Cozy Modern House in the Woods with minimalist interior design 1 668 ft² Home Tour

Hey friends, today's episode is a good one. We're checking out our new move-in ready house. We will take a walk around the landscape, get a look at the house from the outside, then head inside and talk interiors. So get comfy, this is going to be a fun one. Let's go! I always dreamed of creating spaces that feel this warm and inviting. Everything here is as minimalist as possible, yet just look at how beautiful the picture turns out. The home is about 1,670 square feet, all on one level. And when it comes to describing the shape of the house itself, we used a rather striking feature, the use of shared roofs. Single pitched, but positioned at different angles. For instance, in the hall, the slope creates a ceiling that rises up to about 23 feet. And from the outside, this house no longer looks like a single-story building. You really feel the volume of the space. You can see that there is a second mezzanine level from the lower point where I am currently standing. Here, the layout of this house is revealed in the most striking and beautiful way, I think. These roof slopes are also driven by architectural logic and the way the floor plan is composed. So for example, in the highest part, we have the living room and you can really see it when we stand here and look at this house. Another slope, the one facing the road, hides the bedrooms and some loft-style mezzanine spaces. One detail I really like is the upper window we placed in that part of the house. It brings in amazing morning light from the east, so the space gets soft daylight early on. And later in the evening, it catches the warmer western sun. It really brings the whole interior to life. I would also like to highlight this main horizontal volume, where we've embedded a continuous strip window. In fact, it leads us into the hallway and is intentionally made to waist level so that neighbors who might notice us from the adjacent plot cannot see what's going on here. And honestly, there's not much to see there anyway. It's just doors, a passage, nothing visually important. Thus, we let the light into this corridor, making it well-lit even in the evening, and it's pleasant to walk through. Let's also take a look at the house from the road. The first thing you notice is what we call the fifth façade, the fence. And this one's done in a pretty unique way. We alternated wooden slats with sections of concrete. And as you can see, this concrete wall was not poured into a standard formwork made of plywood panels. Instead, we used wooden slats so the surface of the concrete picked up the texture of the wood. And now the fence is perceived as a kind of decorative wall, much more organic than if it were just a large concrete surface. And I think that when the greenery grows here, everything will blend together beautifully and look very nice. Next, we will head in under the canopy. You can comfortably fit two cars here. The canopy does the job perfectly and it leads straight to the main entrance. Now I want to walk along the façade that faces the street and talk a bit about the overall concept, how it all came together. As you can see, the roof slope comes out here and that's no coincidence. As a result, from the road, the house appears smaller than it actually is, while from inside the yard, it opens up dramatically. That façade is over 23 feet tall, so the house looks almost like a two-story from that side. There are also some cool features here. Like this little section of the roof that juts out against the main slope. It creates a mezzanine space inside, where you can access from the primary bedroom and use it for storage. I really like this idea, meaning if we just made three identical windows here, it would be quite boring. So in the primary bedroom, we highlighted the window and even from the outside, you can tell this is the main room. That projection right there creates the perfect picture, the one everyone pins on Pinterest as their dream home. It's a built-in windowsill with cushions, perfect for sitting on during the rain, reading a book or listening to music. I think little corners like this are amazing, especially in bedrooms. It's quiet, it's cozy, the perfect little spot to be alone with your thoughts. As for the exterior materials, we probably used the most cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing combination of materials. That is, larch is the main material for finishing, combined with anthracite seam metal, which is also used on the facades. To break up the wood facade and avoid it looking too flat, we also used a few tricks to add some variation. For example, in this case, as you can see the corner of the living room facade, instead of standard planks, we used vertical slats here. Behind them, you can see the anthracite-colored wind barrier, which adds depth. It's also very important, by the way, that we use boards of different widths here. And here it's wider, there it's narrower, creating a kind of intentional randomness. In some cases, if volume is needed, we can still add a similar block here, like the one we placed there, but only by turning it on its end. Thus, we will have a facade not only with boards of varying widths, but it will also have different volumes, and that texture really elevates large flat surfaces. Among the small features worth mentioning is probably this little canopy over the window. It looks just like some kind of decorative element that beautifully frames the panoramic corner glazing, in fact. There is also a function here. It might be compact, but it blocks out the harshest midday sun in the summer and keeps heavy rain off the glass. Such a semi-decorative, semi-functional solution adds advantages to the architecture of the house. I want to take a moment to talk about the terrace and what we've learned over 13 years of designing homes. In my opinion, this is one of the most rational terrace solutions we've ever done. Firstly, there is no roof here, no canopy whatsoever. Canopies, in fact, are an unnecessary expense. They usually shade all our panoramic glazing and block part of the view. A much better solution would be to install either a sliding door or a full height window, and when it rains, just enjoy it from inside. The second point is the material of the terrace itself. The most classic thing that comes to mind first is to make a wooden terrace. Because everyone does it, right? Having built a large number of houses, we understand that wooden terraces are the most problematic aspect of a house. Because a tree that lies horizontally receives much more sunlight and dries out much faster. A tree that lies horizontally absorbs moisture from the rain, changes color, warps, and requires intense care. The most practical solution is to create a concrete terrace with a slight slope, like here, so that the water drains away. Slightly lower than the main floor level by a little over one inch to prevent water from entering the house. Polished concrete also has such a decorative appearance that we can see the pebbles. Moreover, you can use stones of some expensive types and then it will look just like expensive Italian tiles. And at the same time, this terrace requires no maintenance at all. Like, you just go over it with a kasher once every six months and that's it. The perfect example of a terrace. And of course, the landscape design here deserves special attention. It's crucial to place this minimalist architecture against a rich landscape. Here, I think it turned out brilliantly. Just take a look at this stunning floating staircase. There are decorative stones and plants of various colors here. Moving forward here, given the terrain, it made sense to create several levels using retaining walls. Here is a small area for basketball. And if you go down, there's also a classic solution. We have a circular path that leads us to the gazebo. And it is interrupted by some beautiful landscaped areas. The gazebo is designed in the same style as the house. I really like this solution because it's not an extension of the terrace with some huge canopy by the house, which would actually be expensive. Here, we sort of utilize the entire area of the plot. And here, I think it's done perfectly. There's simply a huge space for cooking. There's a wood-fired barbecue, water, and a dining table. Everything you need. They've even replicated this monolithic concrete wall with wooden formwork here. Overall, there is a complete correlation between the main house and the gazebo. It is both a continuation and a logical conclusion, probably, of the entire plot. It is worth noting that we are probably opposed to simply placing large, thick columns around the perimeter of the canopy. We always try to play it up decoratively. In some places, we make it a solid wall that supports the ceiling instead of a thin column. And somewhere where we need more space, we, for example, place three columns instead of one. And perhaps structurally, three might not even be necessary here. But this way, the heavy roof doesn't look like it's held up by fragile sticks that could snap in the wind. And this results in a static, reliable structure that visually inspires trust. At the same time, since some of these columns are decorative, they can be used in various ways. For example, here we have integrated switches and outlets to use the terrace. And at the back, we have a drain pipe built into the column. It's a very clever solution. See that flat roof? Water collects on it, which drains into the storm drain here. And this storm drain leads to the drainage system. Just imagine how much this facade would be ruined if there were some kind of open storm drain over this wooden facade. Thanks to details like this, we keep our minimalistic look intact. A few more words about the fence. Very often, when people plan how to enclose their property, they simply choose one type of fence, like louvered panels, and just go around the perimeter with it. This fence, yes, it's beautiful. The anthracite colored blinds look decent and neat. But it's not always a great architectural solution because, for example, here in this part, we have a solid fence. It consists of concrete planes with wooden inserts against which the natural greenery looks very beautiful. But the main purpose of this fence is to break up the monotony and shield us from the neighbors. However, for instance, because this plot is on a corner, we have access to the forest here, and in this part, we don't have any neighbors. The best solution here was simply to install a sleek metal mesh fence. Alternatively, you could just put up metal pipes and stretch a grid over them. Yes, in other words, the most transparent fence in anthracite color will be the coolest solution. This fence looks great when it blends in with patches of greenery like this. We can no longer see where the boundary of our property is, so that there is both security and seemingly no fence. Therefore, I invite you to follow me and take a look at the interior. Welcome to our house. You see, everything here follows classic principles. As soon as we enter, we are greeted with a scenic view through the window. In essence, the house has two visual axes. This is the first visual axis, and it intersects with the visual axis of the hallway, which leads us to the bedrooms. In other words, it is a completely correct and understandable structure of the house from another point of view. Both architectural axes end with windows, so that a person walks towards the light. This is how we work with emotions. Here you can see there is a rather small closet on the right side. It's very convenient to enter and immediately turn into this walk-in closet. A large mirror that further enhances the sense of space in this hallway. And of course, there's a door leading directly to the bathroom and a powder room. These doors are also made of wood veneer. They are slightly different in color to stand out, making them easier to find. And in fact, the bathroom here is quite interesting in my opinion. Overall, the style of this house, it has a touch of Japanese motifs. I suppose it would be accurate to say so. In landscape design and consequently in lighting fixtures, partitions and generally in many places, you can see a bit of a crafty Japanese style here. What do I like about this bathroom? Hello everyone, my name is Tatiana. I am an interior designer and today I would also like to talk about this house. This house is located in the forest and its main purpose was to create an atmosphere of coziness and warmth where the family can come together, sit by the fireplace, gather around the dining table and have a good time in the cabin in the woods. The main request from the clients was to use more wood, which we can see both in the furniture and on the walls. Our ceiling is designed with faux beams and to unify this upper space with the lower one, given that we have a single pitched roof, we hung such a round pendant lamp that really ties the whole interior together. It's a key focal point. The main palette of the interior consists of neutral warm shades with splashes of swamp green, which is applied to ceramic tiles, serving as a reference to green forest motifs. As the main philosophy of the project is interaction of nature with the interior space of the house, allowing us to get away from it all, relax and spend time with family. Since we used warm toned wooden slats in the interior as a counterbalance, we use a self-leveling floor in a cold gray shade to balance out the entire palette and make the space more minimalist. So along this main inviting axis of the house, we enter the living room, kitchen and dining area. It's a small space, but look how beautiful it is. Despite having a small area, the space itself doesn't feel cramped because it has a very high ceiling and that oversized light fixture complements this height, makes it, I would say, harmonious overall. What do we have here? So we have a kind of TV wall here, which is specially painted white because it's intended for a projector to be placed here. Alternatively, you can place a short throw projector on this stand and enjoy watching movies with your family in the evening. Of course, there's a fireplace area here. A panoramic sofa that can face different parts of this interior. These cushions can be moved, allowing you to chat with the person cooking, enjoy the beautiful view or watch the projector, but it's not worth staring at the wall. But it works perfectly on three sides. Well, and this living room has a secret room. It's located right above me. There's a staircase leading to it and Alexey will tell you about it. In general, we really love these mezzanine floors, especially when there's enough space to stand up straight. This is an entirely private place where one can retreat and I think it would be perfect to set up, for example, a home office here. Place a desk with a computer here and you are completely hidden from prying eyes while still being in the shared space. We often create lounging areas on the mezzanine, placing a bed there. And it's just an extra place to relax, which is especially wonderful with the attic windows. And in the evening, you can watch the starry sky. In short, mezzanine floors have their own vibe and I think they are a very interesting solution for double height spaces. Well, now that we're done with the mezzanine, we can head over to the second wing of our house. Here we have the quiet part of the house, the bedrooms, and I also like how in that section, the hallway ends with a beautiful panoramic window. Where a tree has been specially planted, you see, which in a couple of years will grow large and completely cover the neighbor's facade. And in fact, it will be a very beautiful conclusion of this way. Well, let's take a walk through the rooms. Here we have the primary block. As you can see, it's a small space. Here is this lovely nook I mentioned on the facade, where you can climb onto the windowsill and read a book. It's all here. This is an area with a bed. The headboard is designed in a Japanese motif. Here you will find many references to Japanese minimalism. This was the client's request. The main feature probably of this decorative wall, that when you press and hold the switch button, it turns on and creates this kind of cool decorative backlight. It works very well, especially without the overhead light, when you need to create just such an atmosphere with dim lighting. Great headboard. It's made of leather. As you can see, the bed also has a low base. This too is a nod to Japanese traditions. There are no side tables. Instead, there is a block of outlets and switches, along with a small space to place a phone and other items. Behind this door, we have the bathroom. Naturally, in the primary suite, you can't do without a bathroom. Let's turn on the light. Very interesting, as you can see. It runs along the perimeter of the entire room, thereby separating its lower part, which is made of durable materials. Either micro cement or tiles from its top part, made of a wooden block. Sure thing, here we also see a custom sink. The same design was used in the previous bathroom. Thanks to everything being in micro cement here, you can see there are no thresholds, no seams, no joints. Everything is made from a single material. Here's how you can neatly create a shower drain without any seams that require constant maintenance. I really like this metal shelf, where you can hide all the bottles you need. And in general, there is enough space here, so that no additional partitions are necessary. I think in large showers, it's actually a mistake to install sliding doors, because when you take a shower, a lot of steam is generated. Therefore, here is the shower area, which should be as open as possible, so that moisture and steam can dissipate further into the extractor hood. I would like to draw special attention to the finish. As you can see, it is the same slat that we used outside on the building's facade. It incorporates wooden panels. These wooden panels match the ceiling and the floor tones, creating a cohesive and warm color palette. There are also anthracite inserts made of black metal, which echo the linear lighting strip. All these details create interior harmony. And behind this door, we have a children's room. In fact, there are two of them. The second one is not ready yet, so we are not showing it. Here, as you can see, thanks to the fact that we have a sloped roof and fairly high ceilings, we decided to be creative and made a two-story bed here. So on the first floor, the child sleeps, and on the second, there's a children's play area. And I really like this overhead light that the morning sun provides. Here, we get the evening sun, and it turns out that the room is lit from two sides and is truly flooded with light. Another interesting detail is how the window vent is designed. It's done in a clean, horizontal style that's repeated in the adjacent window, breaking up the vertical rhythm on the facade in a really elegant way. At the same time, it's a kind of safety measure, because with this type of opening, a child won't be able to run away through the window. It's just a window that can be set to ventilation mode. Over here, we will have a desk in the future. There's so much light that there was no need to place it closer to the window. This overhead light provides us with enough illumination. So, let's move on. By the way, I also wanted to add a couple of features that Andreas probably didn't mention, but I really like them. The work done here, especially in terms of color, is incredibly nuanced. Take a look at this kitchen. Our entire interior features anthracite color details. Gray floor, gray ceiling, and a wooden wall. But the kitchen stands out a bit. You see, here we have a greenish color highlighting the island, the cabinet with the refrigerator, and just the household shelves. This unique tile is used here as an accent, which forms the backsplash of the kitchen, concealing the exhaust hood. And we have a huge space to cook on this countertop. By the way, there's also a small wine cabinet hidden down here. All right, friends. I hope you enjoyed the tour, the interior, and the overall vibe of the house. Let us know in the comments. Don't forget to like and subscribe, and see you soon.