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The Kondyor Massif is a circular intrusion of igneous rock in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. Intrusive rock forms when magma penetrates existing rock, crystallizes, and solidifies underground. Kondyor Massif is about 2,000 feet (600 m) tall and 5 miles (8 km) in diameter. A stream flowing from it carries platinum, gold, and Konderite — a combination of copper, platinum, rhodium, lead, and sulphur.

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57.586300°, 134.653200°

Source imagery: Maxar

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Behind a traditional travertine facade in Rome a vibrant green onyx monolith awaits. Designed by the brand’s co-founder, Giada Forte, and her partner, creative director Robert Vattilana, this fashion boutique dutifully captures the city’s harmonious relationship with contrasts.

The store is the brand’s eighth outpost, with others located in places like Milan, Paris and London. Every location follows a different rhythm, telling unique and multifaceted stories yet with shared elements that tie them together into the enveloping narrative of Forte Forte.

Located on Via Borgognona, in the 4th district of Rome, the area was once the heart of the Campo Marzio. Full of artists and littered with character, the design looks to the streets rich history to mark a new chapter for the brand. Housed in a historic building that’s heritage protected, sage green fixtures are a light and present touch against the fortress of travertine.

Related: The Shifting Feminine Aesthetic: Forte Forte Store in Paris by Robert Vattilana & Giada Forte.

The onyx, sourced in Afghanistan, was chosen for its unique design that contains a history at least as long as the cities in the loops of its marbling. In a city of travertine, it’s a welcome surprise that feels modern rather than baroque. Treated in large symmetrical blocks and worked to obtain a matte surface its particular mineral structure forms nuanced transparency when in contact with light.

Like a scenic box the entire perimeter of the interior is illuminated by a cascade of light. Divided into two spaces by a triptych mirror mounted to the wall and a large curved shield in sage green the ceiling in the initial part of the shop is white with overlapping dynamic bands, while the second area features luminous portholes puncturing its white plaster ceiling.

The back wall has panels in polished brass folding in on themselves, anchored by elegant stitching. A glossy accent against the onyx, it’s also used to form shelving, mirrors and wobbly clothing rails – a familiar fixture found in other Forte Forte outposts across the globe.

Related: Forte Forte Boutique in Milan by Art Director Robert Vattiliana.

Brass hinged doors perforated with more portholes reveal feminine, boudoir–like interiors draped in luxurious sage–coloured capitonné velvet. Furniture acts as an eclectic balance to the tasteful materiality, a circular bench carved from a block of agglomerate wraps around a cloud-shaped pot containing a plant with surreally giant leaves. Found objects give the volume a lived-in feel with collected items like books, pottery and labradorite, jasper and pink quartz stones on display across from the dressing rooms.

Marking their first creative partnership in Rome, the store reflects the same traits and personality that define all their successive branches and encompass the brand identity as a whole. Refined colours and light wabi-sabi imperfections coalesce in timeless classicism.

Related: Forte Forte London Store by Robert Vattilana & Giada Forte.

| The article Forte Forte Rome: An Onyx Cube in the Eternal City. appeared first on Yellowtrace. |

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The French Polynesian islands of Taha’a (top) and Raiatea (bottom) form a keyhole shape in the South Pacific Ocean. The two islands are enclosed by the same coral reef and may once have been a single landmass. Taha’a has a population of roughly 5,200 and Raiatea is home to about 12,500 people.

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-16.816667°, -151.450000°

Source imagery: Airbus Space
© CNES 2020, Distribution Airbus DS

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In the 15 years since Jen Lowe transitioned from the art world into design, she developed a reputation for delivering projects with rigorous attention to detail and artfully integrated storytelling. Lowe is the founder of South Freemantle-based Ohlo Studio, whose creative output has continuously impressed me with original, spirited interiors and thoughtful curation of objects that deliver the unexpected. Beyond the ingenious attention to detail and materiality, Ohlo Studio’s work is rich in meaning and cognizant of history.

Transforming this run-down modernist coastal home in Perth‘s City Beach could not have landed in a better lap. Lowe worked in close collaboration with architect Simon Pendal and landscape designer/ architect Steven Postmus from CAPA. The trio’s latest project, Dune House, is an honest and sophisticated retreat for a young couple passionate about food, art, coastal lifestyle and the preservation of design history.

“Having purchased a dilapidated 60s home with a garden in equal disrepair, [our clients’] intent to restore rather than demolish was questioned by neighbours and estate agents alike, bucking Perth’s general pursuit of perpetual newness,” says Pendal.

In keeping with true modernist principles, the guiding ethos for Dune House was better space rather than more space. The existing footprint was converted from the cramped, 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom house into an airy 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home. In addition, new exterior openings offer a compelling connection to the landscape where the soft-yellow concrete pathway delineates an undulating journey from the front letterbox to the rear garden as the designs’ uniting device.

Responding to the architectural form and materiality, Lowe injected the restrained interior shell with nuanced, richly textured and colourful furniture and objects. The collection of primarily Western Australian art was carefully curated to complement the clients’ existing pieces. A series of plinths and ledges dotted throughout the home allow ample space for these collections to continue to grow over time.

“The combination of a simple, coastal palette and a richly coloured interior scheme took inspiration from ‘La Ricarda’, designed by Architect Antoni Bonet i Castellana in 1963,” explains Lowe. “Like ‘La Ricarda’, Dune House was designed with its natural surroundings in mind and incorporates furniture pieces created specifically for the house.”

The clients, who operate a much-loved gelato business in Perth, and their love of food and entertaining drove the practical aspects of the design. “The kitchen has instantly become their favourite room of the house, both for its operational ease and the connection with the rest of the living areas,” says Lowe. “As talented cooks and devoted entertainers, this was an essential part of the brief.”

Dune House possesses an air of ease and displays seamless integration across the three principal design disciplines – Landscape, Architecture and Interiors. Cascading from a place of mutual agreement, underpinned by the client’s absolute commitment to preserving and regenerating history, all parts of the collaboration focused on delivering a level of detail, quality and function that supports a life of ease without excess.

| The article A Life of Ease Without Excess: Dune House in Perth by Ohlo Studio, Simon Pendal & Steven Postmus. appeared first on Yellowtrace. |

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Today is Juneteenth, a U.S. federal holiday to commemorate the day in 1865 when liberation of the last African-American slaves was announced in the city of Galveston, Texas. The 156-year-old celebration, also known as Jubilee Day, is considered the longest running African-American holiday. Galveston, which is now home to about 50,000 residents, is shown here next to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

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29.281111°, -94.825833°

Source imagery: Maxar

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Circuit Paul Ricard is a motorsport track at Le Castellet, near Marseille, France. The track is known for its distinctive black and blue runoff areas, called the Blue Zone. Additional deeper runoff areas, known as the Red Zone, use a more abrasive surface designed to maximize tire grip and minimize braking distance. This weekend, Formula 1 travels to Paul Ricard for the French Grand Prix — qualifying runs begin tomorrow and the race takes place on Sunday.

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43.250556°, 5.791667°

Source imagery: Maxar

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This Timelapse of Shasta Lake in Northern California compares water levels in late June 2020 to a recent image in late May 2021. Surface elevation of the reservoir — formed by the impounding of the Sacramento River — was at 1,016 feet (309.6 m) in the first image and was already down to 959 feet (292.3 m) at an earlier stage in the summer this year. This difference of 57 feet (17.4 m) equates to a volume loss of more than 1.1 million acre feet, or 359 billion gallons — enough water to fill an Olympic swimming pool 550,000 times. Currently, about 95% of California is experiencing a severe drought as rising temperatures dwindle snowpack and reservoirs across the state see record-low inflows.

40.760200°, -122.371900°

Source imagery: Maxar

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Designed as a temporary space for weary travellers, this hotel in Chengdu bucks the hectic urban sprawl, opting for quiet sophistication on the outskirts of the city. With a minimalist mindset, interior design practice Archetype Design Organization has extensively renovated the three-storey building balancing mid-century modern and traditional Chinese influences with strict Bauhaus-style functionality.

The charcoal wooden facade feels brutalist in structure but organic in materiality. Acting as a shelter, it connects to the original building with mustard tiles peeping out from the discreet entrance. The tiles follow through to the reception, their geometric shapes plastered across the walls and a curved ceiling.

Related: #YellowtraceTravels: The Temple House Chengdu, China.

Careful consideration is placed on function in this design as Archetype explores daily life through the shape of space. Characterised by clean lines, and uncluttered rooms, traditional hotel amenities like a bar, gym, restaurants and office area are visually presented in a new way to allow living, playing, working and socialising to all sit in concise harmony.

Inside a palette of earthy hues and natural materials like dark wood, stone and ceramics soften the rigid formality of the rectilinear forms. Slim rectangular floor and wall tiles contrast with the organic texture of wood grain and marble veining. Dimly lit in the public areas guests are guided by a warm glow that envelops them into the welcoming and comforting atmosphere.

From the sphere’s in the foyer to the frosted oval inserts in the balustrade, rounded details juxtapose with the right-angled composition. Besides being bright and airy the guest rooms don’t divert from this existing program, a caramel leather headboard and accents of red mingle with the signature dark wood, beige tiles and brown marble.

Cinematic in execution, Buda oozes with understated elegance. Luxuriously minimalist, this fit for purpose hotel may not be big, but as Archetype categorises, it “fits like a glove”.

| The article Buda Hotel Chengdu by Archetype Design Organization. appeared first on Yellowtrace. |

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San Sebastián, or Donostia, is a coastal city on the Bay of Biscay in northern Spain. It sits at the mouth of the River Urumea and has been built to a large extent on the river’s wetlands over the last two centuries. San Sebastián’s 186,000 residents enjoy its three beaches — Concha, Ondarreta, and Zurriola — which are all visible in this Overview.

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43.321389°, -1.985556°

Source imagery: Maxar

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“When we saw the dimensions of the site, we found it an interesting challenge to try to solve our client’s needs with local materials and low environmental impact”, says architect Sergio Portillo Alarcón, founder of Arquitectura Sergio Portillo, about this two-storey, 465-square-metre residential project designed for a couple with three children, in Mexico City.

For this house, which has a 16-metre façade facing the street, the starting point was the rectangular geometry and flat topography of the lot. Protecting the spaces from the noise coming from the busy city avenue where the home is located was also key during the design process.

The architect decided to create two main bodies, separating public and private areas through several courtyards, each with its own specific character and feel. “It is a house that generates dialogues between the spaces and their immediate surroundings, between exterior and interior, between solids and voids”, says Portillo Alarcón. “It takes you from one space to another through different experiences.”

The first single-level block comprises the main access, garage service quarters, living room, dining room and kitchen. The second two-level block is home to a living room, study and guest bedroom on the ground floor while three bedrooms overlooking the rear garden and central courtyard occupy the upper floor. A corridor connects the two volumes, acting like a glass bridge and transitional area while providing access to the patios.

“We wanted to generate different atmospheres depending on the space and its use throughout a narrative of local materials that sought to connect its inhabitants with the essence of the place”, says Portillo Alarcón.

Natural textures and soft colours were used throughout, with a focus on local materials in their raw state such as exposed concrete, oak wood and quarry stone. “We wanted to use brick but we were looking for a sober tone, not orange like the conventional brick”, explains Portillo Alarcón, who ultimately chose white clay brick. “We tried not to use prefabricated materials, such as aluminium, so we made the windows and doors of ironwork with adjustments and custom solutions solved on site. This made the construction process mostly artisanal.”

Related: Bricks Decoded: Knockout Brick Houses.

The same peaceful atmosphere with neutral hues continues inside where the architect put special emphasis on lighting fixtures, using them as statement pieces in the different spaces. For example, a pair of 18-inch, brass Bola Disc pendants hangs above the dining table from Pablo Designs, Trufa pendant lights by David Pompa adorn the kitchen and Zeppo wall lamps by Astro Lighting are placed in the bathrooms.

“Through our projects, we strive to generate an emotion or an experience that will remain in the memory of those who live it”, says Portillo Alarcón. With this home, he certainly achieved that.

| The article Casa Mika by Arquitectura Sergio Portillo. appeared first on Yellowtrace. |