Just like clockwork, whenever January rolls around here in the frozen wasteland that is Montreal I consistently find myself looking at the state of my life in all its minutiae and think, “Wow, I’ve really got a loooooooooong way to go.” And with that clockwork comes the nagging feeling that moving to a warmer paradise would be a great way to press the reboot button (trust me, if you could see what it looks like outside my window right now you’d feel the same way).
Like most people, I often fantasize of what it would be like to be independently wealthy and have only one thing on your To Do list: 1) Follow your bliss. For yours truly, I think one of the first projects I would create for myself would be to design and build my own dream home. I would buy a huge chunk of land on the coast either just north or just south of San Francisco, pick up a customized Airstream trailer, and get busy on the design drawings. I have my favorite residential designs already memorized in my mind, and a rough idea of what the home will look like, but considering the fact that my collection of favorite and most inspiring designs keeps growing, this rough idea is constantly evolving. One thing that is certain is the home will be a one-story glass pavilion design, and earlier this morning I came across this gorgeous retreat on Waiheke Island in New Zealand designed by Fearon Hay Architects which became the newest addition to my top favorites.
The four concrete and glass structures are perched above the rugged beauty of Matiatia Bay (which bears a striking resemblance to my future California site), and as Yatzer points out, “the architects took advantage of the residence’s surroundings by building individual, freestanding structures, organised around a central courtyard. As each structure serves a different function, the living, sleeping and working zones are almost equally separated. The edifice also includes a relaxing pool area and open spaces in between the structures.” Solar panels and rain harvesting are just two of the design solutions that achieve the home’s sustainability and reduces the need and demand for external resources as much as possible. For more of my favorite residential designs be sure to check out FEELguide Architecture.
