This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This 3,812 square feet transitional style home is in the highly desirable neighborhood of The Canyons at Scenic Loop, located in the Northwest hill country of San Antonio. The four-bedroom residence boasts luxury and openness with a nice flow of common areas. Rock and tile wall features mix perfectly with wood beams and trim work to create a beautiful interior. Additional eye candy can be found at a curved stone focal wall in the entry, in the large study with reclaimed wood ceiling, an even larger game room, the abundance of natural light from high windows and tall butted glass, curved ceiling treatments, storefront garage doors, and a walk in shower trailing behind a sculptural freestanding tub in the master bathroom.

Set in Montana's tranquil Shields River Valley, the Shilo Ranch Compound is a collection of structures that were specifically built on a relatively smaller scale, to maximize efficiency. The main house has two bedrooms, a living area, dining and kitchen, bath and adjacent greenhouse, while two guest homes within the compound can sleep a total of 12 friends and family. There's also a common gathering hall, for dinners, games, and time together. The overall feel here is of sophisticated simplicity, with plaster walls, concrete and wood floors, and weathered boards for exteriors. The placement of each building was considered closely when envisioning how people would move through the property, based on anticipated needs and interests. Sustainability and consumption was also taken into consideration, as evidenced by the photovoltaic panels on roof of the garage, and the capability to shut down any of the compound's buildings when not in use.

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This 3,812 square feet transitional style home is in the highly desirable neighborhood of The Canyons at Scenic Loop, located in the Northwest hill country of San Antonio. The four-bedroom residence boasts luxury and openness with a nice flow of common areas. Rock and tile wall features mix perfectly with wood beams and trim work to create a beautiful interior. Additional eye candy can be found at a curved stone focal wall in the entry, in the large study with reclaimed wood ceiling, an even larger game room, the abundance of natural light from high windows and tall butted glass, curved ceiling treatments, storefront garage doors, and a walk in shower trailing behind a sculptural freestanding tub in the master bathroom.

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This living room started out with dusty rose carpeting and walls and a mish mash of cheap furniture. It needed a complete overhaul. The first step was to identify the room's purpose. While technically it is a living room, it is connected via open space to the dining room, kitchen, and family room...thus, it was really more of an extension of the most used, common areas of the home. It was also the first room that visitors see when entering the home, and thus, it needed to be beautiful. While the space is more refined than the other common areas of the home, it is still relaxed enough to be used everyday, and it is. It's TV is used regularly to watch the big sporting events of the week and its also a cozy place with comfortable, oversize chairs and sofas to curl up and read a book or play a card game by the gas fireplace. Wall to wall custom built-in cabinetry and mantle were designed and installed that create a beautiful focal point for the room. Tracey Ayton Photography

This 3,812 square feet transitional style home is in the highly desirable neighborhood of The Canyons at Scenic Loop, located in the Northwest hill country of San Antonio. The four-bedroom residence boasts luxury and openness with a nice flow of common areas. Rock and tile wall features mix perfectly with wood beams and trim work to create a beautiful interior. Additional eye candy can be found at a curved stone focal wall in the entry, in the large study with reclaimed wood ceiling, an even larger game room, the abundance of natural light from high windows and tall butted glass, curved ceiling treatments, storefront garage doors, and a walk in shower trailing behind a sculptural freestanding tub in the master bathroom.

The client’s request was quite common - a typical 2800 sf builder home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living space, and den. However, their desire was for this to be “anything but common.” The result is an innovative update on the production home for the modern era, and serves as a direct counterpoint to the neighborhood and its more conventional suburban housing stock, which focus views to the backyard and seeks to nullify the unique qualities and challenges of topography and the natural environment. The Terraced House cautiously steps down the site’s steep topography, resulting in a more nuanced approach to site development than cutting and filling that is so common in the builder homes of the area. The compact house opens up in very focused views that capture the natural wooded setting, while masking the sounds and views of the directly adjacent roadway. The main living spaces face this major roadway, effectively flipping the typical orientation of a suburban home, and the main entrance pulls visitors up to the second floor and halfway through the site, providing a sense of procession and privacy absent in the typical suburban home. Clad in a custom rain screen that reflects the wood of the surrounding landscape - while providing a glimpse into the interior tones that are used. The stepping “wood boxes” rest on a series of concrete walls that organize the site, retain the earth, and - in conjunction with the wood veneer panels - provide a subtle organic texture to the composition. The interior spaces wrap around an interior knuckle that houses public zones and vertical circulation - allowing more private spaces to exist at the edges of the building. The windows get larger and more frequent as they ascend the building, culminating in the upstairs bedrooms that occupy the site like a tree house - giving views in all directions. The Terraced House imports urban qualities to the suburban neighborhood and seeks to elevate the typical approach to production home construction, while being more in tune with modern family living patterns. Overview: Elm Grove Size: 2,800 sf, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Completion Date: September 2014 Services: Architecture, Landscape Architecture Interior Consultants: Amy Carman Design

This 3,812 square feet transitional style home is in the highly desirable neighborhood of The Canyons at Scenic Loop, located in the Northwest hill country of San Antonio. The four-bedroom residence boasts luxury and openness with a nice flow of common areas. Rock and tile wall features mix perfectly with wood beams and trim work to create a beautiful interior. Additional eye candy can be found at a curved stone focal wall in the entry, in the large study with reclaimed wood ceiling, an even larger game room, the abundance of natural light from high windows and tall butted glass, curved ceiling treatments, storefront garage doors, and a walk in shower trailing behind a sculptural freestanding tub in the master bathroom.

This 3,812 square feet transitional style home is in the highly desirable neighborhood of The Canyons at Scenic Loop, located in the Northwest hill country of San Antonio. The four-bedroom residence boasts luxury and openness with a nice flow of common areas. Rock and tile wall features mix perfectly with wood beams and trim work to create a beautiful interior. Additional eye candy can be found at a curved stone focal wall in the entry, in the large study with reclaimed wood ceiling, an even larger game room, the abundance of natural light from high windows and tall butted glass, curved ceiling treatments, storefront garage doors, and a walk in shower trailing behind a sculptural freestanding tub in the master bathroom.