This complex was constructed as a low-income residence for young families and couples in the industrial district of Izola on the Slovenian coast. The project is simply called “Apartments on the coast” and it was designed by OFIS ( we presented another project made by them in this post - Tetris Apartments ). The striking development boasts beautiful views and makes smart use of solar shading and natural ventilation to regulate its interiors all year-round. Designed to mimic the rhythmic structure of honeycomb, the layout creates “dynamic elevations and offers privacy to the neighboring owners.” We’re also impressed by the collaborative effort behind the project which at its core was comprised of a 9-person design team including Rok Oman, Špela Videčnik, Martina Lipicer, Neža Oman, Nejc Batistič, Florian Frey, Marisa Baptista, and špela uršič.

Each of the balcony modules is topped with a colorful textile shade that provides for efficient solar shading and ventilation: “Textile elements fixed on the front of the balconies block direct sunlight and accumulate ‘air buffer’ zone. In the summer, hot air accumulated in the area behind the shadings is naturally ventilated through (10 cm holes) perforated side partitions of the balconies. In the winter the warm air stays in the area and provides additional heating to the apartments.” - Via

I’m pretty sure that most people don’t have apartments large enough so they can have their own gym at home. Now a solution for having a “little gym” in your home come from Postfossil that has a new line called Sports Furniture that looks promising. The sports furniture collection is primarily intended to maintain physical fitness at home but is at the same time a furniture collection that easily blends into the living space. The collection consists of a pull-up-bar, mat, bench, skipping rope and a cup. The bench is a stylish wood bench with storage for other equipment and sturdy enough to workout on. The pull-up bar looks like a piece of sculpture, I mean it’s not hard to look at and more attractive than those doorway mounted pull-up bars. - Via

In these days more and more people live in small apartments, because the prices for buying or renting an apartment are higher and higher every year. Now the most challenging issue with living in a small apartment is not the size of the apartment itself, but all the things you have to organize in a small place. Many apartment dwellers find themselves dealing with overcrowded apartment homes because of the economical advantages, sacrificing functionality for an affordable living arrangement. The solution for this problem is to create a living area that is comfortable, enjoyable, and at the same time maximizing your space. I’ve decided to post a few pictures with small apartments because in the last weeks a few people sent me emails asking me if I can post a few interior design ideas for small apartments, and here are a some interesting projects.

A German company called CarLoft presents an innovative way to solve nightmare parking problems, that can also would be good for people who are tired of having their wheels trashed or stolen. Basically the idea is that you drive your car in to a big lift, which then takes it up to your flat and you drive it out on to the balcony to park, you can see how this work from the pictures below. Now if you’ve ever felt that your car should sleep inside, not in the garage, then CarLoft has just the loft apartment for you. A glass wall separates your elevated garage from your living quarters yet still allows for friends and family to appreciate your wheels. Plans are underway to have CarLoft living spaces built in such European cities as Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg, among others. The lofts, which range in size from 2,411 sq ft to 5,802 sq ft, start at EUR 450,600 ($536,844 US).

Tetris Apartments is an innovative project completed by slovenian architects Ofis in Ljubljana. As you can see from these pictures these apartments are inspired by the well known game named Tetris. The building stands on the edge of the 650 apartments development which was finished year ago. By urban rules the block is 3 floors high and 65 meters long. Since the orientation of the apartments is towards the car road the apartment areas together with balconies are orientated to the quieter south side.