As written in Northern Home & Cottage by Elizabeth Edwards In general, Bryan and Connie Rellinger loved the charm of the old cottage they purchased on a Crooked Lake peninsula, north of Petoskey. Specifically, however, the presence of a live-well in the kitchen (a huge cement basin with running water for keeping fish alive was right in the kitchen entryway, seriously), rickety staircase and green shag carpet, not so much. An extreme renovation was the only solution. The downside? The rebuild would have to fit into the smallish nonconforming footprint. The upside? That footprint was built when folks could place a building close enough to the water to feel like they could dive in from the house. Ahhh... Stephanie Baldwin of Edgewater Design helped the Rellingers come up with a timeless cottage design that breathes efficiency into every nook and cranny. It also expresses the synergy of Bryan, Connie and Stephanie, who emailed each other links to products they liked throughout the building process. That teamwork resulted in an interior that sports a young take on classic cottage. Highlights include a brass sink and light fixtures, coffered ceilings with wide beadboard planks, leathered granite kitchen counters and a way-cool floor made of American chestnut planks from an old barn. Thanks to an abundant use of windows that deliver a grand view of Crooked Lake, the home feels airy and much larger than it is. Bryan and Connie also love how well the layout functions for their family - especially when they are entertaining. The kids' bedrooms are off a large landing at the top of the stairs - roomy enough to double as an entertainment room. When the adults are enjoying cocktail hour or a dinner party downstairs, they can pull a sliding door across the kitchen/great room area to seal it off from the kids' ruckus upstairs (or vice versa!). From its gray-shingled dormers to its sweet white window boxes, this charmer on Crooked Lake is packed with ideas! - Jacqueline Southby Photography

Custom oversize wooden garage door sandwiched between two standard size wood garage doors is tall enough to accommodate an RV.
Garage - large traditional detached three-car garage idea in Other

Carport - contemporary carport idea in Jackson

16x8 Pinnacle white with Brentwood arched windows and decorative hardware. This beautiful carriage house style door hand-crafted from heavy duty, extruded aluminium. A variety of designs available to accent your home.

Transformation of front of home.
Example of an arts and crafts yellow two-story wood exterior home design in Charlotte

Tim Bies photo
Inspiration for a contemporary patio remodel in Seattle with a roof extension

Transitional multicolored two-story mixed siding exterior home idea in Los Angeles

A Modern Farmhouse set in a prairie setting exudes charm and simplicity. Wrap around porches and copious windows make outdoor/indoor living seamless while the interior finishings are extremely high on detail. In floor heating under porcelain tile in the entire lower level, Fond du Lac stone mimicking an original foundation wall and rough hewn wood finishes contrast with the sleek finishes of carrera marble in the master and top of the line appliances and soapstone counters of the kitchen. This home is a study in contrasts, while still providing a completely harmonious aura.

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional attached two-car garage workshop remodel in Denver

Floor to ceiling slatwall creates a clean look for this mid-century Arcadia area home. Accessoris snap into place without tools and can be easily rearranged as storage needs change. Accessories include hooks, shelves, wire baskets, tool holders, sports racks, recycling bins, and more. Powder-Coated cabinets in Granite, stainless steel workbenchs, and epoxy chip flooring are also by Arizona Garage Design. Photography by Michael Woodall

Large mountain style hallway photo in Other

New entry mudroom featuring custom cabinetry on the exterior wall and a sliding barn door hiding laundry and storage on the opposite wall.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional ceramic tile and gray floor mudroom remodel in Boston with white walls

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

In order for the kitchen to serve the back porch, I designed the window opening to be a glass garage door, with continuous granite countertop. It's perfect.

Shed - traditional shed idea in New York

The Garage Guy
Example of a minimalist shed design in Cincinnati

This amazing kitchen was a total transformation from the original. Windows were removed and added, walls moved back and a total remodel. The original plain ceiling was changed to a coffered ceiling, the lighting all totally re-arranged, new floors, trim work as well as the new layout. I designed the kitchen with a horizontal wood grain using a custom door panel design, this is used also in the detailing of the front apron of the soapstone sink. The profile is also picked up on the profile edge of the marble island. The floor is a combination of a high shine/flat porcelain. The high shine is run around the perimeter and around the island. The Boos chopping board at the working end of the island is set into the marble, sitting on top of a bowed base cabinet. At the other end of the island i pulled in the curve to allow for the glass table to sit over it, the grain on the island follows the flat panel doors. All the upper doors have Blum Aventos lift systems and the chefs pantry has ample storage. Also for storage i used 2 aluminium appliance garages. The glass tile backsplash is a combination of a pencil used vertical and square tiles. Over in the breakfast area we chose a concrete top table with supports that mirror the custom designed open bookcase. The project is spectacular and the clients are very happy with the end results.

Example of an urban eat-in kitchen design in Seattle with flat-panel cabinets and medium tone wood cabinets

Close-up view highlights the linear look of this modern kitchen design with its stainless steel appliances and Caesarstone quartz countertops. Glass-covered, flush-mounted induction stove and cooktop. The stainless steel backsplash includes two appliance garages, providing for additional hideaway storage. Glass-fronted cabinets include in-cabinet lighting. Photo by Rusty Reniers