This is the Annie Residence, Austin Texas, by Bercy Chen Studio LP. I love the blues and grays next to the leaves and the way the glass reflects the trees in this shot. Here’s a little more about the project:

The house was built for two families in Austin and therefore is split into two living areas. The house consists of two pavilions connected by a glass hallway.

The design was greatly influenced by different regions and cultures. Both the use of the roof as an outdoor living space and the shading devices are derived from Moorish architecture. The body of water and the spatial continuity between inside and outside was inspired by Asian architecture. while the structural transparency of the volumes and the minimalist aspect of the interior was derived from Japanese pavilions.

The house is constructed of a modular steel frame. The frame is infilled with prefab thermasteel panels to minimize construction on-site waste. The structural frame is exposed, showing the construction process and articulating the house’s facades. The repetitive modular method, as well as the prefabrication allowed for greater efficiency during construction.

Thanks so much for subimitting this to our fresh new spaces group!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sharon Portnoy, an architect featured on the A.I.A.S.F. House Tour in Marin County. When I asked her about her inspirations, she mentioned MacKay Lyons Sweetapple Architects so I immediately searched for their work on the internet. Ah yes, I spent another hour away from working and browsed their entire portfolio. In addition to designing beautiful buildings and showing them via spectacular photography, they include models and sketches as simple as this one, sketches that portray just how much they have thought about site planning and space:

I’ll tempt you with a few images here (it’s really hard to choose just one; at last count I had swiped twelve), but I’ll highly recommend you check out their website. Also, if you just feel like “I want to go to there!”, they have designed some cottages in Nova Scotia that you can rent. I am not sure I’ve seen a more sublime spot than the one they are situated upon. For more information about staying there, visit The Shobac Cottage and Studio Rentals site. Here’s a peek at their setting:

Oh, I shouldn’t have done it. I was tempted over to Yatzer yesterday which is always a major time sucker for me. I only let myself hit one category at a time Go check out the post about this marble house  in Japan. There area  slew of breathtaking photographs, and these are just a teaser. What’s so striking to me about this house are the contrast of edges, color, and geometry against the green hillside. If you check out the first picture in the Yatzer post, it literally looks like two modern Lincoln Log pieces fitting together – like if you pushed the top level down, it would interlock with the level below it.

photo © Ken’ichi Suzuki // Image Courtesy of MOUNT FUJI ARCHITECTS STUDIO via Yatzer

Two years ago I lamented that I wanted to know more about this neighbor’s house in Maine but didn’t want to bother the people who lived there. Luckily, The Boston Globe Magazine did, so I was able to learn all about it and get some great peeks inside here. I knew that house was special, it even made the cover! I just wonder how the heck The Boston Globe managed to find our tiny little island of Spruce Head.

photos by James R. Salomon for The Boston Globe

I love this space added to our Fresh New Spaces group by flickr member Jeremy Levine Design and I want to know more about that glowing light peeking through on the right side of the room.

Here are a few more shots from Jeremy Levine Design. You can visit their website here:

all photos from flickr member Jeremy Levine