20 Striking Images Of The Beautiful Ruins of Detroit

Sep 10, 2015

Detroit, MI. Once one of the worlds great cities. Born from the automobile industry and fueled by the WW2 war machine, Detroit rose to socio-economic prosperity at the turn of the 20th century. This period of wealth survived for decades until economic tragedy brought the city to its knees. Once an American treasure, Detroit has been largely abandoned and reduced to a tragic ruin of crumbling concrete and twisted steel.

Photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have found beauty in that tragedy. In their book The Ruins of Detroit, they explore the far reaches of the rubble, effectively telling the story of the city’s demise. The images are striking, and show us how easily and swiftly our empires can fall.

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These Awe-Inspiring Treehouses Will Sweep You Off Your Feet…Literally

Sep 8, 2015

No matter what your age, the idea of having a treehouse always captivates our imagination, spurring a sense of freedom and escape. And nobody does it better than Artistree, the skilled builder who created these magnificent examples for Cypress Valley Canopy Tours.

The Nest, inspired by the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, features a number of inter-connected units accessible via stairs, ladders, and bridges.

“I love the feeling of awe. We’ve all felt it at some point or another in our lives, probably more when we were kids. Feelings of awe seemingly break the shackles off one’s imagination, and open a world of possibilities.”

– Will Beilharz, treehouse designer / ArtisTree Homes

The Lofthaven is a smaller, albeit still incredible option for guests, designed to accommodate two people.

Photo courtesy of Artistree Homes

Aside from offering a magical escape for its guests, Cypress Canopy has plenty of other things to keep you entertained, from an exciting zipline to a more relaxing private waterfall bath.

This Unique “Ultra Green” Building Is Covered In A Green-Wall Exoskeleton

Sep 7, 2015

Brazilian architecture firm Triptyque have designed an office building in Sao Paolo that not only collects rain water, but utilizes a sophisticated filtration and delivery system to irrigate naturally insulating green walls. A maze-like network of water pipes snake up and down the building’s facades, fitted with misters that provide the living walls with freshly recycled rain water.

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The project is an ecological experiment aimed at challenging how society deals with water – how it can be collected, recycled, and redistributed with little need for waste or run-off. In addition to the green wall system, a series of planted roofs further mitigate the structures environmental footprint. When the misting nozzles are on full tilt, the building is enveloped in what appears to be a stationary cloud, reinforcing the issue of water conservation in both function and aesthetic.

In 2010, the unique green features won this office building the ‘Built Environment’ award from the Zumtobel Group.

19 Beautiful Forest Cabins That Will Make You Wish You Were A Hobbit

Sep 5, 2015

Forest cabins hold a special place in many of our hearts. There is a calm serenity, a quiet solitude, a comforting familiarity that accompanies a rustic old cottage. For your viewing pleasure, here is a collection of 19 such structures, all neatly tucked into their surrounding canopy of elms, oaks, maples and pines. Enjoy!

Someone definitely wrote a novel here.

Just stop with that sun perfectly filtering through the trees.

I guess Fall is when you take pictures of your cabin.

Lights, camera, cabin!

No cabin is complete without a creepy, overgrown driveway.

Hobbit party.

If there isn’t a German living in there, I’ll give you a thousand dollars (I won’t, actually).

Every forest cabin needs a pool. Wait, what?

For the modernly inclined forest dweller.

Abe Lincoln would be proud.

No swing? You call that a porch?

Pretty run of the mill, right? Get it?

I got nothing.

Be one with the forest.

Ghost face cabin.

Use the forest, Luke. Use the forest.

Did I already use my ‘mill’ pun?

Peeping Tom’s cabin.

All that’s missing is an ogre and a talking donkey.

You’ve Never Seen A Pre-Fab Cabin Quite Like This

Sep 3, 2015

Pre-fabricated architecture has taken the world by storm in the last decade, and it’s easy to see why. Build a house in a factory and piece it together on a plot of land hundreds of miles away, all in a matter of weeks? Count me in. There are, however, limitations to this type of construction, forcing architects to adhere to a box that will fit neatly on the back of a flat bed truck.

The thing about Swedish designer Torsten Ottesjö? He isn’t really into limitations.

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Ottesjö works for Cargo Collective, who aimed to take pre-fab to the a-typical limit. They ended up with an organic, curvilinear form that flies in the face of everything we’re used to seeing in factory-built structures. The cabin is inspired by an abundant native fish, and consists of a single open space that slithers its way through the landscape. Local wood species are draped inside and out, further tying this one-of-a-kind modular building into it’s final resting place.

Students Design Retro-Rustic Offgrid Nomad Camper For Easy Towing

Sep 2, 2015

The housing crisis may be over, but plenty of people all over still face the challenge of trying to find a place to call home. This retro-rustic styled dwelling is one of the prototypes from +FARM‘s summer design studio, where students immerse themselves in design and construction practices, attempting to bring new solutions to fruition.

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The 2015 Nomad Studio shown here is modest, but beautiful, with a tiny 8′ x 5′ interior that sleeps two and quickly transforms into a lounge space. It has deployable solar panels that create 1kw, powering the coffee maker and film projector, and there’s even a stowable composting toilet hidden away.

Photos courtesy Andrew Nisbet

Beautiful Tiny A-Frame Nestled Among The Redwoods

Sep 1, 2015

Drive north of San Francisco a few hours and you enter a part of California that’s unlike most of the rest of the state. The sandy beaches are replaced by rocky shores, and the vast desert plains by lush rolling hills filled with massive Redwoods. This little A-frame seems like the perfect escape, located just a short drive from the Sonoma Coast and some historic old towns.

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Interested in staying at this beautiful little A-Frame? You can rent it via Airbnb.

Young Couple Used Recycled Windows To Build This Incredible Glass House

Aug 31, 2015

Chipped paint, faded finishes and dingy old glass didn’t stop this couple from up-cycling an array of discarded windows and salvaged wood into unbelievable DIY home. The unique facade is the focus of a home that they build entirely out of recycled materials – a project that cost them only $500!

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Photographer Nick Olson and designer Lilah Horwitz designed and built this low-cost cabin retreat among the picturesque West Virginian mountains. They aimed to construct a space that would act as a vessel to fuel both of their creative endeavors. It had to be unique, inspiring, and above all else – cheap.

“We were able to make it a reality because we are first artists and creators. We had to be resourceful to do it cheaply,” explained Nick.

A nearby abandon barn provided plenty of charm and salvaged materials to draw design cues from (not to mention free resources). While the cabin isn’t their primary residence, the couple frequents it as much as they can to recharge their creative batteries and marvel at the collective potential of their efforts.

Disgusting Old Cave Turned Into A Seriously Luxurious Home

Aug 27, 2015

23-year-old Alexis Lamoureux’s story is a familiar one. The French national from a picturesque French village on the banks of the Loire River was left scrambling after losing his bartending job at a struggling local bar. He and his girlfriend faced few options pitted against soaring housing prices that plagued many European nations.

Converted Cave

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Where Alexis’ story goes from there? Not so common. An opportunity presented itself in the form of what some would describe as a troglodyte home that was once owned by his great aunt. Call it what you will, it’s basically a decrepit old network of hallways and rooms carved into the side of a mountain. In other words, it’s a cave. Add in 25 years of neglect and a heaping pile of garbage and you’ve got yourself the situation Alexis found himself in after purchasing the home from auction for the towering sum of 1 euro.

The transformation that took place next is nothing short of astonishing as you can see.

Luxurious Modern Shipping Container Home in Venice, CA

Aug 21, 2015

This beautiful example of a shipping container home is found in Venice, CA and consists of three 20′ containers joined together. Each container has a unique purpose in the layout, with one serving as a home office, another as a kitchen, and the third as the bedroom and bathroom.

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Images © ipme

Take a video tour of the property

This is a perfect example of container housing done right, with a nice blend of style and comfort. The luxury finishes such as skylights, custom cabinets, and even a steam room add a nice touch to the space, and make it feel like a very upscale place to live.