Category Archives: Unusual homes

Waking up in a dumpster


It sounds like the morning after a bender with a few drinks too many. However, if you ask Berkeley California-based Gregory Kloehn it can be a regular morning ritual. Gregory managed to fit an entire home in a dumpster.  And,  in line with Bay Area standards (at least to my knowledge from living there back in the late Nineties) the home is fit with hardwood floors and granite counter tops. In this video Gregory tells us all.

Barbie´s new career, and her new home to boast..


Barbie, yes, that Barbie, has switched careers. Mattel’s latest addition to their Barbie I Can Be line of dolls is Barbie Architect, complete with a blueprint holder (in pink, obviously), builder hat, and black smart-looking glasses. Mattel partnered with members of the American Institute of Architects to make sure her outfit reflects that of what a real architect would wear. (erhm… OK….)

Architect Barbie and a model of one of her designs

That same partnership resulted in a competition for Barbie’s new dream home.

The design brief was written in “Barbie’s voice.” It includes phrases like “I love to entertain,” and “as the original fashionista, you can imagine how large my closet needs to be!”

Barbie's new home designed by Ting Li and Maja Paklar

The lucky winners are Ting Li and Maja Paklar who hope to “encourage more young female architects to flex their design muscles.” I must say, playing with Barbie as a kid myself sparked my interest in interior design too! I never actually played with the dolls but by god, her home was always perfect!

 

 

Houseboat by +31 architects


Some of you design buffs based in the Netherlands might have seen this before  as it was heavily featured in the national press, but I still want to share it on my blog.

De Omval Houseboat designed by +31 architects

This houseboat in the Amstel river in Amsterdam was designed by +31 Architects. They are known for other houseboat projects in the Amsterdam area. The boat is a streamlined glass panes design allowing maximum use of natural light. It reminds me a bit of the Elicium building at the Rai conference center, designed by Benthem Crouwel architects.

Houseboat de Omval by +31 architects

The boat might be very modern, but it was designed to reflect the shape of other houseboats in the canals and rivers of Amsterdam. Neighbours and council alike are very enthusiastic about it. Personally, I feel like I have seen it before.

What do you think?

Marcel Wanders designed ‘suites’ for sale.


While getting my daily real estate fix on Funda, I stumbled across this remarkable project. In an old gunpowder factory building along the river Amstel, a little south of Amsterdam, Dutch designer Marcel Wanders designed these 7 apartments aptly called suites.

Marcel Wanders designed Amstel Suites

Granted, they are stunning, but with the location right along the highway and the suites measuring an average of 530 square feet (about 50m2), they are priced pretty steep. The smallest one has an asking price of €259.000 and measures a mere 430 square feet. The lay out is very clever with a small pantry, a lush ensuite bathroom with bath, and high vaulted ceilings. The most expensive is quite a bit larger, 624 square feet. The living room is bigger, and the ground floor has enough space to house the bathroom. The bedroom is in the mezzanine. The asking price is €355.000.

Marcel Wanders designed Amstel Suites

I wonder who the developer is trying to target. The suites are too far from the city to be considered an easy commute after a night’s out. They are too close to the highway for that outdoors/countryside feel, and they are very much a single persons abode. So basically they target people living alone, with a decent budget, who do not want to live in the city….. In all honesty, they have many alternatives. If they had converted the building into two or three moderate sized family homes, they would have been able to target a bigger audience.

Marcel Wanders designed Amstel Suites

Check out the suites at the project website.

Photographs courtesy of Ouwehand v/d Meijden Makelaars