Playfulness Meets Rustic Elegance: The Nussberg Penthouse

We love creative interiors! Creativity is a matter of practice, like many other things in life. There’s no doubt that anyone can be creative, as long as he or she looks for less ordinary approaches. When we first saw the Nussberg Penthouse interior, in Vienna, we thought that the client really wanted “a house to remember”. And that’s exactly what Beef Architekti (the studio responsible with the decoration) managed to deliver to their client. Exquisite, playful and with a touch of rustic elegance, the Nussberg Penthouse, with its bohemian setting (an old Vienna hotel with an exterior spiral staircase), seeks to offer a unique living experience, by blending the natural feel with the contemporary comfort.

The penthouse, located on a hill, overlooks the wonderful city. The apartment stands out, due to its “excess” of brightness. You can enjoy wonderful moments, watching the sun at dusk or drink a cup of coffee in the morning, on the terrace. Wood floorings, chairs and different shades of brown, create an environment of natural and almost cottage-like inspiration. The paintings on the walls and the colourful rugs, though, transform it into a more interesting and contemporary home. The result: a playful, creative and bright modern interior.

Modern Home on the Range

The Peaks View Residence was designed by Carney Logan Burke Architects with two main objectives: to blend in with the existing conservative community, while fulfilling the homeowners' wish for a modern, one-of-a-kind design. The architects created a multi-volume structure that offers all the living space (6,500 sq. ft. of it!) without the overwhelming scale. A pair of two-storey structures topped with gabled roofs offer a traditional look suited to the neighborhood. Between them, a single-storey pavilion visually connects the two taller volumes while creating a more-intimate welcome into this house.

This picturesque setting in Wilson, Wyoming is surrounded by grassy fields and the Teton mountains towering in the distance. This stunning view is maximized by the upward-tilting roof that invites the views into its glass-enclosed interiors.

The distinctive roofs hang over the home, creating a perimeter of sheltered outdoor areas for lounging and watching the world go by in any weather. Between the two double volumes, the central pavilion features an extended overhanging roof that launches the main living area into the outdoors.

A skylight, a couple of Adirondack chairs, blue sky and mountains - what more could you ask for in this countryside setting?

The three volumes take shape around a private courtyard which offers an intimate experience of nature within this rambling meadowed and mountainous region.

A modern, industrial-style spiral staircase looks like a ribbon of steel, winding from the ground to the upper level of one of the volumes - an alfresco take on the traditional stairway.

The cedar-clad house seems to recede into the countryside background, but for its contemporary touches of glass. By night, the home becomes a warmly lit lantern, illuminated only by the light of the moon and the glow from the fire pit.

A cast concrete fireplace rises into the sky, high above the rooftop - a beacon leading you home through the fields.

The warm, welcoming scenes visible through the glass invite you to enter and unwind by the crackling fire.

Enter into a foyer that is a blend of countryside and contemporary, with every comfort of home. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls illuminate interiors with warm sunlight, enhancing the honey tones of the dominating timber details throughout.

The glass walls also provide a wonderful view from virtually every point in this home.

Interiors are the picture of home, home on the range. The signature corner chimney that anchors the facade also plays a vital part inside, warming up the look and the atmosphere.

The fireplace is a nice traditional element - substantial in its statement of "home" but offset against modern touches like the floor-to-ceiling glass walls and contemporary lighting. The main living area is finished with timber floors and ceilings, and wood-framed windows - the perfect complement to the natural views just on the other side of the glass.

A dividing "half-wall" of rich wood cabinets separates the entertaining area from the kitchen workspace while providing stylish out-of-sight but easily accessible storage.

The kitchen is a scrumptious morsel. This intimate space features light wood floors, dark wood cabinets and ceiling, and a multi-toned brick-style backsplash with a rustic air. Of course, few but fabulous contemporary touches won't be ignored, like the sleek stainless steel appliances and modern cabinetry hardware.

The strong lines of the ceiling boards always lead your eye back to the views.

Just off the kitchen, this small but sweet nook is a lovely spot for cherished family dinners - surrounded by windows.

Of course, if it's a taste of the view you're after, what better place to take in it than from this sheltered outdoor dining area?

A Kimono display was incorporated into the foyer, offering a bit of Far East culture and art to this western land of dude ranches and grassy meadows, which is reflected in the rest of the home. This open entranceway reveals a peek at the home's warm wood palette, perfectly fitting of this location.

A staircase leading up is enclosed in wood slats that lets light from the glass wall on the other side flow freely through the space.

Further to this open aesthetic, this simple yet striking stairway features wood treads and an open rise, creating the effect of a floating sculpture that you can climb. As you step up the stairs, you get a good view of the area on the other side.

The wood-slat wall runs right up to the top floor on one side, while the expansive window wall encloses the other side - we are using the term "encloses" loosely here, with the natural views just on the other side of the glass you almost feel like you're outdoors.

After a tour of the main floor, the bedroom follows suit with a palette of white and wood. The vaulted ceiling enhances this room's sense of space, resulting in a roomy retreat for sleep, rest and reflection. A corner of windows delivers a flood of natural light and views - a perfect place for a sitting area, away from the hubbub of the main floor.

Even cowboys need a little luxury from time to time, and this spa-inspired bathroom is where it's at! Delivering fashion and function, the white subway-tile backsplash and tub enclosure makes a minimalist yet modern finish to this bath.

Outfitted with a luxurious deep soaker tub and a shower, this bathroom offers everything in the way of pampered primping and prepping. The shower's glass enclosure creates the illusion of more space while leaving an open view to the window and beyond.

This amazing walk-in closet is the picture of organized clothing and accessories - cowboy boots and all!

A bird's eye view of the property reveals just how much living space there is in this humble home on the range.

Carney Logan Burke Architects

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Contemporary view house in Mexican paradise

Here's an interesting house design in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico that is all about the views. Elias Rizo Arquitectos designed this contemporary home with an eye outward, always looking toward the heavenly horizon. It is from this vantage point that this modern, vertical design came together. It's almost like a home sliced in half, its glass facade showcasing a cross-section of life within. Depending on how to look at it, this house is as much about the view in as it is the view out. Here's a tour.

Making the most of the panoramas and of the sultry climate, this resort-style house plan incorporates expansive outdoor living areas, like open terraces on every level, which are sheltered and separated by natural wood panels, giving this modern house a connection to the earth. At ground level, an inviting aqua pool stretches alongside an alfresco lounging and dining area, complete with a barbecue for outdoor cooking at its finest. A sliding glass wall opens to the indoor living room, dining area and kitchen.

From street view, this house is very unassuming, with its low, unpretentious profile peeking over the street. Its casual-cool look features a flat single level (at least, what looks like a single level from this side!) enclosed in a wide, wood-slat wall and a steel grate gate.

Gated but not closed off, the perforated facade affords onlookers and visitors a sneak peek at what's hidden behind this humble exterior. Illuminated from within, the home's warm with wood details, and at the same time cool with its open rear wall overlooking the water.

You would never guess it, but beyond the main entry is a world of luxury and unrivalled views, waiting to be seen and enjoyed.

As you continue through the home's entrance - which is an experience unto itself! - natural yet luxurious materials like wood, stone and marble keep it rooted to its Eden-esque surroundings. Though earthy and organic, this home's contemporary style hits you instantaneously. Glass balconies lead you toward the open view - a temptation you just can't resist.

This little wood walk-out brings an alluring new meaning to the term, "walk the plank," seeming to launch you out into the watery paradise on the horizon. The walkway is enclosed in frameless glazed half-walls that deliver safety without compromising the view.

Glance down to catch the swirling waves lapping at the rocky shoreline directly below you.

A little further off in the distance, sparkling city lights and deep blue bay are visible from every point in this home. These prime vistas remain unobstructed thanks to barely-there glass walls enclosing the pool-sides, patio and balconies.

Interiors are the epitome of contemporary cool, awash in a minimalist white backdrop, but warmed up with driftwood details and furniture inspired by nature. Natural light illuminates every nook and cranny.

The kitchen echoes the home's modern yet earthy style sentiment, featuring crisp white upper cabinets and floors in contrast to the deep wood lowers, and marble countertops and backsplash veined with black, white and every shade of grey. Like a black-and-white photo, the look is timeless.

Expansive glazing extends sightlines as far as the eye can see, creating the illusion of endless interiors. Just on the other side of the glass, balconies boast neat exterior landscaping that transforms them into outdoor living areas.

The interiors are distinctly ultra-modern, with organic elements that keep calling back to nature. Not that you'd forget the outdoors, with panoramas like these!

The views are framed by the terraces' wood walls and overhead shelters, offering a seamless transition from indoors out.

The master bedroom is a veritable dream, featuring a gauzy palette of white walls, white floors and a white-curtained four-posted bed that defines this cool, sweet retreat. A sliding, slatted wood wall lets slivers of light stream in and when opened, the double doors flood the room with bright sunlight.

At the other side of the bed, a wood wall separates the sleeping area from the ensuite bath. In front of this partition, an amazing, raw driftwood table showcases the beauty that nature is capable of.

Looking in, this bathroom is a luxurious spa retreat of marble, porcelain and glass. This delicate white space is a haven from the hectic day-to-day. (Not that this resort-style house has a single hectic inch of space, from what we can see!)

Looking out, this bathroom makes you feel like you're bathing in the outdoors. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls transform this bathroom into a pseudo alfresco space.

This wonderful white-and-wood combination is an ongoing trend throughout this whole house, creating a sense of continuity as you effortlessly float your way from room to room.

The view from above instantly draws your eye to the swimming pool below - an aquamarine spot among the surrounding stone landscape.

But if we're comparing views, this view from the pool is the ultimate scene, with the cool blue pool melting into the sea blending into the sky.

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