Row of wooden buildings with off-set gabled roofs
CategoriesArchitecture

Electric Bowery arranges steel and wood cabins for Hudson Valley hotel

California studio Electric Bowery has arrayed a series of wood or Corten steel-clad cabins in Upstate New York that are nestled among meadows and woodland.

Electric Bowery was responsible for the architectural design of Wildflower Farms, a rural retreat in the Hudson Valley operated by the Auberge Resorts group, while interiors were completed by New York studio Ward + Gray.

Row of wooden buildings with off-set gabled roofs
The buildings at Wildflower Farms are based on vernacular farmhouses and barns, but with modern European influences

Intended as an escape for reconnecting with nature, the site of the former Rosedale tree farm was transformed into a luxury getaway with hiking trails and a working farm with produce and animals.

The masterplan for the 140-acre site revolves around a central meadow, through which the winding paths connect various clusters of guest cabins with the communal buildings.

Restaurant dining room with high ceiling, exposed beams and warm colour palette
Interiors for the resort were completed by Ward + Gray, which chose a warm and textured palette for spaces including the restaurant

Views of the Shawangunk Ridge are framed through the Great Porch, a covered open-air lounge organised around a central fire pit.

To one side is the resort’s restaurant, Clay which uses many ingredients grown or produced on-site.

Framed pressed botanicals hang on a wall above earth-toned furniture
In the shop, curated by Gardenheir, pressed botanicals are framed on a wall above earth-toned furniture

The dining room interior features warm, textural earth tones, wood-framed furniture and large indoor trees, while outdoor tables overlook the meadow and mountains beyond.

The other side of the Great Porch houses the reception area and a store curated by Gardenheir that sells a variety of garden-themed products.

Indoor swimming pool with exposed timber trusses and slate floors
The indoor swimming pool sits below exposed timber trusses and features slate floors

The Thistle spa and an indoor pool are accessed beyond, decorated in a palette of buffed biscuit, mottled green and slate grey that complement the exposed beams.

Together, this row of large, timber-clad gabled structures anchors the resort, while the various guest accommodations are spread out around it.

Cottages with reclaimed oak cladding and offset gabled roofs
Guest cottages also feature offset gabled roofs, and are clad in reclaimed oak

“With a more modern take on the vernacular building typologies of farmhouse and barn, inspired by modern European architects such as Peter Zumthor, the buildings were designed to frame the surrounding mountains, nestled harmoniously into the site,” said the studio.

Other amenities across the resort include an outdoor swimming pool and lounge area and a building dedicated to fitness that houses a gym and a yoga studio facing a pond.

Guest bedroom with earthy colour palette
The guest bedrooms are cosy yet modern, with a colour palette borrowed from the natural surroundings

For the design of the 65 cabins and cottages, Electric Bowery co-founders Cayley Lambur and Lucia Bartholomew looked to several references including the lifestyle of their native state, and architects like Mickey Muennig.

“It was particularly important to convey the indoor-outdoor living experience that was borrowed from and inspired by west coast Californian architecture, using tall storefront glass in several locations with naturally weathered and repurposed wood-clad ceilings and fin walls visually extending from the interior to exterior,” said the architecture studio.

Guest room lounge with sliding glass doors that open onto porch
Sliding glass doors open the guest rooms to private porches

The oak-clad Ridge and Meadow cottages all have an offset gabled form, while the double-gable structures house the two-bedroom suites.

Sliding glass doors open onto private porches, which are each angled to block views from their neighbours.

Cabin clad in Corten steel surrounded by trees
Nestled into the trees, the Bower Cabins are clad in weathering steel

Interiors are bright and modern, with bold colours borrowed from the natural surroundings and custom furniture paired with locally sourced antiques.

Tucked beneath the tree canopy, the Bower Cabins are a similar shape to the cottages, but clad in weathering steel.

These smaller rooms feature a darker, more intimate palette of dark blue walls and patterned textiles, and details including woven cabinet doors.

“The overall palette of the project is composed of an abundance of natural materials – stacked stone, slate, weathered wood finishes, naturally oxidized Corten steel, to name a few – that blend seamlessly with the landscape and provide warmth through texture and lack of uniformity, but also conform to the modern architectural lines of the buildings,” said the studio.

Bedroom interior with dark blue walls, woven cabinet fronts and patterned textiles
The smaller cabin interiors feature dark blue walls, woven cabinet fronts and patterned textiles

Lambur and Bartholomew founded Electric Bowery in 2013 after working together at Frank Gehry’s office, and now has offices in Los Angeles, Big Sur and New York City.

Their earlier projects include a house in Venice Beach with an off-centre pitched roof, which bears a resemblance to the cabins at Wildflower Farms.

Chairs surrounding a fire pit with cabins and mountain ridge in the distance
Wildflower Farms occupies a 140-acre site and offers a rural escape 90 minutes from New York City

The Hudson Valley is a popular getaway destination for city dwellers craving a dose of nature, and its popularity increased further during the pandemic, when many New York City relocated there temporarily or permanently.

Among the myriad places to stay in the area are the boutique Hotel Kinsley in Kingston, and Troutbeck, a renovated English-style country house.

The photography is courtesy of Wildflower Farms.

Reference

Noe Valley home with exposed timber beams in ceiling and sculptural lamp
CategoriesInterior Design

Studio Terpeluk renovates Albert Lanier-designed Noe Valley home

San Francisco-based Studio Terpeluk has renovated and expanded Redwood House in Noe Valley with redwood interiors and terraces.

The three-storey Redwood House was originally designed by American architect Albert Lanier – husband to sculptor Ruth Asawa – in a hilly  San Francisco neighbourhood characterised by Victorian and Edwardian houses.

Noe Valley home with exposed timber beams in ceiling and sculptural lamp
Studio Terpeluk renovated an interior in Noe Valley

Studio Terpeluk was selected to expand the 1976 house from 2,260 square feet (210 square metres) to 3,218 square feet (299 square metres) with a new guest room suite, home office, wet bar and media room.

The renovation “surgically modified the house in an architecturally non-aggressive manner,” the studio said.

Colourful panelling and cedar ceiling in Noe Valley home
Western red cedar was used for the walls and ceiling

Wrapped with irregular western red cedar planks, the narrow house cascades down the hillside with exterior courtyards that mitigate the grade change.

One enters the house through an intimate courtyard off the street into an open-plan upper level with a sloping ceiling and dark-knotted Douglas fir flooring made from local reclaimed pier pilings.

Many of the walls and ceilings were updated with vintage rough-sawn redwood veneered plywood maintained from the original build.

“Redwood surfaces and structural elements complete the warm interior landscape: from the sloping roof beams to partition walls and built-in shelves,” the studio said.

Cedar shelf library with abstract painting
The renovation expanded the home

To the left of the entrance is the kitchen with custom-gloss cabinets and a Carrara marble backsplash. It opens to a dining room that features a Saarinen table and Hans Wegner wishbone chairs.

To the right is the library where sunlight from the large window brightens the dark panelling and sculptural furniture.

Pink cabinets with marble backsplash
Bright panelling contrasts the rich wood tones

The living room is oriented around a pink sculpture by American artist Wanxin Zhang.

Padded seating wraps the corner under a large window looking out to the San Francisco skyline.

Brick fireplace with views of San Francisco and wrap-around seating
The living room has wrap-around seating and views of San Francisco

The house is centred around a staircase illuminated by a skylight.

“The sculptural blackened steel stair with vintage rough-sawn redwood plywood walls anchors the house, weaving together the three floors and their diverse spatial character,” the studio continued.

Wooden staircase with skylight and yellow storage unit
The home is oriented around a central staircase

The middle level features guest suites with direct access to the entry courtyard.

The primary suite is softened by light pink terrazzo tile and a micro mosaic of Indian red recycled plastic tiles.

Pink tile bathroom in mid-century renvoation
The home’s colour complements the art collection of the owners

“Color was a recurring theme in the exquisite and eclectic art collection of the owners,” studio founder Brett Terpeluk said.

“This went perfectly hand in hand with my interest in mid-century Italian design and its bold use of color.”

Wood-panelled terrace in Noe Valley home
A series of terraces connect the home with the sloping site

“We collaborated with our friend and designer Beatrice Santiccioli to enrich the project with a dedicated and bespoke color language,” he continued.

At the lowest level, a media room, home office and kitchenette open to an abundantly landscaped garden.

The outdoor areas were designed by Terpeluk’s wife and longtime consultant, Italian landscape designer Monica Viarengo.

The terraces shift from curated gardens to wild vegetation as one moves through the property, while the plantings reference California coastal landscapes with yellow roses, espaliered fruit trees and a variety of thymes.

Bedroom connecting to courtyard in Noe Valley home
A guest suite connects to the central courtyard

Studio Terpeluk was founded in 2008 by Brett Terpeluk, after he finished a tenure working with Italian architect Renzo Piano.

Other Noe Valley renovations include the Gable House by Edmonds + Lee, a renovated Victorian townhouse by Fougeron Architecture and an industrial home for a tech entrepreneur by Levy Art and Architecture and Síol Studios.

Photography is by Joe Fletcher.


Project credits

Project team: Brett Terpeluk, Huy Nguyen
Landscape design: Monica Viarengo
Color consultant: Beatrice Santiccioli
Contractor: Saturn Construction
Structural engineering: Strandberg Engineering
Furniture: Santiccioli Arredamenti
Orama sliding window systems: Cooritalia
Windows: Bonelli
Wood reclaimed wood flooring: Arborica
Metal fabrication: Upper Story Design
Drapery/upholstery: Malatesta & Co
Art: Catharine Clark Gallery

Reference

Concrete brick courtyard at Cafe Teri by Nameless Architecture with two facing buildings
CategoriesInterior Design

Nameless Architecture creates “artificial valley” at base of Gyeryongsan Mountain

Architecture studio Nameless Architecture has completed the Café Teri bakery in Daejeon, South Korea, in a pair of buildings that flow into a central courtyard.

Located at the foot of the Gyeryongsan Mountain in Daejeon, Nameless Architecture designed the two buildings to frame the entrance to a hiking trail that continues up the mountain.

Concrete brick courtyard at Cafe Teri by Nameless Architecture with two facing buildings
The cafe’s courtyard leads onto a hiking trail

The two rectangular buildings were angled, creating an outdoor space that narrows towards the mountain path. The three-storey building contains a cafe and the two-storey building opposite is a bakery.

“The artificial valley, where the distinction between the wall and the floor is blurred, creates a flow towards the forest and becomes the yard to the cafe and a path for walkers,” Nameless Architecture co-principal Unchung Na told Dezeen.

“We intended the building to become a path and courtyard that guides the flow of nature and visitors rather than blocking the promenade.”

Corner of Cafe Teri by Nameless Architecture with sloping walls
Concrete brick walls slope down into the floor of the courtyard at Café Teri

The 900-square-metre project was finished in concrete bricks, creating a rough texture on the exterior walls.

“The concrete bricks used to construct the architectural topography emphasise the continuity of the flowing space,” said Na.

“On the other hand, the facade wall made of rough broken bricks creates a difference of boundaries through the change of light, shadow, and time.”

Cafe interior with polished concrete walls and sloping wall with concrete brick steps
Nameless Architecture used concrete brick for the interior of the cafe as well as the exterior

The flowing exterior walls of the project are replicated inside the ground floor of a cafe, where the back wall of a double-height space curves down into stepped seating.

The floor, curved wall and stepped seating inside the cafe were finished in concrete bricks, and the remaining walls were finished in polished concrete.

“The fluid wall is continuous not only in the yard but also in the interior space, connecting the inside and outside scenery through a stepped space,” Na explained.

A backyard area features uplifted terrain that mimics the curved concrete brick walls of the cafe and bakery, which Nameless Architecture designed to provide a spatially interesting place for people to enjoy food outside.

Backyard of Cafe Teri by Nameless Architecture with uplifting elements from the ground
Nameless Architecture used curved walls to create a distinct “architectural topography”

The architecture practice designed the curved elements that appear to emerge from the ground with the aim of blurring the lines between what is wall and floor.

“The basic elements of architecture can be reinterpreted to induce various experiences and actions of people,” said Na.

“In particular, the two elements, wall and floor, are defined as fundamentally different architectural elements, but we tried to reconsider this strict relationship.”

Large glazed window showing the interior of Cafe Teri with sloping back wall of the cafe
The project aims to reinterpret how walls and floors are used as architectural elements

“The mutual relationship in which the wall becomes the floor, and the inside becomes the outside can be interpreted in various ways through the experience of the place,” Na continued.

Other projects recently completed in South Korea include a department store in Seoul with an indoor waterfall and skyscrapers with red-painted steel columns designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

The photography is by Kyung Roh.


Project credits:

Architect: Nameless Architecture
Principals-in-charge: Unchung Na and Sorae Yoo
Project team: Taekgyu Kang, Changsoo Lee and Jungho Lee

Reference