In the hills of San Anselmo in Marin County, this 5,000 square foot existing multi-story home was enlarged to 6,000 square feet with a new dance studio addition with new master bedroom suite and sitting room for evening entertainment and morning coffee. Sited on a steep hillside one acre lot, the back yard was unusable. New concrete retaining walls and planters were designed to create outdoor play and lounging areas with stairs that cascade down the hill forming a wrap-around walkway. The goal was to make the new addition integrate the disparate design elements of the house and calm it down visually. The scope was not to change everything, just the rear façade and some of the side facades. The new addition is a long rectangular space inserted into the rear of the building with new up-swooping roof that ties everything together. Clad in red cedar, the exterior reflects the relaxed nature of the one acre wooded hillside site. Fleetwood windows and wood patterned tile complete the exterior color material palate. The sitting room overlooks a new patio area off of the children’s playroom and features a butt glazed corner window providing views filtered through a grove of bay laurel trees. Inside is a television viewing area with wetbar off to the side that can be closed off with a concealed pocket door to the master bedroom. The bedroom was situated to take advantage of these views of the rear yard and the bed faces a stone tile wall with recessed skylight above. The master bath, a driving force for the project, is large enough to allow both of them to occupy and use at the same time. The new dance studio and gym was inspired for their two daughters and has become a facility for the whole family. All glass, mirrors and space with cushioned wood sports flooring, views to the new level outdoor area and tree covered side yard make for a dramatic turnaround for a home with little play or usable outdoor space previously. Photo Credit: Paul Dyer Photography.

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Natural light exposes the beautiful details of this great room. Coffered ceiling encompasses a majestic old world feeling of this stone and shiplap fireplace. Comfort and beauty combo.

Impact windows and doors for hurricane protection. House designed by Holly Zickler and David Rifkind. Photography by Dana Hoff. Glass-and-glazing load calculations, analysis, supply and installation by Astor Windows and Doors.

Topher Ayrhart
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Designed by Gina Rachelle Design Photography by Max Maloney
Example of a transitional kitchen design in San Francisco with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white countertops, a farmhouse sink and blue backsplash

Believe it or not, this award-winning home began as a speculative project. Typically speculative projects involve a rather generic design that would appeal to many in a style that might be loved by the masses. But the project’s developer loved modern architecture and his personal residence was the first project designed by architect C.P. Drewett when Drewett Works launched in 2001. Together, the architect and developer envisioned a fictitious art collector who would one day purchase this stunning piece of desert modern architecture to showcase their magnificent collection. The primary views from the site were southwest. Therefore, protecting the interior spaces from the southwest sun while making the primary views available was the greatest challenge. The views were very calculated and carefully managed. Every room needed to not only capture the vistas of the surrounding desert, but also provide viewing spaces for the potential collection to be housed within its walls. The core of the material palette is utilitarian including exposed masonry and locally quarried cantera stone. An organic nature was added to the project through millwork selections including walnut and red gum veneers. The eventual owners saw immediately that this could indeed become a home for them as well as their magnificent collection, of which pieces are loaned out to museums around the world. Their decision to purchase the home was based on the dimensions of one particular wall in the dining room which was EXACTLY large enough for one particular painting not yet displayed due to its size. The owners and this home were, as the saying goes, a perfect match! Project Details | Desert Modern for the Magnificent Collection, Estancia, Scottsdale, AZ Architecture: C.P. Drewett, Jr., AIA, NCARB | Drewett Works, Scottsdale, AZ Builder: Shannon Construction | Phoenix, AZ Interior Selections: Janet Bilotti, NCIDQ, ASID | Naples, FL Custom Millwork: Linear Fine Woodworking | Scottsdale, AZ Photography: Dino Tonn | Scottsdale, AZ Awards: 2014 Gold Nugget Award of Merit Feature Article: Luxe. Interiors and Design. Winter 2015, “Lofty Exposure”

Living room - mid-sized transitional open concept medium tone wood floor living room idea in Boston with blue walls, a standard fireplace and a wood fireplace surround

We always say that a powder room is the “gift” you give to the guests in your home; a special detail here and there, a touch of color added, and the space becomes a delight! This custom beauty, completed in January 2020, was carefully crafted through many construction drawings and meetings. We intentionally created a shallower depth along both sides of the sink area in order to accommodate the location of the door openings. (The right side of the image leads to the foyer, while the left leads to a closet water closet room.) We even had the casing/trim applied after the countertop was installed in order to bring the marble in one piece! Setting the height of the wall faucet and wall outlet for the exposed P-Trap meant careful calculation and precise templating along the way, with plenty of interior construction drawings. But for such detail, it was well worth it. From the book-matched miter on our black and white marble, to the wall mounted faucet in matte black, each design element is chosen to play off of the stacked metallic wall tile and scones. Our homeowners were thrilled with the results, and we think their guests are too!

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Naomi Finlay
Kitchen - coastal medium tone wood floor kitchen idea in Toronto with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

CHALLENGE: -Owners want easy to maintain (white) kitchen -Must also serve as a workspace & accommodate three laptops & separate personal files -Existing kitchen has odd, angled wall of cabinets due to configuration of stairs in foyer SOLUTION: -Expand space by removing wall between kitchen & dining room -Relocate dining room into (rarely used) study -Remove columns between kitchen & new dining -Enlarge walk-in pantry by squaring off angles in stair wall -Make pantry entry a camouflaged, surprising feature by creating doors out of cabinetry -Add natural illumination with 6’ picture window -Make ceiling one plane -Add calculated runways of recessed LED lights on dimmers -Lighting leads to dynamic marble back splash behind range on back wall -New double islands & ceiling-high cabinetry quadruple previous counter & storage space -9’ island with seating includes three workstations -Seating island offers under counter electronics charging ports & three shelves of storage per workstation in cabinets directly in front of stools -Behind stools, lower cabinetry provides one drawer & two pull-out shelves per workstation -7’ prep island services 48” paneled refrigerator & 48” gas range & includes 2nd sink, 2nd dishwasher & 2nd trash/recycling station -Wine/beverage chiller located opposite island sink -Both sink spigots are touch-less & are fed by whole-house water filtration system -Independent non-leaching faucet delivers purified, double-pass reverse osmosis drinking water -Exhaust fan for gas range is hidden inside bridge of upper cabinets -Flat, easy-to-clean, custom, stainless-steel plate frames exhaust fan -New built-in window seat in bay window increases seating for informal dining while reducing floor space needed for table and chairs -New configuration allows unobstructed windows & French doors to flood space with natural light & enhances views -Open the screened porch doors to circulate fresh air throughout the home