Lew Yong Gerbrandt

     This repurposed project emphasizes a modern, natural living space that offers both private and professional workspaces. Commandeering three shipping containers and arranging them into a unique configuration produces a multitask space.  One side of the house is living space with the other half dedicated to work space and client interaction.  Because they are young professionals, the residents are financially limited -- living environmentally smart is the best bet. Solar panels on the roof provide energy for lighting and heating while the garden in the back provides food.

      Moving over the medium shade brown Trex deck where many gatherings are held, then through the glass sliding door, you reach the dining room. The shape of the glass round dining table enhances a calming feeling. Modern blue colored chairs that are spaced evenly around the table help portray that these professionals are very organized. The color blue gives a rhythmic repetition throughout the house from the living room couch to the client’s chairs in the offices. This balances the space well throughout the house. The walls are painted with a color combination of black and darker grey. This conveys a cool, metallic and futuristic feeling. The colors of blue, grey, black, and hints of red harmonize nicely.

       Next to the dining room is the kitchen. The kitchen contains a light blue glass backsplash that reminds inhabitants of the color of the ocean. Below the backsplash the counter tops have a texture of white marble. Matching the countertop, the flooring is white but an off-white. This tile flooring spreads to the dining room as well as the bathrooms. To balance the white colors, I put in dark brown wood cabinets. The lighting in the kitchen comes from a modern hanging pendent light. Also the kitchen contains modern era appliances.

       Now walking up maple stairs, you will reach one of the bedrooms that introduces a light grey carpet that is also repeated throughout the house from the offices to the living room and the other bedroom. Because of the limited space, the professionals use an open closet, but the main emphasis of the bedroom is the white detailed tile floor board, This gives it a unique style.

       To enhance the natural living space, the house features large windows that let in natural lighting, limiting the need for artificial lighting.  Natural pine wood was chosen for the office desks, light wood for the material bookshelves and stereo stand. Another important element is glass. The waiting tables outside the working space and the coffee table in the living room produces the look and feel of ocean glass, produced with a bluish tint of color. This blue is repeated in the bathroom marble’s sink counters.

        The professionals love modern art. So throughout the house, Jackson Pollock and David Hockney prints hang, well lit by accent lighting.

My inspiration came from reading stories about how people lost everything in natural disasters. This house makes use of something that could have been junk, to something environmentally friendly and energy efficient.