Modern glass house set in the landscape evokes a midcentury vibe. A modern gas fireplace divides the living area with a polished concrete floor from the greenhouse with a gravel floor. The frame is painted steel with aluminum sliding glass door. The front features a green roof with native grasses and the rear is covered with a glass roof. Photo by: Peter Vanderwarker Photography

3. Modern loft in Massachusetts. Open living area and private roof deck with ample natural light. Custom fireplace with warm stone texture paired with functional seamless wall cabinets for clutter free storage. Polished concrete flooring. Durable and easy to clean. Photos by Eric Roth. Construction by Ralph S. Osmond Company. Green architecture by ZeroEnergy Design. http://www.zeroenergy.com

Q Avenue Photo
Inspiration for a transitional kitchen remodel in Nashville

Inspiration for a coastal living room remodel in Charleston

Peter Lyons
Mid-sized elegant l-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in San Francisco with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, multicolored backsplash, marble backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This wonderful waterfront patio by Averett Landscaping creates an inviting seating area overlooking the Bay. An expansive fire pit provides a focal point in the gathering space. The mature existing trees create a shady space for Camellias, Liriope and other shade tolerant groundcovers. Seat walls around the patio provide seating for any size crowd. --- Alan D. Holt, ASLA

Dale Arc
Entryway - cottage entryway idea in Columbus

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. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Inspiration for a contemporary exterior home remodel in Houston

This wonderful waterfront patio by Averett Landscaping creates an inviting seating area overlooking the Bay. An expansive fire pit provides a focal point in the gathering space. The mature existing trees create a shady space for Camellias, Liriope and other shade tolerant groundcovers. Seat walls around the patio provide seating for any size crowd. --- Alan D. Holt, ASLA

Tony Soluri Photography
Design ideas for a contemporary backyard landscaping with decking.

A cabin in Western Wisconsin is transformed from within to become a serene and modern retreat. In a past life, this cabin was a fishing cottage which was part of a resort built in the 1920’s on a small lake not far from the Twin Cities. The cabin has had multiple additions over the years so improving flow to the outdoor space, creating a family friendly kitchen, and relocating a bigger master bedroom on the lake side were priorities. The solution was to bring the kitchen from the back of the cabin up to the front, reduce the size of an overly large bedroom in the back in order to create a more generous front entry way/mudroom adjacent to the kitchen, and add a fireplace in the center of the main floor. Photographer: Wing Ta Interior Design: Jennaea Gearhart Design

Large transitional loft-style family room photo in Salt Lake City with a ribbon fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

Transitional family room photo in Atlanta

Minimalist concrete patio photo in Toronto with no cover

Example of a mid-sized transitional freestanding desk dark wood floor and brown floor study room design in New York with beige walls and no fireplace

Dale Arc
Example of a country family room design in Columbus

This wonderful waterfront patio by Averett Landscaping creates an inviting seating area overlooking the Bay. An expansive fire pit provides a focal point in the gathering space. The mature existing trees create a shady space for Camellias, Liriope and other shade tolerant groundcovers. Seat walls around the patio provide seating for any size crowd. --- Alan D. Holt, ASLA

Scott Zimmerman, Mountain contemporary home. Downstairs family room with large section and walnut accents.
Inspiration for a large contemporary formal and enclosed dark wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in Salt Lake City with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv