Ranch Style House Design Goes Sustainable

Charged with bringing new life to an older 1950s ranch style house, m.o. daby design worked their magic on the Burke Residence, located in Portland, OR. Clad in wood from the outside in, this ranch house was in need of a complementary receiving area so an entrance foyer was added to its existing footprint. Continuing through to the main living areas, a family room, kitchen and dining room were given the open concept treatment for a space suited to socializing and entertaining. The open style layout also allows for the entire space to be flooded with natural light via a wall of glass. The home’s rich wood floors, ceilings and details of Douglas fir, cherry, and cedar wood glow in the sunlight. Sliding glass doors lead out to a rear deck, completing the connection to the outdoors. Taking its commitment to nature that much further, this sustainable house features a list of eco elements that’ll make you go “green” with envy, such as: native and water-efficient landscaping; sustainably harvested or reclaimed Douglas fir finishes and details; metal roof; durable concrete lower floor surface; whole house ventilation; radiant floor heating with high-efficiency boiler; sunken entry with shoe storage to trap dirt and dust; non-toxic wood sealant; and pervious driveway surface.

Modern Wooden Home Unfolds on Australia’s Beach

This modern Melbourne, Australia beach home is a twisted, wooden mass sprawling across the beach of its Mornington Peninsula property. The home’s entrance isn’t immediately apparent without a walk-about – a feature that the architects at McBride Charles Ryan purposely incorporated into the design for this vacation home, providing a quiet, peaceful retreat for residents and their guests. A glazed door peeks out from beneath the wooden folds which occupy the better part of the facade. Inside, a more-traditional design is surprising, given the home’s unique, modern exterior. Sunlight streams through the windows, casting illuminated shapes onto the wooden floor while illuminating every corner. A wooden deck encircles the home’s exterior, creating wonderful outdoor living spaces to take in the sunny surroundings.

Natural Wood Home on the ocean - is this only a dream?

Sandwiched between the forest and the sea, Sea Ranch home by San Francisco-based Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects is an uncomplicated beauty through and through. But the architects have pulled off minimalism with such flair that it’s what really sets this modern home apart. “The clients wanted an understated, flowing house that captured their love of Japanese simplicity” according to the architect. “Our solution starts with a vernacular barn form and carves away to shape an exterior octagonal deck that opens to the meadow and the view.” Made almost entirely of wood, this rustic ranch home features wide windows that welcome the breathtaking Pacific Ocean views. Natural light fills interiors, which boast ceilings finished in rich cedar with exposed beams, complemented by the cool, sheetrock walls, achieving the rural, minimalist appeal.

Modern Ranch House in Colorado - beautiful rustic design centers around fireplace!

This rustic yet refined modern ranch house designed by Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects is the crowning glory of a vast, 8,000-sq.-ft. plateau. Three separate structures combine to form a perfect haven in these pastoral surroundings, each boasting a rural charm that’s as welcoming as it is beautiful. At the request of the client, modest living spaces bring home that sense of coziness that really enriched this ranch design. But beyond this, smaller room sizes also serve to minimize energy consumption. Outside and in, the house is finished in rich, natural woods. Running like a stone spine up the center of the house, a rocky fireplace stretched from floor to room, with a flame in the hearth that’ll attract more than evening insects. This majestic fireplace is definitely the heart and spirit of the home.

Modern Norwegian Architecture - wood and steel house design in Korea

Designed by Finish architect Sami Rintala as part of the Home Design for Anyang Public Art Project, this modern wood and steel house design graces a treed hilltop in Seoul, Korea. With a large main volume of weathered steel, a concrete cellar below, and four smaller adjoining wooden volumes overhanging above, the house is certainly an amazing, contemporary example among its natural surroundings in a river valley. But this home’s connection to nature is clear. According to modern Norwegian architecture firm Rinalta Eggertsson Architects, “Each small space [within] includes a suggestion for use and the symbolic presence of one of the basic elements – fire, water, air, earth.” Large windows and skylights illuminate interiors is unexpected places, adding yet another layer of interest to the contemporary home.

Balsa Wood House - Dome Tea Houses on Display in London

A pair of unusual Balsa wood tea houses with a curious name, “I am so sorry. Goodbye.”, by Heather and Ivan Morison will whet your appetite for ultra-modern architecture, with a spot of tea on the side. Two geodesic domes take organic shape, clad in Balsa wood and topped with a futuristic, hemispherical skylight that softly and naturally illuminates interiors. Inside, a minimalist, contemporary style lends an atmosphere of rest and relaxation. This artful interpretation of the traditional tea house is on display at Radical Nature: Art and Architecture for a Changing Planet 1969–2009, from June 19 to October 18 at London’s