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. Eric Roth Photo

Regis Vogt
Example of a trendy family room design in DC Metro

The client had several requirements for this Seattle kids bathroom remodel. They wanted to keep the existing bathtub, toilet and flooring; they wanted to fit two sinks into the space for their two teenage children; they wanted to integrate a niche into the shower area; lastly, they wanted a fun but sophisticated look that incorporated the theme of African wildlife into the design. Ellen Weiss Design accomplished all of these goals, surpassing the client's expectations. The client particularly loved the idea of opening up what had been a large unused (and smelly) built-in medicine cabinet to create an open and accessible space which now provides much-needed additional counter space and which has become a design focal point.

This project was an exploration in taking and urban corner lot and transforming it into and urban farm of sorts. The project incorporated rainwater tanks, raised vegetable beds, fruit trees, chicken coop, prefab studio, composite deck, poured in place concrete, pre-cast concrete, custom wood features, a green wall, custom bench/fountain, lighting, swimming pool with solar hot water heating, an outdoor kitchen, drip irrigation which is controlled by smart phone, landscape lighting which can be controlled by smart phone. A fun project where we melded contemporary elements with sustainable/ self sufficient principles.

Example of a trendy u-shaped light wood floor and beige floor eat-in kitchen design in Vancouver with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and yellow countertops

Example of a mid-sized eclectic single-wall light wood floor and beige floor open concept kitchen design in Other with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, stainless steel countertops, white backsplash, an island and paneled appliances

ASID Design Excellence First Place Residential – Best Individual Room (Traditional) This dining room was created by Michael Merrill Design Studio from a space originally intended to serve as both living room and dining room - both "formal" in style. Our client loved the idea of having one gracious and warm space based on a Santa Fe aesthetic. Photos © Paul Dyer Photography

This is an example of a modern landscaping in San Diego.

Trex wrap around composite deck with custom staircase and underdeck ceiling.
Deck - large backyard deck idea in St Louis

This is a custom deck and patio project in Des Peres, Missouri. It features Trex Spiced Rum decking and custom curved Timbertech Railing. The deck steps down to a stamped concrete patio with a built-in gas firepit. The deck features a stacked stone bar and privacy wall, and an exposed pine rafter roof.

This is an example of a contemporary landscaping in San Diego.

An overview of the second bedroom. This room features cool and soothing tones. Daniele Napolitano
Bedroom - mid-sized coastal guest porcelain tile bedroom idea in Tampa with blue walls

Photography by William Psolka, psolka-photo.com
Example of a large classic home bar design in New York

Inspiration for a large transitional gender-neutral light wood floor, wallpaper ceiling and wallpaper kids' study room remodel in Austin with blue walls

This entryway bench is wrapped in walnut with built-in cubbies below an upholstered bench, serving as a place to stop and take off shoes and drop your bag. The vertical channel upholstered back in olive green leather makes a statement.

For those who love color and having their small appliances match (or mismatch if that's your style!), Smeg's Small Appliances come in a variety of products and colors, like pastel green. Add more style to your kitchen space with a Smeg Blender, Toaster, Stand Mixer, and Juicer. Enjoy this beautiful white retro kitchen!

Joe Dodd
Inspiration for a modern landscaping in San Diego.

Aesthetic Value: Client required an upscale classical European look with minimalist features. Spiral became dramatic feature in customers home office. Stair Safety: All the local municipal codes were followed and met. Quality of Workmanship: Twelve sided mortised center column with minimalist engineered outside sawtooth stringer which is a very rare type of spiral stair. Technical Challenge: It was the owners lack of vision at beginning of project that challenged us to make numerous aesthetic suggestions and mock ups until owner finally feel in love with the sawtooth spiral with 12-sided column design.

Example of a large farmhouse medium tone wood floor and brown floor entryway design in Cincinnati with beige walls and a black front door