Governor's House Breakfast Nook by Lisa Tharp. 2019 Bulfinch Award - Interior Design. Photo by Michael J. Lee
Dining room - coastal light wood floor dining room idea with white walls

Inspiration for a transitional light wood floor dining room remodel in San Francisco with white walls and no fireplace

Phillip Ennis Photography
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Modern dining room designed and furnished by the interior design team at the Aspen Design Room. Everything from the rug on the floor to the art on the walls was chosen to work together and create a space that is inspiring and comfortable.

Jonathan Raith Inc. - Builder Sam Oberter - Photography Shakuff - Lighting
Dining room - contemporary dining room idea in Boston with white walls

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Joyelle West
Beach style light wood floor and beige floor dining room photo in Boston with gray walls

Example of a large beach style enclosed and formal living room design in New York with white walls, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace and no tv

This contemporary living room combines a neutral palette, floral motif and teal accents for a look that is fresh yet formal. Designer: Fumiko Faiman, ASID. Photographer: Jeri Koegel

Inspiration for a transitional family room library remodel in Los Angeles with white walls, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Lori Hamilton Photography
Family room - coastal dark wood floor family room idea in Other with white walls, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Example of a large cottage light wood floor sunroom design in San Francisco

All Photos by Nikolas Koenig
Example of a mid-sized trendy master carpeted and white floor bedroom design in New York with blue walls and no fireplace

Ryann Ford Photography, LLC
Inspiration for a transitional light wood floor and beige floor family room library remodel in Austin with blue walls and a media wall

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Transitional dark wood floor dining room photo in Other with gray walls

Transitional freestanding desk medium tone wood floor and brown floor study room photo in Louisville with blue walls

“Compelling.” That’s how one of our judges characterized this stair, which manages to embody both reassuring solidity and airy weightlessness. Architect Mahdad Saniee specified beefy maple treads—each laminated from two boards, to resist twisting and cupping—and supported them at the wall with hidden steel hangers. “We wanted to make them look like they are floating,” he says, “so they sit away from the wall by about half an inch.” The stainless steel rods that seem to pierce the treads’ opposite ends are, in fact, joined by threaded couplings hidden within the thickness of the wood. The result is an assembly whose stiffness underfoot defies expectation, Saniee says. “It feels very solid, much more solid than average stairs.” With the rods working in tension from above and compression below, “it’s very hard for those pieces of wood to move.” The interplay of wood and steel makes abstract reference to a Steinway concert grand, Saniee notes. “It’s taking elements of a piano and playing with them.” A gently curved soffit in the ceiling reinforces the visual rhyme. The jury admired the effect but was equally impressed with the technical acumen required to achieve it. “The rhythm established by the vertical rods sets up a rigorous discipline that works with the intricacies of stair dimensions,” observed one judge. “That’s really hard to do.”

Location: Los Olivos, CA // Type: New Construction // Architect: Appelton & Associates // Photo: Creative Noodle
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