The folks from Gartner Trovato Architects have been commissioned for coming up with this contemporary house in Bayview, NSW, Australia, and by the looks of it they sure managed an astonishing job given the fact that the building is located on a 1,200 sqm block of land with a significant fall from the street. Having three floors, the Bayview House allows for cross ventilation and solar access to all rooms — the main living spaces (kitchen, dining and living areas) are at the upper floor, the master suite is on the middle floor along with some guest rooms and an artists studio, while the lower floor is where all the home entertainment stuff happens. Certainly wouldn’t mind a two weeks holiday in Bayview — love the modern furniture, the clean lines and the amazing views of the surrounding landscape.

If you’re among those who’d think that a bunch of shipping containers have been transformed into a lavish residential space, you’re in for a big surprise as the Wood Block Residence stylized by Chadbourne + Doss Architects is an arty display of concrete, metal and wood. The result is a wonderful abode adorned with dark walls, exposed beams, tan wood ceiling and dark floors in perfect unison with the lush, green vegetation that provides a natural backdrop to this home on the Mercer Island, Washington. Floor-to-ceiling glass, a screened patio, the clean interior with a wooden deck and a rock garden to the side, all seem to be conjuring up a wonderful mansion.

Creative architects from nimmrichter cda have utilized wood to the fullest when cladding this highway home, dubbed as House Sigg. Located in Dietlikon, Switzerland, the external appearance clearly signifies that there’s no dearth of wood in this part of world. The three floor house has a garage and an equipment room in the basement; the ground floor offers ample space for an eatery, kitchen and a living room. Equally inviting interiors include wardrobes, complementary furniture and a profusion of timber, of course. Since privacy of the homeowner should seldom be compromised, the bedrooms and bathroom are there on the first floor. You’ll surely like a fairly smaller swimming pool, provided with altogether a different meaning as a lush green lawn borders it.

Seattle-based Tyler Engle Architects have been in charge with redesigning this Park Side condo sited along Stanley Park and English Bay, in Seattle. Keeping with the company’s vision for simplicity, the creative designers have paid special attention to bringing as much natural light as possible. The result is a revamped living area with almost melting lines of differentiation, a rare authoritative ambiance and a worth-adoring modern living space, decked with chicly stylized furniture (see that semi-circular sofa and the revolving office-chair), ample lighting fixtures, profuse almirahs and the creamy settees. Looks like the perfect mix between comfort, spaciousness and crisp detailing.

French designer Julien Bergignat is at it again, this time with a rocking chair that will sway you with a sense of comfort and amazement. Dubbed Tracy (quite a funny name) and created with material found locally, the chair is comprised of a steel base (taken out of an old tractor) and a pine-wood structure. It’s a great example of cool carpentry recycling that has turned discarded objects into a work of art, promising to redefine your home interior with a new meaning. And you’ll find it worth admiration for its unique lounger like comportment and the sliding shape it comes with. Upholding the French tradition of finding comfort in basic values, this inimitable chair deserves a place in your abode.

Ready to have a splash into the unmatched natural beauty of the Mexican beaches with luxury resorts lining them to entertain the lavish clients? If yes, then Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, about 26 miles south of Cancun, deserves an honorable mention in the list of resorts that seek to harmonize luxury and nature together. Set amid 36 acres of tropical forests, overseeing the Carribean Sea and other freshwater lakes, the fabulous hideaway lets you grope on the remains of the ancient Mayan civilization. You’ll sure love the glorious spa, the steam room, swimming pools, mobile sun-recliners and the straw bale house, which the architect Gilberto Borja regards as the focal point of its tradition. Completely sold, to say the least!

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s a fact that everyone rolls, bends and twists to come up with the best decoration for the holiday season. Same seems to be the case with the world’s most expensive gingerbread house (in Gothenburg, Sweden), where the big day is gonna be nothing short of special, as the home-shaped delicacy with a chocolate & sweet pasta frame, gingerbread exterior, marzipan plates and caramel windows is definitely mouth-watering.

With an impressive ceiling height that stretches at 50 cm, an entrance leading into the main building with rooms stuffed with gourmet materials, an English-rich styled library, a crystal blue lake with a marzipan bridge site and a carport with room for the two cars, bidding for the year’s yummiest abode ever starts at 35,000 SEK, or close to 3,000 Euro.

Have you ever seen leopards, dragonflies and parrots looking at you from a Christmas Tree? Apparently that’s what John Galliano, Christian Dior’s creative director, had in mind for his festive tree to replace the traditional tinsel and twinkling lights with frosty wood with twisted branches. The venue is the grand Claridge’s Hotel in London where both Claridge’s and Dior will seek to blend ‘impeccable heritage, inherent glamour and contemporary thinking’. And by the looks of it, they’ve done a great job. Standing proud in the hallway, it’s a sort of surprise for the bystanders like you and me. We’d term it as an absolute novelty, Christmas decoration with a difference, to say the least.

“Working people” never like to get waste their time with mundane practices, so what they crave for is a living place stuffed with all the basic facilities that help speed up their daily chores. Located at 43 Oxford Street in Paddington, Australia, this contemporary colonial, 506 sqm mansion is one such home.

Although having 3 spacious bedrooms (all air-conditioned with an automatic PH controller, an automatic salt water chlorinator and an infloor cleaning system), two bathrooms and a garage for two cars, the central attraction of this exquisite residence is the highly stylish kitchen with stainless steel appliances, white cupboards, Caesar stone island benchtop and a live oven and hood with Teppanyaki plate. Draped in white, the interior decoration is perfectly tuned with the covered patio, lush lawn and the amazing pool. It sure has what it takes to get straight to our hearts, isn’t it?

Simply telling apart from other nearby buildings in Northern Spain, the stunning Q House designed by Architects asensio_mah and J.M.Aguirre Aldazdid, truly represents the urban “experiential” lifestyle. With three distinct bands intersecting the inner circulation core and located on a small slope, the house boasts beautiful views to the nearby landscape. But the real thing that gets the eye is the jet black facade that keeps one guessing about the majesty kept hidden by digital fabrication techniques and reflective composite panels, and the fact that the house is oriented northeast-southwest which ensures plenty of sunlight during the day (and probably lots of heat during summers). Mysterious!!!