This single family home sits on a tight, sloped site. Within a modest budget, the goal was to provide direct access to grade at both the front and back of the house. The solution is a multi-split-level home with unconventional relationships between floor levels. Between the entrance level and the lower level of the family room, the kitchen and dining room are located on an interstitial level. Within the stair space “floats” a small bathroom. The generous stair is celebrated with a back-painted red glass wall which treats users to changing refractive ambient light throughout the house. Black brick, grey-tinted glass and mirrors contribute to the reasonably compact massing of the home. A cantilevered upper volume shades south facing windows and the home’s limited material palette meant a more efficient construction process. Cautious landscaping retains water run-off on the sloping site and home offices reduce the client’s use of their vehicle. The house achieves its vision within a modest footprint and with a design restraint that will ensure it becomes a long-lasting asset in the community. Photo by Tom Arban

A full pattern repeat was the best choice because the entry was small and had an irregular room shape. Photo courtesy of Avente Tile Customer.
Example of a classic entryway design in Los Angeles

Inspiration for a contemporary living room remodel in Denver

Large gray two-story vinyl exterior home idea in New York

Chris Robinson

A new, ground-up attached house facing Cooper Park in Williamsburg Brooklyn. The site is in a row of small 1950s two-story, split-level brick townhouses, some of which have been modified and enlarged over the years and one of which was replaced by this building. The exterior is intentionally subdued, reminiscent of the brick warehouse architecture that occupies much of the neighborhood. In contrast, the interior is bright, dynamic and highly-innovative. In a nod to the original house, nC2 opted to explore the idea of a new, urban version of the split-level home. The house is organized around a stair oriented laterally at its center, which becomes a focal point for the free-flowing spaces that surround it. All of the main spaces of the house - entry hall, kitchen/dining area, living room, mezzanine and a tv room on the top floor - are open to each other and to the main stair. The split-level configuration serves to differentiate these spaces while maintaining the open quality of the house. A four-story high mural by the artist Jerry Inscoe occupies one entire side of the building and creates a dialog with the architecture. Like the building itself, it can only be truly appreciated by moving through the spaces.

Existing wood banister removed, treads restored, and new modern and open steel and wire banister.
Example of a small transitional wooden straight open and mixed material railing staircase design in Albuquerque

Inspiration for a large industrial open concept laminate floor family room remodel with black walls, a wall-mounted tv, a ribbon fireplace and a metal fireplace

Q Stern Photography
Home design - mid-sized contemporary side yard rectangular home design idea in Philadelphia with decking

Cottage living room photo in San Diego with a concrete fireplace

Mark Swanson
Large country yellow two-story wood gable roof idea in Chicago

Example of a classic home design design in Jacksonville

Closeup shot of the old street paver inlay.
This is an example of a large transitional full sun backyard stone landscaping in Cleveland for summer.

Bathroom - traditional bathroom idea in Chicago

Inspiration for a transitional kitchen remodel in Columbus

Huge craftsman blue split-level mixed siding house exterior idea in Salt Lake City with a clipped gable roof and a shingle roof