2011 NARI CAPITAL COTY FINALIST AWARD WINNER This 1970’s split-level single-family home in an upscale Arlington neighborhood had been neglected for years. With his surrounding neighbors all doing major exterior and interior remodeling, however, the owner decided it was time to renovate his property as well. After several consultation meetings with the design team at Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, he settled on an exterior layout to create an Art & Craft design for the home. It all got started by excavating the front and left side of the house and attaching a wrap-around stone porch. Key design attributes include a black metal roof, large tapered columns, blue and grey random style flag stone, beaded stain ceiling paneling and an octagonal seating area on the left side of this porch. The front porch has a wide stairway and another set of stairs leads to the back yard. All exterior walls of the home were modified with new headers to allow much larger custom-made windows, new front doors garage doors, and French side and back doors. A custom-designed mahogany front door with leaded glass provides more light and offers a wider entrance into the home’s living area. Design challenges included removing the entire face of the home and then adding new insulation, Tyvek and Hardiplank siding. The use of high-efficiency low-e windows makes the home air tight. The Arts & Crafts design touches include the front gable over the front porch, the prairie-style grill pattern on the windows and doors, the use of tapered columns sitting over stone columns and the leaded glass front door. Decorative exterior lighting provides the finishing touches to this look. Inside, custom woodwork, crown molding, custom glass cabinets and interior pillars carry the design. Upon entering the space, visitors face a large partition that separates the living area from a gourmet Arts & Crafts kitchen and dining room. The home’s signature space, the kitchen offers contrasting dark and light cherry cabinets. Wide plank hard wood floors, exotic granite counters and stainless steel professional-grade appliances make this a kitchen fit for any chef.

Mahonia aquifolium / Oregon grape Photo: born1945, via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-2.0 Generic.

Bouteloua curtipendula / sideoats grass New York Botanical Garden Photo: Kristine Paulus, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-2.0 Generic

A South End roof deck sounds delightful, but the existing condition of this deck was in desperate need of a face lift. The client wanted a more functional space with varied zones for different activities; comfortable seating to accommodate a group and intimate enough for two. They also wanted a professional type exterior kitchen with special grilling options. We were limited in our renovation options to the existing simple rectangular roof deck footprint. The design solution let site attributes such as views, sun path and cooking zone shape the project. Minimum maintenance materials such as "light block" countertops and ipe wood decking were employed. The new exterior room has a complete stainless steel kitchen and raised bar area. The kitchen, backed by tall woven screens of mahogany and stainless steel, anchored the room and shielded view from an adjacent roof deck. Multiple seating areas were incorporated to take advantage of the wide view of the South End & Back Bay. The free form lounge seating has a partial tall back acting as both a screen and barrier to vertigo. Once a disorganized and dated space, the client now has multi-functional space for outdoor entertaining and enjoyment.

The residence’s parti is a contemporary adaptation of the ancient Roman courtyard house, allowing it to maximize energy efficiency through passive cooling and solar heating. The first floor terraces gracefully above the exterior grade, and the plan is focused around a central pool and courtyard that opens to an adjacent lake and prevailing breezes. The line between interior and exterior space is blurred by over 50 feet of Nana doors, which facilitate a refreshing flow of natural ventilation that exits the house through operable transom windows and the cupola tower. Exterior colors and materials were selected to maximize heat reflectivity, and generous eave overhangs maximize shading in the summer and heat gain in the winter. Materials, products and equipment were specified based on their exemplary environmental and efficiency attributes, and whenever possible local materials and craftsmen were used. The residence is a Florida Green Building Commission certified Florida Green Home.

Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) Green-wood Cemetery Photo: Will Pollard, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic

Snowberry / Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus Photo: Hansen's Northwest Native Plant Database, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Carex brevior / Shortbeak Sedge Photo: Matt Lavin, via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

Our clients wanted to carry through the theme of greenery, plants and vegetation so prominent in their residence for this double door and sidelite entrance. Insulated Glass Units (IGU) that encapsulate the decorative glass feature tempered glass on the interior and exterior. This 1" thick style unit has great sound-proofing, energy efficiency and worry free maintenance attributes. We used The Tiffany technique, or copper-foil method as it is also known to fabricate. This is the same method used to create Tiffany Shades, and offers greater detail and nuances of line and shape to be highlighted in the design. There are various textures of hand-blown green glass used, as well as whites for the flowers, with hand-beveled glass for accents. Photo: Mark Levy Studio

This Craftsman styled ranch house plan includes many luxurious details in a small package at just under 50 feet wide. The dining room with elegant coffered ceiling is open to the great room and convenient to the spacious kitchen. A thoughtful pass-through from the kitchen to the great room emphasizes the open floor plan and ensures flow from room to room. An e-space in the breakfast room offers a place to do homework, look up recipes or charge gadgets. At the entrance from the garage is the mudroom and a utility room with a handy closet. The master bedroom is topped with a tray ceiling and includes unique attributes such as a pass-through from one of the walk-in closets to the utility room and access to the screened porch. Upstairs is an enormous multi-level bonus space of nearly 800 square feet for expansion in this house plan.

This award-winning custom home is a traditional craftsman style house with many contemporary attributes. It sits on a five acre parcel up high on a mountain that has commanding views of the entire Puget Sound, including Brentwood Bay, the Gulf Islands, Mount Baker, Victoria, and the Olympic Mountains. This home was a recipient of the 2020 People’s Choice from the Victoria Residential Builders' Association's CARE Awards. The custom cabinetry is remarkable. There is built-in cabinetry in almost every room of the house. This home is built to be timeless with its light colour-scheme. All cabinetry, rooms and countertops are white and the multitude of windows bring in natural light and show off the surroundings.

Natural hardwood flooring is more popular than ever among homeowners, and for good reason. The incredible quality and natural look of hardwood is unrivaled by other flooring options. The Piedmont Series offers all the best attributes of natural hardwood flooring, creating a warm and inviting ambiance in any style home. This ¾-inch solid hardwood flooring features magnificent color variation and character marks that add a rustic appeal. It has an inherent charm that gives each installation a unique artistry. The exclusive Six Side Seal© helps prevent moisture that can lead to cupping, warping, and seasonal cracking. Customers choose this product because it offers maximum design impact at a great value.

Kelly Keul Duer
Example of a classic u-shaped kitchen design in DC Metro with beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, beige backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Andropogon gerardii / Big Bluestem Photo: Matt Lavin, via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

This Craftsman styled ranch house plan includes many luxurious details in a small package at just under 50 feet wide. The dining room with elegant coffered ceiling is open to the great room and convenient to the spacious kitchen. A thoughtful pass-through from the kitchen to the great room emphasizes the open floor plan and ensures flow from room to room. An e-space in the breakfast room offers a place to do homework, look up recipes or charge gadgets. At the entrance from the garage is the mudroom and a utility room with a handy closet. The master bedroom is topped with a tray ceiling and includes unique attributes such as a pass-through from one of the walk-in closets to the utility room and access to the screened porch. Upstairs is an enormous multi-level bonus space of nearly 800 square feet for expansion in this house plan.

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

This Craftsman styled ranch house plan includes many luxurious details in a small package at just under 50 feet wide. The dining room with elegant coffered ceiling is open to the great room and convenient to the spacious kitchen. A thoughtful pass-through from the kitchen to the great room emphasizes the open floor plan and ensures flow from room to room. An e-space in the breakfast room offers a place to do homework, look up recipes or charge gadgets. At the entrance from the garage is the mudroom and a utility room with a handy closet. The master bedroom is topped with a tray ceiling and includes unique attributes such as a pass-through from one of the walk-in closets to the utility room and access to the screened porch. Upstairs is an enormous multi-level bonus space of nearly 800 square feet for expansion in this house plan.

Example of a mid-sized transitional freestanding desk dark wood floor and brown floor study room design in New York with beige walls and no fireplace

Black Cohosh / Actaea Racemosa Photo: Fritz Flohr Reynolds, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic