This mountain estate in the heart of Calgary stands out among its peers. Built over 2 inner city lots this yard brings the rustic mountain charm these clients love to the heart of Calgary. The simple planting pallet reinforces the client's wish for a classy, clean outdoor living environment. Many evenings are spent surrounded by the warmth of the custom outdoor fireplace that completes this masterpiece.

White cabinets were built in surrounding this fireplace. Base cabinets are designed at two levels. On top of the fireplace mantle there are two glass cabinets that are connected by an arched valance. A shallow recess was designed for a flat screen TV. The glass cabinets feature glass shelves.

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Modern Living Room with floor to ceiling grey slab fireplace face. Dark wood built in bookcase with led lighting nestled next to modern linear electric fireplace. Contemporary white sofas face each other with dark black accent furniture nearby, all sitting on a modern grey rug. Modern interior architecture with large picture windows, white walls and light wood wall panels that line the walls and ceiling entry.

Kim Grant, Architect Theresa Clark, Landscape Architect
Patio fountain - mediterranean courtyard brick patio fountain idea in San Diego with no cover

This is one of our favorite stones for fireplace surrounds. “I love the stone fireplace, great texture.” “wonderful use of stone on the fireplace surround” “family room fireplace feature stone texture” “Beautiful Fireplace Ideas for Stone Veneer Fireplace Surrounds” “This stone fireplace surround is a popular choice for rustic interiors as well as contemporary spaces” “The stonework covers the fireplace in Toronto creating a rustic feel on the fireplace surround”

This walk-out patio shares a two-way fireplace with the living room, now that's indoor-outdoor living.
Mid-sized transitional backyard concrete paver patio photo in Minneapolis with a fireplace and no cover

A modern concrete hardscape with Mexican beach pebble bands is featured, along with the concrete fire pit and built-in bench seating made of cumaru wood.

Bright and white hand brush painted built-in bookcase wall and mantle surrounding the fireplace in this North Kansas City living room. Simple and clean inset doors on the cabinet storage sit below arched bookcases. Photos by Brynn Burns Photography

Cozy space with a warm stone fireplace and charming built-in window seating. Natural light fills the room, creating a serene atmosphere perfect for relaxation or a quiet workspace.

Design and construction by USI. Elements of multi-room renovation include: -Curated design theme -Managing flow -Appliance re-assignments -Plumbing relocations -Tub to shower conversions

EVERYONE'S INVITED. The first-floor bedroom and laundry area was replaced by an open family room with fabulous backyard views, perfect for entertaining a large extended family. Photography by Anice Hoachlander

The 4415 HO gas fireplace brings you the very best in home heating and style with its sleek, linear appearance and impressively high heat output. With a long row of dancing flames and built-in fans, the 4415 gas fireplace is not only an excellent heater but a beautiful focal point in your home. Turn on the under-lighting that shines through the translucent glass floor and you’ve got magic whether the fire is on or off. This sophisticated gas fireplace can accompany any architectural style with a selection of fireback options along with realistic Driftwood and Stone Fyre-Art. The 4415 HO gas fireplace heats up to 2,100 square feet but can heat additional rooms in your home with the optional Power Heat Duct Kit. The gorgeous flame and high heat output of the 4415 are backed up by superior craftsmanship and quality safety features, which are built to extremely high standards. From the heavy steel thickness of the fireplace body to the durable, welded frame surrounding the ceramic glass, you are truly getting the best gas fireplace available. The 2015 ANSI approved low visibility safety barrier comes standard over the glass to increase the safety of this unit for you and your family without detracting from the beautiful fire view.

Photo credit: Denise Retallack Photography
Large transitional medium tone wood floor living room photo in Other with a brick fireplace, beige walls and a standard fireplace

Built-in shelving with electric fireplace
Living room - mid-sized transitional open concept travertine floor and beige floor living room idea in Tampa with beige walls, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Downstairs Living Room with Fireplace. Home built by Cameo Homes Inc. in Tuhaye, Park City, Utah. Park City Showcase of Homes 2013. Utah Home Builder, Cameo Homes Inc. www.cameohomesinc.com. Photos by Phillip K. Erickson.

Living Room with stair beyond. Photo by Dan Arnold
Example of a large minimalist formal and open concept light wood floor, beige floor and wood wall living room design in Los Angeles with white walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

Transitional kitchen and family room remodel by Delphinium Design in Charlotte, NC features open large greige sectional couch with custom pillows, navy blue ottoman, marble fireplace with white fireplace mantel, built in shelving units and bench with plenty of hidden storage, brown swivel chairs, light wood media table, custom green window treatments and dark hardwoods

A summer house built around salvaged barn beams. Not far from the beach, the secluded site faces south to the ocean and views. The large main barn room embraces the main living spaces, including the kitchen. The barn room is anchored on the north with a stone fireplace and on the south with a large bay window. The wing to the east organizes the entry hall and sleeping rooms.