This modern home was a net-zero energy design-build project built in collaboration with a local architecture firm. The owner was living in the Midwest, so other than an in-person, upfront planning meeting and a few visits for walkthroughs along the way, we built the home with him providing input from afar. One of the homeowner’s goals was to be as close to net-zero in energy usage as possible. The home features solar panels to generate electricity and geothermal heat pumps to power in-floor radiant heating and cooling. Solar panels also heat hot water to augment the heating system and provide hot water for domestic use. The modern design of the home also helps to save on the energy needed for heating and cooling. Extensions on the roof let the low winter sunlight pour through the windows to provide passive solar heat during the colder months and block the rays in the summer to help keep the house cool. The home’s foundation and its garage floor sit on concrete piers drilled into the ground. This keeps them away from direct contact with the poor soils the home is built on, allowing the soils to expand without causing any damage. We commissioned custom furniture, countertops, and other features made from salvaged elm and walnut trees cut down in the area. Custom walnut doors, wardrobes in the master suite, and grain-sequenced cabinet doors and drawer fronts coordinate beautifully with the locally sourced pieces, as do the accents made from beetle-kill pine. The home nestles into the ground to provide a mid-level walkout basement. Stairs go down from main floor and up from basement to meet in the middle and provide access to the outdoors. Locally sourced Colorado buff stone accents interior walls and transitions to exterior walls, helping to further anchor the home to its beautiful, lakeside location.

Photo: Charles Davis Smith, AIA
Small urban enclosed concrete floor home theater photo in Dallas with a projector screen

This project was designed to accommodate the client’s wish to have a traditional and functional barn that could also serve as a backdrop for social and corporate functions. Several years after it’s completion, this has become just the case as the clients routinely host everything from fundraisers to cooking demonstrations to political functions in the barn and outdoor spaces. In addition to the barn, Axial Arts designed an indoor arena, cattle & hay barn, and a professional grade equipment workshop with living quarters above it. The indoor arena includes a 100′ x 200′ riding arena as well as a side space that includes bleacher space for clinics and several open rail stalls. The hay & cattle barn is split level with 3 bays on the top level that accommodates tractors and front loaders as well as a significant tonnage of hay. The lower level opens to grade below with cattle pens and equipment for breeding and calving. The cattle handling systems and stocks both outside and inside were designed by Temple Grandin- renowned bestselling author, autism activist, and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. This project was recently featured in Cowboy & Indians Magazine. As the case with most of our projects, Axial Arts received this commission after being recommended by a past client.

Completed in two phases, the kitchen in this home was first overhauled and the wall separating it from the dining room was torn down. The structure, hidden in the boxed ceiling, compliments the original details as they were woven into this new great room. New sliding doors replacing the relocated bathroom at the rear beckon one to the garden. This created the palette for the owner to tailor the finishes exquisitely. The resplendent marble counter top is the heart of their tasteful new living space, ideal for entertaining. For phase two, the owner commissioned ONE Design to flood the upper level of the home with light. The owner, inspired by her rural upbringing in Humboldt, wished to draw inspiration from this and her Eichler-like grandparent’s home. ONE Design vaulted the ceilings to create an open soaring roof and provide a clean three dimensional canvass. Adding skylights which bathe the clean walls in an ever changing light show was the centerpiece of this transformation. Transom windows over the bedroom doors offer additional light to the interior circulation space. Enlarged windows combine the owner’s desire to live in a “glass house,” while paying respect to the Edwardian heritage of the home and providing expansive views of the meadow-like garden oasis. The cherry on top is the attic retreat, adding a north facing dormer that peeks at the Golden Gate Bridge offers a serene perch — perfect escapism for a creative writer!

Completed in two phases, the kitchen in this home was first overhauled and the wall separating it from the dining room was torn down. The structure, hidden in the boxed ceiling, compliments the original details as they were woven into this new great room. New sliding doors replacing the relocated bathroom at the rear beckon one to the garden. This created the palette for the owner to tailor the finishes exquisitely. The resplendent marble counter top is the heart of their tasteful new living space, ideal for entertaining. For phase two, the owner commissioned ONE Design to flood the upper level of the home with light. The owner, inspired by her rural upbringing in Humboldt, wished to draw inspiration from this and her Eichler-like grandparent’s home. ONE Design vaulted the ceilings to create an open soaring roof and provide a clean three dimensional canvass. Adding skylights which bathe the clean walls in an ever changing light show was the centerpiece of this transformation. Transom windows over the bedroom doors offer additional light to the interior circulation space. Enlarged windows combine the owner’s desire to live in a “glass house,” while paying respect to the Edwardian heritage of the home and providing expansive views of the meadow-like garden oasis. The cherry on top is the attic retreat, adding a north facing dormer that peeks at the Golden Gate Bridge offers a serene perch — perfect escapism for a creative writer!

This newly built home, nestled in Wellesley Hills was commissioned by an active and busy young family. A flowing balustrade invites visitors into the formal entry. The interior trim and custom cabinetwork are elegantly detailed throughout. A collaborative design effort allowed the children to help with the design of their own spaces. Payne/Bouchier also employed green building materials and techniques, including a geothermal heating system and an exterior envelope that features a Structural Insulated Panel Systems. Design: Will Truslow, Keith Brown, Gerald Pomeroy Interiors, Payne | Bouchier Design Department Photography: Mike Fein

To provide a large gathering space for this modern family and to facilitate the flow of movement throughout their house, Morpurgo Architects designed additions that are contextually compatible with our clients’ landmark Dutch Colonial stone home. Although we were constrained by the typography of a hill behind the house, we succeeded in integrating with the original structure a centrally located family room with connections to three levels of activity, including the kitchen, the second-floor bedrooms and the new garage. An exterior balcony on the second floor punctuates the facade overlooking the courtyard, ideally positioned to capture views of the setting sun. High sloped ceilings follow the profile that distinguishes the Dutch Colonial roof lines. The creation of a two-story space allowed us to design large windows over pairs of doors that frame vistas of the tree line and highlight the impressive hill. In granting approval to this notable home, the Borough’s Landmark Commission unanimously endorsed Morpurgo Architects’ sensitive placement and integration of the additions to this historic structure.

To provide a large gathering space for this modern family and to facilitate the flow of movement throughout their house, Morpurgo Architects designed additions that are contextually compatible with our clients’ landmark Dutch Colonial stone home. Although we were constrained by the typography of a hill behind the house, we succeeded in integrating with the original structure a centrally located family room with connections to three levels of activity, including the kitchen, the second-floor bedrooms and the new garage. An exterior balcony on the second floor punctuates the facade overlooking the courtyard, ideally positioned to capture views of the setting sun. High sloped ceilings follow the profile that distinguishes the Dutch Colonial roof lines. The creation of a two-story space allowed us to design large windows over pairs of doors that frame vistas of the tree line and highlight the impressive hill. In granting approval to this notable home, the Borough’s Landmark Commission unanimously endorsed Morpurgo Architects’ sensitive placement and integration of the additions to this historic structure.

The building known as the “Stable” exists within the Historic District of Fairfield, Connecticut on Old Academy Road. As such, any work performed on the structure required prior approval of the Historic District Commission. Domus Constructors was hired to completely gut and remodel this historic structure to maintain the historic significance while bringing the building’s mechanical and electrical systems up to date and restoring the structural integrity. Some of the more prominent architectural features of the building include a very large center cupola which needed much restoration, a wood roof that was covered over by asphalt shingles and exterior doors that were historically significant and needed extensive restoration. While these items were all constraints, Domus also excavated an existing dirt subfloor and replaced the entire area with a vapor barrier and concrete slab crawl space to allow access to plumbing, etc. Other special features include the wooden ceiling and exposed hand hewn oak beams and columns installed throughout using antique reclaimed wood, and the antique reclaimed wood flooring and restoring the multi-colored slate entrance terrace. The overall size of the structure is 63 feet in length by 26 feet deep for an approximate total of 1,638 square feet.

Screens an outdoor shower and creates a tropical paradise. The conservation Commission would not allow the client to have a physical structure to enclose the shower so we screened with shrubs, perennials,a and a few annuals.

As a long abandoned structure, this historic Shingle style house was a detriment to Cuero's residential historic district. Preservationist Robert Oliver commissioned Fisher Heck to restore the house to its present day glory, reaffirming it's place in the storied neighborhood. Almost everything down to the studs had to be rebuilt or refinished. All work was done in conjunction with the Secretary of Interior Standards for Historic Restoration. Photos by Derek Keck.

ASID Design Excellence First Place Residential – Kitchen: Originally commissioned in 1977 by our clients, this residence was designed by renowned architect Donald Olsen whose life's work is thoroughly documented in the book Donald Olsen: Architect of Habitable Abstractions. Michael Merrill Design Studio was approached three years ago to do a comprehensive rethinking of the structure, spaces and the exterior envelope. We hope you will enjoy this preview of the greatly enlarged and updated kitchen and home office.

This project was designed to accommodate the client’s wish to have a traditional and functional barn that could also serve as a backdrop for social and corporate functions. Several years after it’s completion, this has become just the case as the clients routinely host everything from fundraisers to cooking demonstrations to political functions in the barn and outdoor spaces. In addition to the barn, Axial Arts designed an indoor arena, cattle & hay barn, and a professional grade equipment workshop with living quarters above it. The indoor arena includes a 100′ x 200′ riding arena as well as a side space that includes bleacher space for clinics and several open rail stalls. The hay & cattle barn is split level with 3 bays on the top level that accommodates tractors and front loaders as well as a significant tonnage of hay. The lower level opens to grade below with cattle pens and equipment for breeding and calving. The cattle handling systems and stocks both outside and inside were designed by Temple Grandin- renowned bestselling author, autism activist, and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. This project was recently featured in Cowboy & Indians Magazine. As the case with most of our projects, Axial Arts received this commission after being recommended by a past client.

LOS ANGELES, CA / SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL The commission for this 4,300-square-foot residence came with significant challenges for the architects – a house had once existed on the lot but had burned down and the attempt to replace the house had stalled, leading to an abatement order and a lapse of permits. Our first challenge was to revive the lapsed construction permit by proposing to “modify” the existing structure. The practical effect this had was to fix the footprint of the new home to the existing structure’s plan outline. Having thereby inherited the large, dense block of the original house, the new strategy became one of substituting selective areas of indoor space for outdoor courtyard. This strategy of trading indoor space for outdoor courtyard allowed an erosion of the formerly monolithic structure into a series of distinct volumetric elements, and further suggested that the architectural pieces could cohere as a “village.” The main level is further eroded by large, glazed planes, merging indoor with outdoor, and virtually stretching the landscape across interior space. Moving the detached garage from the rear yard to beneath the new living space allowed for a 75-meter lap pool and a shaded olive garden. The gardens include built-in seating, extensive use of ornamental grasses and Zen-like interior courtyards. A material palette of fossilized stone, bonderized-galvanized metal, and natural Douglas fir allows for the warmth desired by the wife, while providing the modernity required by the husband. Programmatically, her music room borrows from the calm and protected olive court in the rear, while his office becomes a pavilion set in the landscape, which both addresses the street and acts as a sheltering monument for the terraced entry garden.

ASID Design Excellence First Place Residential – Kitchen: Originally commissioned in 1977 by our clients, this residence was designed by renowned architect Donald Olsen whose life's work is thoroughly documented in the book Donald Olsen: Architect of Habitable Abstractions. Michael Merrill Design Studio was approached three years ago to do a comprehensive rethinking of the structure, spaces and the exterior envelope. We hope you will enjoy this preview of the greatly enlarged and updated kitchen and home office.

For this Victorian-era home in the Albany historic district, it was essential for us to maintain historic design guidelines. This required a historic design review and approval by the Historic Landmarks Commission before we could start the project. Once approved, we replicated the existing porch design while removing the poor framing details supporting the porch. Almost everything out of view was in dangerous disrepair and required complete reconstruction. In addition to restoring the porch in accordance with historic design guidelines, we repaired the wood windows and installed matching storm windows. Our clients now enjoy the stunning curb appeal of their historic home and peace of mind knowing the structure is solid. Funny Story: Halfway through this project, someone lost control of their vehicle as it headed in the direction of the home. Luckily, they regained control of their vehicle 4 feet from the project, avoiding a huge disaster!

This contemporary conservatory is located just off of historic Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The stately home featured many classic exterior details and was located in the heart of the famous district, so Sunspace worked closely with the owners and their architect to design a space that would blend with the existing home and ultimately be approved for construction by the Cambridge Historical Commission. The project began with the removal of an old greenhouse structure which had outlived its usefulness. The removal of the greenhouse gave the owners the perfect opportunity substantially upgrade the space. Sunspace opened the wall between the conservatory and the existing home to allow natural light to penetrate the building. We used Marvin windows and doors to help create the look we needed for the exterior, thereby creating a seamless blend between the existing and new construction. The clients requested a space that would be comfortable year-round, so the use of energy efficient doors and windows as well as high performance roof glass was critically important. We chose a PPG Solar Ban 70 XL treatment and added Argon glass. The efficiency of the roof glass and the Marvin windows allowed us to provide an economical approach to the client’s heating and air conditioning needs. The final result saw the transformation of an outdated space and into a historically appropriate custom glass space which allows for beautiful, natural light to enter the home. The clients now use this space every day.

LOS ANGELES, CA / SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL The commission for this 4,300-square-foot residence came with significant challenges for the architects – a house had once existed on the lot but had burned down and the attempt to replace the house had stalled, leading to an abatement order and a lapse of permits. Our first challenge was to revive the lapsed construction permit by proposing to “modify” the existing structure. The practical effect this had was to fix the footprint of the new home to the existing structure’s plan outline. Having thereby inherited the large, dense block of the original house, the new strategy became one of substituting selective areas of indoor space for outdoor courtyard. This strategy of trading indoor space for outdoor courtyard allowed an erosion of the formerly monolithic structure into a series of distinct volumetric elements, and further suggested that the architectural pieces could cohere as a “village.” The main level is further eroded by large, glazed planes, merging indoor with outdoor, and virtually stretching the landscape across interior space. Moving the detached garage from the rear yard to beneath the new living space allowed for a 75-meter lap pool and a shaded olive garden. The gardens include built-in seating, extensive use of ornamental grasses and Zen-like interior courtyards. A material palette of fossilized stone, bonderized-galvanized metal, and natural Douglas fir allows for the warmth desired by the wife, while providing the modernity required by the husband. Programmatically, her music room borrows from the calm and protected olive court in the rear, while his office becomes a pavilion set in the landscape, which both addresses the street and acts as a sheltering monument for the terraced entry garden.

Completed in two phases, the kitchen in this home was first overhauled and the wall separating it from the dining room was torn down. The structure, hidden in the boxed ceiling, compliments the original details as they were woven into this new great room. New sliding doors replacing the relocated bathroom at the rear beckon one to the garden. This created the palette for the owner to tailor the finishes exquisitely. The resplendent marble counter top is the heart of their tasteful new living space, ideal for entertaining. For phase two, the owner commissioned ONE Design to flood the upper level of the home with light. The owner, inspired by her rural upbringing in Humboldt, wished to draw inspiration from this and her Eichler-like grandparent’s home. ONE Design vaulted the ceilings to create an open soaring roof and provide a clean three dimensional canvass. Adding skylights which bathe the clean walls in an ever changing light show was the centerpiece of this transformation. Transom windows over the bedroom doors offer additional light to the interior circulation space. Enlarged windows combine the owner’s desire to live in a “glass house,” while paying respect to the Edwardian heritage of the home and providing expansive views of the meadow-like garden oasis. The cherry on top is the attic retreat, adding a north facing dormer that peeks at the Golden Gate Bridge offers a serene perch — perfect escapism for a creative writer!