Attractive living as an architectural experiment: a 136-year-old water tower, a listed building with a spectacular 360-degree panorama view over the City of London. The task, to transform it into a superior residence, initially seemed an absolute impossibility. But when the owners came across architect Mike Collier, they had found a partner who was to make the impossible possible. The tower, which had been empty for decades, underwent radical renovation work and was extended by a four-storey cube containing kitchen, dining and living room - connected by glazed tunnels and a lift shaft. The kitchen, realised by Enclosure Interiors in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with furniture from LEICHT is the very heart of living in this new building. Shiny white matt-lacquered kitchen fronts (AVANCE-LR), tone-on-tone with the worktops, reflect the light in the room and thus create expanse and openness. The surface of the handle-less kitchen fronts has a horizontal relief embossing; depending on the light incidence, this results in a vitally structured surface. The free-standing preparation isle with its vertical side panels with a seamlessly integrated sink represents the transition between kitchen and living room. The fronts of the floor units facing the dining table were extended to the floor to do away with the plinth typical of most kitchens. Ceiling-high tall units on the wall provide plenty of storage space; the electrical appliances are integrated here invisible to the eye. Floor units on a high plinth which thus appear to be floating form the actual cooking centre within the kitchen, attached to the wall. A range of handle-less wall units concludes the glazed niche at the top. LEICHT international: “Architecture and kitchen” in the centre of London. www.LeichtUSA.com

Derek Lepper

Craig Hildebrand Photography

Jorge Taboada

New custom house with panoramic ocean views in the Sand Section of Manhattan Beach, California. A modern jewel box in both scale and detailing, the architectural layout was primarily driven by the ocean views, sounds and corner lot location. Photographed by: Luke Gibson

A few months after installation

A funky modern upstairs landing in the Dyke Rd area of Hove, East Sussex, with a view out over Sussex Neil Macaninch Neil Mac Photo

due to lot orientation and proportion, we needed to find a way to get more light into the house, specifically during the middle of the day. the solution that we came up with was the location of the stairs along the long south property line, combined with the glass railing, skylights, and some windows into the stair well. we allowed the stairs to project through the glass as thought the glass had sliced through the steps.

This project is a great example of how to transform a historic architectural home into a very livable and modern aesthetic. The home was completely gutted and reworked. All lighting and furnishings were custom designed for the project by Garret Cord Werner. The interior architecture was also completed by our firm to create interesting balance between old and new. Please note that due to the volume of inquiries & client privacy regarding our projects we unfortunately do not have the ability to answer basic questions about materials, specifications, construction methods, or paint colors. Thank you for taking the time to review our projects. We look forward to hearing from you if you are considering to hire an architect or interior Designer. Historic preservation on this project was completed by Stuart Silk. Andrew Giammarco Photography

The concept began with creating an international style modern residence taking full advantage of the 360 degree views of Sarasota downtown, the Gulf of Mexico, Sarasota Bay and New Pass. A court yard is surrounded by the home which integrates outdoor and indoor living. This 6,400 square foot residence is designed around a central courtyard which connects the garage and guest house in the front, to the main house in the rear via fire bowl and lap pool lined walkway on the first level and bridge on the second level. The architecture is ridged yet fluid with the use of teak stained cypress and shade sails that create fluidity and movement in the architecture. The courtyard becomes a private day and night-time oasis with fire, water and cantilevered stair case leading to the front door which seconds as bleacher style seating for watching swimmers in the 60 foot long wet edge lap pool. A royal palm tree orchard frame the courtyard for a true tropical experience. The façade of the residence is made up of a series of picture frames that frame the architecture and the floor to ceiling glass throughout. The rear covered balcony takes advantage of maximizing the views with glass railings and free spanned structure. The bow of the balcony juts out like a ship breaking free from the rear frame to become the second level scenic overlook. This overlook is rivaled by the full roof top terrace that is made up of wood decking and grass putting green which has a 360 degree panorama of the surroundings. The floor plan is a reverse style plan with the secondary bedrooms and rooms on the first floor and the great room, kitchen and master bedroom on the second floor to maximize the views in the most used rooms of the house. The residence accomplishes the goals in which were set forth by creating modern design in scale, warmth, form and function.

James West

This minimalistic kitchen is given well balanced combination of natural daylight via skylights, accent lights, accent colors and a wood slab counter.