The wine cellar capacity is 1,230 bottles, using elegant Sapele Mahogany, finished with a walnut stain and furniture grade satin finish to protect the wood and provide a beautiful look and feel. The cellar is refrigerated by a fully ducted CellarPro 4200VSi self-contained cooling unit that is located in the attic. By ducting the cooling unit, the cellar gained additional racking capacity, and benefited from a cleaner aesthetic inside the cellar. Photo by Charles Lauersdorf

Nestled into the pines and fog, Gerrish Island made quite an eerie first impression. A winding driveway guided by a rhythm of trees so mature only the trunks could be seen through the car windows. The tree canopy created a darkened tunnel, its curves never providing clues to when it would end. The awe came from the pure excitement of what we would find around the bend. It was clad in age; dark weathered shingles, a mossy green trim, and craggy stonework. The screens had seen better days and the windows let in scant natural light. It had certainly been something special to its previous owners – a backdrop to highly anticipated summer escapes, grassy yard games, and beach days. It had been a special place to someone – empty now – but with the promise of huge potential. READ MORE >> The new owner of this turn-of-the-century shingle style home saw this potential too, asking us to imbue the home with that same sense of nostalgia, but in present day context for a modern day family. We documented the home inside and out, piecing together a loose timeline to its beginnings and its earlier additions and renovations. The style of the home, its massing and siting, were originally done brilliantly and would remain intact. Wherever we could keep the original stonework we did. It provided such a strong connection to the site and the tremendous amount of existing stone outcropping common to the Island. The original porch facing west, cold and enclosed, was demolished, making way for a new wrap around porch that now glows as the sunsets. Another screened porch to the back was fully winterized and made into a new family room. The interior was stripped back to the studs and reworked, only minimally, to improve flow or eliminate small rooms no longer necessary for present day living. New systems were installed and the kitchen was updated and reconfigured opening up to the new family room. Years later we were asked back to add a garage; something the home had never had. More flattering still, after the property sold again, the newest owners asked us to design a rear ‘L’ shaped addition to house. The design evolved to look like an original porch that had been enclosed, to house a more traditional butler’s pantry, mudroom, and an interior connection to the garage’s second floor where we would eventually design two additional guest suites. We were happy to be apart of what we thought was the second life for this home and ended up being a third life for another family who also saw this home and its unique property as too GOOD to pass up. - See more at: http://sommastudios.com/project/gerrish-island/#sthash.8X5r548R.dpuf

I am glad to present a new project, Powder room design in a modern style. This project is as simple as it is not ordinary with its solution. The powder room is the most typical, small. I used wallpaper for this project, changing the visual space - increasing it. The idea was to extend the semicircular corridor by creating additional vertical backlit niches. I also used everyone's long-loved living moss to decorate the wall so that the powder room did not look like a lifeless and dull corridor. The interior lines are clean. The interior is not overflowing with accents and flowers. Everything is concise and restrained: concrete and flowers, the latest technology and wildlife, wood and metal, yin-yang.

Minor tweaks and changes were all this guest bathroom needed to fully transform into a comfortable and functional oasis. With a new mirrored medicine cabinet and contemporary sconce lighting, we were able to add in more storage space and brighten the room up. The shower underwent the most changes, now presenting a multi-functional body spray, complete new tiling, and the addition of an accent strip. Designed by Chi Renovation & Design who serve Chicago and it's surrounding suburbs, with an emphasis on the North Side and North Shore. You'll find their work from the Loop through Lincoln Park, Skokie, Wilmette, and all of the way up to Lake Forest.

This client initially retained us to design & build an addition but after an in-depth review of the house and the family's need we were able to create the ideal space by simply re-configuring the existing square footage. The dining room was over-sized and underused, which allowed us to relocate a primary wall in the kitchen to create a much larger foot print. Additionally we added an extra window to allow more natural light in. Once that was complete, the client felt the elegance we had in mind and enjoyed what felt like a completely new home

Minor tweaks and changes were all this guest bathroom needed to fully transform into a comfortable and functional oasis. With a new mirrored medicine cabinet and contemporary sconce lighting, we were able to add in more storage space and brighten the room up. The shower underwent the most changes, now presenting a multi-functional body spray, complete new tiling, and the addition of an accent strip. Designed by Chi Renovation & Design who serve Chicago and it's surrounding suburbs, with an emphasis on the North Side and North Shore. You'll find their work from the Loop through Lincoln Park, Skokie, Wilmette, and all of the way up to Lake Forest.

Note how the curbless shower and clear glass enclosure, present the illusion of a larger space! This space was also enhanced by the 12" x 24" floor tile extending up the shower enclosure walls. This dramatic detail, was not to be undone by the mirrored wall right of the shower, surrounded with narrow metal tile. Additional features were the electrical and installation of a television, sconce lighting, and recessed ceiling lights. Owner's cabinetry, two under mount sinks & faucets: on left and on right of window, accessories, drywall, and painting completed this installation by our skilled craftsmen. General Contractor / Remodel: E D Enterprises Inc Michael Alan Kaskel Photography

The Pond House is an architect designed mid-century modern ranch home originally built in the 1964. One of the home’s many distinctive features is a porch that wraps the full length of the rear of the house, overlooking a beautiful pond. The current owners want to extend the enjoyment of this view year round, and asked us to present solutions for enclosing a portion of this porch. We proposed a small addition, carefully designed to complement this amazing house, which is built around a hexagonal floorplan with distinctive “flying gable” rooflines. The result is a stunning glass walled addition. The project also encompassed several complimentary upgrades to other parts of the house. Design Criteria: - Provide 4-season breakfast room with view of the pond. - Tightly integrate the new structure into the existing design. - Use sustainable, energy efficient building practices and materials. Special Features: - Dramatic, 1.5-story, glass walled breakfast room. - Custom fabricated steel and glass exterior stairway. - Soy-based spray foam insulation - Standing seam galvalume “Cool Roof”. - Pella Designer series windows

The Pond House is an architect designed mid-century modern ranch home originally built in the 1964. One of the home’s many distinctive features is a porch that wraps the full length of the rear of the house, overlooking a beautiful pond. The current owners want to extend the enjoyment of this view year round, and asked us to present solutions for enclosing a portion of this porch. We proposed a small addition, carefully designed to complement this amazing house, which is built around a hexagonal floorplan with distinctive “flying gable” rooflines. The result is a stunning glass walled addition. The project also encompassed several complimentary upgrades to other parts of the house. Design Criteria: - Provide 4-season breakfast room with view of the pond. - Tightly integrate the new structure into the existing design. - Use sustainable, energy efficient building practices and materials. Special Features: - Dramatic, 1.5-story, glass walled breakfast room. - Custom fabricated steel and glass exterior stairway. - Soy-based spray foam insulation - Standing seam galvalume “Cool Roof”. - Pella Designer series windows

PBA designed the renovation of this two story, 1,800 square foot, Henderson’s Wharf penthouse condominium in the historic Fell’s Point community to take advantage of the breathtaking views of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The existing floor plan was configured with living spaces on the lower level, and bedrooms with terraces on the upper level: PBA inverted the layout by creating a generous foyer at the lower level entry with a stair leading to the living spaces on the upper level. The lower level was renovated for a master suite and guest bedroom, while the upper floor was converted to an open great room taking advantage of the breathtaking views of the Harbor (along with a powder room, office and laundry room). The project presented very difficult challenges since sanitary plumbing lines could not be relocated due to the unavailability of access from the unit below, so the design was forced to conform with existing lower level plumbing locations. In addition, PBA utilized computer aided design (BIM) to route ductwork throughout the unit due to extremely limited space.

New Additions to Hoover + Hill This project is a continuation of the renovation and updating work Flavin Architects had previously completed at the 1958 Wales house, designed by architect Henry Hoover and Walter Hill. Our clients, a young family, desired more space for guests, a home office, a yoga studio, and covered car parking. The challenge was to respect the architects’ original vision and not to interfere with the perfect cruciform plan of the house. To accomplish these goals, we converted the existing garage/workshop structure into a guest house and then designed a new, separate carport/storage building. The new carport building shares the low-slope gable of the original Hoover structure. The post and beam structure characteristic of Hoover’s design is updated through the use of galvanized steel posts and I beams. The galvanized beams cantilever to support a sheltered walkway leading from the parking to a guest house terrace defined in relationship to the three structures surrounding it. The terrace is paved in slate with a central rain garden. Wood lattice clads the carport, providing good ventilation and letting the building glow like a lantern at night. Our guest house renovation celebrates the unique structural timber ceiling of the original garage. We replaced opaque plywood trusses with a slender cable truss structurally engineered by Webb Structural Services. This cable truss allows for a view of the timber ceiling. A wall of glass facing the courtyard replaced the original garage door. A murphy bed in the rear room enables quick conversion from guest quarters to weight room.

Minor tweaks and changes were all this guest bathroom needed to fully transform into a comfortable and functional oasis. With a new mirrored medicine cabinet and contemporary sconce lighting, we were able to add in more storage space and brighten the room up. The shower underwent the most changes, now presenting a multi-functional body spray, complete new tiling, and the addition of an accent strip. Designed by Chi Renovation & Design who serve Chicago and it's surrounding suburbs, with an emphasis on the North Side and North Shore. You'll find their work from the Loop through Lincoln Park, Skokie, Wilmette, and all of the way up to Lake Forest.

The Maison du Boisé occupies a densely forested site located near the Milles-Iles River. To take advantage of these two characteristics, the project is oriented toward the river and its spatial organization offers spaces that highlight the natural beauty of the land. In order to preserve the natural qualities of the site, the site planning was considered at length and the forest was meticulously inventoried to determine a location offering a minimal impact on the wooded area while offering views towards the Milles-Iles River. Spread over two levels, the living spaces of the residence are on the upper floor whose generous windows give the impression of being in the middle of trees, and is assured by the conservation of the mature forest cover. In addition, this privileged floor is enhanced by a generous raised terrace that spans across the roots of the trees that border it. The house will thus offer living spaces in close proximity to the surrounding nature and will present visual openings towards the Milles-Iles River.

The homeowners, residing in a 1990s home, sought to update their primary bathroom to create a fresh, open space that still felt warm and cozy. The existing layout presented several challenges, including an undesirable first view of the toilet as you entered the room. They also wanted to reconfigure the tub and enlarge the shower for a more functional and luxurious experience. Additionally, the current vanity placement caused problems, as the door would frequently collide with someone using the sink. We rotated the tub 90 degrees to allow for more openness and room for the new toilet location. We changed the built in standard size tub to a deep freestanding tub with waterfall filler. The vanity was moved away from the entrance, helping with the flow in and out of the room. We also built a dedicated space for seating, along with convenient niches for shampoo and soap.

The Pond House is an architect designed mid-century modern ranch home originally built in the 1964. One of the home’s many distinctive features is a porch that wraps the full length of the rear of the house, overlooking a beautiful pond. The current owners want to extend the enjoyment of this view year round, and asked us to present solutions for enclosing a portion of this porch. We proposed a small addition, carefully designed to complement this amazing house, which is built around a hexagonal floorplan with distinctive “flying gable” rooflines. The result is a stunning glass walled addition. The project also encompassed several complimentary upgrades to other parts of the house. Design Criteria: - Provide 4-season breakfast room with view of the pond. - Tightly integrate the new structure into the existing design. - Use sustainable, energy efficient building practices and materials. Special Features: - Dramatic, 1.5-story, glass walled breakfast room. - Custom fabricated steel and glass exterior stairway. - Soy-based spray foam insulation - Standing seam galvalume “Cool Roof”. - Pella Designer series windows

The homeowners, residing in a 1990s home, sought to update their primary bathroom to create a fresh, open space that still felt warm and cozy. The existing layout presented several challenges, including an undesirable first view of the toilet as you entered the room. They also wanted to reconfigure the tub and enlarge the shower for a more functional and luxurious experience. Additionally, the current vanity placement caused problems, as the door would frequently collide with someone using the sink. We rotated the tub 90 degrees to allow for more openness and room for the new toilet location. We changed the built in standard size tub to a deep freestanding tub with waterfall filler. The vanity was moved away from the entrance, helping with the flow in and out of the room. We also built a dedicated space for seating, along with convenient niches for shampoo and soap.

The wine cellar capacity is 1,230 bottles, using elegant Sapele Mahogany, finished with a walnut stain and furniture grade satin finish to protect the wood and provide a beautiful look and feel. The cellar is refrigerated by a fully ducted CellarPro 4200VSi self-contained cooling unit that is located in the attic. By ducting the cooling unit, the cellar gained additional racking capacity, and benefited from a cleaner aesthetic inside the cellar. Photo by Charles Lauersdorf

The homeowners, residing in a 1990s home, sought to update their primary bathroom to create a fresh, open space that still felt warm and cozy. The existing layout presented several challenges, including an undesirable first view of the toilet as you entered the room. They also wanted to reconfigure the tub and enlarge the shower for a more functional and luxurious experience. Additionally, the current vanity placement caused problems, as the door would frequently collide with someone using the sink. We rotated the tub 90 degrees to allow for more openness and room for the new toilet location. We changed the built in standard size tub to a deep freestanding tub with waterfall filler. The vanity was moved away from the entrance, helping with the flow in and out of the room. We also built a dedicated space for seating, along with convenient niches for shampoo and soap.

The homeowners, residing in a 1990s home, sought to update their primary bathroom to create a fresh, open space that still felt warm and cozy. The existing layout presented several challenges, including an undesirable first view of the toilet as you entered the room. They also wanted to reconfigure the tub and enlarge the shower for a more functional and luxurious experience. Additionally, the current vanity placement caused problems, as the door would frequently collide with someone using the sink. We rotated the tub 90 degrees to allow for more openness and room for the new toilet location. We changed the built in standard size tub to a deep freestanding tub with waterfall filler. The vanity was moved away from the entrance, helping with the flow in and out of the room. We also built a dedicated space for seating, along with convenient niches for shampoo and soap.