This weekend retreat, nestled in a grove of aspens in Lizard Head Pass, Colorado, embodies the words of Henri Poincaré: “Ideas rose in clouds; I felt them collide until pairs interlocked, so to speak, making a stable combination.” It directly challenges many of our ideas about home. Rather than a place offering the illusion of protection from the outside world through solid structure, its openness, light and reflectivity make it arguably more transparent than even Philip Johnson’s iconic Glass House. Featuring a floorplan that is an abstract interpretation of a cumulus cloud, the home’s five rotated, elliptically shaped glass pods approach invisibility at certain times of the year. Each pod serves a distinct programmatic function, though together they facilitate an easy and fluid flow accomplished by minimalist doors placed at the interstices where the pods meet. It functions as an ethereal meeting place between earth and sky. Total Area: 2200 sq. ft., 600 sq. ft. exterior deck Major Materials: Steel structure, curved architectural glass, anodized aluminum, epoxy flooring, and wood decking. Design Team: John Beckmann, with Jacob George Renderings: Jacob George Diagrams and model: Jacob George and Jessica Marvin © Axis Mundi Design LLC

Large trendy light wood floor, beige floor, vaulted ceiling and wood wall family room photo in Other with white walls, a corner fireplace, a concrete fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Sparkling Views. Spacious Living. Soaring Windows. Welcome to this light-filled, special Mercer Island home.
Large transitional open concept carpeted, gray floor and exposed beam family room photo in Seattle with a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and gray walls

We expanded the main level of this 1947 colonial in the Barcroft neighborhood of Arlington with a first floor addition at the rear of the house. The new addition made room for an open and expanded kitchen, a new dining room, and a great room with vaulted ceilings.

The mix of black and white take shape in this modern farmhouse style kitchen. With a timeless color scheme and high end finishes, this kitchen is perfect for large gatherings and entertaining family and friends. The connected dining space and eat in island offers abundant seating, as well as function and storage. The build in buffet area brings in variation, and adds a light and bright quality to the space. Floating shelves offer a softer look than full wall to wall upper cabinets. Classic grey toned porcelain tile give the look of wood without any of the maintenance or wear and tear issues. The classic grey marble backsplash in the baroque shape brings a custom and elegant dimension to the space.

Beau Meyer Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless enclosed carpeted and multicolored floor family room remodel in Other with brown walls and no fireplace

A young family of 5 needed a place to play games, watch movies, relax with friends and do homework. With a love of texture, organic shapes and chocolate we had some fun with the design details! The idea of chocolate was the inspiration for faux painted leather walls. It instantly warmed up the large 750 square foot space and made it cozy. The biggest design challenge was the angled ceiling, which could not be changed because it was the roof line. The solution was to incorporate it in the custom built-in desk and entertainment unit to turn it into a focal point. It then gave the room even more personality and interest. A custom built 11'L x 7'W upholstered sectional in soft chenille fabric with faux fur pillows, was positioned in front of the flat screen TV for movies and gaming. The cutting edge electronics were housed in a 15' wall unit that included frosted glass in the cabinetry above, that produced a beautiful glowing edge lit effect in the evening. Now when anyone enters the room they just say "WOW!" Nick Daunys Photography

Beau Meyer Photography
Family room - mid-sized traditional enclosed carpeted and multicolored floor family room idea in Other with brown walls and no fireplace

This adorable beach cottage is in the heart of the village of La Jolla in San Diego. The goals were to brighten up the space and be the perfect beach get-away for the client whose permanent residence is in Arizona. Some of the ways we achieved the goals was to place an extra high custom board and batten in the great room and by refinishing the kitchen cabinets (which were in excellent shape) white. We created interest through extreme proportions and contrast. Though there are a lot of white elements, they are all offset by a smaller portion of very dark elements. We also played with texture and pattern through wallpaper, natural reclaimed wood elements and rugs. This was all kept in balance by using a simplified color palate minimal layering. I am so grateful for this client as they were extremely trusting and open to ideas. To see what the space looked like before the remodel you can go to the gallery page of the website www.cmnaturaldesigns.com Photography by: Chipper Hatter

David Duncan Livingston
Example of a classic family room design in San Francisco with no fireplace and a media wall

A view from the library through a seamless glass wall to the garden beyond.
Mid-sized minimalist medium tone wood floor family room library photo in Los Angeles with a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace and a media wall

The Fieldstone Cottage is the culmination of collaboration between DM+A and our clients. Having a contractor as a client is a blessed thing. Here, some dreams come true. Here ideas and materials that couldn’t be incorporated in the much larger house were brought seamlessly together. The 640 square foot cottage stands only 25 feet from the bigger, more costly “Older Brother”, but stands alone in its own right. When our Clients commissioned DM+A for the project the direction was simple; make the cottage appear to be a companion to the main house, but be more frugal in the space and material used. The solution was to have one large living, working and sleeping area with a small, but elegant bathroom. The design imagery was about collision of materials and the form that emits from that collision. The furnishings and decorative lighting are the work of Caterina Spies-Reese of CSR Design. Photography by Mariko Reed

Inspiration for a large industrial open concept laminate floor family room remodel with black walls, a wall-mounted tv, a ribbon fireplace and a metal fireplace

This 1960 house was in need of updating from both design and performance standpoints, and the project turned into a comprehensive deep energy retrofit, with thorough airtightness and insulation, new space conditioning and energy-recovery-ventilation, triple glazed windows, and an interior of incredible elegance. While we maintained the foundation and overall massing, this is essentially a new house, well equipped for a new generation of use and enjoyment.

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Our clients came to us looking to do some updates to their new condo unit primarily in the kitchen and living room. The couple has a lifelong love of Arts and Crafts and Modernism, and are the co-founders of PrairieMod, an online retailer that offers timeless modern lifestyle through American made, handcrafted, and exclusively designed products. So, having such a design savvy client was super exciting for us, especially since the couple had many unique pieces of pottery and furniture to provide inspiration for the design. The condo is a large, sunny top floor unit, with a large open feel. The existing kitchen was a peninsula which housed the sink, and they wanted to change that out to an island, relocating the new sink there as well. This can sometimes be tricky with all the plumbing for the building potentially running up through one stack. After consulting with our contractor team, it was determined that our plan would likely work and after confirmation at demo, we pushed on. The new kitchen is a simple L-shaped space, featuring several storage devices for trash, trays dividers and roll out shelving. To keep the budget in check, we used semi-custom cabinetry, but added custom details including a shiplap hood with white oak detail that plays off the oak “X” endcaps at the island, as well as some of the couple’s existing white oak furniture. We also mixed metals with gold hardware and plumbing and matte black lighting that plays well with the unique black herringbone backsplash and metal barstools. New weathered oak flooring throughout the unit provides a nice soft backdrop for all the updates. We wanted to take the cabinets to the ceiling to obtain as much storage as possible, but an angled soffit on two of the walls provided a bit of a challenge. We asked our carpenter to field modify a few of the wall cabinets where necessary and now the space is truly custom. Part of the project also included a new fireplace design including a custom mantle that houses a built-in sound bar and a Panasonic Frame TV, that doubles as hanging artwork when not in use. The TV is mounted flush to the wall, and there are different finishes for the frame available. The TV can display works of art or family photos while not in use. We repeated the black herringbone tile for the fireplace surround here and installed bookshelves on either side for storage and media components. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Alan Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

This adorable beach cottage is in the heart of the village of La Jolla in San Diego. The goals were to brighten up the space and be the perfect beach get-away for the client whose permanent residence is in Arizona. Some of the ways we achieved the goals was to place an extra high custom board and batten in the great room and by refinishing the kitchen cabinets (which were in excellent shape) white. We created interest through extreme proportions and contrast. Though there are a lot of white elements, they are all offset by a smaller portion of very dark elements. We also played with texture and pattern through wallpaper, natural reclaimed wood elements and rugs. This was all kept in balance by using a simplified color palate minimal layering. I am so grateful for this client as they were extremely trusting and open to ideas. To see what the space looked like before the remodel you can go to the gallery page of the website www.cmnaturaldesigns.com Photography by: Chipper Hatter

Inspiration for a rustic vaulted ceiling family room remodel in Other with a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Even with the best intentions to collaborate, sometimes our homes clash more than they work together in cohesion. This room is an example of using contrasting tones and shapes to create harmony in the space. We started with a light and bright foundation and then incorporated darker tones and geometric shapes to create depth!

Light, bright family room with a smoke leuders mantel. Stained wood beams accent the pale tones in the room. Tall French doors with transoms give a light airy feel to the room. Photography by Danny Piassick. Architectural design by Charles Isreal.