Ideas we Love: 18 More-Than-Meets-the-Eye Car Porches and Garages
Over the top or underground – these residential car park designs will make your heart go zoom-zoom
In a country where almost 80 per cent live in high-rise residences, we see a surprisingly high number of people looking for car porch inspiration online. While the sky garages of Hamilton Scotts may have been groundbreaking when it was launched years ago, most of us are still making do with our multi-storey car parks or single-residence car porch (more commonly referred to as car port in Australia, Germany and other parts of the world). So we thought we’d look around the world for some inspiration for you.
1.
Location: Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Why we love it: Firstly, where better to start than Japan, where most people understand our land-starved plight? This home is built on the side of a cliff, so the entrance – minus the multi-level hydraulic car lift – looks nondescript.
Photo by 平野和司
Location: Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Why we love it: Firstly, where better to start than Japan, where most people understand our land-starved plight? This home is built on the side of a cliff, so the entrance – minus the multi-level hydraulic car lift – looks nondescript.
Photo by 平野和司
The house goes down from road level, and has been designed to take advantage of the need to bring the cars down when they are parked. How? A picture window encloses the car lift shaft, and frames a view from the dining room, so the owners can select which car they want to see from their living and dining space.
2.
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Why we love it: This house has a garage that you properly drive into. On the garage level is a lounge room, where the owner can relax and admire their car from a cosy seat…
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Why we love it: This house has a garage that you properly drive into. On the garage level is a lounge room, where the owner can relax and admire their car from a cosy seat…
…and with the flick of a button, watch a movie (instead of their car).
3.
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Why we love it: This is a landed house that has a concept very similar to the Hamilton Scotts, of driving your car into your home so you can enjoy it within metres of your living or dining area. Except this is a landed house, and the owner literally parks inside the house.
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Why we love it: This is a landed house that has a concept very similar to the Hamilton Scotts, of driving your car into your home so you can enjoy it within metres of your living or dining area. Except this is a landed house, and the owner literally parks inside the house.
4.
Location: Venice, Italy
Why we love it: This is the ideal car park for a multi-generational home – three separate living units are connected underground by this garage, which is accessed by a car lift.
Location: Venice, Italy
Why we love it: This is the ideal car park for a multi-generational home – three separate living units are connected underground by this garage, which is accessed by a car lift.
5.
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Why we love it: This is another home where the garage has been incorporated in the living area…
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Why we love it: This is another home where the garage has been incorporated in the living area…
The garage itself can be closed off by sliding glass doors, but the garage space is used as a library and home office so most of the time, the sliding doors are open.
6.
Location: Edmonton, Canada
Why we love it: A car lift allows the owner to stack the cars on top of each other so that garage can be used as a kids’ play area.
Photo by Merle Prosofsky
Location: Edmonton, Canada
Why we love it: A car lift allows the owner to stack the cars on top of each other so that garage can be used as a kids’ play area.
Photo by Merle Prosofsky
7.
Location: Calgary, Canada
Why we love it: Talk about a man cave. This garage with a loft living space is big enough to park vintage cars and other big boy’s toys and still leave plenty of room to tinker around with self-customisation.
Location: Calgary, Canada
Why we love it: Talk about a man cave. This garage with a loft living space is big enough to park vintage cars and other big boy’s toys and still leave plenty of room to tinker around with self-customisation.
8.
Location: Texas, USA
Why we love it: Glass wall panels separate two parking spaces from the man cave in this house. The man cave itself is a sleek home office that doubles as a bike garage.
Location: Texas, USA
Why we love it: Glass wall panels separate two parking spaces from the man cave in this house. The man cave itself is a sleek home office that doubles as a bike garage.
9.
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Why we love it: Bright blue garage doors bring cheer to any day – and on most days, it’d be gloomy and dark in this Nordic neighbourhood.
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Why we love it: Bright blue garage doors bring cheer to any day – and on most days, it’d be gloomy and dark in this Nordic neighbourhood.
10.
Location: Phoenix, USA
Why we love it: An oversized barn door adds a rustic charm to this minimalist-sleek garage.
Photo by Timmerman Photography
Location: Phoenix, USA
Why we love it: An oversized barn door adds a rustic charm to this minimalist-sleek garage.
Photo by Timmerman Photography
11.
Location: Dreis, Germany
Why we love it: Almost-neon green doors definitely amp up the curb appeal of this home; the front door matches the garage, which has a rather generous overhang for those days when you can’t be bothered to park the car indoors.
Location: Dreis, Germany
Why we love it: Almost-neon green doors definitely amp up the curb appeal of this home; the front door matches the garage, which has a rather generous overhang for those days when you can’t be bothered to park the car indoors.
12.
Location: Paris, France
Why we love it: A Ferrari-red wall-to-wall display case matches the famed sports car in this garage that doubles as a personal racing gallery. The black walls almost match the other car, while a crystal chandelier adds an eclectic, feminine touch.
Location: Paris, France
Why we love it: A Ferrari-red wall-to-wall display case matches the famed sports car in this garage that doubles as a personal racing gallery. The black walls almost match the other car, while a crystal chandelier adds an eclectic, feminine touch.
13.
Location: Dijon, France
Why we love it: This open-air but semi-covered car porch has a semi-outdoor porch for lounging above it, and is located in the corner of the property, so it’s not directly connected to the house (for quiet, maybe?). It’s like a sleek, little escape, but not a man cave, because it’s quite a social space.
See more of this unique design
Location: Dijon, France
Why we love it: This open-air but semi-covered car porch has a semi-outdoor porch for lounging above it, and is located in the corner of the property, so it’s not directly connected to the house (for quiet, maybe?). It’s like a sleek, little escape, but not a man cave, because it’s quite a social space.
See more of this unique design
14.
Location: Bremen, Germany
Why we love it: How do you add a car port to a classic brick house? A simple frame with rustic sidings for a little bit of privacy will do the trick. Keep it partially open, too, so as not to cover the house’s facade.
Location: Bremen, Germany
Why we love it: How do you add a car port to a classic brick house? A simple frame with rustic sidings for a little bit of privacy will do the trick. Keep it partially open, too, so as not to cover the house’s facade.
15.
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Why we love it: This cantilevered-looking roof blends into the landscape surrounding this modernist house, and seems to be the only car park its residents need. It’s simple, but at the same time, it stirs the imagination with thoughts of secret superhero bunkers hidden underneath it.
Photo by Åke E:son Lindman
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Why we love it: This cantilevered-looking roof blends into the landscape surrounding this modernist house, and seems to be the only car park its residents need. It’s simple, but at the same time, it stirs the imagination with thoughts of secret superhero bunkers hidden underneath it.
Photo by Åke E:son Lindman
16.
Location: Mumbai, India
Why we love it: As part of a carefully crafted extension to a 60-year-old family home, two canopies were added to shelter the growing car collection. Although simple in structure, the materials blend with the luxury residence’s: treated random rubble basalt stone walls, ipe wood and weathered steel.
Photo by Sebastian Zachariah/Photographix
Location: Mumbai, India
Why we love it: As part of a carefully crafted extension to a 60-year-old family home, two canopies were added to shelter the growing car collection. Although simple in structure, the materials blend with the luxury residence’s: treated random rubble basalt stone walls, ipe wood and weathered steel.
Photo by Sebastian Zachariah/Photographix
17.
Location: Venice, Italy
Why we love it: A hydraulic lift takes minimum footprint from the original frontage of this single-storey dwelling, preserving the architecture as per the owner’s request. It brings the car underground, and disappears from the landscape and driveway, its ‘roof’ blending in with the path.
Location: Venice, Italy
Why we love it: A hydraulic lift takes minimum footprint from the original frontage of this single-storey dwelling, preserving the architecture as per the owner’s request. It brings the car underground, and disappears from the landscape and driveway, its ‘roof’ blending in with the path.
18.
Location: London, England
Why we love it: Sharing an open-plan space with a home office and TV lounge, even the cars have a garden view in this garage extension.
TELL US
Which car park concept appeals to you? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Location: London, England
Why we love it: Sharing an open-plan space with a home office and TV lounge, even the cars have a garden view in this garage extension.
TELL US
Which car park concept appeals to you? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.