Note to self: Buy stock in Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

And people think Corian countertops cost a bundle. What must one have to sell to pay for this? Swarovski crystal-covered truffles?

Just plain old hideous

Seems really wasteful, and expensive to maintain (what happens in winter?)

Good god....I know the price of Corian....they could have done this in anything else for at lot less money...What an ugly waste....

It looks like an empty swimming pool or a zoo cage. Ugly and expensive! What's wrong with plants?

reminds me of the twilight zone episode with the people trapped in box-like area with tall walls, trying to find their way up and over. turns out, they were dolls in a child's toy box. creepy.

I'm the only one I guess....but I think this is kind of cool. Extending out the basement into a light and airy space looks kinda neat.

What happens when it rains?

Another case of money=infliction. The idea, is great, the concept, I even like. The result? Looks like a giant bathtub. One that needs lots and lots of upkeep.

I've decided, you know what it needs? Some Parian marble angels and a big fountain of bare breasted women.

i think it's kinda neat lookin too. but where's the drain? or is that all white too? i imagine that if they spent that much money they also planned out a good drainage system...hopefully.

they did get what they asked for - it's really light and bright. and it's more an extension of the interior than an outdoor space. i like the way it's underground, too, and not just some hideous monstrosity built up all fugly like.

if it's gotta be ugly, at least it's hidden :)

When I first saw the picture, I thought it was a model of a project rather than the project. It looks like a giant segmented tupperware bowl. Is there a lid that can be snapped on for rainy days? These people must have some sort of relationship with Dupont or the Dupont family to have bought that much Corian.

I dig it, too. Feels almost Neutra-esque. So nice and bright. It's nice to see a cheerful space evolving out of such simple, clean design.

"What happens when it rains?"

It gets wet!

I saw a spread on this either in Metropolis or ID, or Dwell, or some other mag earlier this year. There were a couple of other pics that put it into a better perspective.

I think it is a brilliant solution to dealing with a dark walk out basement level. It also brought enormous amounts of light into the basement interior.

OK, so just now I read that it was Interior Design Magazine from last Sept., Sorry, I should have caught that earlier.

It's for people who don't like a lot of nature interfering with their outdoors experience.

Sign me up for the few who find it appealing. I like it. Wouldn't want to keep it clean, but I like it.

And I'd rather see this than millions of square feet of granite...

What it needs is a six-foot-tall rubber ducky.

Preferably one of the ninja ones.

As for keeping it clean... If you can afford to own a town home in this neighborhood and afford that much square footage of Corian, than you can afford to hire the people to do the labor required to keep it clean.

How on earth is this wasteful? It's a great way to bring natural light into a below-grade living space.

Looks pretty nice to me.

I really have mixed feelings about this.

The fact that I know that Corian can chip kind of bugs me, so I'd think you'd really need some serious attic stock of the repair kits in this particular color.

Anything of this pristine kind of nature will -- like a miracle in reverse -- manage to age in spite of itself, and practically NEVER in a good "shabby chic" way, but in a very sad, cumbersome way that will eventually be a horrendous albatross to demolish and/or salvage.

However, methinx that even merely fairly attractive naked people would look kind of amazing in this space. Or even people wearing black clothes.

I love it. Who cares about the cost? We didn't pay for it. The owner's happy, the design is chic, the idea is smart, and the execution admirable. Bravo!

Horrible. If I were a neighbor, I would have complained too. Bitterly. What an eyesore!

Entirely impractical. A disaster to clean. Grime, mud, leaves, etc. Slippery when wet. Expensive as get out.

But I really like the way it looks. (Except for that stucco wall and conduit, which kill the effect.)

For some reason I just pictured the well where the killer trapped people in Silence of the Lambs redone in this style. (Apparently there is something wrong with me). I suppose this would be less creepy but still equally uncomfortable!

THX 1138

Wow, beautiful. Neat space - great way to make a below-grade space feel light and airy. Complimented nicely by all the green right above. The Corian should be fairly easy to keep clean, shouldn't discolor and if stained it can be bleached or treated with other chemicals (i.e. for rust).

Love all the rounded corners.

How is this any more an eyesore than a crappy wood deck covered in technicolor kids toys?

funny how much negative response this prompted. Hardly seems that offensive... looks great for young children and quite practical. It would be a difficult space with any wall treatment.

P2 - because it is bleak...

One person's bleak is another's sleek.

Imagine how spectacular on the night of a full moon, with flickering candle light, the bamboo above rustling...

boy ... what a bunch of boring old sots ... it's pretty darn nice ....

I really like it too. It's an interesting alternative material, and I suppose time will tell how well it holds up. I suppose this is more an experiment based on a hunch than something that's done to elicit approval.

Of course, if this were all done in white marble instead of Corian, with the slots still present to allow modular-addons, I think the tone of the crowd would be quite different.

AFAIK, Corian is still cheaper than Marble.

Welcome to the asylum!

It looks way way better in the accompanying article, I got a better sense of the scale and the way it relates to the apartment. I mean, it's not for everyone (obviously), but I like that they took a risk and it's an interesting solution to a common problem (the dark "garden level" apartment).

Thank you for selecting this from my site : it is a fantastic example of how designers are totally redefining the use of outdoor space... It is a fantastic revolution that goes way beyond new furniture.... Anne from www.MyUrbanGardenDecoGuide.com