#hobbit-houses

#hobbit-houses

Achaphubuil, a tiny hamlet, is surrounded by mountains and ancient forest, making it an ideal location for artists seeking beauty, privacy, and peace.

Kobe is a city where the sea and mountains are close together, with its urban area spreading across the slopes at the base of the mountains. In the Sannomiya area, the current city center, the most important urban axis connecting the sea to the mountains is Flower Road, running north-south from Shin-Kobe Station to the port.

Design is but a story. You may not realize it, yet every time you invest in a new sheet set, pick up a cozy blanket, or add a darling vintage tray to your nightstand, you're building a narrative for your space. Just like a novel, your bedroom is a page-by-page opportunity to embark on an adventure.

What began as a modest brief for a young and growing family soon evolved into a considered renovation that reimagines an existing Barwon Heads home. The original house had endured several unsympathetic alterations over the years, leaving it disjointed and built to a poor standard.

TiggColl has completed the interior architecture for Canvas Arthur House in Wembley, north west London, with a welcoming and liveable scheme that is rich in texture and materiality, creating a new benchmark for next-generation student housing.

The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) produces its whiskey, gin, vodka and liqueur from heritage wheat and rye varieties rediscovered in the thatch of medieval roofs. It's an example of the extraordinary lengths the distillers go here to create their unique flavours while building a regenerative farming system along the way. Tour the distillery to find out all about the processes involved,

Tolkien begins with a pas­sage that first describes the crea­ture Gol­lum; lis­ten­ing to this descrip­tion again, I am struck by how much dif­fer­ent­ly I imag­ined him when I first read the book. The Gol­lum of The Hob­bit seems some­how hoari­er and more mon­strous than many lat­er visu­al inter­pre­ta­tions. This is a minor point and not a crit­i­cism, but per­haps a com­ment on how nec­es­sary it is to return to the source of a myth­ic world as rich as Tolkien's,

The best places to visit in May take advantage of that elusive window of perfect weather as spring turns to summer, when it's not too hot and it's not too cold-all you need is a light jacket. That frees up essential space in our carry-ons (big puffy jackets and thermal leggings can stay home, finally), creating more room for souvenirs from wherever we may go.

Text description provided by the architects.

The owners accused their new house of being a tad cold and imposing. Designed about 15 years ago by eminent Australian firm Cera Stribley with interiors by Hecker Guthrie, the stone structure presented an impressive modernist take on a ski chalet. "It was conceived as a robust, contemporary alpine house with a strong architectural framework and limited palette, very disciplined and intentional," says designer Brahman ("Brem") Perera. "My clients asked me to step in to soften the interiors," Brem continues. "They deeply appreciated the architecture, but felt the spaces leaned a little austere and formal for how they wanted to live." The family retreat, located slope side on Australia's Mount Buller, has since been given an impressive makeover, courtesy of grained wood paneling, glazed brick, patterned textiles, and a lot of inviting landing spots.

High in the Pyrenees, where forests, rock, and weather dictate their own quiet rules, Forestone Cabin appears less like a building and more like a geological event. At just 20 square meters, this experimental wooden dwelling does not announce itself as architecture in the conventional sense. Instead, it feels as though it has always been there, something solid that rolled down the mountain long before anyone thought to give it a name.

Dubbed Casetta Tessino, a tiny and modern treehouse by Olin Petzold stands in the woods of Valle Onsernone, Switzerland. Completed in early 2024, the elevated timber structure sits apart from an existing house on a steep, forested plot near the village of Loco, positioned as a place for writing and short-term retreat. The commission came from a Swiss artist and climate activist seeking a secluded writer's workspace away from the main house.