Cool Fires from Metalfire.

Nothing turns a house into a home like an open fire (in the right place). Few other elements of your house could transform a cold, sterile space into a welcoming, relaxing environment like a fire can. Some that caught our eye recently are from a company called "Metalfire".


In their own words:
"Metalfire fireplaces bring the irreplaceable cosiness of a natural source of heat to your interior. Fire has been bringing people together for ages. With its line Ultime, Universal and Urban, Metalfire adds to this the simplicity of modern design and the convenience of the very latest
technology. Result? Stylish fireplaces that combine comfortable heat with the aesthetic pleasure of a splendid design."

http://www.metalfire.eu

Continue reading...

Soundwave Flo Tiles: Karim Rashid’s Sound-absorbing Wall Panels

Made out of molded recyclable polyester fiber and coming in four shades that range from hot fuchsia to plain white, the Soundwave Flo wall panels designed by Karim Rashid (for Swedish furniture company Offecct) are making big noise in the designing world. Forged to help reduce disturbing reflections of the outside environment, the lightweight sound absorbers will dampen any frequency beyond 500 Hz. Ideal for rooms that range from home theaters to living rooms and restaurants to office spaces, the best part is that you can just stick these blocks on without having to get them fixed. A simple and stylish solution to get some peace and quiet around, don’t you think? [via NY Times]

Continue reading...

Belsize Architects' Dramatic Refurb of Hampstead Resideance.

UK based Belsize Architects do their thing in London.

The property, located on a leafy uphill road next to Hampstead village, was comprised originally of a main house and an adjacent coach house which had been joined together in a conversion carried out before Belsize Architects were approached by the Client.

There were a number of serious technical problems with the converted property: both the design and the earlier work carried out were of a very poor quality, and low ceilings represented a considerable drawback especially at ground floor.

The Client decided to start again. The brief was to change the property to a quality home, modern and enjoyable, to extend both ground and first floors and to integrate the re-landscaped rear garden with the new interiors.

The Planners did not originally agree to the rethink of the entire rear elevation and did not want to allow any increase in size as the property had already been increased by the previous conversion.After a lengthy period of negotiation with Camden Planning Department, most of the proposed extensions and modifications were eventually granted permission.

The main architectural interventions to the exterior of the property comprise of a new extension and remodelling of the rear elevation, and a new entrance porch to the front.

Internally, the ground and first floor layouts were changed extensively.The ground floor with low ceilings had the floor lowered by three steps to gain adequate headroom for the large connected spaces created in the new layout.A large addition to the living space was built in structural glass to let the garden become an integral part of the interiors.Living room, dining room and kitchen are connected to allow the space to flow through and the light coming from the garden through the glazed extension to diffuse softly.A new double-height entrance hall entered from a glazed porch has been formed, where a walnut timber stairway flies over the entry on a partially glazed walkway leading to the upper floors.

Dark slate and light travertine mark the difference in level between the original floor and the new lower level.

Continue reading...