Inspiration for a contemporary blue tile and mosaic tile mosaic tile floor, blue floor and wallpaper powder room remodel in Boston with brown walls, a vessel sink and white countertops

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Lucy Call
Inspiration for a large contemporary open concept medium tone wood floor and beige floor living room remodel in Salt Lake City with a bar, beige walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

A stunning minimal primary bathroom features marble herringbone shower tiles, hexagon mosaic floor tiles, and niche. We removed the bathtub to make the shower area larger. Also features a modern floating toilet, floating quartz shower bench, and custom white oak shaker vanity with a stacked quartz countertop. It feels perfectly curated with a mix of matte black and brass metals. The simplicity of the bathroom is balanced out with the patterned marble floors.

Trendy gray tile gray floor alcove shower photo in Chicago with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, gray walls, an integrated sink and a hinged shower door

Kitchen pantry - mid-sized contemporary slate floor and gray floor kitchen pantry idea in Chicago with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash and no island

Mid-sized trendy master gray tile and marble tile marble floor and gray floor bathroom photo in Austin with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, a hinged shower door, gray countertops and gray walls

Very private backyard enclave
Photo of a contemporary partial sun side yard stone landscaping in DC Metro for summer.

Example of a trendy black floor and double-sink bathroom design in Minneapolis with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink and white countertops

Example of a trendy medium tone wood floor and brown floor great room design in Denver with brown walls

Inspiration for a contemporary vaulted ceiling entryway remodel in Minneapolis with white walls and a glass front door

Large center island in kitchen with seating facing the cooking and prep area.
Example of a mid-sized trendy travertine floor and gray floor open concept kitchen design in Las Vegas with an undermount sink, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, an island, flat-panel cabinets, white backsplash and stone slab backsplash

We were contacted by a family named Pesek who lived near Memorial Drive on the West side of Houston. They lived in a stately home built in the late 1950’s. Many years back, they had contracted a local pool company to install an old lagoon-style pool, which they had since grown tired of. When they initially called us, they wanted to know if we could build them an outdoor room at the far end of the swimming pool. We scheduled a free consultation at a time convenient to them, and we drove out to their residence to take a look at the property. After a quick survey of the back yard, rear of the home, and the swimming pool, we determined that building an outdoor room as an addition to their existing landscaping design would not bring them the results they expected. The pool was visibly dated with an early “70’s” look, which not only clashed with the late 50’s style of home architecture, but guaranteed an even greater clash with any modern-style outdoor room we constructed. Luckily for the Peseks, we offered an even better landscaping plan than the one they had hoped for. We proposed the construction of a new outdoor room and an entirely new swimming pool. Both of these new structures would be built around the classical geometry of proportional right angles. This would allow a very modern design to compliment an older home, because basic geometric patterns are universal in many architectural designs used throughout history. In this case, both the swimming pool and the outdoor rooms were designed as interrelated quadrilateral forms with proportional right angles that created the illusion of lengthened distance and a sense of Classical elegance. This proved a perfect complement to a house that had originally been built as a symbolic emblem of a simpler, more rugged and absolute era. Though reminiscent of classical design and complimentary to the conservative design of the home, the interior of the outdoor room was ultra-modern in its array of comfort and convenience. The Peseks felt this would be a great place to hold birthday parties for their child. With this new outdoor room, the Peseks could take the party outside at any time of day or night, and at any time of year. We also built the structure to be fully functional as an outdoor kitchen as well as an outdoor entertainment area. There was a smoker, a refrigerator, an ice maker, and a water heater—all intended to eliminate any need to return to the house once the party began. Seating and entertainment systems were also added to provide state of the art fun for adults and children alike. We installed a flat-screen plasma TV, and we wired it for cable. The swimming pool was built between the outdoor room and the rear entrance to the house. We got rid of the old lagoon-pool design which geometrically clashed with the right angles of the house and outdoor room. We then had a completely new pool built, in the shape of a rectangle, with a rather innovative coping design. We showcased the pool with a coping that rose perpendicular to the ground out of the stone patio surface. This reinforced our blend of contemporary look with classical right angles. We saved the client an enormous amount of money on travertine by setting the coping so that it does not overhang with the tile. Because the ground between the house and the outdoor room gradually dropped in grade, we used the natural slope of the ground to create another perpendicular right angle at the end of the pool. Here, we installed a waterfall which spilled over into a heated spa. Although the spa was fed from within itself, it was built to look as though water was coming from within the pool. The ultimate result of all of this is a new sense of visual “ebb and flow,” so to speak. When Mr. Pesek sits in his couch facing his house, the earth appears to rise up first into an illuminated pool which leads the way up the steps to his home. When he sits in his spa facing the other direction, the earth rises up like a doorway to his outdoor room, where he can comfortably relax in the water while he watches TV. For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.

Photos by Andrew Giammarco Photography.
Alcove shower - mid-sized contemporary 3/4 white tile and ceramic tile concrete floor and gray floor alcove shower idea in Seattle with shaker cabinets, white walls, a vessel sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door, white countertops and dark wood cabinets

Library cabinetry that switches to a hidden murphy bed feature
Example of a trendy bedroom design in New York

Photos by Shawn Lortie Photography
Example of a mid-sized trendy master gray tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and gray floor bathroom design in DC Metro with gray walls, solid surface countertops, medium tone wood cabinets and an undermount sink

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped light wood floor and beige floor open concept kitchen remodel in Orange County with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, white backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, white countertops and marble countertops

Tony Soluri
Example of a large trendy master carpeted and gray floor bedroom design in Chicago with white walls and a two-sided fireplace

Reed Brown Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary gray floor kitchen pantry remodel in Nashville with open cabinets, wood countertops and brown countertops