Studio Odile Decq has recently realised an artist’s residence for a private collector: an asymmetrical and enigmatic black monolith, complete with Rapunzel tower on the forested slopes of Seyssins in southern France. uncube’s Sara Faezypour spoke to Odile Decq about her new, and first ever, wooden building.

You once said that architecture for you is like an adventure, can you talk us through the adventure you experienced with your new Saint-Ange artists’ residence project?

Usually when I start a project I have an idea but I don’t know precisely where I will go with it, or what will be the result. I have a kind of iterative, intuitive process that helps me decide. In this case, the idea involved being beside a little castle, overlooking a valley, without disturbing the quietness and life of the castle and above. At the same time I was thinking about the opportunity of being amongst the trees, overlooking the valley but never looking back towards the castle. The Grenoble region is mountainous and full of all sorts of trees. There are many forests so they use a lot of wood there, so I decided for the first time in my life as an architect to build in wood. My god, I thought, it could be a challenge to do it and to try it out on a little project like this.

You describe architecture as a process of negotiation, in this case you’re negotiating with the landscape view, the slope and natural elements, but what about your immediate architectural surroundings? How did you take them into account?

I didn’t really care about that. I was really thinking: I’m in the middle of the woods and close to this little castle with its towers that is owned by the client who is an art collector. I wanted to make something very different. This building is a black monolith but at the same time not strictly geometrical, with a belvedere that blocks the end of the spiral of the line. I wanted to twist the volume a little bit because oblique lines create the impression of it being higher than it actually is – it’s a perspective effect.

This building is a residence, but not for your art collector client?

No, the residence is for artists who are invited twice a year by the collector to stay here and to work for free and to produce art. She wants to help the young artists that she selects. She does not choose the artists herself, but via a committee. It was this same committee that selected my design from three architects who were asked to submit proposals.

What was the brief for the project, and how did you consider the user, in this case an artist, within your design?

The client asked for a working space for the artist for and a little apartment of 60 to 70 square metres. I decided to build an atelier inserted into the ground floor, which is a big volume, and a flat on two levels above; one is a living room and the other above is the bedroom. The belvedere is at the very top, it’s like a little tower overlooking the valley.

I felt the atelier had to be calm and well-lit, but not too much. It needed to have long walls for the artists to do what they want on them, but it also had to be a little rough and simple. We can’t know in advance which artists will be staying there, or what materials they will work with, therefore it has to be simple. In terms of living, I thought that the artist will be inspired by the view. The fact that the depth of the building extends down into the woods allows the possibility of having light and views to valley above.

You usually prefer to use steel for your structural work don’t you? But here you used concrete – was this choice the result of the restrictions of the site?

Yes, it was very complicated to build. The building had to be inserted into the ground and the slope on which it is standing is the supporting the wall of the castle’s terrace above. So we had to reinforce the stability of the castle terrace wall, which was a lot of work. Everything which is inside the hill is in concrete and everything above is in wood.

Why did you choose to coat the wooden façade with black asphalt?

This is a specific black asphalt finish that was used formerly in shipbuilding to protect and waterproof the wooden hulls of the boats. So there was a technical reason for it. But there is also the fact that I wanted to make the building a black monolith. In the photos the windows are lit from the inside, but at night when the interior shutters are closed it’s completely black, except for a few rays of light escaping through the wood.

It’s very little project and also very simple. It’s basically just one idea: to make a building that is both efficient and strong at the same time.

– Sara Faezypour

odiledecq.com | by: uncubmagazine

Mixing imagination, modern architecture and impeccable interior can transform an old attic into your modern Old Loft Architecture with Brickwall Design.

Exposed brick walls have became famous in late 1900s. Since lots of people found it like a perfect solution in older homes. They prefer them since it is less expensive to expose the brick from the walls in order to repair it or replace them.

This type of walls are actually looking wonderful and adding character towards the interior.

Atmosphere of rustic gives the space charming look to any interior. Doesn’t make a difference if you choose to produce a bedroom, bathroom or living room. Any area is getting marvelous look using this exposed brick walls.

This type of home decor makes it‘s quite industrial making a spirit of old presented merged with modern. Modern lofts interior design made exposed brick walls much more popular.

Interior design of historical buildings and contemporary lofts cannot be imagined without this type of walls inside it. Those will be the places where one can find them created on an excellent way combined with wonderful accessories. Exposed brick walls could be found also in other living spaces.

This really is an amazing collection of ideas that could, hopefully, inspire you to make one for only yourself.

Aren’t they mixture of modern and classical luxury?

The Residence New Delhi offers a modern setting when in New Delhi. It‘s ideally located for all those wanting to discover the area’s attractions.

This stylish hotel provides an express check-in and check-out feature, an executive floor and 24-hour room service. Corporate amenities include meeting rooms and also a 24-hour business centre.

Every stylish room at The Residence New Delhi features a mini bar and also a refrigerator, as the bathrooms offer bathrobes and slippers. All include movies-on-demand, an in-room dining area and tea and coffee making facilities.

On-site dining options include a restaurant, and that is an ideal spot to enjoy a helping. A buffet breakfast is served every morning inside the dining room.

For people who enjoy exploring local dining options, there‘s a large variety right upon the door step. It‘s inside a 20-minute stroll of Hauz Khas Metro Station, which enables convenient access in and around New Delhi.

Expanding in popularity during the last decade, small houses are popping up all around the country as more and lots the best way to choose to downsize their lives. As the structures often measure lower than 300 square feet, the small house movement is not necessarily about sacrifice. With thoughtful, innovative designs, some homeowners have discovered a little house actually results in a simpler yet fuller life, connecting all of them with family, friends, and nature while freeing them from mortgages, wastefulness, and an urge.

Small House Plans concentrate on an economical use of space that will make the home feel larger. Strong outdoor connections add spaciousness to small floor plans. Small homes are less expensive to construct and maintain than larger houses

In the past, Modern House with Glass Walled Design Ideas were seen primarily in commercial construction. Soaring skyscrapers in cities like New York or Chicago were the recognized domain of those large stretches of tinted glass. If homeowners wanted to spotlight their views, they installed picture windows to frame their views like works of art. Technological innovation has evolved for great spans of glass, however, and homeowners can now take benefit of less expensive and energy efficient choices for glass walls. Today glass walls are seen not simply as exterior walls in homes, but additionally as interior walls. Glass may also be seen in homes as stair railings, pool gates, balcony barriers as well as flooring. There appears to be no limit towards the residential ways to use glass.

As House with Glass Walled aren’t limited to any particular design style, they could be located in traditional country houses along with ultra modern Manhattan apartments. Most homeowners prefer open living areas with their homes, which enables for captured views by way of large expanses of glass. Walls of glass could be opened to entirely remove the wall, allowing for complete indoor outdoor living. With the innovation of glass walls in the house come a couple of safety concerns, however.

Glass walls may be a wonderful option for capturing views and enjoying indoor-outdoor living. Just look out for birds and keep your window cleaner handy.

We like how A-Cero architects keep churning out hit after hit. Located inside the Pozuelo de Alarcón suburb near Madrid, this magic mansion by them is that the type of stuff that dreams are built of. Their emphasis was on 3 simple principles – beauty, firmness and utility. With these they‘ve created a symphony of sculpture, earth and water. Located in northern Madrid, this minimalist modern mansion stands out due to its simple, monochromatic composition, perfectly integrated inside the landscape.

A-Cero Architects really certainly can be a renowned Spanish architectural firm, famous for incredible modern designs. This project is true next to some golf course meaning that its living standards are extremely high and it’s filled with all kinds of security systems which are also linked towards the police, to supply maximum protection to its inhabitants. But this really is only a little section of the factors that make this project worthy of their modern mansion title. Luxurious amenities and stylish designs could be found upon the both the surface and interior too.

The exterior is fairly simple in design but very thorough when it comes to quality ; the straight lines and shapes that become one to make its form were planned to obtain a playful shadow and light game, contrasting perfectly using its neutral, grey color. The material with which the architects decorated the facades, natural stone, is extremely fit for achieving a rustic image to the entire landscape. The Cool Mansion Design in Madrid becomes neutral, it doesn’t damage environmental surroundings and it is specific ; it rather completes it such as the high rocky peaks of the mountain rise coming from the forest. It resembles a sculpture, penetrated every now and then to provide interior lighting.

The interior is extremely classy, very stylish and follows a similar black and white design concept. The contrasts generated by this selection of color are eye-catching and non-disturbing simultaneously. It‘s probably the simplest way to design a modern mansion that impresses yet it isn’t repulsive due to excessive use of color.

The living room, the kitchen, dining and also the home theatre room were all designed in accordance with the remainder of the house, being generated by a similar beautiful straight lines and elegant chromatics. However, There‘s one element that stands aside from the remainder. The dark spiral staircase. Its most significant feature is its curved shape, probably the just one inside the ensemble. Together with its color it creates a strong contrast between it and the remainder of the Cool Mansion Design in Madrid. The complete interior design gravitates around it.