Geometric Beauty of a Home

April Kennedy April Kennedy
Casa J+S ARQUIMIA ARQUITECTOS, Arquimia Arquitectos Arquimia Arquitectos Moderne huizen
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This striking geometric home is a prime example of how the challenge of building on a corner allotment can lead an architect towards interesting results. As with many corner homes, this one has a bright, secret, inner beauty that is invisible from the outside. But the facade is a little hard to ignore too. The architects Arquimia have also managed to design a facade that manages to captivate, even if it gives little away.

The facade has a bold geometry that has been greatly softened by the rich and subtle beauty of natural materials. The lower level is in the most danger of suffering from the lack of privacy caused by a double street frontage. So here the walls are almost windowless and featureless. But the upper level of the home really dominates. The primary masses on the second level are composed of a series of cubes with slats, portals and secret windows. They run horizontally, vertically and jut up against each other at unexpected points.

This is a home with a secret, inner life and it's one we can only guess at from the outside. With that in mind, let's start exploring.

A facade composed of cubes

As mentioned earlier, we have the natural materials arranged in a series of rectangles, slats and cubes. Dark stone slabs provide a nice contrast against the white concrete walls and dark wooden panels. There are few glimpses of the interior from the outside, but there is definitely no lack of visual interest here.

Corner feature

Moving along to the left of the facade, we have a good view of the corner treatment. An overhanging wooden upper level dominates the view. This allows for some external facing windows, without sacrificing too much privacy. The lower level has been left almost entirely windowless for the same reason.

Corner homes also have a tendency to look like compounds or fortresses. But the warm timber and upper windows really open up this facade and allow for a friendly feel to the home.

The entrance

Moving back a little towards the right, we have a closer view of the entrance. We have shown this view because it's central to understanding the key interior features of the home. The first level is opaque, but the upper level has the wooden panels we love so much. It's set back a little from the front wall to create an interior opening.

The private pond

On entering the front door, we directly enter the opening between the upper level and front wall. Here we have a fabulous internal pond with its own feature lighting. From here we can also see the kitchen that now has a very private, and lovely ground floor view. On the right we have the small portals or glass bricks that we will explore more in a moment.

Stairwell with a scattering of glass bricks

On entering the main building, we turn to the left where we find a staircase leading to the upper level. Although there are barely any windows at street view, we have our first glimpse of the interior openings and apertures that make this home so special. The scatterings of glass bricks or blocks add a slightly retro vibe to the home. There is a slightly retro feel to the kitchen as well. 

A central staircase and walkway

Upstairs, we have the surrounding walkway and interior view of the wooden panels of the facade. The large front facing window allows a lot of light to enter the upper level. This area is just a passageway so the partial glimpses of the street view are hardly intrusive. The exterior is private, but the interior feels bright, breezy and elevating.

Contemporary yellow kitchen

We will wind back downstairs again to have a look at the contemporary kitchen. The geometry of this home is so seductive that it might have been easy to make this kitchen a little glossy and severe. But the designers have chosen for warm, canary yellow glossy finishes and the simple, unframed view of the internal pond or courtyard to complete the effect.

If you are interested in peaceful green interiors, you'll love this Ideabook Indoor garden – a sanctuary of peace!

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