Forest Hill Villa designed by Architema has its muse in the principles of the Bauhuas movement – more specifically Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and while the Bauhaus principles where first presented over 70 years ago, this modern day Bauhaus Home is a contemporary masterpiece that proves that less really is more.
The Bauhaus movement was famous for combining fine art and craftsmanship, creating a complete work of art in which all arts, including architecture, would be brought together as one complete installation and that architectural vocabulary is as relevant today as it was back then.
Mies’ buildings made use of modern materials such as industrial steel and plate glass to define the interior spaces and he tried to minimize framework of structure to create homes of free flowing spaces. He is, after all the architect that made the phrase “less is more” famous.
Architema has taken the principles of Bauhaus and Mies and brought them into the 21st century to create homes where not only is the home as beautiful as it is functional – it also offers all the amenities that today’s homeowners desire such as these incredible outdoor entertaining area complete with swimming pool.
Forest Hill Vill is positioned in the Buda Hills and is surrounded by Pine Forest and Architema took advantage of the surrounding trees by cladding as much of the exterior with glass as possible. On the inside, the trees become an important part of the decor while on the outside their reflections help merge the villa into its surrounding landscape.
As with the architecture itself, the trees are both beautiful and functional, offering shade on hot summer days.
The close proximity of several trees create a feeling of living in a park and this sense of nature was expanded upon by using native plantings in the landscaping.
Forest Hill Villa appears to settle softly onto the natural landscape but it hides a secret – a parking garage is contained below grade, accessed by a driveway that from almost every angle is hidden.
The garage access appears to be nothing more then an architectural detail projecting out from the main structure.
Even from the main entrance, the garage driveway is hidden in plane site.
Once inside the home the foyer is both pause before the social areas and a connection to the private zones and garage via the stairwell straight ahead.
Downstairs in the garage, the homeowners have designated gallery spaces to their prized vehicles, and surrounded them by a portion of their art collection.
The homeowner’s art collection is an important part of the Bauhaus aesthetic, beginning with the foyer and continuing on through the rest of the home.
The dining room is located next to the foyer and features a bold painting by Hungarian contemporary artist Istvan Mazzag. This painting is the basis for the Gyula Ebedlli interior design of the space and is the muse behind the red Bugatti armchairs in the connecting living room.
On the other side of the dining room and just around the corner from the stairwell is the kitchen, which overlooks the entry as well as a separate guest building.
The kitchen can be completely closed of with floor to ceiling glass doors.
The kitchen, dining and living areas create a long and linear floor plan with outdoor zones on either side.
Access to the outdoor zone behind the dining room is via sliding glass doors in a small gallery space behind the potent black wall with the Istvan Mazzag painting.
The black wall creates a sense of intimacy when dining, allowing guests and homeowners alike to focus on good food and good company.
The stunning chandelier above the dining table – which is as much a work of art as the art collection – casts amazing shadows across the room and ceiling when on and creates a composition of intricate shadows when off.
The living room continues the color potency of the Istvan Mazzag painting not only via the red Bugatti armchairs but also with the saturated shades of the sectional and area rug.
Balancing the color drama is a fireplace wall of walnut panels installed in a relief pattern meant to represent the manifestation of music and beat.
Behind the double sided fireplace is an office area complete with a wall of books and a Jack and Jill desk.
The outdoor social zone begins just past the living room through a pair of floor to ceiling sliders that open to the al fresco dining area.
The outdoor dining area is a study of neutrals but the outdoor living area picks up where the indoor living area left off, featuring bold seating in both orange and purple.
The outdoor social zone consists of dining, living and lounging next to the pool areas.
The swimming pool is designed for easy access with steps that run the complete width of the pool.
Deep and wide stairs also travel down from the terrace to the lawns that surround the home – perfect for an evening stroll under the moonlight.
Views of the gardens and pool are easily visible from the 2nd story which also features walls of glazings.
The 2nd story features a hallway that runs the length of the home, overlooking the garden and pool through its walls of glass while featuring more of the homeowner’s art collection on the opposite gallery walls.
The only bedroom that overlooks the gardens is the master suite on the far end of the home with the rest of the bedrooms and the bathrooms facing the other direction for privacy.
A large deck extends from the master suite, hidden from view by the surrounding foliage of the lilac bush and the evergreen tree. While hidden from the garden, it has a majestic view to the Buda Hills.
The master bath features a work of nature’s art within the marble slab that is the far wall of the shower.
Opposite the shower is an island vanity and next to both is the free standing soaker tub.
The walk in closet is between the master bath and the master bedroom.
One of the other bathrooms replaces marble with a wall of stacked stone. While more earthy then elegant it is equally as beautiful and equally as zen.
The guest bedrooms and living quarters are located in the second building across from the main entrance and overlooked by the kitchen.
Architema
Photography by Tamas Bujnovszky and Kiszely Krisztian
