Charles Hilton Architects & Renee Byers LAPC From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

Tudor
Example of a transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen design in Montreal with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Open concept kitchen - small scandinavian l-shaped light wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in New York with open cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an undermount sink, white cabinets, solid surface countertops, white backsplash and no island

Example of a minimalist galley concrete floor home design design in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, concrete countertops, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Example of a classic gray floor mudroom design in Minneapolis with gray walls

We were honored to be chosen by Honda Corporation North America to be involved in the Honda Smart Home project which was designed and built in partnership with the University of California Davis on the West Davis Campus in 2014. This was the fifth Honda Smart Home Honda Corporation had built throughout the world (the first in the United States). The goal of each Honda Smart Home is to provide a “Living Laboratory” that allows the most current and innovative design and products to be implemented in construction and tested over time.

Jeff Herr
Small transitional single-wall dark wood floor open concept kitchen photo in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, white walls and an island

Bedroom and mid-sized mountain style gender-neutral carpeted and gray floor kids' bedroom photo in Denver with brown walls

Tucked away behind retractable cabinet doors is this office and mail center. (Psst...there is a shredder behind the other base cabinet door). Photography by Chrissy Racho.

This crisp and clean bathroom renovation boost bright white herringbone wall tile with a delicate matte black accent along the chair rail. the floors plan a leading roll with their unique pattern and the vanity adds warmth with its rich blue green color tone and is full of unique storage.

Inspiration for a timeless kitchen remodel in New York

Brass accents are the perfect complement for the matte black finish of Globe Electric's Moretti Desk Lamp making it an ideal option for desk lighting. Stylish yet functional this lamp helps brighten your desk in more ways than one. With an easy to reach rotary switch on the lamp shade you have the perfect light at your fingertips. With a moveable bridge arm, you can shine light where you need it most. A handy fast charging 2.1A USB port rounds out the innovative design of the Moretti Desk Lamp further proving that this is the optimal desk lamp for you. Requires one E26/medium base 60-watt bulb (sold separately).

Family room - huge mediterranean enclosed family room idea in Orange County with beige walls and a wall-mounted tv

Never lose a charge with built in concealable usb ports, customized by Arbor Mills cabinetry
Kitchen - transitional kitchen idea in Chicago

Close-up view of an open appliance garage cabinet featuring rich walnut wood pocket doors, containing small kitchen appliances, a integrated wine rack, and cookbooks, paired with a pulled-out wooden drawer equipped with a built-in power outlet station.

David Burroughs
Mountain style galley kitchen photo in Baltimore with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, stone tile backsplash and an island

Top area has adjustable shelves, and two plugs inside to hide the charging toothbrush and razor, and keep them off the counter!
Example of a large transitional master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile freestanding bathtub design in Montreal with furniture-like cabinets, gray cabinets, a one-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink and quartz countertops

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Our clients had been in their home since the early 1980’s and decided it was time for some updates. We took on the kitchen, two bathrooms and a powder room. The layout in the kitchen was functional for them, so we kept that pretty much as is. Our client wanted a contemporary-leaning transitional look — nice clean lines with a gray and white palette. Light gray cabinets with a slightly darker gray subway tile keep the northern exposure light and airy. They also purchased some new furniture for their breakfast room and adjoining family room, so the whole space looks completely styled and new. The light fixtures are staggered and give a nice rhythm to the otherwise serene feel. The homeowners were not 100% sold on the flooring choice for little powder room off the kitchen when I first showed it, but now they think it is one of the most interesting features of the design. I always try to “push” my clients a little bit because that’s when things can get really fun and this is what you are paying for after all, ideas that you may not come up with on your own. We also worked on the two upstairs bathrooms. We started first on the hall bath which was basically just in need of a face lift. The floor is porcelain tile made to look like carrera marble. The vanity is white Shaker doors fitted with a white quartz top. We re-glazed the cast iron tub. The master bath was a tub to shower conversion. We used a wood look porcelain plank on the main floor along with a Kohler Tailored vanity. The custom shower has a barn door shower door, and vinyl wallpaper in the sink area gives a rich textured look to the space. Overall, it’s a pretty sophisticated look for its smaller fooprint. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Alan Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com