The Dune House. A New Stunning Modern Beach Home in the Village of Thorpeness.

Mole Architects has collaborated with the Norwegian firm Jarmund Visgnaes Architects on this beautiful modern beach house which is located just south of the picturesque village of Thorpeness in Suffolk. The Dune House can accommodate up to nine people with its five bedrooms.

You can book The Dune House for a weekend (3-nights, Friday to Monday), a mid-week break (4-nights, Monday to Friday) or a week (7-nights, Friday to Friday. Prices start from just £760 for a 4-night break (the equivalent of £22 per person per night).




“For us the most interesting tension was to create something that would not only fit in with the local landscape and ‘society’, but would also be refreshingly new”, says director Hakon Vigsnaes. “The gabled roof is particularly ‘English’ – not something you would find in Norway – so we wanted to make a feature of that.”





The roof, clad in a lightly tinted orange steel alloy, reflects the changing colours of the sea and sky and the panoramic windows on the ground floor offer views of the sea, whilst giving the sense of the house being nestled in the dunes. JVA wanted to create more than just a space for sleeping upstairs, so each of the four double bedrooms has a bathtub in it, with windows carefully positioned so that one can lie in warm water and take in views of the North Sea and surrounding meadows. Separate shower and toilet facilities are attached to each room and there is a small library and roof terrace on this floor.






The home has four double bedrooms on the first floor (bedrooms 1 + 2 can be made up as twins), all with a bath in the room, and ensuite shower and WC. On the ground floor, there is one bedroom(with a single bed) and an ensuite shower and WC.








The ground floor, which comprises a living area, kitchen, terrace and further en-suite bedroom, is slightly sunken into the dunes to provide a sense of privacy and a measure of protection from the wind coming off the North Sea. Sliding doors at each corner further help to visually dematerialise the ground floor.



Polished concrete, glass and aluminium predominate on the ground floor, while the upper story is constructed from solid timber planks which are left exposed internally.

Enquire about booking the Dune House here.

Dune House - Project Team:
- Architect: Jarmund/Vigsnæs Architects
- Executive Architect: Mole Architects
- Contractor: Willow Builders
- Structural Engineer: Jane Wernick Associates
- Engineer (Timber superstructure) Eurban
- Quantity Surveyors: Boyden Group LLP
- Clerk of Works: Steve Foot, Techs Project Management

Living Architecture partners at The Dune House:
- Kitchen appliances provided by Miele UK
- Kitchen equipment provided by David Mellor Design
- Bed linen by Peter Reed luxury linen

images courtesy of Mole Architects, Jarmund/Vigsnæs Architects and Living Architecture

Luxury Villas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia By Orange Architects

Orange Architects is a joint collaboration between three architecture firms; JSA, Cimka and Hofman Dujardin. They were established with the design have of three modern luxury villas for a luxurious housing development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Villa Ajmakan, 800m²:









Located on the northwest side of the city of Riyadh, the villa is organized in three living floors. On the majestic ground floor with a ceiling height of almost 4m the formal living, formal dining and the Majilis are located. All of these precious formal rooms have views to the green and the fountains in the garden. Perforated concrete give a sublime light effect to the Majilis. The large formal entrance with la central staircase is lighted through the direct sunlight which enters the core of the house through the water fountain with a glass floor located on the top floor. All of the formal rooms are accessed from the formal entrance. With the use of warm textures, fabrics, tiles and lightning each formal room has a beautiful and warm atmosphere. The formal entrance with white walls and a travertine floor is modern and elegant.












Villa Ajmakan II, 460m²:

The magic and spatial beauty of a natural cavern, a Cenote, with its carved out spaces and halls, was the inspiration of the Orange design team for this assignment. The Cenote appears as an indoor oasis, naturally lit by stripes of daylight that reflect in its enclosed pond. A perfect example of sublime architectural quality, defined by space, material and light. For the Ajmakan prototype villa the concept of the Cenote was translated in a compact spatial stacking of the different rooms, with an exiting internal space in between for disconnecting the different functions. By doing so we are able to position the different parts of the program exactly the way the client wants, and at the same time create architectural excitement. Thereby the concept is flexible and comfortable. Room positions can be altered to individual wishes, but the spatial concept stays the same. Central theme in this concept is the quality of the in-between space. This in- between space, the void, offers strategic views in different directions, both vertical and horizontal, while preventing the villa for an over exposure to the sun. Daylight is directed carefully and deep in to the house and at the same time the void functions as an effective tool for natural ventilation.






Orange Architects, established in 2008, is an intense collaboration with the architectural offices HofmanDujardin from Amsterdam and Cimka from Rotterdam.

Since mid 2010 the cooperation intensified. The three agencies complement each other very well, both in substance and in terms of the additional expertise that the different agencies offer.

Orange has been working since successfully on projects in the Netherlands, Belgium, Ukraine, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

An Orange website is in the process of being developed.

Out Of Reach Real Estate. A $29 Million Dollar Marin Home For Sale.

Most of us, heck... just about every single one of us, can only dream about a house like this. Unless you make a habit of browsing the luxury real estate magazines, few are even aware that a home like this exists, let alone could consider it for purchase.




Presently for sale, offered by Decker Bullock Sothebys International Realty, this 8,000 sq. foot contemporary home and guest house has views to die for from almost every room in the house, except maybe the wine cellar.





Located in Belvedere, just north of San Francisco, the very private, park-like resort is sited on possibly the best water-level parcel in Northern California. Designed by award-wining architects, it weaves along its approximate 220 ft of shoreline, fully integrated with the surrounding natural & man-made beauty.




Facing due south west, the unobstructed and expansive views span the Mount Tamalpais [aka Mt. Tam] ridgeline to the west, through the Bay Bridge to the east, and across the bay to the Sausalito harbor, the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline.





Located on approximately 1.2 acres with 7,900 square feet of view-oriented interior space, the main residence comprises 5 large bedrooms & 5.5 baths, and the separate guest house offers an additional 2 bedrooms and 1 bath.







Views of sunrises, sunsets, and the moon reflecting on the bay waters are accompanied by the calls of the seals and sea gulls. Graceful pelicans glide by the windows, and the ever-changing living-mural of sea life can be watched from the living room.



This destination-home sits alone in its class at the end of the street and can be yours for $28,850,000 USD. If you buy it, let me know. I want to come stay in the guest house.


One Cliff Rd
Marin County
Belvedere, California, United States
$28,850,000 USD
Property ID# 4196883
MLS ID# 20926142