A rustic cabin set on a 5.9 acre wooded property on Little Boy Lake in Longville, MN, the design takes advantage of its secluded setting and stunning lake views. Covered porches on the forest-side and lake-side offer protection from the elements while allowing one to enjoy the fresh open air and unobstructed views. Once inside, one is greeted by a series of custom closet and bench built-ins hidden behind a pair of sliding wood barn doors. Ahead is a dramatic open great room with vaulted ceilings exposing the wood trusses and large circular chandeliers. Anchoring the space is a natural river-rock stone fireplace with windows on all sides capturing views of the forest and lake. A spacious kitchen with custom hickory cabinetry and cobalt blue appliances opens up the the great room creating a warm and inviting setting. The unassuming exterior is adorned in circle sawn cedar siding with red windows. The inside surfaces are clad in circle sawn wood boards adding to the rustic feel of the cabin.

We were approached by a San Francisco firefighter to design a place for him and his girlfriend to live while also creating additional units he could sell to finance the project. He grew up in the house that was built on this site in approximately 1886. It had been remodeled repeatedly since it was first built so that there was only one window remaining that showed any sign of its Victorian heritage. The house had become so dilapidated over the years that it was a legitimate candidate for demolition. Furthermore, the house straddled two legal parcels, so there was an opportunity to build several new units in its place. At our client’s suggestion, we developed the left building as a duplex of which they could occupy the larger, upper unit and the right building as a large single-family residence. In addition to design, we handled permitting, including gathering support by reaching out to the surrounding neighbors and shepherding the project through the Planning Commission Discretionary Review process. The Planning Department insisted that we develop the two buildings so they had different characters and could not be mistaken for an apartment complex. The duplex design was inspired by Albert Frey’s Palm Springs modernism but clad in fibre cement panels and the house design was to be clad in wood. Because the site was steeply upsloping, the design required tall, thick retaining walls that we incorporated into the design creating sunken patios in the rear yards. All floors feature generous 10 foot ceilings and large windows with the upper, bedroom floors featuring 11 and 12 foot ceilings. Open plans are complemented by sleek, modern finishes throughout.

A rustic cabin set on a 5.9 acre wooded property on Little Boy Lake in Longville, MN, the design takes advantage of its secluded setting and stunning lake views. Covered porches on the forest-side and lake-side offer protection from the elements while allowing one to enjoy the fresh open air and unobstructed views. Once inside, one is greeted by a series of custom closet and bench built-ins hidden behind a pair of sliding wood barn doors. Ahead is a dramatic open great room with vaulted ceilings exposing the wood trusses and large circular chandeliers. Anchoring the space is a natural river-rock stone fireplace with windows on all sides capturing views of the forest and lake. A spacious kitchen with custom hickory cabinetry and cobalt blue appliances opens up the the great room creating a warm and inviting setting. The unassuming exterior is adorned in circle sawn cedar siding with red windows. The inside surfaces are clad in circle sawn wood boards adding to the rustic feel of the cabin.

A family that spends a lot of time in and around their beautiful saltwater pool, did not have a place in their home that provided them a visual or physical connection. They also lacked any storage for all their pool “stuff”. With small children and a love for entertaining, they needed a room that served and supported their watery lifestyle. We took over an empty and unused notch along the back of the house adjacent to the pool patio to create a new bright and airy pool house. The new out building attempts to unify 4 areas; an existing deck, an upper master bedroom balcony, a lower lawn, and the pool itself, and provide the missing storage. By locating the pool house at the juxtaposition of these areas, the new room was able to provide a new expanded rooftop balcony for the master, anchor and define the dining and barbeque deck, extend and connect to the pool and patio, and create a new access to integrate the lower lawn – and carve out the much needed storage for the variety of pool toys and equipment. The building itself is 400 sf with bath, laundry, storage, mechanical, kitchen, and living. A single new secure connection is made into the house through the existing mudroom. Clad with crisply detailed ship lap cedar, it draws on the existing material palate of the house and nods to the boat aesthetic in expression and efficiency. With pocketing glass walls the pool house is both the utility building needed, and an expansion of the vibrant pool scene itself, inside and outside, along the poolside. Photographer: Brandon Stengelwww.farmkidstudios.com Location: Edina, MN Completed: 2013 Project Team: Ben Awes AIA, Principal-In-Charge Bob Ganser AIA Christian Dean AIA Nate Dodge

When it came time for these clients to build their dream home, they chose our team to help bring it to life. They were interested in our guidance and ability to walk them through the process. They had many must haves for this home. Nine-foot ceilings in the foyer and great room were a must as was the exposed log roof system in the great room. Open concept on the main level was important for family time as was a dining table large enough to seat twelve. The first floor also includes a large kitchen, walk-in pantry, office large enough to become a master bedroom in the future, laundry room, and mudroom with plenty of storage and half bath nearby. Three season sunroom connecting to large patio allows even more space to enjoy family time. The second floor offers a master suite and two additional bedrooms, a sitting room, and a built-in nook for a grand piano. Our team was able to ask them the important questions about their living style to maximize their lake-front footprint and to incorporate all their must haves into a unique design. - Jacqueline Southby Photography

A rustic cabin set on a 5.9 acre wooded property on Little Boy Lake in Longville, MN, the design takes advantage of its secluded setting and stunning lake views. Covered porches on the forest-side and lake-side offer protection from the elements while allowing one to enjoy the fresh open air and unobstructed views. Once inside, one is greeted by a series of custom closet and bench built-ins hidden behind a pair of sliding wood barn doors. Ahead is a dramatic open great room with vaulted ceilings exposing the wood trusses and large circular chandeliers. Anchoring the space is a natural river-rock stone fireplace with windows on all sides capturing views of the forest and lake. A spacious kitchen with custom hickory cabinetry and cobalt blue appliances opens up the the great room creating a warm and inviting setting. The unassuming exterior is adorned in circle sawn cedar siding with red windows. The inside surfaces are clad in circle sawn wood boards adding to the rustic feel of the cabin.

At our first meeting, my clients’ insisted that whenever possible, the materials selected be renewable, Earth friendly and ideally, locally sourced. But to get to that end, they did not want to sacrifice a beautiful, cohesive design. For flooring, we selected a Teragren strand bamboo that set the tone for the entire space. The soaring ceilings and beams in the main living space were clad entirely in FSC certified VG fir. No or low VOC paint was used throughout the home and the majority of the tile is porcelain with a minimum recycled content of 80%. The custom LED lighting fixtures were created by an artisan in Oregon and truly capture the style and scale of the home. Photos courtesy of Harrison Homes www.harrhomes.com

By tying in the pilasters from the street to the façade of the house, it creates a cohesive curb appeal to this home. Jhoiey Ramirez & Doug Archer
Example of a 1950s exterior home design in Los Angeles

This larger home, constructed on Martha’s Vineyard, is a collection of informal, dormered gable components and grounding one-story, shed-roof elements that reduce its overall scale. Designed to take advantage of a gently sloping up-Island property, this 5500 sq. ft. (not including finished basement) six-bedroom home includes staggered floor levels that climb from the front of the site to the rear. Generous, open living space on the entry level -- anchored on the west end by a fireplace and on the east end by the kitchen -- borders a dining area that’s nestled under a roof which also shelters the adjacent wrap-around porch. A deck off the rear of the dining space extends around the kitchen and is easily accessible from the nearby family room, too. Bedrooms occupy the other above-grade levels, including, at the upper-most level, the master suite comprised of a study, roof deck, master bath, walk-in closets and the master bedroom. A clean-lined interior of warm neutrals sets a soothing tone in which the Island landscape is welcomed through expansive windows, porches and decks. Clad in white cedar shingles with a red cedar roof, the West Tisbury House will softly weather in-tune with its meadow site. Katie Hutchison Studio collaborated with Geoffrey Koper Architect of Yarmouth Port, Mass. on the West Tisbury House. Kitchen fit-out and interior finishes, fixtures, and furnishings by others. photo by Katie Hutchison

Believe it or not, this beautiful Roncesvalles home was once carved into three separate apartments. As a result, central to this renovation was the need to create a floor plan with a staircase to access all floors, space for a master bedroom and spacious ensuite on the second floor. The kitchen was also repositioned from the back of the house to the front. It features a curved leather banquette nestled in the bay window, floor to ceiling millwork with a full pantry, integrated appliances, panel ready Sub Zero and expansive storage. Custom fir windows and an oversized lift and slide glass door were used across the back of the house to bring in the light, call attention to the lush surroundings and provide access to the massive deck clad in thermally modified ash. Now reclaimed as a single family home, the dwelling includes 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, a main floor mud room and an open, airy yoga retreat on the third floor with walkout deck and sweeping views of the backyard.

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.

Chuck Choi
Example of a trendy exterior home design in Boston

The Gun Lake Residence replaces a small, aging, existing house located on a narrow peninsula on Gun Lake, in west Michigan. The peninsula is neatly populated with century-old homes that quietly occupy this uncommon setting. The project site offers extraordinary views of the water in multiple directions and extends to the east with open space, bordering on an historic, 19th-century community ice house. A primary project goal was to reimagine the relationship of the house to its surroundings while remaining sensitive to the communal context of the neighboring properties. The design seed of the new project included rotating the footprint of the existing house 90 degrees to open the long side of the home toward the lake, maximizing views and gaining optimal benefit of the linear site. Drawing inspiration from the traditional lake vernacular of the neighboring houses, the two principal roof forms of the new house reciprocate the setting -- the modern, clean lines of the upper gable roof upholds the clarity and tradition of the neighborhood, while the lower roof mimics the extension of the landscape and invites improvisational use. The horizontal flat roof allows use of the deck in all weather and cantilevers the most used public spaces into the landscape in a band of captured horizontal space. A wood-clad retaining wall refines a cut into the earth and harbors a transitional, outdoor room between the water and the basement. At 2200 finished square feet, the conditioned building envelope is compact. And like the exterior, the interior form responds directly to its use. The upper floor is a monastic repetition of modest sleeping cells and bathrooms with unique directional views, combined with a grand central stair and master bedroom at each corner that captures myriad views of the water, over the trees, in all directions. The main floor utilizes a core of small, functional spaces to shield the adjacent road, and forms a backdrop to the open interior spaces. Aided by the reaching, cedar-bellied roof, the living, dining, and kitchen spaces spill to the outdoors through an unusually porous exterior wall. Three sliding glass doors–including one at 20 feet wide–and a finished, surrounding ground plane cohere the landscape to the main living level. Super-insulated wood-framed walls, triple-paned aluminum-clad wood windows, and a structurally insulated roof panels make-up the core of the building envelope, and additional exterior high-performance design features include geothermal heating/cooling and a green roof. Cementitious lap siding, concrete panels, hardwood decking, cedar soffits, and river rock comprise the exterior finish. In addition to cedar ceilings, interior finishes include porcelain ceramic tile, cork flooring, tight pile wool carpet, and neutral painted walls -- designed in quiet tones to highlight the most important interior ingredient: views outside.

The Gun Lake Residence replaces a small, aging, existing house located on a narrow peninsula on Gun Lake, in west Michigan. The peninsula is neatly populated with century-old homes that quietly occupy this uncommon setting. The project site offers extraordinary views of the water in multiple directions and extends to the east with open space, bordering on an historic, 19th-century community ice house. A primary project goal was to reimagine the relationship of the house to its surroundings while remaining sensitive to the communal context of the neighboring properties. The design seed of the new project included rotating the footprint of the existing house 90 degrees to open the long side of the home toward the lake, maximizing views and gaining optimal benefit of the linear site. Drawing inspiration from the traditional lake vernacular of the neighboring houses, the two principal roof forms of the new house reciprocate the setting -- the modern, clean lines of the upper gable roof upholds the clarity and tradition of the neighborhood, while the lower roof mimics the extension of the landscape and invites improvisational use. The horizontal flat roof allows use of the deck in all weather and cantilevers the most used public spaces into the landscape in a band of captured horizontal space. A wood-clad retaining wall refines a cut into the earth and harbors a transitional, outdoor room between the water and the basement. At 2200 finished square feet, the conditioned building envelope is compact. And like the exterior, the interior form responds directly to its use. The upper floor is a monastic repetition of modest sleeping cells and bathrooms with unique directional views, combined with a grand central stair and master bedroom at each corner that captures myriad views of the water, over the trees, in all directions. The main floor utilizes a core of small, functional spaces to shield the adjacent road, and forms a backdrop to the open interior spaces. Aided by the reaching, cedar-bellied roof, the living, dining, and kitchen spaces spill to the outdoors through an unusually porous exterior wall. Three sliding glass doors–including one at 20 feet wide–and a finished, surrounding ground plane cohere the landscape to the main living level. Super-insulated wood-framed walls, triple-paned aluminum-clad wood windows, and a structurally insulated roof panels make-up the core of the building envelope, and additional exterior high-performance design features include geothermal heating/cooling and a green roof. Cementitious lap siding, concrete panels, hardwood decking, cedar soffits, and river rock comprise the exterior finish. In addition to cedar ceilings, interior finishes include porcelain ceramic tile, cork flooring, tight pile wool carpet, and neutral painted walls -- designed in quiet tones to highlight the most important interior ingredient: views outside.

This larger home, constructed on Martha’s Vineyard, is a collection of informal, dormered gable components and grounding one-story, shed-roof elements that reduce its overall scale. Designed to take advantage of a gently sloping up-Island property, this 5500 sq. ft. (not including finished basement) six-bedroom home includes staggered floor levels that climb from the front of the site to the rear. Generous, open living space on the entry level -- anchored on the west end by a fireplace and on the east end by the kitchen -- borders a dining area that’s nestled under a roof which also shelters the adjacent wrap-around porch. A deck off the rear of the dining space extends around the kitchen and is easily accessible from the nearby family room, too. Bedrooms occupy the other above-grade levels, including, at the upper-most level, the master suite comprised of a study, roof deck, master bath, walk-in closets and the master bedroom. A clean-lined interior of warm neutrals sets a soothing tone in which the Island landscape is welcomed through expansive windows, porches and decks. Clad in white cedar shingles with a red cedar roof, the West Tisbury House will softly weather in-tune with its meadow site. Katie Hutchison Studio collaborated with Geoffrey Koper Architect of Yarmouth Port, Mass. on the West Tisbury House. Kitchen fit-out and interior finishes, fixtures, and furnishings by others. photo by Katie Hutchison

From VELOCIPEDE ARCHITECTS: https://tinyurl.com/ymdfu2xj "Only a 15 minute drive from downtown Issaquah, this 31 acre sloping site on Cougar Mountain feels like living in a remote forest. The new 3750 square foot house has 5 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, and 2 half bathrooms, along with a home office, media room, and craft room. The 4 car garage sits over a workshop and large exercise room. In between the two wings, a double level covered deck enables outdoor living in all seasons." "Designed to the Passive House standard, the house features large triple glazed windows, super insulation, a heat recovery ventilator, and heat pumps for heat and water heating. Shou sugi ban siding and metal roofing virtually eliminate exterior maintenance."

In Seattle's Fremont neighborhood SCJ Studio designed a new landscape to surround and set off a contemporary home by Coates Design Architects. The narrow spaces around the tall home needed structure and organization, and a thoughtful approach to layout and space programming. A concrete patio was installed with a Paloform Bento gas fire feature surrounded by lush, northwest planting. A horizontal board cedar fence provides privacy from the street and creates the cozy feeling of an outdoor room among the trees. LED low-voltage lighting by Kichler Lighting adds night-time warmth. Photography by: Miranda Estes Photography

From VELOCIPEDE ARCHITECTS: https://tinyurl.com/ymdfu2xj "Only a 15 minute drive from downtown Issaquah, this 31 acre sloping site on Cougar Mountain feels like living in a remote forest. The new 3750 square foot house has 5 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, and 2 half bathrooms, along with a home office, media room, and craft room. The 4 car garage sits over a workshop and large exercise room. In between the two wings, a double level covered deck enables outdoor living in all seasons." "Designed to the Passive House standard, the house features large triple glazed windows, super insulation, a heat recovery ventilator, and heat pumps for heat and water heating. Shou sugi ban siding and metal roofing virtually eliminate exterior maintenance."

Addition to the left is an In-Law suite that can double as a pool house or guest suite. Massing, details and materials match the existing home to make the addition look like it was always here. New cedar siding and accents help to update the facade of the existing home. Photos By: Kimberly Kerl, Kustom Home Design. All rights reserved