Joshua White
Trendy galley gray floor seated home bar photo in Los Angeles with open cabinets and medium tone wood cabinets

Inspired by the majesty of the Northern Lights and this family's everlasting love for Disney, this home plays host to enlighteningly open vistas and playful activity. Like its namesake, the beloved Sleeping Beauty, this home embodies family, fantasy and adventure in their truest form. Visions are seldom what they seem, but this home did begin 'Once Upon a Dream'. Welcome, to The Aurora.

Inspired by the majesty of the Northern Lights and this family's everlasting love for Disney, this home plays host to enlighteningly open vistas and playful activity. Like its namesake, the beloved Sleeping Beauty, this home embodies family, fantasy and adventure in their truest form. Visions are seldom what they seem, but this home did begin 'Once Upon a Dream'. Welcome, to The Aurora.

For this backyard we regarded the entire lot. To maximize the backyard space, we used Redwood boards to created two decks, 1) an upper deck level with the upper unit, with wrapping stairs landing on a paver patio, and 2) a lower deck level with the lower unit and connecting to the main patio. The steep driveway was regraded with drainage and stairs to provide an activity patio with seating and custom built shed. We repurposed about 60 percent of the demoed concrete to build urbanite retaining walls along the Eastern side of the house. A Belgard Paver patio defines the main entertaining space, with stairs that lead to a flagstone patio and spa, small fescue lawn, and perimeter of edible fruit trees.

Split Level 1970 home of a young and active family of four. The main public spaces in this home were remodeled to create a fresh, clean look. The Jack + Mare demo'd the kitchen and dining room down to studs and removed the wall between the kitchen/dining and living room to create an open concept space with a clean and fresh new kitchen and dining with ample storage. Now the family can all be together and enjoy one another's company even if mom or dad is busy in the kitchen prepping the next meal. The custom white cabinets and the blue accent island (and walls) really give a nice clean and fun feel to the space. The island has a gorgeous local solid slab of wood on top. A local artisan salvaged and milled up the big leaf maple for this project. In fact, the tree was from the University of Portland's campus located right where the client once rode the bus to school when she was a child. So it's an extra special custom piece! (fun fact: there is a bullet lodged in the wood that is visible...we estimate it was shot into the tree 30-35 years ago!) The 'public' spaces were given a brand new waterproof luxury vinyl wide plank tile. With 2 young daughters, a large golden retriever and elderly cat, the durable floor was a must. project scope at quick glance: - demo'd and rebuild kitchen and dining room. - removed wall separating kitchen/dining and living room - removed carpet and installed new flooring in public spaces - removed stair carpet and gave fresh black and white paint - painted all public spaces - new hallway doorknob harware - all new LED lighting (kitchen, dining, living room and hallway) Jason Quigley Photography

This project brings together more than a dozen distinct seating and activity areas, including an built-in BBQ, hot tub, pool, tanning ledge, putting green, workshop, pool house, playground, several lounging areas, a fire pit, a balcony, a shade structure and a four-season room. The sweeping curves of the retaining wall split the yard into two levels, which helps to break up all of these spaces. We sourced the retaining wall material and the pool house facade to match the stone on the main house.

Photo by Mark Boisclair. Warm, open, inviting kitchen with high-end appliances. Large built-in refrigerator, side by side freezer, mosaic tile backsplash. Project designed by Susie Hersker’s Scottsdale interior design firm Design Directives. Design Directives is active in Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Carefree, Sedona, and beyond. For more about Design Directives, click here: https://susanherskerasid.com/

The shower nook was positioned on the curb wall so it wouldn't disrupt the back wall design. Coming from a downtown Chicago high-rise condo, these folks were ready to expand their space. The jack-and-jill bathroom for the lower level bedrooms had been oddly laid out with a narrow line-up of sink, tub, and toilet. By moving one short wall about two feet, jackhammering out 3 old drains of 9-inch-thick concrete, and adding 6 new ones, the space was expanded so each spare bedroom now has its own en suite, private bathroom with shower, along with new HVAC ducts to serve each room. Also on the lower level, the family activity room was a little “tired.” So, we fashioned decorative beams and installed new LED can lights. Planning for a future move, we gutted and refitted the large mother-in-law bathroom with elegant tall and overhead cabinets with built-in lighting. Throughout this level, carpet was replaced with concrete-compatible hardwood flooring.

There is enough to love about this space to keep you busy all year round! Indulge in differing outdoor activities with this backyard retreat! With this project, you can enjoy the covered patio all year round, as well as have a relaxing time in this spacious hot tub!

Photography by Peter Vanderwarker This Second Empire house is a narrative woven about its circulation. At the street, a quietly fanciful stoop reaches to greet one's arrival. Inside and out, Victorian details are playfully reinterpreted and celebrated in fabulous and whimsical spaces for a growing family - Double story kitchen with open cylindrical breakfast room Parents' and Children's libraries Secret playspaces Top floor sky-lit courtyard Writing room and hidden library Basement parking Media Room Landscape of exterior rooms: The site is conceived as a string of rooms: a landscaped drive-way court, a lawn for play, a sunken court, a serene shade garden, a New England flower garden. The stair grows out of the garden level ordering the surrounding rooms as it rises to a light filled courtyard at the Master suite on the top floor. On each level the rooms are arranged in a circuit around the stair core, making a series of distinct suites for the children, for the parents, and for their common activities.

Inspired by the majesty of the Northern Lights and this family's everlasting love for Disney, this home plays host to enlighteningly open vistas and playful activity. Like its namesake, the beloved Sleeping Beauty, this home embodies family, fantasy and adventure in their truest form. Visions are seldom what they seem, but this home did begin 'Once Upon a Dream'. Welcome, to The Aurora.

Barn Renovation. The client was living on a farm that had been in his family since the late 1800’s. He was considering either building a new home on the property or renovating a barn that had been built by his grandfather in the 1940s. The lower level housed a milking parlor, cow stalls, mangers and a garage for tractors and equipment. The upper level was a 25’-30’ high hay loft. The barn had been used as an active dairy until 1951. We decided that while a new home would be easier, it would be a unique opportunity to restore a classic structure and maintain family history by reworking the barn. The client wanted to maintain as much of the existing structure as possible while creating a modern living environment. We also wanted to make use of the rough cut wood that had been harvested off the land and stored in the barn. The front porch has two red gum posts that were originally support beams for the old corn crib which was built in the 1920s. That wood is over 200 years old. The gum was termite resistant and often used as the base for structures of that era. We maintained the diagonal ceiling joists and left those exposed to the interior. The original hay hook and rail was also left exposed as a testament to the barn having once been an active, working farm facility.

HNA Hardscape Project Award Winner Morrison Residence Roswell, GA PaverStone Construction The challenge with this project was the client’s large property had no real usable backyard for their large family. The property dropped off quickly starting at 30 ft out their back door. We used this fall in elevation to our advantage by creating a stunning vanishing edge swimming pool which gives the feeling of being in the mountains. The owners wanted a backyard oasis for entertainment and social functions. All the boxes were ticked off on this project. Spa and waterfall with stream, vanishing edge pool, and pool side bar with built in bar stools, beach entry, outdoor entertainment system, night lighting system, outdoor kitchen and fire pit. They even have a putting green and children’s play area. We used the grade changes to our advantage by designing three separate terrace levels surrounding the pool. The upper level contains the outdoor kitchen, fire pit and spa. The large second level includes the stream, beach entry and plenty of area for chase lounges and pool side activity, while the lower level takes advantage of the bar stools at the deep end and the cantilevered stone slab bar top.

The Pine model home at Alden's Reach in Plymouth, MA — 2,648 sq ft with all primary living on a single level. Open-plan kitchen, living, and dining with private deck, primary suite with walk-in closet, and a den on the main floor. Upper loft adds a second bedroom suite and flexible space. The Pine is currently available at both Alden's Reach in Plymouth and Larkwood in Raynham. Every finish selected one-on-one with Thorndike's in-house interior designer.

For this backyard we regarded the entire lot. To maximize the backyard space, we used Redwood boards to created two decks, 1) an upper deck level with the upper unit, with wrapping stairs landing on a paver patio, and 2) a lower deck level with the lower unit and connecting to the main patio. The steep driveway was regraded with drainage and stairs to provide an activity patio with seating and custom built shed. We repurposed about 60 percent of the demoed concrete to build urbanite retaining walls along the Eastern side of the house. A Belgard Paver patio defines the main entertaining space, with stairs that lead to a flagstone patio and spa, small fescue lawn, and perimeter of edible fruit trees.

This Second Empire house is a narrative woven about its circulation. At the street, a quietly fanciful stoop reaches to greet one's arrival. Inside and out, Victorian details are playfully reinterpreted and celebrated in fabulous and whimsical spaces for a growing family - Double story kitchen with open cylindrical breakfast room Parents' and Children's libraries Secret playspaces Top floor sky-lit courtyard Writing room and hidden library Basement parking Media Room Landscape of exterior rooms: The site is conceived as a string of rooms: a landscaped drive-way court, a lawn for play, a sunken court, a serene shade garden, a New England flower garden. The stair grows out of the garden level ordering the surrounding rooms as it rises to a light filled courtyard at the Master suite on the top floor. On each level the rooms are arranged in a circuit around the stair core, making a series of distinct suites for the children, for the parents, and for their common activities.

Photography by Peter Vanderwarker This Second Empire house is a narrative woven about its circulation. At the street, a quietly fanciful stoop reaches to greet one's arrival. Inside and out, Victorian details are playfully reinterpreted and celebrated in fabulous and whimsical spaces for a growing family - Double story kitchen with open cylindrical breakfast room Parents' and Children's libraries Secret playspaces Top floor sky-lit courtyard Writing room and hidden library Basement parking Media Room Landscape of exterior rooms: The site is conceived as a string of rooms: a landscaped drive-way court, a lawn for play, a sunken court, a serene shade garden, a New England flower garden. The stair grows out of the garden level ordering the surrounding rooms as it rises to a light filled courtyard at the Master suite on the top floor. On each level the rooms are arranged in a circuit around the stair core, making a series of distinct suites for the children, for the parents, and for their common activities.

For a family who believes fitness is not only an essential part of life but also a fun opportunity for the whole family to connect, build and achieve greatness together there is nothing better than a custom designed obstacle course right in your back yard. THEME The theme of this half mile trail through the woods is evident in the fun, creative and all-inclusive obstacles hidden in the natural flow of the land around this amazing family home. The course was created with adults and children, advanced and beginner athletes, competitive and entertaining events all accounted for. Each of the 13 obstacles was designed to be challenging no matter the size, skill or ability of the athlete lucky enough to run the course. FOCUS The focus for this family was to create an outdoor adventure that could be an athletic, social and personal outlet for their entire family while maintaining the natural beauty of the landscape and without altering the sweeping views from the home. The large scale of the challenging obstacles is camouflaged within the landscape using the rolling hills and mature trees as a natural curtain in every season. The beauty of the course does not diminish the functional and demanding nature of the obstacles which are designed to focus on multiple strength, agility, and cardio fitness abilities and intensities. STORAGE The start of the trail includes a raised training area offering a dedicated space clear from the ground to place bags, mats and other equipment used during the run. A small all-terrain storage cart was provided for use with 6 yoga mats, 3 medicine balls of various weights, rings, sprinting cones, and a large digital timer to record laps. GROWTH The course was designed to provide an athletic and fun challenge for children, teens and adults no matter their experience or athletic prowess. This course offers competitive athletes a challenge and budding athletes an opportunity to experience and ignite their passion for physical activity. Initially the concept for the course was focused on the youngest of the family however as the design grew so did the obstacles and now it is a true family experience that will meet their adapting needs for years. Each obstacle is paired with an instructional sign directing the runners in proper use of the obstacle, adaptations for skill levels and tips on form. These signs are all customized for this course and are printed on metal to ensure they last for many years. SAFETY Safety is crucial for all physical activity and an obstacle course of this scale presents unique safety concerns. Children should always be supervised when participating in an adventure on the course however additional care was paid to details on the course to ensure everyone has a great time. All of the course obstacles have been created with pressure treated lumber that will withstand the seasonal poundings. All footer pilings that support obstacles have been placed into the ground between 3 to 4 feet (.9 to 1.2 meters) and each piling has 2 to 3 bags of concrete (totaling over 90 bags used throughout the course) ensuring stability of the structure and safety of the participants. Additionally, all obstacle lumber has been given rounded corners and sanded down offering less splintering and more time for everyone to enjoy the course. This athletic and charismatic family strives to incorporate a healthy active lifestyle into their daily life and this obstacle course offers their family an opportunity to strengthen themselves and host some memorable and active events at their amazing home.

For this backyard we regarded the entire lot. To maximize the backyard space, we used Redwood boards to created two decks, 1) an upper deck level with the upper unit, with wrapping stairs landing on a paver patio, and 2) a lower deck level with the lower unit and connecting to the main patio. The steep driveway was regraded with drainage and stairs to provide an activity patio with seating and custom built shed. We repurposed about 60 percent of the demoed concrete to build urbanite retaining walls along the Eastern side of the house. A Belgard Paver patio defines the main entertaining space, with stairs that lead to a flagstone patio and spa, small fescue lawn, and perimeter of edible fruit trees.