Roof Design Beach House Plan

Check out how an unusual roof design adds interest to architecture. Designed by Los Angeles-based architecture firm Marmol Radziner, this beachfront home is just as exciting at its surrounding landscape. The Altamira Residence is a 15,500-sq.-ft. build including the main house, study, guest house and a garage. Set on a sprawling 20-acre site along the coastal edge of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, this unusual design fronting the Pacific is clearly inspired by the oceanfront. The undulating roof follows the natural lines of the waves and the local landscape. Interiors too echo the natural environment, featuring materials like wood and stone, and lots of windows, each framing a different but equally amazing view. This interesting curved roof house is probably just as much a draw to the area and the sun and surf.

Standing Tree House Plan

This free standing tree house by Ravnikar Potokar Arhitekturni is indeed a design that stands all on its own. By looking at the pictures you can get a pretty good idea on how to build it. Measuring just 4m2, this compact house in Ljubljana, Slovenia breaks all convention with what is essentially a tree-less freestanding structure, meant to be constructed among trees that might not be able to support the weight of a traditional structure. This raised house plan sits high up on stilts, so the occupants can still enjoy those coveted tree-house views. This simple structure is made of spruce plywood protected by colorless, natural-finish nano-varnish, and topped with a weather-proof cardboard-clad roof. This cool freestanding treehouse is meant to inspire kids and their play with its innovative, different design, making a nice private book nook or a cool club house.

Compound Style House Plan

This compound style house plan in Latvia has lots of parts that make up a pretty cool whole. Designed by NRJA Architecture and built surrounding a paved central courtyard, this compound includes a group of structures to accommodate daily living, a guest house and sauna, a cellar, and a football and volleyball field. So as to not compete with the spectacular sights of nature (like the riverfront, the forest and the undulating lay of the land) the structures adopt a very simple, rustic aesthetic. In this group of eight wood-clad buildings, the timber of the walls and roof is painted black with a weathered look. Large windows visually link these farmhouse style cottages to their surroundings. NRJA Architecture
via Architizer

Home Design Ideas - 3 Tier Kitchen Island

A 3 Tier Kitchen Island is a simple Home Design Idea I have used many times over the years.  Most kitchen islands tend to be one tier or two.  On a single tier island one counter provides kitchen prep and eating / serving purposes.  On a two tier island one tier is the cooking counter and the second tier is the eating / serving counter.  I like to add a third tier because it adds another dimension and offers more storage possibilities.  See below for a few examples.

Three tiers - one for kitchen prep, one for eating and serving and one for storage.  Here we used glass doors for display.   I like the way the taller tier "anchors" the other two counters.  It also helps to define the edge of the kitchen from the hallway which is to the left.

Here (in our Excelsior Farmhouse) tiers on both ends "capture" the kitchen and eating counters.  The eating counter is highlighted with a natural walnut surface.  The taller end cabinets also provide another display surface.

Another simple example (from our Midwest Living Farmhouse) with a curved serving counter.  The taller end cabinets also help to conceal kitchen clutter from the living room beyond.  This is a good design strategy within an open floor plan.