Pool - pool idea in Detroit

Example of a minimalist staircase design in DC Metro

Example of a minimalist staircase design in DC Metro

These young hip professional clients love to travel and wanted a home where they could showcase the items that they've collected abroad. Their fun and vibrant personalities are expressed in every inch of the space, which was personalized down to the smallest details. Just like they are up for adventure in life, they were up for for adventure in the design and the outcome was truly one-of-kind. Photos by Chipper Hatter

This estate just west of Calgary masterfully takes advantage of the stunning views to the west and the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. The front laneway is surrounded by large sod areas with multiple beds that frame the entrance to the home. The entrance to the backyard takes you over a custom cedar bridge with views of the impressive water feature built of rocky mountain rundle and kootenay boulders. A large concrete patio with expansive views over the yard and sport court can be seen from both gas firepit or the dining area with an overhead pergola. The sport court doubles as a great babysitter allowing the young kids multiple options to burn off extra energy both summer and winter. Photo Credit: Jamen Rhodes

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Inspiration for a mid-sized rustic bedroom remodel in Los Angeles with green walls

Abby from Just A Girl And Her Blog was on a mission to transform her boys' bedroom in just 6 short weeks. The vision all started with plaid bedding and a bear pillow. And transformed into a wonderfully fun and practical place for her boys to play, create, and dream. Abby chose Basic Blackout Roman Shades from SelectBlinds.com to complete the room. To read all the details about this bedroom remodel, check out the full blog post here: http://justagirlandherblog.com/how-to-measure-for-and-install-plantation-shutters/

Eric designed this loft safety railing from nautical netting , Keeping with the theme of the house and providing an airy, yet safe space. The loft is reached by a built in ladder.

This play room is kid paradise. The small door with the speak easy allows kid sized access for the little ones. photo by: Karl Neumann
Mid-sized danish gender-neutral carpeted playroom photo with white walls

The design strategy was for Al Curtis to begin designing a pool that would fit into the grand scope of this expansive back yard – with the homeowners’ voice in the back of his mind saying what would you do if you could do anything in this yard? His only wish list was a lazy river, and hers was a super long waterslide. As long as those two items were incorporated, the rest of the yard was a blank slate. The pool grew to the largest residential pool our team has built to date, incorporating a vinyl liner pool into the footprint, wrapped by a lazy river created with shotcrete flowing through a grotto, and a lower pool with a 25′ waterslide. The pool also features a sunshelf, coated in ecoFinish, a bridge over the grotto entrance, a swim in cave/grotto area. The lazy river is powered by three Endless pool units. In his unique way, Curtis begins designing and building the pool in his head- estimating he builds it 100 times from the underground up before he ever puts pencil to paper. He draws the pools in the same way he did when he began his career nearly thirty years ago, by hand, with a pencil and triangular architectural scale ruler 1″=10′. Once he has a design he likes, he’ll hand color with watercolor markers. This is the entire plan the customer sees before they make the decision and give the project it’ go ahead.

Kayla Stark
Example of an eclectic kitchen design in New Orleans