Located in the picturesque San Luis Drive neighborhood, the Okimoto Residence was a major remodel and addition. What started as a minor facelift, the project underwent a series of design iterations to address the growing family's needs. The clients wanted a clean and contemporary home that wouldn't stick out in this typically traditional San Luis Obispo neighborhood. The final design was a 4 bedroom home with a large great room and play room. A 9' x 16' pocketing slider door opens the great room to the lush backyard which sits directly adjacent to the San Luis Creek. Smooth trowel stucco, a standing seam metal roof, and a texas limestone clad spine wall blend seamlessly with the warmer trim accents and clear cedar eaves. On the interior, the thoughtfully selected finishes provide a clean and inviting space that compliment the young, growing family's lifestyle.

The original design of this late Mid-century Modern house featured a horrifically ugly entry which the owners needed our help to fix. In addition, they wanted to add a master suite, create a home theatre, and remodel the family room. Although they originally considered adding a second floor, our final design resulted in an extension of the house which accentuated its existing linear quality. Our solution to the entry problem included cutting back part of the vaulted roof to allow more light in and adding a cantilevered canopy instead. A new entry bridge crosses a koi pond, and new clerestory windows, stone planters and cedar trim complete the makeover of the previously bland plywood-clad box. The new master suite features 12 foot ceilings, clerestory windows, 8 foot high French doors and a fireplace. The exterior of the addition employs the same pallet of materials as the new façade but with a carefully composed composition of form and proportion. The new family room features the same stone cladding as we used on the exterior. Photo by Christopher Stark Photography.

Luxurious Zen best decribes this Asian inspired master bath suite. Custom shoji screen panels line the hallway as you enter flanked by his and hers walkin closets. A foating vanity with lift up LED mirror sits center stage, with a generous free standing soking tub on the left, and an oversized custom shower on the right. Walnut wood floors and a cedar clad ceiling give warmth and ground the space.

The details, seen in this staircase set this home apart. This custom home home was built by Silverton Custom Homes and designed by Design Visions. This home was built on the North Shore of lake Travis for two very creative, fantastic individuals that were a pleasure to partner with to turn their vision into reality. photos by Tre Dunham

Ann Lowengart Interiors collaborated with Field Architecture and Dowbuilt on this dramatic Sonoma residence featuring three copper-clad pavilions connected by glass breezeways. The copper and red cedar siding echo the red bark of the Madrone trees, blending the built world with the natural world of the ridge-top compound. Retractable walls and limestone floors that extend outside to limestone pavers merge the interiors with the landscape. To complement the modernist architecture and the client's contemporary art collection, we selected and installed modern and artisanal furnishings in organic textures and an earthy color palette.

Old and modern architecture merge to create the design of this rustic house set in a forest in Ireland. Inspired by the historical Celtic roundhouse the exterior structure is shrouded with a wood trellis-style cladding to create the conical round shape. The interior design is minimal with concrete walls, modern furniture, colorful artwork and accessories.

This extension to a very distinctive timber clad house set in a prominent hilltop position in the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire was an exciting project with many contextual constraints. The clients had a large family and needed to provide more bed space for visiting grandchildren, so we created a new large en-suite bedroom for them at first floor level, which freed up other areas of the house for guest accommodation. The extension is designed to sensitively integrate with the existing house whilst having its own distinct character. The existing palette of materials is reinterpreted in a thoroughly modern way. A rigorous design process had to be adopted in order to secure planning approval for this contemporary design from the notoriously difficult Peak District National Park. The existing rough grit-stone side wall is treated as a ‘ruined’ solid base from which the lighter weight construction of the timber and glass facades spring from. Much thought went into the multi layered timber cladding which imbue the extension with its own unique character, and the carefully positioned areas of clean, frameless glazing which focus and frame the amazing views out to the surrounding countryside. A large frameless corner window provides a sun-drenched corner with seating, perfect for quiet contemplation. Beautifully finished in elegant birch faced plywood panelling the interior exudes a minimalist serenity which makes a pleasing contrast to the rugged exterior finishes.

A new custom residence in the Harrison Views neighborhood of Issaquah Highlands. The home incorporates high-performance envelope elements (a few of the strategies so far include alum-clad windows, rock wall house wrap insulation, green-roofs and provision for photovoltaic panels). The building site has a unique upper bench and lower bench with a steep slope between them. The siting of the house takes advantage of this topography, creating a linear datum line that not only serves as a retaining wall but also as an organizing element for the home’s circulation. The massing of the home is designed to maximize views, natural daylight and compliment the scale of the surrounding community. The living spaces are oriented to capture the panoramic views to the southwest and northwest, including Lake Washington and the Olympic mountain range as well as Seattle and Bellevue skylines. A series of green roofs and protected outdoor spaces will allow the homeowners to extend their living spaces year-round. With an emphasis on durability, the material palette will consist of a gray stained cedar siding, corten steel panels, cement board siding, T&G fir soffits, exposed wood beams, black fiberglass windows, board-formed concrete, glass railings and a standing seam metal roof. A careful site analysis was done early on to suss out the best views and determine how unbuilt adjacent lots might be developed. The total area is 3,425 SF of living space plus 575 SF for the garage. Photos by Benjamin Benschneider. Architecture by Studio Zerbey Architecture + Design. Cabinets by LEICHT SEATTLE.

Situated on a sloping site with a shared driveway and prescribed parking on the lower level, the home was designed to maximize daylight into the walk-out basement. In placing the parking in the center and wrapping the basement spaces around it, all rooms are afforded exterior views. By locating much of the home’s program below street level, the 3244 s.f. house is able to maintain a scale in keeping with the surrounding residences. The grade along the front of the site was pulled back from the home with stepped retaining walls revealing a sunken garden and above-ground basement walls. An entry bridge allows access to the front door above the sunken garden. UV-responsive, color-changing metal siding and cedar rainscreen clad the flat roof volumes of the home while fiber cement boards encase the shed roof volume. The shed was created to provide passive solar daylighting and conditioning in the vaulted living and dining rooms as well as an ideal surface for future solar panels. The home possesses a myriad of outdoor living spaces including a front balcony and sunken courtyard, side balcony terrace, and rear screened porch and deck above a covered patio. The south side balcony is wrapped with a metal and cedar clad bamboo planter which acts as a privacy screen and shading device. Accessibility was a strong consideration in the design as the homeowners were forward-thinking about aging in place. ADA-sized doorways and thresholds are provided as well as a shelled elevator shaft from the basement level.

Built in a contemporary, yet distinctly Pacific Northwest style, the Orcas House sits just steps away from the Salish Sea. With special attention given to existing trees, solar exposure and views from the house, this house was built to coexist harmoniously with its surroundings

Built in a contemporary, yet distinctly Pacific Northwest style, the Orcas House sits just steps away from the Salish Sea. With special attention given to existing trees, solar exposure and views from the house, this house was built to coexist harmoniously with its surroundings

Bruce Damonte
Living room - huge contemporary formal and open concept light wood floor living room idea in San Francisco with beige walls

Luxurious Zen best decribes this Asian inspired master bath suite. Custom shoji screen panels line the hallway as you enter flanked by his and hers walkin closets. A foating vanity with lift up LED mirror sits center stage, with a generous free standing soking tub on the left, and an oversized custom shower on the right. Walnut wood floors and a cedar clad ceiling give warmth and ground the space.

Alabama's first National Association Of Home Builders "Green Certified"home, designed by Bob Chatham and built by Jeremy Friedman. The cottage includes exposed rafter tails, Cypress board and batten siding with Cedar shake details. This home has 5 spacious bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a Gourmet Thermador Kitchen, Luxury master suite, Keeping room, Outdoor kitchen and Detached garage with a covered breeze way. Some of the Green Features include Waterfurnace Geothermal heating and Cooling with Desuperheater to heat Hot Water, Icynene Spray Foam Insulation, Integrity Wood Clad Windows, Reclaimed Heart Pine Flooring, McPhillips Reclaimed Cypress Entry, Reclaimed Pecan Mantle and Beams, Whole House Electrostatic air filter and remote timed ventilation, Vacuflo Central Vacuum, Distributed Audio, Dual Flush Toilets and low flow fixtures, Zip System wall sheathing and roof decking, Advanced Framing Techniques, Native draught tolerant landscaping, and much more.

New Age Design
Example of a country gray two-story wood gable roof design in Toronto with a shingle roof

Our design for the expansion and gut renovation of a small 1200 square foot house in a residential neighborhood triples is size, and reworks the living arrangement. The rear addition takes advantage of southern exposure with a "greenhouse" room that provides solar heat gain in winter, shading in summer, and a vast connection to the rear yard. Architecturally, we used an approach we call "willful practicality." The new soaring ceiling ties together first and second floors in a dramatic volumetric expansion of space, while providing increased ventilation and daylighting from greenhouse to operable windows and skylights at the peak. Exterior pockets of space are created from curved forces pushing in from outside to form cedar clad porch and stoop. Sustainable design is employed throughout all materials, energy systems and insulation. Masonry exterior walls and concrete floors provide thermal mass for the interior by insulating the exterior. An ERV system facilitates increased air changes and minimizes changes to the interior air temperature. Energy and water saving features and renewable, non-toxic materal selections are important aspects of the house design. Environmental community issues are addressed with a drywell in the side yard to mitigate rain runoff into the town sewer system. The long sloping south facing roof is in anticipation of future solar panels, with the standing seam metal roof providing anchoring opportunities for the panels. The exterior walls are clad in stucco, cedar, and cement-fiber panels defining different areas of the house. Closed cell spray insulation is applied to exterior walls and roof, giving the house an "air-tight" seal against air infiltration and a high R-value. The ERV system provides the ventilation needed with this tight envelope. The interior comfort level and economizing are the beneficial results of the building methods and systems employed in the house. Photographer: Peter Kubilus

Built in a contemporary, yet distinctly Pacific Northwest style, the Orcas House sits just steps away from the Salish Sea. With special attention given to existing trees, solar exposure and views from the house, this house was built to coexist harmoniously with its surroundings

A Vancouver new build pops in a neighborhood full of post-war homes. This custom home was designed in a modern esthetic to reflect a young couple’s happening lifestyle. The working duo plan to start a family so will have little time for home maintenance. At the top of their list of wants were durable, quality materials that perform. Clad in James Hardie with cedar accents, a metal roof and fibreglass powder coating windows this home is set for exceptional longevity.

A Vancouver new build pops in a neighborhood full of post-war homes. This custom home was designed in a modern esthetic to reflect a young couple’s happening lifestyle. The working duo plan to start a family so will have little time for home maintenance. At the top of their list of wants were durable, quality materials that perform. Clad in James Hardie with cedar accents, a metal roof and fibreglass powder coating windows this home is set for exceptional longevity.