Breaching The Barriers Of Minimalist Introvert Homes

It’s time to reveal some interior design secrets as we breach the barriers of three minimalist introvert homes, each thoughtfully designed by architect Kanstantsin Remez. Some people prefer to shut off from the world in a cocoon for contemplation and creativity, or simply as an escape to peace and tranquility. In these three unique home designs, solitude is sculpted by brutalist exteriors with seemingly impenetrable walls. The concrete architecture remains raw inside of the buildings, to create cool and understated rooms with sparse furniture and decor. The utilitarian aesthetic is offset by the vast scale of these spaces, which in and of itself creates an almost reluctant sense of grandeur.

The first home in this collection is a 326 square metre introvert residence, which is structured as a pair of secretive cylindrical volumes. The brutalist house exterior seems to float impossibly on a reflection pool, where rounded concrete stepping stones float like man-made lily pads.

A mid century modern lounge chair is casually pulled up to the pool's edge. The cool grey Wassily Chair melds easily with the raw concrete terrace and a colossal concrete canopy.

Small palm trees add playful texture to outdoor planters that pop up from the blue reflection pool.

Cast concrete carries a planked aesthetic, which aligns into perfectly smooth curves around the perimeter wall and outer boundary.

More rough concrete cylinders shape a reticent interior, where huge skylights make circular perforations in a solid concrete ceiling.

A skylight negates the need for charming surrounding scenery; the sky, the clouds and fleeting weather bring beauty, light and a connection with nature instead.

Without picturesque panorama, the architecture itself becomes the point of interest. Form and lightplay provides inspiration and stimulation.

Glass walls borrow the textured concrete backdrop for a minimalist living room, where a modern leather sofa drops a black anchor in the open expanse.

One grey rug is laid atop another to fashion a more interesting outline into the linear lounge arrangement.

A utilitarian bookcase and a comfortable reading chair sits beneath one of the circular skylights. A small floor reading lamp serves the reading spot when the stars come out.

Despite the huge room proportions, it's a small dining table and only two dining chairs that make up the dining area. A curved concrete wall protectively embraces the delicate furniture arrangement.

Not just one kitchen island but three make up the culinary zone. The trio of islands are formed with the same cast concrete method as the supporting walls, creating unwavering cohesivity.

The central largest kitchen island is used for prep whilst the left and right smaller islands house the hob and the kitchen sink respectively. An integrated oven slots right inside one of the vast structural cylinders.

In the master suite, a platform bed reclines beneath an opening to sunny skies in the morning and the stars at night. The bedroom layout is stripped back to include only two simple floor lamps on either side of the bedstead.

A unique metallic headboard design thrusts an unexpected flash of luxe into the bare room.

A sheer curtain draws around a small skylight and a private dressing room. Basic black hanging rails and a gold dresser furnish the laid-back layout. A floor uplighter and a slender table lamp dramatise the space with moody illumination.

Sunlight spills into the remainder of the huge bedroom, where a lowly easel stands.

A curving passageway leads around the back of an enclosed cylindrical WC, and into an ensuite walk-in shower area.

A small nook is cut into the side of the WC volume to house the vanity.

A huge desk commands the home workspace. A modest table lamp provides task lighting.

The downstairs bathroom vanity is another custom made piece set into the curvature of the wall. The same vanity mirror doubles as a modern wall sconce with atmospheric red light.

Mood lighting glows in a downstairs shower enclosure, creating a fiery red chamber.

First floor plan with living area.

Second floor plan with master bedroom.

The next secluded minimalist home is a 560 square metre contemporary concept, where monolithic boundary walls provide visual security from the outside.

Perpendicular concrete slabs of differing heights form an abstract relationship with the jagged mountains that surround the home.

The mountain range dwarfs the home, which sits low in the wild landscape.

The linear architecture creates contradiction on the untamed land.

Whilst the home design provides visual security from the outside, it also has a free and open aspect from the interior.

Edge-to-edge glass expanses open up the interior living space to the terrace and the mountain range.

The site is a closed rectangle that is divided into definable zones. The main volume houses the kitchen and pantry, a small dining area, a home office with its own bathroom, and a bedroom with bath, wardrobe and an open shower room. A separate living volume has been sectioned off in connection to the outdoor pool area, to create a space for true rest and recuperation.

Inside, the concrete aesthetic continues without pause, emphasising the architectural geometry. Furniture is minimal. A rustic coffee table is set in linear formation with colour coordinated ottomans. A unique chair breaks the uniformity.

A sleek kitchen mirrors its secluded fortress with quiet linearity.

Two more unusual chairs team up with a pedestal dining table in the corner of the kitchen.

The long kitchen island is backed by a wall of concealed appliances, and capped with a gloss ceiling treatment, to form a minimalist yet luxurious kitchen design.

The reclusive bedroom design situates a floor bed within a wide open empty white space.

Only simple bedside units and a shadow-like freeform floor covering accessorise the minimalist bedroom layout.

In the bathroom, a freeform wall mirror makes a silver pool above a modern double sink bathroom vanity.

Atmospheric lighting glows from behind elegantly tall vessel basins.

A platform and a shelf extrude from the materiality of the shower area.

The minimalist home office design is made up with common elements from elsewhere in the interior. Cabinetry is cohesive with the kitchen design, and the desk chair is interchangeable with the dining furniture.

Sliding doors conceal a busy bookcase.

Whilst it might seem contradictory for an introvert to have an outdoor shower, there are no neighbours around to pry.

The outdoor shower is part of the private pool area by the separated living room.

Floor plan.

3D perspective drawing.

The final project in this introvert series is a stretched 2500 square metre concept, situated on the architect’s family land. The narrow plot was once a desirable shape, so that people could build a vegetable garden behind their home, but it is now outdated.

The outlines of the original house and bathhouse were modified into contemporary structures.

Blocks have been built along the patio as seating and sun loungers.

A rectangle pool stretches the length of the sun terrace.

Travertine tiles smoothly encase every aspect of the exterior.

Green plant arrangements negotiate the landscape with perpendicular travertine blocks.

Two symmetrical entrances lead into the living block, to gain easy entry whether arriving by car or on foot.

A three-car parking space hides behind the combination of thick trees and garden walls.

Travertine lends itself to the calm rural essence of a country house, as well as to a clean contemporary feel.

Separate from the main home, a pool house contains two bedrooms, one bathroom and a kitchenette. The swimming pool is accessed from the main bedroom, via large patio doors.

The pool house and mature trees shield the swimming pool from neighbours’ eyes.

The garden’s lush greenery inspires green living room accents. Natural stone, travertine and wood combine to cover the rest of the space with tranquil tones. A white stone modern coffee table is complemented by a chic matching bookcase.

Douglas Fir floors and oak veneer walls connect the kitchen and minimalist dining room.

The main house has a traditionally shaped V-roof, which is typical of houses in Belarus. The home includes a foyer, guest bath, utility room, an impressive kitchen diner, a living room with library and a master bedroom with ensuite.