by Furnishly | Apr 27, 2022 | Design Inspiration
Combining a raw brutalist composition with softer Indian interior touches, this fabulous home design is a dramatic blend of modern architectural principles and traditional Indian typologies. Created by talent at The Grid Architects, this unique house was designed for a small entrepreneurial family with a creative mindset. Aside from running a thriving business, the client is also a poet, while his son is a keen wildlife photographer. Built on a plot of approximately 12,000 square feet, the large property was shaped to provide a simple, functional home. A minimalist material palette of concrete, natural stone, and teakwood provides a modest interior base for ornate Indian elements and art.
With a southwest-facing plot, the brutalist house exterior had to be shaped to protect its interior from the searing sunlight and heat. An overhanging canopy was inspired by the mysterious visual of an Indian woman shading her face from the sun under the folds of a pallu or odhani.
A bold red sculpture pulls focus near the back door of the home, contrasting brightly with the green landscape. To prevent the architectural envelope from appearing too bulky and disproportionate to the main volume of the home, the protruding case was cut and staggered.
The skewed profile of the canopy gives the structure a visually light result, whilst achieving deep shade over the windows.
The sliced frontage also creates three cantilevered levels. Various sized terraces are pocketed beneath the canopy to benefit from the blissful shade, most of which feature lush greenery and flowers. The simple entryway tucks under a concrete canopy. It features a three-metre-tall door that is drawn outward and embedded in stone. The entry door welcomes guests into an impressively long passageway with living spaces arranged along the left and a waiting vestibule on the right.
The deep overhangs protect not only the fenestration from direct sunlight, but the outer walls from heat gain.
The architectural concept was finalised after studying the sun-path.
The concrete walls of the home are textured by timber, which provides added visual interest without disrupting the honesty of the material.
The property, named Beton Brut (raw concrete in French), employs the uplifting colour and freshness of plant life both inside and out. Because of the region’s predominantly arid climate, drought-friendly plants were selected for the southwest-facing terraces. These hardy specimens encourage an influx of beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds to the outer terraces too, creating wonderful biodiversity.
As we move inside of the home, we discover a magnificent double height living room. Board formed concrete continues to share textural interest here, and provides a cool grey backdrop for the warmth of rich teakwood furniture. Living spaces are focussed towards the garden to establish a consistent link with nature.
A highly decorative Jharokha makes a stunning contradiction to the simplicity of the brutalist concrete structure. The opening overlooks the large living room below, creating a close connection between two levels of the home.
The intricacy of the Jharokha design is complemented by traditional carved artwork on the opposite side of the room. Many decorative pieces in the home are reclaimed from old Havelis, mandapas, and vessels to instil an authentic Indian essence into the home.
Interior windows create more links between levels and capitalise on natural light from every direction.
The staircase design features open wooden treads to achieve a light balance with the bold concrete surroundings.
Colourful artwork and round portholes add intriguing details to the ascent.
Up on the landing area, glass balustrades allow the unique staircase design to be taken in fully without obstruction.
A courtyard grows at the base of the stairwell. The indoor plants were selected to aid in maintaining the moisture level of the interior.
Two stairwell skylights welcome in sunlight throughout the day. One, a linear slit-like opening near the wall and the other a glare-free roof lantern. Dramatic lightplay falls over the textured concrete to create a dynamic setting.
Upstairs, wildlife photography brings colour and life to the master bedroom design. The restrained material palette of concrete, sandstone, Kota stone, and teakwood continues in the bedroom spaces to secure a calmly cohesive interior aesthetic throughout.
A teak platform bed features a floating headboard design that leaves the floor space looking clear and uncluttered. High-shine Kota stone floor tiles reflect the furniture outlines, creating a dreamy, watery effect. Pretty planting welcomes the homeowner outside onto the shaded terrace.
Striking planters, a comfortable lounge chair and a small side table fashion an inviting reading area.
On the ground floor and site plan, we see how trees have been positioned strategically around the property so that when they flourish, they will protect the house from the southwesterly heat.
The garden is situated to the west.
Once the floor plan was finalised, it was important to ensure that sunlight coming in from the southwest was controlled to shelter the home from harsh climatic conditions.
Car parking is arranged in the cool confines of an underground garage.
The architectural form creates a duality of light and shadow, which also enhances the board formed texture of the concrete.
The home design communicates a great sense of space that brings the family together without jeopardising individuality.
Areas of congregation are interspersed with places of solitude to provide a sense of freedom and luxury.
Despite its assertive geometric forms and powerful monolithic appearance, the home contains an emotive heart.
Check out the home tour video:
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Recommended Reading: A Colour Rich Indian Home With Concrete Architecture And Interiors
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![A Monolithic Argentinian House Set In Stone And Concrete [Video]](https://furnishly.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/a-monolithic-argentinian-house-set-in-stone-and-concrete-video.gif)
by Furnishly | Oct 25, 2021 | Design Inspiration
This Argentinian house takes on a linear, monolithic form that dominates a green landscape next to a native forest. Built with walls of cold concrete, the large house presents a hard, brutalist exterior that can be seen from afar. As onlookers draw nearer, intermittent walls of rustic stone interrupt the smooth expanses of grey render, bringing texture and depth into rectangular cutaways. Created by architects at Patio Estudio, the house design is both separated and connected by patio areas that expand the volume of the home. The patio elements create an interior-exterior link and work as an integral part of the floor layout, complementing the main functions of the home.
Located at the edge of a sloped neighbourhood, the house is blessed with green surroundings and a lush native forest backdrop. The plot on which the linear concrete house is built is suitably flat.
Other than turf, vegetation around the house is sparse. A raised planter has been constructed at the front of the house to healthily balance out the cold concrete and stone exterior.
A swimming pool hugs the side of a ground floor terrace, where outdoor furniture encourages socialising in the open air. The ground floor terrace also has a barbecue area and is connected to a volleyball court.
Soil was extracted from around the site to elevate the house to a rise of 1.3 metres. This adjustment raises the line of sight to skim over the neighbouring grove and onto a more superior view of the larger landscape.
The upper floor of the home contains nine different spaces: the living room, dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms, and three bathrooms.
The rooms are connected by a passageway and separated by patios.
Inside the home, a warm and inviting atmospheric lighting scheme illuminates walls of rich wood tone panels and matching doors. A custom-made built-in sofa design echoes the sleek and linear aesthetic of the home exterior. Cognac leather seat cushions soften the look.
A stone fireplace cuts down between large living room windows. Modern wood storage units wing each side.
Walking down the corridor that links the rooms, we pass doorways to terraces and numerous rugged stone feature walls.
Out on one of the terraces, we discover a complex view of overlapping interior and exterior volumes.
The ground floor garage pulls up alongside the swimming pool and barbeque area, separated by a thick stone wall.
Eleven patios create voids across the volume of the house that split up the nine solid interior modules.
The monolithic concrete structure of the building gives the home an introverted character.
The concrete skin that surrounds both interior and exterior patios ensures ultimate privacy from even the closest neighbours.
Once the homeowners and their visitors make it beyond the secretive concrete armour that encases the home, focus is largely pushed toward the patios inside.
The sweeping pathway that rises into the centre of the house is an experience all on its own, where glimpses of the landscape compete with bold architectural features.
A flower bed filled with delicate white blooms seems to playfully contradict the weight, solidity and linearity of the neighbouring architecture.
At night, the brutalist house design comes alive with light that bursts forth from massive expanses of glass and open patios.
Whilst the concrete entryway looks hard and foreboding, it is actually a gently sloping gradient that serves as a non-discriminatory access ramp for all physical abilities.
The winding pathway draws out a welcoming meander to the upper floor where the main living space is located.
Upon the incline, a peek into the social spaces of the home is permitted through wide windows.
Raised planters bring a touch of the green landscape to the top of the stylish concrete access ramp.
The same stone and concrete finishes form a cohesive materials palette both outside and inside of the home, with wooden elements added inside to smooth and warm the living spaces and bedrooms.
The ascending pathway rises to the top in the shape of a question mark. Shrubs grow around the sides, softening the effect of its concrete finish.
Whether looking on to the inside patios of this introverted house, or looking out to the neighbouring forest, the views are splendid.
Birdseye view of the property and plot.
The patios are perceived as just another part of the house to be frequented and enjoyed as much as the other rooms.
Uplights bring a whole new character to the outdoor spaces at night, when they highlight the textural aspect of the cast concrete and the impressive rugged stone walls. Shrubs make dramatic shadows.
The prolific use of wood in the interior makes a smooth change from the outer image of the home.
The fenestration conjures a seemingly infinite arrangement of near and far reaching views.
Elegant outdoor furniture ties in with black steel elements included around the architecture and borrows wooden accents from the interior.
Concrete cutouts hang like enormous Tetris shapes against the clear blue sky, coming to rest on a bed of green.
The entry pathway reaches all the way to the road.
The property is set just a few metres back into the plot.
Overlapping concrete slabs create a unique entry point.
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![A Beautifully Landscaped Brutalist House [Video]](https://furnishly.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/a-beautifully-landscaped-brutalist-house-video.gif)
by Furnishly | Jul 28, 2021 | Design Inspiration
A wood and concrete brutalist exterior shields this 2900 square foot home design, based in Houston, United States. Created by the architects at Robertson Design, The Concrete Box house conceals a two-story home with a multi-level living space. The ground floor is a brutalist concrete backed room with a distinctly cosy essence that comes from high-end upholstered furniture, attractive wood-clad elements and a functional kitchen placed right at the heart of the home. Private courtyards and a large garden surround the cool concrete interior with beautiful landscaped views. Upstairs, the house is revealed to be a family home, with two kids’ rooms and a serene master suite.
The concept of The Concrete Box house was born from three main goals. The first goal was to begin the experience with a choreographed entry sequence, the second, to maintain material clarity, and the third was to establish a bold sculptural presence.
The brutalist house exterior is composed of three main volumes, which are a concrete box for the ground floor living space, a wooden box for the private bedroom and bathrooms upstairs, and a low concrete wall that encloses a courtyard around the front entryway.
Only two windows puncture the front of the fortress-like building, so that the solid sculptural element is disrupted as little as possible. Entry to the home is made between the two overlapping concrete walls in the front. A courtyard sanctuary awaits within the solid walls, which guides you to the front door.
A side entryway is disguised as a wood slatted window that looks into the courtyard.
The wooden gate aligns with a wood slatted window on the upper floor to create a cohesive aesthetic.
One push pivots the long, wood slatted gate on its axis, giving access to the entryway courtyard.
The brutalist courtyard walls are lined with elegant planting. A mounded groundcover softly moulds the edge of the gravel walkway,
The side entry gate makes access easier from the carport. Alternatively, a back entry door attaches the carport to a mudroom at the back of the property.
A picture window creates a welcoming snapshot of the interior.
After passing through a darkened entry hall with a low ceiling, a thick walled opening leads into the tall and brightly lit main living space. The open layout is sandwiched between serene views of an enclosed courtyard to the front and a large garden at the rear. A multilevel floor creates clear zoning between a sunken lounge area, midway kitchen, and an elevated dining spot. A long run of storage cabinets serve as media units in front of the sitting area and become kitchen cupboards at the far end.
A tan leather sofa and contrasting cream chairs make up the comfortable lounge space. A square coffee table provides a bold black visual anchor in the centre of the open plan arrangement. Behind, a skylight bathes the central kitchen island in natural sunlight. The abundance of natural light into the living space and open views into the courtyard and garden come as a pleasant contradiction to the solid façade.
A long kitchen window looks out upon a narrow perimeter garden, which is large enough only to provide a pretty view.
The floor on one side of the kitchen island is elevated higher than the other, which means that the breakfast bar can be furnished with a comfortable, kid-friendly dining bench instead of bar stools.
The dining bench also reduces visual clutter, which is kept to a minimum throughout. The stone countertops in the centralised kitchen darkly complement the stark black window frames at each end of the room.
Large doors at the rear of the open concept adjoin the interior with the tree filled garden.
Initially, a concrete terrace extends the internal floor treatment to the outer living space, before an attractive wooden deck takes over. The stylish modern outdoor chair seen on the wood decking is the Grillage Easy Chair designed by Francois Azambourg for Ligne Roset.
The contrast of concrete and wood decking reflect the materials used in the build of the house itself.
A sculptural focal point is erected at the end of the large garden, erupting from the shade of the trees.
Back inside of the home, the modern staircase design features a striking, single cantilevered concrete step at its base.
The rest of the staircase is solid wood treads and risers. A door to the first kid’s room can be seen up ahead, with a set of double doors leading into the laundry room on the right.
A white slatted balustrade extends all the way up to the landing ceiling.
At the top of the staircase, an internal picture windows accepts light from a bedroom.
A wide window blesses the master bedroom with a serene green view.
The ensuite master bathroom is a large and luxurious space with marble tiled walls and bespoke cabinetry.
The freestanding bathtub and the shower area are situated inside their own bright and airy wet chamber. An enclosed WC is situated at the opposite side of the double sink vanity unit.
On the floor plan for the home, we can see that the two kids’ rooms are adjoined by a Jack and Jill bathroom. The master suite is blessed with a huge walk-in closet, as well as the massive ensuite bathroom.
Check out the home tour video visualized by Vladimir Marychev:
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by Furnishly | Jul 23, 2021 | Design Inspiration
A modern brutalist exterior blankly encases this exquisitely detailed Japanese home, expertly designed by Apollo Architects & Associates. The 410 square metre property is located in a quiet suburban neighbourhood in the densely populated Kanto region. The homeowners acquired this tiered and irregularly shaped lot with meaningful family time in mind. The owners wished to incorporate courtyards as a part of their home life together, and so the design began to take shape within the challenging topography. The distinctive outdoor environment expands the living space in complete privacy. The home interior carries a contemporary ranch-style aesthetic which fashions a comfortable lounge and dining room combo, and a closed, glass wall kitchen.
The driveway leads into a covered four car parking garage, situated underneath the main mass of the board-formed concrete house. With the property elevated from the road, the main living space is accessed via an elevator or stairs from the secure parking area.
Inside the concrete living room, wood panelling warms up the coffered-ceiling, adding a contemporary ranch-style aesthetic to the space.
Leather bolster cushions take the brown accent onto a modern L-shaped sectional sofa design.
A small sitting area is situated separately from the main lounge, and a formal dining room is arranged in the back of the open plan.
A small courtyard sits between the lounge and dining room combo and the separate kitchen, creating blissful connection with the outdoors.
A large garden terrace is attached to the lounge on the south side.
The centrally situated courtyard brings a flood of sunlight into the rear of the large room, and gives the dining area a beautiful, green, natural view.
The rectangle dining table reflects the influx of natural sunlight, maximising its effect.
Modern cabinets run the full length of the room, starting as a media cabinet in the lounge area and ending as a buffet in the dining zone.
Elegant candlesticks and a modern fruit bowl make a chic dining table centrepiece.
After dark, the interior comes alive under a warm and atmospheric lighting scheme.
LED ribbons are set around the perimeter of the room, causing a glow at floor level that continues out into the walled garden in one seamless sweep.
Another strip of LEDs marks the top of the bespoke cabinets that connect the two living spaces.
The glow creates the cosiness of a fireplace without the flame.
Modern artwork and the impressive coffered ceiling are dramatically highlighted by the mood lighting arrangement.
Glass double doors connect the closed-off kitchen to the lounge and dining room combo. A second set of glass doors lead into a hallway.
The small courtyard affords the kitchen an outdoor view.
Inside the kitchen, a well-proportioned island includes a dining bar as an alternative to the more formal dining room.
Golden kitchen lighting continues the atmospheric vibes from the dining room and lounge space.
Grey gloss cabinets contrast darkly with clean white countertops.
A glass modern fruit bowl presents an opportunity to add a pop of colour into the monochrome kitchen decor scheme.
A glass table lamp complements the chic glass bowl and leaves the courtyard window unobstructed.
Out in the large, south-facing garden, high walls allow the residents to enjoy their distinctive outdoor environment in complete privacy from the neighbours.
The board-formed concrete walls create a textural consistency around each of the outdoor spaces, which is picked up gently in the ambient light.
Uplighters make outdoor plants into stunning focal points across the tiled terrace.
A modern metal staircase design climbs from the parking garage to the living space beneath a long skylight. Access to the elevator is located just beyond the treads.
The large garden terrace connects the living room with the master bedroom and bathroom.
A home workspace is built-in at the end of a long run of built-in units. Their glossy black finish mirrors the lighting, the furniture and the art.
A second home workspace features a bespoke L-shaped desk built into small quarters. An Eames bird oversees productivity from the window.
The bathroom is a luxurious space, with an edge-to-edge view of the very private terrace garden on the south side. Black gloss cabinets build a storage packed vanity area.
A waterproof TV provides entertainment whilst relaxing in the bathtub.
A sun-dappled hallway runs off the living room. Sunshine through the skylight creates dynamic shadows and radiance across a wall of glossy closet doors and interior doors that lead to the bedroom, bathroom and laundry room.
Stylish outdoor lounge chairs couple up on the terrace outside of the master bedroom, whilst a cheerful sky blue outdoor sofa and chair colour the terrace directly off the living room. An outdoor coffee table rounds out the comfortable arrangement.
A concrete overhang prevents direct sunlight from hitting the interior spaces, keeping the home more comfortably cool.
A pergola overlay creates light play across the small courtyard between the living room and kitchen.
Small trees bed into the roof terrace. Uplights highlight their fine branches in the dusk.
The seemingly impenetrable concrete exterior masks the exquisite detail that awaits inside.
Check out the home tour video:
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