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John Lautner is one of my favorite architects, ever. The Arthur Elrod home was designed by Lautner in 1969 and it went up for sale in 2009 for $13,890,000. It’s a five-bedroom, five and a half bath home on a 6.5 acre plot of land. The living room is 60 feet long covered by a concrete dome. The entire north end of the living room opens up to the outside. To top it all off, the home was featured in the James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever.
Check out many more photos on Dave Stuka’s Flickr.
A Batman fan is spending $2 million to create a cinema in his home that looks exactly like the batcave. The 12,000 square foot cinema includes full bat suits, a bat mobile, 180 degree bat screen (film screen), gargoyles, secret tunnels, and bat computers. These 3D images are what the cinema will look like when completed in November. Amazing.
A house with an Eames Lounge Chair is a house I can love. Metcalfe A&D Architects reconstructed this house turning it into a romantic, warm home. Here is a brief excerpt from the home owner:
MA&D reconstructed this mid-century kit house, taking advantage of its location by creating a bedroom nestled in the treetops. A glass connector bridge links the bedroom to the rest of the house. This house reflects our focus on play and romanticism. Trees and bridges evoke peace, solitude and memories of the escapes of childhood.
Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects built this home into the hillside outside of Kentfield, California. The house is tucked into the hillside looking out to Mount Tamalpais and San Francisco Bay. Three volumes housing the living room, kitchen-dining area, and master bedroom rise up above the living roof with shed roofs angled to capture the sun for photovoltaic and solar hot water panels. The house also incorporates passive and active heating and cooling systems, battery storage, and a cistern for water runoff management. Via Contemporist.
CplusC Architects created the Newtown residence in Newtown, Sydney, New South Wales in 3 months. In the center of the house plan is a courtyard to help keep a natural flow of air through the home.
Simone Rosenberg photographed these wonderful stone refuges tucked high up in the Swiss Alps. The views are breathtaking. To be able to stay in one of these would be a dream come true.
Arch11 Architects tucked this remote residence in the mountains of Boulder county in Colorado. The structure of the home is a hybrid: a wood frame combined with the traditional log stacks of a cabin. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the house is its “remote” features. The owners installed a system that allows them to monitor security, lighting and the heating system remotely so it’s nice and cozy when they return home.
The Apartment House was created in 2009 by Formwerkz Architects. The house is organized in two linear volumes split by a common pool in the middle. The house is two levels with a lawn garden sitting on the roof. Found on Freshome.
Another beautiful, modern house this time from Superkül Inc Architects. The interior of the house is is really a wonderful—not too cold, not too warm. What I like most here is the interior opening up to the backyard and pool. Via Contemporist
Pb Elemental designed this beautiful prefab house in White Rock, BC, Canada. I can’t find anything with this house that I don’t like. The exterior wood siding with the metal and cement really pull everything together.
Casa Finisterra in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico was designed by Steven Harris Architects. The house mixes relaxation and modern very well, not to mention how gracefully it sits into the hillside above the water. In a way the flat slab structure of the roof reminds me of the mid-century Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs.
Found via Contemporist
The Ithaa Underwater Restaurant is sunk about 16 feet below sea level at the Hilton Maldives Resort and Spa. The resort is located on Rangali Island a ways off the southern most coast of India. The design of the restaurant was completed by New Zealand design consultancy firm, MJ Murphy Ltd. To eat at the restaurant, prices start at $120 for lunch, but go up to around $220 to $250 for dinner.
