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Vue lecture

This Spanish Home Uses Curved Roofs and Cork Walls to Stay Naturally Cool

Some houses make their presence known through bold shapes, while others seem to grow naturally from the landscape.  Casa Vereda, designed by L’Aura Ortín Architecture For Happiness, finds a balance between the two. Set in the Spanish countryside, the residence draws inspiration from regional construction traditions, agricultural heritage, and Mediterranean living. Its curved roofs, earthy materials, and distinctive green shutters give the home a contemporary identity that feels rooted in its surroundings.

The architecture is defined by a succession of curved rooflines that ripple across the long, low structure. Constructed using traditional Catalan vaulting techniques and handcrafted bricks, these sculptural forms reference a building method deeply embedded in Spanish architectural history. The exterior is finished in pale sprayed cork, creating a continuous texture across the walls and roof while helping regulate temperature and moisture.

Designer: L’Aura Ortín Architecture For Happiness

A row of tall, leaf green shutters adds a vibrant contrast to the neutral facade. Inspired by traditional Mallorcan designs, the shutters were custom-designed by the architects and made from powder-coated aluminum to provide shade, privacy, and security. Surrounded by vegetation, the house takes on an almost agricultural appearance, recalling the farm buildings and cultivated terraces that characterize the region.

Alongside the residence, a spacious patio paved with handcrafted terracotta tiles creates an inviting outdoor gathering space. The earthy flooring references the area’s agricultural heritage, while large glass doors connect the terrace directly to the interiors. Adjustable shutters help control sunlight throughout the day, making the transition between indoors and outdoors comfortable even during warmer months.

Inside, the living room unfolds beneath a dramatic Catalan vaulted ceiling made from handcrafted bricks in varying shades of terracotta, pink, and sandy beige. The exposed brick brings warmth and texture to the spacious interior, contrasting with smooth white walls and polished terrazzo flooring. Beyond its appearance, the terrazzo contributes to passive temperature regulation by absorbing warmth from the winter sun and staying cool during summer when the shutters are closed.

Modular sofas and ottomans upholstered in rust colored fabric form a comfortable seating arrangement around a simple pine coffee table. A freestanding black fireplace separates the lounge from the dining area without interrupting the open layout. Tall glass doors flood the space with daylight, while cherry-toned timber doors and pale wooden cabinets complete the warm material palette.

The adjoining dining area features a long, pale timber table paired with matching chairs and benches. A simple white dome pendant hangs overhead, while a low wooden sideboard provides storage along the wall. The exposed brick ceiling stretches across the space, adding character to an otherwise minimal setting.

Beside the dining room, the kitchen introduces richer tones through pine cabinetry lacquered in a cherry finish. The reddish wood contrasts with light colored countertops, while a long island provides additional workspace and casual seating with timber stools. Integrated appliances and streamlined cabinetry maintain a clean appearance, allowing the natural materials and vaulted ceiling to remain the focal points.

The bedrooms continue the home’s restrained aesthetic, with exposed brick vaults, white walls, pale terrazzo floors, and natural timber furniture. Unlike the communal areas, these rooms have lower ceilings that create a more intimate atmosphere while making them easier to heat and cool. In the main bedroom, a simple wooden bed is accompanied by a floating bedside table, neutral bedding, and a full-length mirror. The second bedroom features a single timber bed, a compact desk, and a matching wardrobe, with a mustard colored throw adding a subtle pop of color. Glass doors fitted with slatted shutters provide natural light and ventilation while allowing occupants to adjust privacy and shade.

The bathrooms introduce a softer palette through pale gray rectangular wall tiles, warm pink cabinetry, and terracotta colored vessel sinks. One features a floating vanity with a white countertop and round mirror, while the other includes a wider vanity and a large rectangular mirror reflecting the walk-in shower opposite. Contemporary fixtures and minimal glass detailing keep the spaces open and bright, with exposed brick ceilings maintaining continuity throughout the interiors.

Architectural drawings reveal a long, single-story layout organized around everyday functionality. A two-car garage occupies one end, the open living, dining, and kitchen spaces form the center, and the bedrooms and bathrooms sit toward the opposite end. The communal spaces open directly onto the generous terrace, strengthening the home’s relationship with its garden and surroundings.

Casa Vereda finds its charm in the thoughtful reinterpretation of familiar architectural elements. The curved brick vaults, Mallorcan-inspired shutters, terracotta surfaces, and cork exterior serve practical purposes while giving the residence a distinctive identity. Through a careful balance of traditional craftsmanship, passive climate strategies, and contemporary interiors, L’Aura Ortín Architecture For Happiness has created a home that feels entirely at ease with its rural Mediterranean setting.

The post This Spanish Home Uses Curved Roofs and Cork Walls to Stay Naturally Cool first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Bellavista 11 Folds Thin White Concrete Planes Down an Ibiza Hillside Toward the Sea

Bellavista 11 makes a hillside feel like the starting point of a home rather than a problem to solve. Designed by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos in Roca Llisa, Ibiza, the villa descends toward the Mediterranean through a sequence of white horizontal planes. Its most striking feature is not its size or its pool, but the way its roofs, floors, and terraces appear to belong to one continuous architectural gesture.

The house is the first completed residence in The Roca Views, a development of six homes by the studio. Across three low volumes, the arrangement follows the slope: arrival and garage at the top, shared living spaces in the middle, and five bedrooms below. This descending organization gives the building a legible rhythm, breaking its mass into layers rather than presenting one tall facade to the hillside.

Designer: Fran Silvestre Arquitectos

The defining white concrete plane is just 15 centimeters thick, approximately six inches. Its folds establish roof terraces above the lower volumes and extend outward to shelter outdoor areas. The appeal lies in this double duty: the geometry that gives the villa its identity also helps organize daily life around sun, shade, and time outside.

The central living level brings the kitchen, dining area, and lounge together beside the swimming pool. Full-height sliding glass doors use slender frames and concealed tracks to keep the threshold visually quiet. Open, they connect the rooms to their terraces; closed, they retain the expansive outlook. Below, the bedroom volume faces another outdoor seating area, giving the quieter part of the house its own relationship with the surrounding landscape.

Inside, the material palette softens the precision of the exterior. White walls sit alongside natural stone flooring, oak, and stretched textile ceilings, as detailed by the developer. These surfaces give sunlight different textures to move across, allowing warmth without relying on a busy mix of finishes. In the main bedroom, a private terrace extends the room outward, while motorized curtains offer control over daylight and privacy.

There is a practical counterpoint to all this apparent effortlessness: a house arranged down a slope moves to levels part of everyday living. The developer lists an elevator among the villa’s features, an important detail within such a strongly stepped plan. The project is therefore more interesting as a carefully organized hillside home than as an image of minimalism alone.

Bellavista 11 works best when its sculptural clarity is understood through those ordinary experiences: arriving, descending, opening a door, or finding shade beside the pool. The white planes provide a consistent frame, but the changing Mediterranean light and distant sea supply the variation. Its restraint gives the landscape room to remain the most compelling presence in the house every day.

The post Bellavista 11 Folds Thin White Concrete Planes Down an Ibiza Hillside Toward the Sea first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Lavvu’s Tiny Home Has a Bathtub and Hidden Storage

A full-size bathtub is a wonderfully stubborn thing to put inside a tiny home. Lavvu includes one in its published XL specification, despite having only about 237 square feet to work with. That choice gets straight to the problem these modular homes tackle: shrinking a dwelling without making everyday life feel like a series of concessions. I like that the answer leaves room for a soak.

Lavvu offers four sizes, from roughly 108 to 237 square feet, with the XL credited to architecture studio Re:Büro. The company is promoting the range for preorder, an important distinction between an appealing design and an immediately available place to live. These are furnished homes, but buyers shouldn’t assume that every size includes every feature shown in the company’s presentation. The XL is the clearest expression of the idea.

Designer: Lavvu

In the promotional imagery, rounded corners and vertically ribbed exterior surfaces give the cabins a slightly retro, almost transportation-inspired appearance. Inside, wood-toned surfaces soften that impression. The large glazed end is the visual centerpiece, framing the landscape rather than leaving it outside a small window. I prefer this approach to making a tiny house resemble a miniature suburban one. The proportions acknowledge that you’re occupying a compact space, while giving your eyes somewhere farther away to land.

The kitchen makes a more practical argument. Lavvu specifies a built-in refrigerator, dishwasher, and two-burner induction cooktop, along with a sliding island that adjusts to provide seated legroom or accommodate standing use. That movable surface is a detail I appreciate. A fixed counter has to commit to one relationship with your body. Letting it shift recognizes that breakfast, food preparation, and moving through a narrow room don’t all require the same arrangement. Small spaces need that kind of flexibility more than another decorative flourish.

Storage gets similar attention. The published XL description includes drawers beneath the bed, nearby shelves, and a wardrobe with hanging space and dedicated shoe storage. These aren’t especially glamorous features, which is precisely why they matter. I’m more persuaded by a place to put yesterday’s clothes than by an immaculate room with no visible possessions. Built-in storage gives the design a plausible way to absorb ordinary belongings, although it doesn’t remove the need to edit what you own.

All that glass makes the setting a meaningful part of the design decision, too. The imagery places the cabins beside water and trees, where openness is the attraction. I’d be less enthusiastic about the same arrangement facing a neighbor’s kitchen. For me, the panoramic end makes the most sense as a retreat with a carefully chosen outlook. Privacy deserves as much attention as the view when deciding where one belongs.

“Mobile” also needs a realistic reading here. Lavvu says its homes travel as fully assembled modules on a trailer or flatbed platform. That describes transportable architecture, not a camper you casually hitch up for a weekend. I see the appeal in having the interior assembled before delivery, but the destination still matters. Access arrangements and installation are questions to resolve with the maker, rather than details to mentally crop out of the scenic pictures.

The listed prices reinforce that this is a considered purchase: the smallest S module starts at €45,000, while the XL starts at €75,000, both before tax. Those are the company’s euro-denominated starting prices, not verified delivered prices for an American property. I’d want a site-specific quote, a confirmed equipment list, and delivery details before treating either number as a complete budget. The distinction matters more than a tempting headline price.

For me, Lavvu’s strongest idea is giving small routines enough space to remain recognizable. Sit at a counter with room for your knees. Put shoes away. Keep a book beside the bed. Take a bath if that’s your preferred way to end the day. I wouldn’t mistake this for an easy answer to every housing need, but as a compact retreat, its attention to ordinary domestic habits makes the design worth considering.

The post Lavvu’s Tiny Home Has a Bathtub and Hidden Storage first appeared on Yanko Design.

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