10 BEST HOMES WITH A VIEW 2014

2014’s 10 Best Homes with a View Must Be Seen to Be Believed
By Seamus Payne, The Coolist, 8 December 2014.

The best modern homes are not only celebrated for their architecture, but their relationship to the environment around them. After all, what good is floor-to-ceiling glass without a scenic view to bring indoors?

Each year, we at The Coolist cover hundreds of modern homes from different environments around the world. From the forest to the city, the mountains to the sea, we’ve seen breathtaking homes with a view that must be seen to be believed. These 10 are our favourites from the last year, our round up of homes with a view 2014.

1. Lakeside Garage Restoration by Graypants

An old decaying garage was given new life as a stunning lakeside retreat near Seattle, Washington. The Lakeside Garage Restoration by Graypants is the firm’s debut architectural project, the first of many successes in design that we hope to cover. It began as a nondescript garage from the middle of the last century, dated and decaying but constructed with many desirable features. Its original fir woodwork was to be reclaimed and reused for the new structure, which recalls the spirit of the old building in shape alone.

2. Rambla House by LAND Arquitectos

In the quiet coastal overlook of Zapallar City, Chile, a new contemporary weekend home features a constant soundtrack of surf. The Rambla House by LAND Arquitectos is perched above the rocky Pacific coast, an inherently Chilean environment where the mountain meets the sea. It is an escape for its occupants, a place to get away and enjoy the country’s coastal nature and to leave the cares of the city behind.

3. Casa Inlet Retreat by MW Works Architecture

Situated on the eastern edge of Case Inlet in Washington state, this impressive 20-acre property by MW Works Architecture + Design is an escape from reality that already has more than one award to its name. Full-height windows, skylights, and extensive decking not only offer breathtaking views of the Puget Sound and nearby Olympic Mountains, but also blur the line between inside and out. Designed as a low-maintenance “cabin,” the property boasts a variety of clean and simple design features.

4. House in Brissago by Wespi de Meuron Romeo

On the shore of Lake Maggiore, mere footsteps from the Italian border, a new home stands four stories above the blue beauty below. The House in Brissago by Wespi de Meuron Romeo Architects is a concrete monolith, a contemporary home with seamless views of the lake. Despite its hard angles and firm shape, it feels to be right at home in the natural environment of Brissago, Switzerland.

5. Villa E Morocco by Studio KO

Villa E by Studio KO is described as a minimalist mountain lodge, but its place in the Moroccan foothills, solid stone walls, and imposing metallic entrance make it seem more like a fortress. Locally-sourced Ouriko stone gives the luxury home the distinct red colour often associated with nearby Marrakech. To contrast the building’s somewhat harsh exterior, the interior is filled with soft white walls, large windows, and high ceilings. See how architects managed to blend Eastern and Western architecture seamlessly.

6. Maison D1 by Vincent Coste

Not far from Saint-Tropez, Vincent Coste‘s Maison D1 is a residential property that comes complete with beautiful panoramic views thanks to its careful placement on the face of some steeply inclined terrain. Designed as a collection of offset volumes, the five-bedroom house offers plenty of individual privacy, along with shared spaces such as the substantial outdoor terrace and complementary infinity pool. Apart from the main structure, architects also made use of the lower parts of the hill to accommodate more functional parts of the home.

7. Chilean Beach Pavilion by WMR Arquitectos

A dramatic cliff overlooks the Pacific Ocean from this peaceful, undeveloped region of Chile. The Chilean Beach Pavilion House by WMR Arquitectos has this incredible view to itself, occupying an outcrop of rock that provides views to the West, North and South. It is a pavilion-style structure, a rectangular box with indoor and outdoor sections built into a basic steel frame. Given the topography of the plot, the home is built into the angled slope to allow for a rooftop overlook of the ocean below.

8. Car Park House by Anonymous Architects

A deep, sloping plot overlooking Los Angeles is home to a new contemporary home with a twist. Instead of a garage at the base level and private sections above, the Car Park House by Anonymous Architects flips that concept on its head. The driveway approaches the home from above and extends over its living section with a garage on its roof. A staircase brings the home’s occupants below where family rooms, bedrooms and balconies provide private living spaces.

9. Buck Creek House by Fougeron Architecture

Built into the slope of a cliff that plummets 250-feet into the Pacific Ocean, Buck Creek House is an impressive three bedroom home built by Fougeron Architecture that is inseparable from its surroundings. The long, thin form takes its inspiration from the banana slug, a creature commonly found in nearby seaside forests. While the outside of the house was designed to withstand harsh winds and salt water, the inside is a tranquil paradise that ensures even the harshest of weather conditions can’t shatter the silence.

10. Antokolsky Penthouse by Pitsou Kedem Architects

Any city looks peaceful from a view like this. Even Tel Aviv, which has had a really tough year in 2014. The Antokolsky Penthouse by Pitsou Kedem Architects sports a remarkable modern interior, but it’s the lap pool overlook that earns its place on this list. This midrise penthouse dwelling features a large patio with sweeping views of the city in three directions. Whether the streets below are peaceful or conflicted, this home’s occupant can enjoy some peace of their own. If only we could all be so lucky.

Top image: Lakeside Garage Restoration. Credit: Graypants.

[Source: The Coolist. Edited.]