The suburban house you'll want to call home

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Residência Pruner, ArchDesign STUDIO ArchDesign STUDIO Rustic style house
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Passing this suburban house in Florianopolis, Brazil, you might be momentarily distracted by its A-frame design. This is, after all, the subtropics, not the European Alps. Then again, you might continue walking your dog ignorant of the bounty of incredible design ideas that you'd find inside. If you’re curious, Homify is here to help. Local architects Archdesign Studio have granted us access to the discreet but secretly stunning home before the owners take possession. The resulting photoshoot is amazing. This is a modest family home with all the mod cons.

Alpine on the outside

The most idiosyncratic element of this home design is the roof, a steeply pitched A-frame in natural timber. It’s entirely Alpine cottage in design, but the expanse of glass that forms the facade is ideal for the Brazilian climate in which it is situated, and the blockhouse-shaped entranceway interrupts the rustic look with a bold modern gesture .

Under the eaves

Once inside, the house opens up into a large, open-plan space with a clear view up to the ceiling. A living area nestles in one corner, structural support and winter warmth is provided by the chimney structure that is embedded in the facade, and a mezzanine floor accessed by a half-spiral staircase shelters beneath the eaves, left bare to show off their decorative beam structure.

Country looks in the contemporary context

Concessions to the countryside and the modern coexist peacefully in this airy open space. The chimney is fashioned from thin pieces of roughshod stone laid irregularly to imitate a drywall look, while the living room is outfitted with a modern lounge suite and wall-mounted flat screen television.

More on the mezzanine

Take a turn up the semi-spiral staircase, rendered in the same polished wood that dominates the design, and you find a cosy study space positioned under the eaves, with plenty of natural light spilling through a window whose shape echoes the external structure of the house. The unusual form of the wooden beams continues here, making for a space that’s inspiring as well as functional.

Communal choices

The first of several spaces designed for dining or simply laying down the homework for some study, this combination living and dining room boasts a simple wooden table subtly adorned with a treeleaf motif that once again offsets the fact that this home is assuredly modern in its amenities. Another flat screen TV offers yet another space for staying connected to the mediascape outside.

Breakfast for Barbarella

Turn around and you’re confronted by yet another option when you want to pull up a stool and enjoy each others’ company. Ideal as a breakfast bar given its proximity to the modern kitchen, this built-in bench top features chairs with a tessellated pattern that’s pure 1970s.

Throwback to the bedroom

The master bedroom amplifies the warm wooden and 1970s design aesthetic that the house gradually introduces as you explore. The floor features polished wood parquet, astrip along the wall that also forms the bedhead is fashioned from circular wooden cross section tiles, and the full-length wardrobe is mirrored to give the illusion of space and indulge in a little vanity all at once. The throwback-modern of the wall-mounted bookshelves is just another example of the imagination at work in the home’s interior architecture.

Serious bathtime

The bathroom is set at the back of the house, with an angled wall used for a large, light window rather than awkward fittings. A retro bathtub, tall enough for a proper soak, is set into an alcove, and twin sinks make the space practical for the whole family when its time to brush the teeth and bed down.

An oasis out back

Finally, the ideal end to a tour through a house that’s full of design surprises despite a fairly modest street frontage. A curved-edge swimming pool has been set into the low maintenance, tiled back yard area, completely isolated from the street and easily accessed from several zone of the house by large sliding doors. This suburban oasis is a great example of what can be achieved on a small budget, pushing back the ceiling when it comes to modern domestic architecture.

Did you like the tour, what was your favourite room?

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