Photo: Nanette Wong © 2014 Houzz
Example of an eclectic dining room design in San Francisco

This is an example of a mid-sized tropical partial sun backyard mulch water fountain landscape in Miami for spring.

Nick Springett Photography
Inspiration for a huge contemporary living room remodel in Los Angeles

studiⓞbuell, Photography
Example of a mid-century modern exterior home design in Nashville

This residence was a complete gut renovation of a 4-story row house in Park Slope, and included a new rear extension and penthouse addition. The owners wished to create a warm, family home using a modern language that would act as a clean canvas to feature rich textiles and items from their world travels. As with most Brooklyn row houses, the existing house suffered from a lack of natural light and connection to exterior spaces, an issue that Principal Brendan Coburn is acutely aware of from his experience re-imagining historic structures in the New York area. The resulting architecture is designed around moments featuring natural light and views to the exterior, of both the private garden and the sky, throughout the house, and a stripped-down language of detailing and finishes allows for the concept of the modern-natural to shine. Upon entering the home, the kitchen and dining space draw you in with views beyond through the large glazed opening at the rear of the house. An extension was built to allow for a large sunken living room that provides a family gathering space connected to the kitchen and dining room, but remains distinctly separate, with a strong visual connection to the rear garden. The open sculptural stair tower was designed to function like that of a traditional row house stair, but with a smaller footprint. By extending it up past the original roof level into the new penthouse, the stair becomes an atmospheric shaft for the spaces surrounding the core. All types of weather – sunshine, rain, lightning, can be sensed throughout the home through this unifying vertical environment. The stair space also strives to foster family communication, making open living spaces visible between floors. At the upper-most level, a free-form bench sits suspended over the stair, just by the new roof deck, which provides at-ease entertaining. Oak was used throughout the home as a unifying material element. As one travels upwards within the house, the oak finishes are bleached to further degrees as a nod to how light enters the home. The owners worked with CWB to add their own personality to the project. The meter of a white oak and blackened steel stair screen was designed by the family to read “I love you” in Morse Code, and tile was selected throughout to reference places that hold special significance to the family. To support the owners’ comfort, the architectural design engages passive house technologies to reduce energy use, while increasing air quality within the home – a strategy which aims to respect the environment while providing a refuge from the harsh elements of urban living. This project was published by Wendy Goodman as her Space of the Week, part of New York Magazine’s Design Hunting on The Cut. Photography by Kevin Kunstadt

Alise O'Brien
Inspiration for a large timeless open concept medium tone wood floor living room remodel in St Louis with beige walls

Perimater of kitchen has a hidden Appliance garage, Lemans system in blind corner cabinet and recycling unit by sink. Jenn Air 27" single wall stainless wall oven and stainless dishwasher. Wall cabinets are finished with cherry sub molding, crown and light rail. Crown completes the kitchen as it travels through out room. Matching trim around windows unites the look.

Dining room - transitional dining room idea in Charlotte with blue walls

Casa Baia was designed as an homage to modern luxury living. Contrasting wood species adorn most walls to incorporate old world sophistication in a system of contemporary lines that work to conceal the doors to every room. Organic and fluted details as well as a consistent color palette are common elements that travel around the project serving as a backdrop for the carefully curated furnishings selected for this home. The final product, functional as well as elegant spaces that seem suspended in the air while enjoying the breathtaking views of Miami.

Casa Baia was designed as an homage to modern luxury living. Contrasting wood species adorn most walls to incorporate old world sophistication in a system of contemporary lines that work to conceal the doors to every room. Organic and fluted details as well as a consistent color palette are common elements that travel around the project serving as a backdrop for the carefully curated furnishings selected for this home. The final product, functional as well as elegant spaces that seem suspended in the air while enjoying the breathtaking views of Miami.

Bel Air Photography
Bedroom - eclectic bedroom idea in Los Angeles

Sustainable design and radical transparency are the new standards. As our daily transactions move further into the cloud, acquiring experiences is becoming preferable to buying more things. "Doing good" is the new looking good, and it’s taking the form of "voluntourism," healing retreats and eco-travel. We’re in pursuit of an elusive ideal: a fair luxury. The roads of this journey are lined with arctic neutrals, blush rose and wild browns. Mountain Air SW 6224 Stardew SW 9138 Coral Island SW 6332 Acier SW 9170 Casa Blanca SW 7571 Gale Force SW 7605 Brandywine SW 7710 Sheraton Sage SW 0014 Roycroft RoseSW 0034 Deep Forest Brown SW 9175

Life's luxuries! Hotel Collection's Oriel Collection boasts style & comfort. The tan ground & intertwining ivory accents give your bed an innovative update, while blended fabrics supply lasting warmth. Color: tan ground with ivory accents Available exclusively at Macy's and macys.com Have a question? Ask us at www.macys.com/contactus Getting married? Create a registry at www.macys.com/registry Let us help! Macy’s By Appointment can style your bedroom or bathroom for FREE! Learn more at www.macys.com/mba

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

We were hired to turn this standard townhome into an eclectic farmhouse dream. Our clients are worldly traveled, and they wanted the home to be the backdrop for the unique pieces they have collected over the years. We changed every room of this house in some way and the end result is a showcase for eclectic farmhouse style.

We were hired to turn this standard townhome into an eclectic farmhouse dream. Our clients are worldly traveled, and they wanted the home to be the backdrop for the unique pieces they have collected over the years. We changed every room of this house in some way and the end result is a showcase for eclectic farmhouse style.

To improve storage and increase counter space near the range, the refrigerator was relocated in favor of a shallow pantry cabinet. Andrea Rugg Photography

Example of a mid-sized transitional master gray tile and glass tile porcelain tile drop-in bathtub design in Phoenix with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface countertops, a two-piece toilet and gray walls

A group of students from the Rhode Island School of Design travel to Earth University La Flor in Guanacaste, Costa Rica to design and build a classroom.