Best of Houzz Design & Service 2014. --Photography by Paul Dyer.
Mid-sized transitional carpeted bedroom photo in San Francisco with gray walls

Den/ Rec/ Family Room
Example of an urban carpeted family room design in DC Metro with beige walls

Transitional boy carpeted kids' room photo in Dallas with multicolored walls

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Venetian plaster surround with component cabinet belo and TV above. Linear fireplace, storage full height. Pocket door with multiplied track to exterior garden area. Oak floors

This room is a combined laundry and bathroom. It was previously dark and had no windows or ventilation; the addition of a large operable skylight floods the space with light and fresh air. A new vanity cabinet and wide sink allows two faucets in what was previously a single sink. Photography by Andrew Hyslop. Architecture and Construction by Rock Paper Hammer.

Example of a trendy powder room design in New York with a vessel sink, a one-piece toilet and brown walls

Inspiration for a timeless l-shaped dark wood floor kitchen remodel in Chicago with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, black appliances and an island

Photo © Bruce Damonte
1960s formal light wood floor living room photo in San Francisco with white walls, a standard fireplace and a brick fireplace

Example of a trendy l-shaped gray floor kitchen design in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Resolution: 4 Architecture
Inspiration for a scandinavian light wood floor and white floor living room remodel in New York with white walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a small contemporary u-shaped ceramic tile and beige floor enclosed kitchen remodel in Other with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, glass sheet backsplash, no island, green backsplash, stainless steel appliances and gray countertops

Transitional living room photo in Charlotte with brown walls

Large cottage gender-neutral carpeted and gray floor dressing room photo in Portland with open cabinets and medium tone wood cabinets

Kids' room - contemporary gender-neutral kids' room idea in Sacramento with multicolored walls

Stylish brewery owners with airline miles that match George Clooney’s decided to hire Regan Baker Design to transform their beloved Duboce Park second home into an organic modern oasis reflecting their modern aesthetic and sustainable, green conscience lifestyle. From hops to floors, we worked extensively with our design savvy clients to provide a new footprint for their kitchen, dining and living room area, redesigned three bathrooms, reconfigured and designed the master suite, and replaced an existing spiral staircase with a new modern, steel staircase. We collaborated with an architect to expedite the permit process, as well as hired a structural engineer to help with the new loads from removing the stairs and load bearing walls in the kitchen and Master bedroom. We also used LED light fixtures, FSC certified cabinetry and low VOC paint finishes. Regan Baker Design was responsible for the overall schematics, design development, construction documentation, construction administration, as well as the selection and procurement of all fixtures, cabinets, equipment, furniture,and accessories. Key Contributors: Green Home Construction; Photography: Sarah Hebenstreit / Modern Kids Co. In this photo: The living room is grounded with an industrial floor lamp from Big Daddy’s Antiques and a Madeline Weinrib suzani rug.

Large trendy backyard deck photo in Grand Rapids with no cover

Custom tongue and groove paneling with faux paint finish, polished brass portholes and accents, stained mahogany trims, boat cleat hardware by Modern Objects Photo by Jimmy White

Trendy open concept medium tone wood floor family room photo in Austin with a corner fireplace and a media wall