A Dreamy Mixture of Art & Architecture
July 18, 2007 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Home & Living
This post is going up a tad later than planned. Sorry folks. I was dealing with my own offbeat house, as in so offbeat the health department was going to come close up shop if I didn’t clean. Long story short, here’s me cleaning (la, la, la) and losing track of time.
On a positive note I have the most amazing art/architecture to share. I haven’t seen designs I like so much in quite some time. I honestly could not decide what to share, so to allow us to fully appreciate the pieces, I’m going to post just one today and a couple tomorrow.
Background:
Michael Jantzen, whose work I’m sharing today, (and tomorrow) is an internationally known artist and designer. He’s devoted his career to sustainable design (something we love to hear at Offbeat). Jantzen’s been featured in hundreds of publications; Architectural Digest, Wired, Blueprint, The New York Times, Brave New Houses, and City to name some but that’s just a small tip of a much larger iceberg.
This is the amazing M-House.
I named it the “amazing” M-House, It’s actually simply the M-House if you want to get technical; I hear that artists enjoy when you don’t rename their work.
Here’s another exterior view:
Guess my favorite part — you know I have one, I always do. If you guessed the window angle you are super clever and have started to think like me.
New Consumer Magazine offers a nice explanation of the design.
“Designed around his modular, adaptable and ‘relocatable’ M-vironment system, architect-designer Michael Jantzen’s ground-breaking M-House is made up of rectangular panels attached to a framework of interlocking cubes.
The panels are hinged to fold into or out of the cubes in either a horizontal or a vertical orientation. Some of the panels are insulated and contain windows and doors to enclose spaces that can be heated and cooled. Other un-insulated panels, slotted and solid, become platforms, sunshades, and wind and rain deflectors (one of Jantzen’s influences is origami).”
For the rest of the scoop read the whole article.
The origami influence makes sense don’t you think. To read way more about the M-House check out this link.
I know you’re all dying to see the interior right. I hate to disappoint.
I love it. It’s one of the less typical me offbeat homes I’ve shown, but it completely calls to you. It’s serene and calming. I really adore the streams of light that find their way in…
Look how smooth everything is…
The M-House is currently for sale (imagine having this all to yourself). I’d plant cool flowers all around the exterior and then maybe have my jealous friends over for dinner. If interested you can learn more and contact Jantzen at his website Human Shelter.
Tomorrow another great Jantzen piece or two; very different but equally as cool as the M-House.
[All photos courtesy of Michael Jantzen (A very hearty thank you!)]
Oh my goodness! That house is amazing! I have never seen anything like this before.
When it comes to decorating I prefer clean lines. My friends call it boring, I call it refreshing. I love the clean lines of the interior of this house. It just looks so peaceful.
I would like to know who ends up buying it. That would be interesting.
Great post Jennifer!
I agree with Julie ~ it’s deliciously “clean”!
Of course, if my family moved in, my almost-four-year-old would change the ambiance in about 8 milliseconds! And let’s face it–I’m the world’s worst housekeeper.
Jennifer would call to say, “Hey… can I come over to document what you’ve done to the M-House’s interior for a post of Offbeat Homes?” I would pause, clear my throat, then say, “Uh… can we do it some other time… like maybe next year?”
On the bright side, if I moved in to the M-House and cluttered it all up, Jennifer and I could start a new blog: “How Quickly Can You Trash an Architecturally Brilliant House?”
The concept would be picked up by MTV and turned into a reality series. We’d all benefit. Hmmmm…
Thanks for coming by Julie
I’d love to know who buys it as well, they’ll be very lucky.
Angelique, that new blog is a very good idea – high punk-rock kid readership would occur I’m sure. Although, it would be one, that sadly, few architects would enjoy.
wow – I love that house! I’d be tempted to always climb the outside of it. I’m sure there must be a good reading spot there somewhere!
I’ve been to this site a few times I always enjoy what I see. I’ve added you to my feed reader so that I can keep up with the new stuff you’ve added.
My house isn’t anywhere as offbeat as this but it is built into a hill so that it is ground level on three different floors (counting the garage) and has a spiral stair case in it. Anybody can build a boxy ranch. These architects have real talent.
Oh I love how the light gets filtered into all the rooms! Adds such a warm welcoming feel to a house that would other wise give off a very cool feel.
I love the soothing color. This house would be even better by some water somewhere, with one of those eternity pools in the backyard. Mmmm….
Brian, you should send me some pictures of our house
Later this week; well maybe the weekend I’m posting a readers home — but I’d love to post more like that. Rebecca and Liberty thanks for coming by…
You know Liberty, if you buy it it could go by the water somewhere and then you could have me over for tea; or would I need to watch Days too — that might be worth it. It would make a great follow up post! Days of our lives…in the M-House; with tea. So?