American studio Heliotrope Architects has created a holiday home for art gallery owners that is wrapped in dark metal, punctured with white stucco and large stretches of glass.

Exterior walls are wrapped in black metal panels and white stucco. Windows are framed in black-painted wood to help minimise their visual impact.

Inside, the team used grey concrete and light-toned finishes such as Carrera marble. A need to be cost-effective informed the architect's selection of materials ? and their design overall. "A tight budget was managed through efficient design, simple detailing and a liberal use of IKEA cabinetry," the studio said.

Rooms are adorned with streamlined furnishings and contemporary artwork. In the great room, glazed doors open onto a concrete terrace with a fit pit, which "serves as the primary focus for summer leisure."
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