprisingly undidactic work that has consistently provoked questions about the status of art and design. Focusing on the fertile exchange of visual information between high art and postwar industrial design, Isermann has created (among other work) wall hangings, handmade woven rugs and tiles, and vacuum-molded wall modules that seem to celebrate—in the boldest sense—idealized and unmediated visual pleasure.

Today, Isermann divides his work between large-scale commissions like a 9,000-pound chandelier for Genentech Hall, in University of California, San Francisco’s Mission Bay Campus; gallery shows; and new projects, which include the most recent iT House decals and a graphic pattern for fashion designer Trina Turk’s spring line. On the occasion of his recent Deitch Projects show in New York, we thought it was the perfect time to check in with Isermann.

Photos by Darcy Hemley / Fredrik Milsen

Unlike the artists in last year’s Cooper-Hewitt exhibition Design ≠ Art, which featured functional designs by visual artists like Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, and Rachel Whiteread, your work engages with design on another level. I see your Corvi-Mora modular wall, for example, as a portal to understanding your work. It looks commercially fabricated, but is in fact handmade.

Fabrication of work for gallery shows creates a conundrum for me because it raises all those old questions for viewers as to whether the work is "art" or "design." I work with commercial manufacturers and art fabricators, and I make work by hand, depending on the project. Many artists work with fabricators, but they don’t make art that exists in this no-man’s land between art and design. Yes, at first glance the Corvi-Mora wall looks like it is commercially fabricated, but in fact I spent six months making the 112 modules myself. They are hand-painted and there is a degree of imperfection and difference between them. Like a lot of my practice, the work is not exactly what you initially think it is.

Your work has a very strong effect on its audience. I see it more in the tradition of installation and site-specific art than design, which further complicates what you do.

It’s true that what I do is very open-ended. I design, or I propose, or I make something that functions in a space and has a dual or multiple purpose because it functions as art but does not knock you over the head as being art—or as having an impenetrable concept. It is about a particular quality of experience.

I approach art making, and especially the commissioned work, from a pragmatic point of view. I want to do the best within the given limitations and give something that has a slow, long-term enjoyment that resonates with its site. When you live with something day in and day out, you become attached to it in another way.

Where do you situate yourself on the modernist map?

"Modern" is a word that has many different meanings and is often misused. I used to really be fascinated by work like Verner Panton’s that existed between modern and postmodern. He made the leap, left behind the sterile materials that all the architects were using, and took on new synthetic materials that were all about colors and shapes. It was no longer about ergonomics and organic materials. Instead, he invented a supersaturated color theory and was famous for saying, "One sits more comfortably on a color one likes." I love that stuff. It exists for reasons other than the modern rules. It doesn’t do that postmodern thing, looking backwards—it is very optimistic and forward-looking.

You mentioned that you visited artist Donald Judd’s home and that, in your view, he really was an interior decorator. He made furniture and was obsessive about placement. Do you identify with the term "interior decorator"?

I cavalierly use the word "decorator": I am old enough to have grown up without openly gay role models. Homosexuals were accepted as florists, hairdressers, and, yes, interior decorators. I am not very militantly gay, but when I identify myself as a decorator it is as close as I get to being so. I do think my work has a gay melancholy or sensibility that is very difficult to talk about, and is not available to all.

The art critic Dave Hickey has referred to your work as having a "utopian optimism" that is "essentially domestic" and of the moment. Can you address the idea of utopia?

I guess I do aim for the perfect ideal. The early work was about the failure of modernism’s utopia to solve all the problems with good design for all. So there is a built-in melancholy of that not being achieved. With some of my newer work, there is the physical reality of human imperfection in hand-fabricating modules. Ultimately, I still believe in the pragmatic populist ideal that nothing is beneath being improved by being well designed. And I continue to remake the world piece by piece, object by object.

Photo by Tom Powel Imaging / Courtesy Jim Isermann and Deitch Projects

See more from the Dwell archive on US Modernist.

From the Archive: Remembering Alexander Girard, the American Master of Colorful Modernism

Bernard Maybeck’s First Home in This Bay Area Enclave Just Hit the Market for $13M

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Thu, 9 Jul 2026 07:56:29 -0700

Set in Ross, California, the renovated wood-and-stone residence showcases the famed architect’s focus on craftsmanship.

Location: 126 Winding Way, Ross, California

Price: $12,950,000

Original Architect: Bernard Maybeck

Original Year Built: 1905

Renovation Designer: Miranda Abrams

Renovation Year: 2012

Footprint: 5,508 Square Feet (5 Bed, 4.5 Bath)

Lot Size: 1.24 Acres

From the Agent: "This Bernard Maybeck Estate, built in 1906 and restored and expanded in 2012, presents a generational opportunity for the most discerning buyer. The home—known as Grayoaks—features a luxurious primary suite with its own spa bathroom, four bedrooms and three bathrooms on the main level, and another full auxiliary suite. The living level features a living room with restored paneling, a woodburning fireplace, and two sets of Dutch doors that open to the yard and deck, offering expansive Ross Valley views. The kitchen is at center of the home, beautifully outfitted with a 10-foot Carrara island and a gracious family room. This home feels secluded, yet it’s a one-minute drive to the center of town. The estate grounds feature a pool, spa, stone fireplace, terraced garden beds, and areas to roam and explore until the last rays of the sun set over Bald Hill in the distance."

Set in Ross, California, the renovated wood-and-stone residence showcases the famed architect’s focus on craftsmanship.

Photo by Open Homes Photography

The interiors were reimagined by designer and former homeowner Miranda Abrams.

Photo by Open Homes Photography

See the full story on Dwell.com: Bernard Maybeck’s First Home in This Bay Area Enclave Just Hit the Market for $13M
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Burnished Aluminum Sheeting Covers the Entire Ground Floor of This Renovated 1893 Lisbon Home

noreply@blogger.com (GRAPHĒ) — Wed, 8 Jul 2026 09:56:19 -0700

The material and the ultramarine color covering the exterior hint to the building’s past in an industrial part of town.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Architect: Extrastudio / @extrastudio

Footprint: 2,701 square feet

Builder: Vassalo & Sousa

Structural Engineer: Pedro Viegas

Civil Engineer: Blueorizon

Landscape Design: Oficina dos Jardins

Photographer: Mikael Olsson

From the Architect: "This project is the first in a series of three residences we named Casas Poveras. Shaped in a time of uncertainty, these houses were stripped down to the essentials, acquiring an unexpected, raw, and intense character. Once a landscape of estates and farmland, Marvila became Lisbon's main industrial district in the 20th century. Bounded by the Tagus River and its railway lines, the area is defined by a distinct typology of warehouses for industries reflected in street names like Rua do Açúcar and Rua da Fábrica do Material de Guerra. After decades of neglect, these same warehouses are now repopulated with studios and galleries, making Marvila the city's most vibrant creative district today.

"The project renovates and extends a single-story house built in 1893, fully preserving the existing structure. The existing house was treated as an artifact, its features retained. The new extension alters only the exterior form and a side passage that provides access to the garden. Likewise, architectural elements from the existing facades were removed, restored, and incorporated into the new facades. Old and new were finished in the same way. The different time periods are legible only in the building’s silhouette and the texture of materials. Our clients had two requests for the house: a generous, open, loft-like character and a garage to be seamlessly integrated into the living room, so that it would be possible to work on cars or motorbikes without being separated from the family’s daily life.

"Two gestures define the house. A full-width cut to the front, facing the street, creates a two-story high courtyard, providing shade and privacy for the bedrooms, and, as a counterpart, a triple-height interior space faces the garden, revealing the building’s full vertical scale. Despite the lack of grandeur of the existing house, the project embraces its modesty and imperfections as a register of the past that might otherwise have been lost.

"Punctuated by windows, the back facade is cut at one corner by a vertical strip of light, the result of a legal constraint we chose to embrace, which slices the back facade diagonally. As in Utzon’s Can Lis, for a few minutes at the end of the day, a ray of light slowly enters the space and revolves around enigmatically. Once the design concept was defined, all decisions concerning finishes, textures, and colors were intentionally left open to be made on site with the craftsmen and clients. Their knowledge and decisions were made visible, giving the building a handmade and tactile expression—both rough and refined. Serendipity allowed us to cover the entire ground floor with aluminum sheeting, which was hand-brushed to perfection by one of the craftsmen. Its surface resembles leather: natural, soft, and luminous.

"The inside walls were left bare, covered only with a gray plaster scratch coat, Jannis Kounelli’s color of our time. We discovered this gray plaster on-site, an economical solution that unified all the elements, while also discreetly linking the house to Marvila’s past. Ultramarine blue, a historical, artificial color that defines the house, was found in the existing building. A pigmented lime plaster unifies the entire volume. Blue being an unstable pigment, each facade had to be finished in a single day, without seams or repairs, a Sisyphean act. This blue layer gives the house an ambiguous appearance, more old than new, yet used in a way that anchors it to the present."

Photo: Mikael Olsson

See the full story on Dwell.com: Burnished Aluminum Sheeting Covers the Entire Ground Floor of This Renovated 1893 Lisbon Home