Based in Singapore, Wallflower Architecture + Design creates ultimate tropical dream homes for a steamy rainforest climate, each one laid out for optimal air flow, natural cooling and views of the lush vegetation and blue skies outside. Founded in 1999 by Tan Chai Chong Robin and Cecil Chee, the firm “believes that beauty and cleverness are inseparable in excellent design, the value of which enhances the environment in which we work and live and ultimately, enriches the human experience and spirit.”

This philosophy is evident in every one of their private residential projects, many of which center upon a crystalline water feature. Bold, distinctly Singaporean and undeniably luxurious, these homes are like the summer getaway houses the rest of us can only dream of.

The Secret Garden House, Wallflower’s most recent residential project, exemplifies the firm’s aesthetics and ethos. Set in an affluent bungalow area known as Bukit Timah, the home is located on uneven terrain with narrow street frontage, and it’s surrounded by neighbors on all sides. Wallflower envisioned a ‘secret garden’ to shield the 13,900-square-foot home from prying eyes, hiding most of the structure’s mass within the steep portion of the site. Though it seems to be just two levels from the street, the rest of it spills down the hillside to enjoy the views. One of its coolest features is an oculus gazing from the garage up into a reflecting pool in the yard.

Combining the convenience of urban living with tropical vibes, security and privacy, Forever House was a dream fulfilled for both the clients and the architects. Wallflower was given a ‘no expense to be spared’ mandate along with a wish list of features, like a 6-car garage and a 25-meter pool. The home has a striking angular appearance from the street, and it only gets more gorgeous from there, with a mature tree set into an island in the T-shaped pool and a glut of silver travertine and black basalt stone contrasting with gleaming wood inside.

With ‘Enclosed Open,’ Wallflower gave a family concerned with security a fully fenced ‘compound’ that looks nothing like you’d expect based on that description. Instead of feeling like a fortress, it’s airy and accessible, but spaces that are normally visible to neighbors – like pools and gardens – are shielded within a spacious courtyard.

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Summer Houses 7 Tropical Dream Dwellings By Wallflower Architecture Design

Rest stops and welcome centers are to highway travel what oases are to desert caravans, with one exception: when an oasis dries up, the camels unload anyway.

European? NOT HERE!

(image via: Neoamaru)

Making a run for the border? Not so fast… this abandoned rest stop on the border between France and Belgium no longer offers a welcome break for weary travelers; one imagines the Wehrmacht was rather put out. Kudos to Flickr user Neomaru for capturing this curious relic of modern architecture in its currently colorful yet sadly forlorn state.

No Rest For The Wicked

(images via: Midwest Roads)

We don’t make a habit of ignoring road signs (and neither should you) but in this case we’ll make an exception: the rest stop at milepost 104 on US 41 southbound, about 3 miles north of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, hasn’t existed since some time in the mid-1990s. So then, does the sign advise the next rest stop is 21 miles further down the road or that this is (was) the last rest stop FOR 21 miles? Why not both?

(images via: Midwest Roads)

Scott Kuznicki visited the location of this late and unlamented rest stop on October 5, 2002… we don’t know why, but he’s got the photos to prove he (and the rest stop) was/were there. Maybe he just needed an alibi. Anyway, as you can see there’s not much evidence for the rest stop’s existence besides fencing and faded stripes on the road.

The CHiPs Are Down

(images via: Wikimapia)

Rest stops in California are funded and maintained by the state’s Department of Transportation, known as CalTrans. While many rest stops in remote areas were closed relatively recently due to California’s never-ending fiscal crisis, the rest stop whose remnants linger on Highway 99 bit the dust in the early 1980s. It did have one claim to fame while still standing, though: an episode of the popular TV crime drama CHiPs centered around an accidentally abandoned baby left at a rest stop… THIS rest stop.

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Go Somewhere Else 8 Abandoned Roadside Rest Stops