Eric Rorer Photographer
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary gray two-story concrete fiberboard house exterior remodel in San Francisco with a shed roof and a shingle roof

Hidden pantry doors that fold flat were designed to provide easy access to the prep and storage area while eliminating visual clutter from the kitchen and dining space. Black and white cabinetry and countertops in the kitchen/dining addition establish a strong, elegant contrast that remains timeless and adaptable. The coffered ceilings and trim details relate to existing vintage moldings in the original part of the house.

Brent Bingham Photography
This is an example of a contemporary full sun side yard pond in Denver.

Nestled within an established west-end enclave, this transformation is both contemporary yet traditional—in keeping with the surrounding neighbourhood's aesthetic. A family home is refreshed with a spacious master suite, large, bright kitchen suitable for both casual gatherings and entertaining, and a sizeable rear addition. The kitchen's crisp, clean palette is the perfect neutral foil for the handmade backsplash, and generous floor-to-ceiling windows provide a vista to the lush green yard and onto the Humber ravine. The rear 2-storey addition is blended seamlessly with the existing home, revealing a new master suite bedroom and sleek ensuite with bold blue tiling. Two additional additional bedrooms were refreshed to update juvenile kids' rooms to more mature finishes and furniture—appropriate for young adults.

Nestled within an established west-end enclave, this transformation is both contemporary yet traditional—in keeping with the surrounding neighbourhood's aesthetic. A family home is refreshed with a spacious master suite, large, bright kitchen suitable for both casual gatherings and entertaining, and a sizeable rear addition. The kitchen's crisp, clean palette is the perfect neutral foil for the handmade backsplash, and generous floor-to-ceiling windows provide a vista to the lush green yard and onto the Humber ravine. The rear 2-storey addition is blended seamlessly with the existing home, revealing a new master suite bedroom and sleek ensuite with bold blue tiling. Two additional additional bedrooms were refreshed to update juvenile kids' rooms to more mature finishes and furniture—appropriate for young adults.

Historic restoration in a historic district. Complete remodel. Footprint remained the same. Collaboration between owner, architectct Mary Brewster and Historic Commission. all historic detail had been previously removed. Architect: Mary Brewster, Brewster Thornton Group

Nestled within an established west-end enclave, this transformation is both contemporary yet traditional—in keeping with the surrounding neighbourhood's aesthetic. A family home is refreshed with a spacious master suite, large, bright kitchen suitable for both casual gatherings and entertaining, and a sizeable rear addition. The kitchen's crisp, clean palette is the perfect neutral foil for the handmade backsplash, and generous floor-to-ceiling windows provide a vista to the lush green yard and onto the Humber ravine. The rear 2-storey addition is blended seamlessly with the existing home, revealing a new master suite bedroom and sleek ensuite with bold blue tiling. Two additional additional bedrooms were refreshed to update juvenile kids' rooms to more mature finishes and furniture—appropriate for young adults.

The original staircase leading to the basement was dark. During the remodel a partial wall was removed on the right between the living room/hallway and stairs and was replaced with a wood and glass handrail. The entry wall was pulled back a bit between the entry and stairwell, and an additional window was added on the north wall of the stairs. The stairwell is in the center of the home and these changes really brought the two floors together visually. The wood panelled wall was stripped and stained a dark espresso color. The hanging light was a pre-established fixture that can now be appreciated.

Hillside Modernism In Context. The owners of this modern hillside home sought to have a home in a nice Los Angeles neighborhood wherein they could raise their burgeoning family. The owners purchased a 1948 2000sf, single story, 2 bedroom English Cottage styled home (believed to have been originally owned by Yul Brynner) on a ½ acre hillside site in the exclusive Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The property slopes downward away from the street and overlooks a mini eucalyptus arroyo. The owners love their new location but are now faced-with having to raise their new and growing family on a hillside with extremely limited yard spaces for children to play and in a location where nature is very close – deer as well as coyotes wander the arroyo. In 2000 the owners commissioned architect Richard Best to add 2500sf to the cottage and transform it into a home more fitting to their growing family’s needs. Subsequently, in 2014/15, the owners again commissioned Richard to create a 2-story master suite addition. Living in or visiting the completed project - the original 1948 home remodeled + the 2000 addition + the 2014/15 addition, one goes through an unexpected and delightful experience as the spaces of the home “unfold” to reveal intimacy and environmental immersion. It was important to Richard and to the owners that their remodels and additions be appropriately designed to fit into the neighborhood and have the feel, scale, and soul of the original cottage. With this in-mind, Richard has interpreted the design intentions of the original cottage - “modernizing” the architectural vocabulary and creating open-plan, 2-story additions which promote site “engagement” at various floor levels and openness to the outdoors in a manner clearly inspired by the original cottage, yet modern. At the front door of the original (still remains as it was) 1948 structure, one is presented with a quaint a low-slung entry which establishes a very comfortable sense of scale. Inside, the remodeled spaces of the original cottage exude comfort and a cozy sensibility evoked by the reuse of the original home’s exposed timber framing structure, open-plan circulation, and an inventive two-sided steel fireplace which acts as a room divider between the living room and a home office. Accordion wood doors connect these rooms to a newly formed outdoor rear patio. At this point one also gets ones first hint that something very interesting is happening just beyond – a glimpse of the 2000 & 2014/15 additions. Moving from the original 1948 structure into the 2-story 2000 addition, one is greeted by a modern and open linear floor plan arrangement – a kitchen, casual dining and family room extend perpendicularly from the 1948 structure into the rear yard and down the hillside. The open framed cathedral ceiling and wood roof trusses establish a lofty feeling and a rhythm discretely separating the open rooms one from the other. Extensive use of windows and French doors connect the indoors to the outdoors and provide abundant natural lighting. This new appendage ends with a symmetrical family room which has no corners – it is a geometry composed of two overlapped squares - one rotated 45 degrees atop the other to create double opportunities for bay windows. The design not only connects the home to the desired exterior flat yards spaces, but it also takes full advantage of the sloping terrain by adding a floor below the original level so as to maintain a scale appropriate to the neighborhood. The exterior materials were chosen taking “hints” from the original 1948 structure – natural redwood siding, reused brick veneer and wood doors/windows all serving to aesthetically connect the addition back-to the spirit of the original structure. By 2014/15 the owners’ family has fully blossomed - the children are now teenagers and there is a need for additional space. However, the owners are very content with their remodeled cottage and Richard’s 2000 addition – unsure how to add to a home which they feel is quite perfect as it is … wanting whatever changes are to be made to be sympathetic to it. They are also concerned about potential additions blocking-out their views of the eucalyptus arroyo. The owners approached Richard with trepidation – we love our perfect house but we need it to be a bit bigger and we don’t want to block-out the arroyo views or create a hemmed-in feeling – how can we add but still see the arroyo. In response Richard created a private yet connected 2-story master suite, which by its positioning, dynamic geometries and extensive glazing create the fourth side of the former rear patio, making it into exterior courtyard with views around and through the new addition into the arroyo. A dynamic angularity in the new master addition (inspired by the 2000 addition) simultaneously reduces the apparent size/presence of the master suite addition on the edge of the eucalyptus arroyo while creating framed views into the arroyo from the newly formed courtyard. The new master suite - a master bathroom, master closet and a master sleeping loft each having exterior decks and/or patios, is connected back to the 2000 addition via a glazed hallway which provides a sense of connectedness and privacy. A modern rustic aesthetic of exposed board-formed concrete, natural finished Corten steel exterior cladding, frameless metal windows, and clear finished Douglas Fir planks serve to “extend” the soul of the original cottage into the master suite. The project is a highly sustainable design as well. Energy use is reduced by employing a high efficiency heat pump heating and cooling system, dual paned/gasketed metal window/door systems, natural lighting through a Kalwall skylight and generous exterior glazing with extensive eaves for shading, rigid roof insulation, and earthen backing – the lower floor is up-against the hillside which tends to even-out the day/night temperature differential. Credits: Architecture & Interior Design: Richard Best Architect Inc. Structural Engineering: Dan Echeto & David Choi Associates Interior Decor: Noelle Schoop Landscape: Connie Heitzman Photos: Carmel McFayden and Adriano Sarmento / James Porschen

All the planting beds are drip irrigated. Drought tolerant grasses and ground covers are used throughout. First year water monitoring suggests an irrigation water use reduction of 20-30%. Experience shows a further reduction of 30% is to be expected. The hardscapes are permeable and all water is infiltrated on site. Plants established quickly due to adequate water and fertile soils and maintenance was reduced by almost 60% in the first year with additional savings expected.

The garden accentuates and continues the central axis established by the alignment of the front and back doors of the house, which is key to classic villa design. The homeowners sought to establish a traditional villa garden, one that would be essentially an additional room and which would flow easily from the interior. The garden has a formal layout and uses classic boxwoods to establish the formality and expand on the existing walled courtyard, another feature of authentic villa gardens. Plant selections create a tapestry effect through the use of large blocks of various leaf shapes and foliage colors. Ferns and grasses chosen for ground cover offer the benefit of reduced maintenance. Taking inspiration from the name of the house, Villa Mira Flores, Musso and Cooke added blooming shrubs, trees and perennials including hydrangea, gardenia, crepe myrtle, clematis, iris, laurel and holly.

A second view of the fire pit beside the Pacific-ocean-bound creek that flanks the property. Images | Kurt Jordan Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized coastal full sun backyard landscaping in San Luis Obispo with a fire pit for summer.

This collection of four residential remodel and addition projects across the City of Boulder reflects Nicole’s thoughtful, detail-driven approach to transforming existing homes. Each project balances the constraints of working within established neighborhoods and strict local regulations with the opportunity to reimagine spaces for modern living. From interior reconfigurations to carefully integrated additions, these homes were redesigned to improve flow, bring in natural light, and create a stronger connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. Nicole guided each project through feasibility, design, and the complexities of City of Boulder Planning and Development Services, helping homeowners navigate permitting, zoning, and review processes with clarity and confidence. The result is a set of highly tailored homes that feel both refreshed and enduring—designed to support the evolving needs of each family while respecting the character of their surrounding context.

Everyone deserves to end the day in a comfortable, tranquil home. And for those with children, it can seem impossible to reconcile the challenges of family life with the need to have a well-designed space. Our client—a financial executive and her family of four—had not considered a design makeover since moving into their apartment, which was more than ten years ago. So when she reached out to Decor Aid, she asked us to modernize and brighten her home, in addition to creating a space for her family to hang out and relax. The apartment originally featured sunflower-yellow walls and a set of brown suede living room furniture, all of which significantly darkened the space. The living room also did not have sufficient seating options, so the client was improvising seating arrangements when guests would come over. With no outward facing windows, the living room received little natural light, and so we began the redesign by painting the walls a classic grey, and adding white crown molding. As a pathway from the front door to the kitchen, the living room functions as a high-traffic area of the home. So we sourced a geometric indoor-outdoor area rug, and established a layout that’s easy to walk through. We also sourced a coffee table from Serena & Lily. Our client has teenage twins, and so we sourced a sturdy sectional couch from Restoration Hardware, and placed it in a corner which was previously being underused. We hired an electrician to hide all of the cables leading to the media console, and added custom window treatments. In the kitchen, we painted the cabinets a semi-gloss white, and added slate flooring, for a clean, crisp, modern look to match the living room. The finishing touches included a set of geometric table objects, comfortable throw rugs, and plush high-shine pillows. The final result is a fully functional living room for this family of four.

Even small bathrooms can look modern and luxurious when done right. This is an example of an affordable small (56 sf) bathroom remodel but by combining of unique tile, custom floating vanity and modern trims & hardware we established a high-end look.

The project was completed in accordance with the agreed scope of work and all communications established with the client. All installations and finishing work were completed professionally, and the project was delivered to the client's satisfaction.

The project was completed in accordance with the agreed scope of work and all communications established with the client. All installations and finishing work were completed professionally, and the project was delivered to the client's satisfaction.

This transitional-style kitchen revels in sophistication and practicality. Michigan-made luxury inset cabinetry by Bakes & Kropp Fine Cabinetry in linen establish a posh look, while also offering ample storage space. The large center island and bar hutch, in a contrasting dark stained walnut, offer space for seating and entertaining, as well as adding creative and useful features, such as walnut pull-out serving trays. Light colored quartz countertops offer sophistication, as well as practical durability. The white lotus-design backsplash from Artistic Tile lends an understated drama, creating the perfect backdrop for the Bakes & Kropp custom range hood in walnut and stainless steel. Two-toned panels conceal the refrigerator to continue the room's polished look. This kitchen is perfectly practical luxury in every way!

Nestled within an established west-end enclave, this transformation is both contemporary yet traditional—in keeping with the surrounding neighbourhood's aesthetic. A family home is refreshed with a spacious master suite, large, bright kitchen suitable for both casual gatherings and entertaining, and a sizeable rear addition. The kitchen's crisp, clean palette is the perfect neutral foil for the handmade backsplash, and generous floor-to-ceiling windows provide a vista to the lush green yard and onto the Humber ravine. The rear 2-storey addition is blended seamlessly with the existing home, revealing a new master suite bedroom and sleek ensuite with bold blue tiling. Two additional additional bedrooms were refreshed to update juvenile kids' rooms to more mature finishes and furniture—appropriate for young adults.