Photo: Lisa Petrole
Huge trendy porcelain tile and gray floor entryway photo in San Francisco with a medium wood front door and white walls

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects and Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Designed and built a new warm, modern, Eichler-inspired, open, indoor-outdoor home on a deeper-than-usual San Mateo Highlands property where an original Eichler house had burned to the ground. The owners wanted multi-generational living and larger spaces than the original home offered, but all parties agreed that the house should respect the neighborhood and blend in stylistically with the other Eichlers. At first the Klopf team considered re-using what little was left of the original home and expanding on it. But after discussions with the owner and builder, all parties agreed that the last few remaining elements of the house were not practical to re-use, so Klopf Architecture designed a new home that pushes the Eichler approach in new directions. One disadvantage of Eichler production homes is that the house designs were not optimized for each specific lot. A new custom home offered the team a chance to start over. In this case, a longer house that opens up sideways to the south fit the lot better than the original square-ish house that used to open to the rear (west). Accordingly, the Klopf team designed an L-shaped “bar” house with a large glass wall with large sliding glass doors that faces sideways instead of to the rear like a typical Eichler. This glass wall opens to a pool and landscaped yard designed by Arterra Landscape Architects. Driving by the house, one might assume at first glance it is an Eichler because of the horizontality, the overhanging flat roof eaves, the dark gray vertical siding, and orange solid panel front door, but the house is designed for the 21st Century and is not meant to be a “Likeler.” You won't see any posts and beams in this home. Instead, the ceiling decking is a western red cedar that covers over all the beams. Like Eichlers, this cedar runs continuously from inside to out, enhancing the indoor / outdoor feeling of the house, but unlike Eichlers it conceals a cavity for lighting, wiring, and insulation. Ceilings are higher, rooms are larger and more open, the master bathroom is light-filled and more generous, with a separate tub and shower and a separate toilet compartment, and there is plenty of storage. The garage even easily fits two of today's vehicles with room to spare. A massive 49-foot by 12-foot wall of glass and the continuity of materials from inside to outside enhance the inside-outside living concept, so the owners and their guests can flow freely from house to pool deck to BBQ to pool and back. During construction in the rough framing stage, Klopf thought the front of the house appeared too tall even though the house had looked right in the design renderings (probably because the house is uphill from the street). So Klopf Architecture paid the framer to change the roofline from how we had designed it to be lower along the front, allowing the home to blend in better with the neighborhood. One project goal was for people driving up the street to pass the home without immediately noticing there is an "imposter" on this lot, and making that change was essential to achieve that goal. This 2,606 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom Eichler-inspired new house is located in San Mateo in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Contractor: Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Photography ©2016 Mariko Reed Location: San Mateo, CA Year completed: 2016

An Architect's bathroom added to the top floor of a beautiful home. Clean lines and cool colors are employed to create a perfect balance of soft and hard. Tile work and cabinetry provide great contrast and ground the space. Photographer: Dean Birinyi

Photo by Christopher Carter
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional master gray tile and marble tile porcelain tile and gray floor bathroom remodel in Denver with a hinged shower door, black walls, marble countertops and gray countertops

Jordan Bentley / Bentwater Studio
Example of a farmhouse u-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen design in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Inspiration for a transitional living room remodel in Minneapolis with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

Example of a cottage light wood floor and beige floor entryway design in Phoenix with white walls and a blue front door

Bathroom - coastal kids' white tile and subway tile multicolored floor and cement tile floor bathroom idea in San Francisco with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink, white countertops, a two-piece toilet and quartz countertops

Maine Photo Company - Liz Donnelly
Bedroom - mid-sized coastal master light wood floor bedroom idea in Portland Maine with gray walls

A spa like master bath retreat with double sinks, gray cabinetry, aqua linen wallpaper and a huge shower oasis. Design by Krista Watterworth Alterman. Photos by Troy Campbell. Krista Watterworth Design Studio, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Photo by Alexandra DeFurio. Aidan is a 12-year-old girl who lives with her father half of the time. Her parents are divorced and her father wanted his daughter to be at home in his new bachelor house. He wanted her to feel “understood” and validated as a girl entering into her teen years. The room therefore is sophisticated, yet still young and innocent. It may have “grown up” attributes such as chic English paisley wallpaper by Osborne and Little and a sassy “Like Forever” poster, but it is still comfortable enough to hang out on the flokati rug or on the vintage revamped chair. Aidan was very involved in providing the design inspiration for the room. She had asked for a “beachy” feel and as design professionals know, what takes over in the creative process is the ideas evolve and many either are weeded out or enhanced. It was our job as designers to introduce to Aidan a world beyond Pottery Barn Kids. We incorporated her love of the ocean with a custom, mixed Benjamin Moore paint color in a beautiful turquoise blue. The turquoise color is echoed in the tufted buttons on the custom headboard and trim around the linen roman shades on the window. Aidan wanted a hangout room for her friends. We provided extra seating by adding a vintage revamped chair accessorized with a Jonathan Adler needle point “Love” pillow and a Moroccan pouf from Shabby chic. The desk from West Elm from their Parson’s collection expresses a grown up feel accompanied with the Saarinen Tulip chair. It’s easier for Aidan to do her homework when she feels organized and clutter free. Organization was a big factor is redesigning the room. We had to work around mementos that soon-to-be teenagers collect by the truckloads. A custom bulletin board above the desk is a great place to tack party invitations and notes from friends. Also, the small Moda dresser from Room and Board stores books, magazines and makeup stored in baskets from the Container Store. Aidan loves her room. It is bright and cheerful, yet cheeky and fun. It has a touch of sass and a “beachy” feel. This room will grow with her until she leaves for college and then comes back as a guest. Thanks to her father who wanted her to feel special, she is able to spend half her time in a room that reflects who she is.

Rob Karosis
Inspiration for a country alcove shower remodel in New York with recessed-panel cabinets, green cabinets and beige walls

This space is perfect for entertaining! When the owners originally moved in, this deck was not here. There were several steps down from the kitchen door, and the stone slabs were a toe-stubbing minefield. We added the deck and designed it perfectly for entertaining. Since we had several large pine trees removed from the property, we increased sun exposure creating a need for more shade. We had this awning custom made by PJ Canvas in Santa Rosa, CA. The awning tucks neatly under the roof of the house during the rainy months.

Martin Mann
Trendy patio photo in San Diego with a fire pit and a pergola

Kitchen - modern kitchen idea in Salt Lake City

David Cannon
Kitchen - coastal l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen idea in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, multicolored backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Example of a trendy freestanding desk medium tone wood floor and brown floor study room design in Boston with gray walls

Michelle Lee Wilson Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary backyard patio remodel in San Francisco with a fire pit

The basement was finished with a modern industrial design that includes barn wood, black steel rods, and gray cabinets. This includes a custom barn wood accent wall, perfect for a TV mount.