Large windows at the back of the home allow abundant day-lighting, while the large overhang provides some shade and shelter from the elements . The clear cedar deck and the crisp bleacher-style stairs are beautiful as well as functional. The streamlined, galvanized bar stock railing system with stainless steel cables is sturdy, yet "invisible", allowing the owners to enjoy an unobstructed view. Permeable paving provides a walkway to the front of the home.

Inspiration for a contemporary blue two-story exterior home remodel in San Francisco

Example of a large mountain style split-level mixed siding exterior home design in Other with a shed roof

Jeff Amram Photography
Example of a classic blue two-story exterior home design in Portland with a shingle roof

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in New York with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Landscape Design By: Kate Anne Designs Photography By: Christian Durocher
Example of a trendy patio design in Los Angeles with a bbq area

Inspiration for a small contemporary built-in desk medium tone wood floor and brown floor home office remodel in New York with gray walls

Jim Bartsch Photography
Bathroom - mid-sized transitional master white tile and subway tile mosaic tile floor and gray floor bathroom idea in Los Angeles with a wall-mount sink, gray walls, a hinged shower door and a niche

American Farmhouse - Scott Wilson Architect, LLC, GC - Shane McFarland Construction, Photographer - Reed Brown
Inspiration for a mid-sized french country master dark wood floor bedroom remodel in Nashville with gray walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a coastal medium tone wood floor and brown floor bedroom remodel in Chicago with blue walls

Todd Mason
1950s eat-in kitchen photo in New York with an integrated sink, medium tone wood cabinets, stainless steel countertops, black appliances and no island

Jeff Herr
Large transitional medium tone wood floor living room photo in Atlanta with gray walls, a two-sided fireplace and a stone fireplace

Holger Obehaus Photography LLC
Inspiration for a coastal u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Charleston with beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, multicolored backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Large trendy multicolored two-story mixed siding exterior home photo in Seattle with a metal roof

The Mazama house is located in the Methow Valley of Washington State, a secluded mountain valley on the eastern edge of the North Cascades, about 200 miles northeast of Seattle. The house has been carefully placed in a copse of trees at the easterly end of a large meadow. Two major building volumes indicate the house organization. A grounded 2-story bedroom wing anchors a raised living pavilion that is lifted off the ground by a series of exposed steel columns. Seen from the access road, the large meadow in front of the house continues right under the main living space, making the living pavilion into a kind of bridge structure spanning over the meadow grass, with the house touching the ground lightly on six steel columns. The raised floor level provides enhanced views as well as keeping the main living level well above the 3-4 feet of winter snow accumulation that is typical for the upper Methow Valley. To further emphasize the idea of lightness, the exposed wood structure of the living pavilion roof changes pitch along its length, so the roof warps upward at each end. The interior exposed wood beams appear like an unfolding fan as the roof pitch changes. The main interior bearing columns are steel with a tapered “V”-shape, recalling the lightness of a dancer. The house reflects the continuing FINNE investigation into the idea of crafted modernism, with cast bronze inserts at the front door, variegated laser-cut steel railing panels, a curvilinear cast-glass kitchen counter, waterjet-cut aluminum light fixtures, and many custom furniture pieces. The house interior has been designed to be completely integral with the exterior. The living pavilion contains more than twelve pieces of custom furniture and lighting, creating a totality of the designed environment that recalls the idea of Gesamtkunstverk, as seen in the work of Josef Hoffman and the Viennese Secessionist movement in the early 20th century. The house has been designed from the start as a sustainable structure, with 40% higher insulation values than required by code, radiant concrete slab heating, efficient natural ventilation, large amounts of natural lighting, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and locally sourced materials. Windows have high-performance LowE insulated glazing and are equipped with concealed shades. A radiant hydronic heat system with exposed concrete floors allows lower operating temperatures and higher occupant comfort levels. The concrete slabs conserve heat and provide great warmth and comfort for the feet. Deep roof overhangs, built-in shades and high operating clerestory windows are used to reduce heat gain in summer months. During the winter, the lower sun angle is able to penetrate into living spaces and passively warm the exposed concrete floor. Low VOC paints and stains have been used throughout the house. The high level of craft evident in the house reflects another key principle of sustainable design: build it well and make it last for many years! Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary loft-style medium tone wood floor and brown floor family room remodel in New York with white walls and a wall-mounted tv

Example of a large trendy multicolored three-story mixed siding exterior home design in Other with a mixed material roof

This new modern house is located in a meadow in Lenox MA. The house is designed as a series of linked pavilions to connect the house to the nature and to provide the maximum daylight in each room. The center focus of the home is the largest pavilion containing the living/dining/kitchen, with the guest pavilion to the south and the master bedroom and screen porch pavilions to the west. While the roof line appears flat from the exterior, the roofs of each pavilion have a pronounced slope inward and to the north, a sort of funnel shape. This design allows rain water to channel via a scupper to cisterns located on the north side of the house. Steel beams, Douglas fir rafters and purlins are exposed in the living/dining/kitchen pavilion. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography

Photo: Adrienne DeRosa © 2015 Houzz Save for a few refinements, the layout of the space took shape exactly as Weiss had envisioned it from day one. Knowing that they were looking to design a loft-like environment, the couple kept to an open layout for the majority of the living space. One of the most fantastic features of the space is a bank of clerestory windows that flood the interior with seemingly endless amounts of daylight. Originally added back when the building served as an artist studio, Weiss and Carpenter agreed that keeping them was a must. "The only original part of the house is the ceiling and the existing skylights and clerestory," Weiss describes. "We basically changed everything else." The ceiling compliments the contents of the environment, but also continues the story of the homeowners' design philosophy. "We loved the original wood and steel ceiling, including steel beams forged at the Carnegie Steel Works," Carpenter explains. "In coming up with our design approach, we wanted to reflect some of the previous uses of the structure ... Keeping elements from the past not only interested us aesthetically." he says, "It was important to us to reuse structures and objects in ways that are close to their originally intended use."