Simone Schleifer

In Small Kitchens, ideas and inspirations for contemporary kitchen design are offered, which are representative of a limited use area for today’s residential requirements. Recognized designers and architects as well as renowned manufacturers show that it is entirely possible to unite functionality and aesthetics and to transfer these concepts to a small use area.

This compilation of projects from around the world pays special attention to the particular features of each space, within the common restriction of a limited surface area. The range of projects will be of interest to not only architects and designers but also residents of modern cities, therebly creating basic tool for understanding how architects, designers, or owners of small apartments approach a project involving minimal living space.

The origins of lofts can be traced back to the New York of 1950s: at that time, artists and bohemians in search of cheap places to live and work began to move into abandoned late-nineteenth-century industrial buildings. As such, they unknowingly created what we now refer to as the loft. This book provides examples from huge industrial spaces to small premises where architects have to take the fullest possible advantage of the spatial possibilities to create a feeling of greater expansiveness. The ideas come from some of the most renowned architects in the world, and they can be applied to a variety of spaces and interpreted in different ways to suit personal tastes and satisfy specific requirements.

This work presents new ways of inhabiting and experimenting with distribution, materials, textures and light. Innovative solutions to limited spaces are implemented in many different ways and reflect this contemporary lifestyle full of creativity and originality. When it comes to living comfortably in a small house, there are many practical resources available: for example, in new buildings or conversions, it is possible to eliminate rooms that are not essential, such as hallways and corridors, and add the saved space to the main living area. This book offers a selection of original, imaginative projects, representing the current urban living space. Apart from the variety of styles and programmatic requirements, all of them have something in common: the reduction to what is truly necessary from a house, generated through a limited amount of square feet. Unique projects, created by worldwide famous designers, have been selected to reflect the new ways of inhabiting and experimenting with distribution, materials, textures and light. These projects are examples of interior micro-urbanism, of how design can mould a space to make it personal, functional and aesthetically pleasing.

This title features 55 outstanding lofts from all over the world. Lofts are apartments that are generally built into former industrial buildings. They have their origins in the New York of the 1950s. At that time, artists and bohemians in search of cheap places to live and work began to move into abandoned late-nineteenth-century industrial buildings that once had been sweatshops, furniture companies, printmaker shops, warehouses, depositories, and factories. They seized to create a new American version of the Parisian artist's atelier. Nowadays, the tendency to convert warehouses and factories into homes has extended everywhere. Once low-cost living spaces for artists, often occupied illegally by students, they have grown into elegant, luxurious residences reserved for a wealthy elite. This book provides 55 lofts from all over the world, from huge industrial to small business spaces. It is rounded off with more than 600 illustrations, architectural plans and computer graphics.

In the form of sketches, material proposals and design examples for interior and exterior use, Ecological Inspirations shows exciting buildings that propose sustainable ecological solutions.

This book contains practical ideas that make the most of every room in your apartment or house.

This book not only presents all kinds of green spaces in private and public areas, it also gives tips for the design and planning of a garden or a planted space outdoors.