Architecture Wednesday: Tuscan Villa, The Sharon, Israel

This private house in the Sharon area in Israel was designed for a couple and their three teenage children. The family's dream was to live in a rustic, colorful, and delicate style house that maintains a warm elegance.

From the front, there's an immediate connection to nature and the countryside, reflected in the lush vegetation, a wall adorned with natural stone bricks, and a brick patio leading to the house's side entrance. The double wooden entrance door immediately immerses one into Italian countryside and inside you will find three levels; basement level with guest rooms, ground floor kitchen dining, living room and office, and first floor Primary Suite and children’s bedrooms.

As you enter the ground floor, on the left side, the impressive and colorful kitchen is noticeable; the kitchen cabinets, protruding copper handles, and, of course, the blue island, with a small sink and workspace, and intricately designed legs to echo the rustic style. As the homeowner works from home and enjoys cooking, seamless accessibility between the workspace and kitchen was essential, delineated by a transparent partition between kitchen and office.

To the right of the entrance is the dining area, a double-height space surrounded by large windows that infuse natural light indoors and exposes the outdoor greenery; the dining table, entirely made of solid wood, features pendant lighting fixtures that blend with the rustic style.

Continuing from the dining area into the living room, a unique TV wall clad in whitewashed, painted wood contributes to a modern, rustic touch; a brick wall and hearth, upon which a black fireplace sits, adds warmth to the space. Windows at the far end open to the backyard, introducing natural light and views to the garden and pool. The exterior space complements the house's rustic style. It's predominantly covered with natural wood cladding that provides continuity to the interior cladding. The raised pool deck, when not in use, maximizes the outdoor space.

Opposite the front entrance, stairs, clad in painted wood, lead to the upper floor where the bedrooms are situated. A bridge separates the children's rooms from the Primary suite, offering a spacious double-height space. The floor is covered with lath parquet that continues the rustic design. A high ceiling with exposed wooden beams characterizes the bedrooms.

The spacious Primary suite was planned with access to a private balcony overlooking the pool; the lavish bathroom, adorned with white brick walls and colorful flooring, boasts a spacious shower area. A brass door leads to the walk-in closet, aligning with the house's style.

The basement floor, also covered in lath parquet, was utilized for two luxurious suites for guests, with an English courtyard, a raised deck, and windows that introduce light and enlarge the basement space, blurring the fact that it is indeed a basement.

It feels both old and new, and rustic and modern.

Amazing Architecture

Architecture Wednesday: Villa Flora

I’ve always said I needed to live in a villa, and this may just be the one I need. And with 5 bedrooms and some 4400 square feet, this villa in southern France, I could turn it into a B&B and make some coins while I lounge by the pool and  Carlos tends to the gardens.

The property, nicknamed Flora for its bountiful gardens, sits at the heart of a village near Uzès in the Gard department, and  is described in the listing—yes, it’s for sale for $4,455,846.50 USD—by the fragrances of the property, ‘of incense and fig’ but it’s the rugged stone walls, and the arched ceilings, and the meticulously crafted gardens, that call to me.

The house is three levels, with the  ground floor featuring a bedroom that opens onto a terrace, a bathroom and a separate toilet, the laundry, and most importantly, a wine cellar; I think that will be my bedroom, close to the wine. The first floor features a large living room with barrel-vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling French doors that open onto a breezy terrace; it opens onto to a spacious kitchen and a reception lounge; the dining room and a TV lounge are also on this floor and are open onto a terrace with garden and pool views. In addition there are two bedroom suites with adjoining bathrooms. Up on the second floor are the last two bedrooms with an adjoining bathroom and shower room. Outside are the gardens, the terraces, the patios, the pool, the greenhouse, a summer kitchen, with pathways to wander and explore.

And, again, it can be yours ….

The Spaces

Architecture Wednesday: Neo- Classical Mediterranean Villa

This home, designed and built in San Francisco by celebrated architect August Headman, over 100 years ago, looks as it was originally designed and constructed. It sits on the eastern edge of the Presidio Wall and enjoys Bay and City views to the north and east, and verdant forests of the Presidio to the west.

In just a hair over 4500 square feet, there are large formal public rooms, four bedrooms, three full and one-half bathrooms, office, media room, elevator—from the entry level to all three floors, panoramic view balconies and rooftop terrace—there is no yard, per se; in addition, there is a separate entrance to a finished lower-level room, perfect for use as a music room or meditation space.

Lyon Street has been home to families, both real and imagined—it was featured in The Princess Diaries—since the 1920s and can be yours for just $7,900,000.

Fit for a princess.

As always, click to emBIGGERate …

Dwell