Modern Transitional residence blending a tall white stucco gable with a slim vertical slot window and large format two story black steel frame glazing on the left against a lower hipped roof volume with grey stone panel base, dark asphalt shingle roof, shed dormers, and black bracket corbels on the right. A dark wood two-car garage door sits flush in the stone base beside a black steel frame glass entry door under a flat canopy.

Lake Front Country Estate Back Entry Hall, design by Tom Markalunas, built by Resort Custom Homes. Photography by Rachael Boling.
Inspiration for a huge timeless light wood floor home design remodel with white walls and a medium wood front door

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

Kitchens should be open and awake just waiting for something to happen. A space that is now a real part of our daily living where we cook and entertain. Coastal accents, aqua galore, and a touch of powder blue. Design by Krista Watterworth Alterman. Photos by Troy Campbell. Krista Watterworth Design Studio, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Eric Roth Photography
Elegant l-shaped light wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Boston with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, white backsplash and green walls

Example of a large transitional medium tone wood floor powder room design in Austin with gray cabinets, a two-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink, marble countertops and furniture-like cabinets

Inspiration for a large transitional beige floor foyer remodel in Seattle with brown walls

Landscape by Stonepocket located in Minnetonka, Minnesota Creating a elegant landscape to blend with a home with such character and charm was a challenge in controlled resistant. Did not want the landscape to overwhelm the home, nor did I want a typical landscape for this style that usually involves a box hedge. Utilizing light in the front to create a perennial garden give the home a sense of place. Keep the planting mostly to whites and greens in the back unifies the space. photos by Stonepocket, Inc

This is a North Boulder Residence featured in the March issue of 5280 Photography by Emily Redfield
Bathroom - large transitional master gray tile and metal tile ceramic tile bathroom idea in Denver with dark wood cabinets, stainless steel countertops, gray walls, an integrated sink and shaker cabinets

Spin Photography
Inspiration for a large contemporary backyard deck remodel in Portland with a roof extension and a fireplace

Clad in wood board and batten siding stained in Cabot's semi-solid black stain with white trim.
Elegant black two-story wood exterior home photo in Charlotte

Elegant dark wood floor bathroom photo in Philadelphia with medium tone wood cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink and beaded inset cabinets

Example of a mid-sized mountain style formal and open concept light wood floor living room design in Boston with a standard fireplace, brown walls, a stone fireplace and no tv

Justin Ramsdell Photography
Kitchen - farmhouse kitchen idea in DC Metro

Design de la salle de bain par : Caroline Bouffard Design Comptoirs par: Les Artistes du Bois inc. Bathroom Design by: Caroline Bouffard Design Countertops: Les Artistes du Bois inc. Immophoto - Frederic Blanchet

Lisa Romerein
Dining room - country dining room idea in San Francisco

Peter Giles Photography
Alcove bathtub - small farmhouse kids' white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and black floor alcove bathtub idea in San Francisco with shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, a drop-in sink, quartz countertops and white countertops

Inspiration for a craftsman spiral staircase remodel in Grand Rapids

Wiff Harmer
Inspiration for a transitional white brick exterior home remodel in Nashville