Search results for "Compressed" in Home Design Ideas

Dale was chosen to participate in the 2013 Hampton Designer Showhouse, sponsored by Traditional Home Magazine, because she has built a reputation for precise, elegant, and livable design work in Manhattan. The challenge of the showhouse, essentially a blank canvas with an imaginary client, was not beyond her. The room she was given is the Terrace Level Lounge; she chose a program to embrace a burgeoning art collection, and devise areas of repose to enjoy the work. And Ms. Cohen’s early training as a painter and photographer clearly are clearly a great asset in this particular room. Her method is to analyze the room as an architectural proposition. A Yale Architectural School graduate, she is able to cast a few intelligent moves to make the room a stage rather than a hallway. Creating a platform for her creative collaboration and designing the Monumental Lantern with artist John Houshmand.
The seating areas are a series of compressed compositions with shapes and forms of chairs, a Minotti sofa, a Valerie Goodman Gallery coffee table, and the Holland and Sherry geometric throw pillows that evoke the early modernist paintings of Jean Arp. Accented by ceiling panels covered in a Maharam wallpaper. Her next big move was enrolling the work of artist and furniture maker John Houshmand. Ms. Cohen thrives on creative collaboration and designing the Monumental Lantern that with Houshmand, that she boldly placed in one entire corner of the room. Few designers would welcome a giant rough sawn luminaire but Ms. Cohen’s early apprenticeship with Richard Serra is evident in this wonderful juxtaposition of scale. Ms. Cohen’s reputation as a brave designer has been established with the inclusion of Houshmand’s piece.
Ms. Cohen’s method is to analyze the room as an architectural proposition. A Yale Architectural School graduate, she is able to cast a few intelligent moves to make the room a stage rather than a hallway. The stairway was divided into two events, one behind a scrim and the other revealed. This gave the sitting area a theatrical backdrop as well as choreographing a Hollywood-style entrance for the visitor walking down the stairs. In fact Ms. Cohen uses a series of fabric backdrops throughout the space to denote different spatial conditions.
The color palette, if said aloud, is the prototypical Hamptons beach house cheery; though Ms. Cohen’s take is altogether different. With a sea blue as her base, she treats the envelope of the space with tinted whites and grays, and just as you are comfortable with this resolve she infuses the space with drops of chartreuse. The optic shock of an electric green is a sign of strength in Ms. Cohen’s tool box. The result is a perfect balance of whimsy and sophistication.
Whimsy, bravery, and compositional sophistication will not be evident or sufficient without Ms. Cohen’s razor sharp rigor. Her attention to detail is what makes one want to sit in the Fritz Hansen chair, under the reading light, with cashmere throw at its side. Ms. Cohen’s embrace of the luxury of detail is what makes for valuable moments in the design world and what sets her work apart.

Located above the coast of Malibu, this two-story concrete and glass home is organized into a series of bands that hug the hillside and a central circulation spine. Living spaces are compressed between the retaining walls that hold back the earth and a series of glass facades facing the ocean and Santa Monica Bay. The name of the project stems from the physical and psychological protection provided by wearing reflective sunglasses. On the house the “glasses” allow for panoramic views of the ocean while also reflecting the landscape back onto the exterior face of the building.
PROJECT TEAM: Peter Tolkin, Jeremy Schacht, Maria Iwanicki, Brian Proffitt, Tinka Rogic, Leilani Trujillo
ENGINEERS: Gilsanz Murray Steficek (Structural), Innovative Engineering Group (MEP), RJR Engineering (Geotechnical), Project Engineering Group (Civil)
LANDSCAPE: Mark Tessier Landscape Architecture
INTERIOR DESIGN: Deborah Goldstein Design Inc.
CONSULTANTS: Lighting DesignAlliance (Lighting), Audio Visual Systems Los Angeles (Audio/ Visual), Rothermel & Associates (Rothermel & Associates (Acoustic), GoldbrechtUSA (Curtain Wall)
CONTRACTOR: Winters-Schram Associates
PHOTOGRAPHER: Benny Chan
AWARDS: 2007 American Institute of Architects Merit Award, 2010 Excellence Award, Residential Concrete Building Category Southern California Concrete Producers
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Color: Naturals-Fantasie
Mid-sized elegant u-shaped cork floor eat-in kitchen photo in Chicago with raised-panel cabinets, brown cabinets, stainless steel appliances and an island
Mid-sized elegant u-shaped cork floor eat-in kitchen photo in Chicago with raised-panel cabinets, brown cabinets, stainless steel appliances and an island

"Golden Tree" is Douglas Coupland's latest public art piece, celebrating the 800-year old Stanley Park Hollow Tree. Romex Rompox DEKO was used to provide a WATER-PERMEABLE, INCREDIBLY DURABLE and LONG-LASTING solution; successfully overcoming the challenging site conditions of undulating grades, lighting fixtures, and intricate detail of the sculpture itself - on an extremely compressed timeline before the ribbon cutting ceremony deadline.

The 18' foyer is a compressed space with dark graphite gray ceilings, three chandeliers, and dramatic wallpaper that leads the eye to an open living/dining/kitchen space with floor to ceiling windows that frame spectacular views and welcomes natural light. The unique niches and sculptures add to the one-of-a-kind design scheme. Photo by Robin Lechner Designs

A wider Chablais lift-and-slide door system on the upper terrace, with the matching shingle-style architecture above. Two large sash panels glide effortlessly on European hardware, then drop to compress weather seals when closed.

This house was designed to maintain clean sustainability and durability. Minimal, simple, modern design techniques were implemented to create an open floor plan with natural light. The entry of the home, clad in wood, was created as a transitional space between the exterior and the living spaces by creating a feeling of compression before entering into the voluminous, light filled, living area. The large volume, tall windows and natural light of the living area allows for light and views to the exterior in all directions. This project also considered our clients' need for storage and love for travel by creating storage space for an Airstream camper in the oversized 2 car garage at the back of the property. As in all of our homes, we designed and built this project with increased energy efficiency standards in mind. Our standards begin below grade by designing our foundations with insulated concrete forms (ICF) for all of our exterior foundation walls, providing the below grade walls with an R value of 23. As a standard, we also install a passive radon system and a heat recovery ventilator to efficiently mitigate the indoor air quality within all of the homes we build.

Troia Light Travertine develops its warm cream and amber tonality across millions of years of sedimentary compression. Cut into a two-piece freestanding pedestal sink — a soft rectangular basin set above a cylindrical column — the geometry is resolved with quiet architectural authority. The honed, partially filled surface leaves authentic textures intact for an earthy, tactile depth, allowing the stone's inherent tonal variance to read as material fact rather than decoration. At 33.5 inches in overall height, this monolithic natural stone fixture occupies a freestanding installation with a visual weight that commands minimalist interiors.
Architectural Specifications:
• Material: Premium Troia Light Travertine from Turkey
• Form: Two-piece freestanding pedestal sink (soft square basin + cylindrical column)
• Dimensions: 15" Width x 16" Depth x 33.5" Overall Height
• Configuration: 1 Faucet Hole (Designed for a single-hole deck-mount faucet)
• Installation: Freestanding / Floor-mount
• Finish: Honed and Partially Filled (Matte surface balancing usability with organic texture)
• Drain: Compatible with standard 1.5" (4 cm) drain fittings (no overflow)
• Design Language: Classic silhouette, Earthy luxury, Monolithic presence`

This house was designed to maintain clean sustainability and durability. Minimal, simple, modern design techniques were implemented to create an open floor plan with natural light. The entry of the home, clad in wood, was created as a transitional space between the exterior and the living spaces by creating a feeling of compression before entering into the voluminous, light filled, living area. The large volume, tall windows and natural light of the living area allows for light and views to the exterior in all directions. This project also considered our clients' need for storage and love for travel by creating storage space for an Airstream camper in the oversized 2 car garage at the back of the property. As in all of our homes, we designed and built this project with increased energy efficiency standards in mind. Our standards begin below grade by designing our foundations with insulated concrete forms (ICF) for all of our exterior foundation walls, providing the below grade walls with an R value of 23. As a standard, we also install a passive radon system and a heat recovery ventilator to efficiently mitigate the indoor air quality within all of the homes we build.

This project features the Viking Pro XL 60″ Tall Vertical Cedar Cold Plunge, constructed from solid Western Red Cedar and installed on a finished patio surface.
The plunge is built using thick, full-length cedar staves secured with stainless steel compression bands, creating a strong and watertight structure without synthetic liners or plastic shells. The vertical design maximizes immersion depth while maintaining a compact footprint.
Western Red Cedar was selected for its natural resistance to moisture, mold, and decay. Its dimensional stability allows the structure to perform reliably through seasonal temperature changes, making it well suited for year-round outdoor use.
The unit includes a dedicated equipment compartment housing the circulation and temperature control system, designed for easy access and straightforward maintenance.
With proper care, solid cedar construction is built to last 15–20+ years outdoors, offering a durable and fully natural alternative to acrylic or plastic cold plunge tubs.

Color: Luminaries-Flora
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized traditional l-shaped cork floor eat-in kitchen idea in Chicago with raised-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, black backsplash, black appliances and an island
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized traditional l-shaped cork floor eat-in kitchen idea in Chicago with raised-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, black backsplash, black appliances and an island

Built for the Bluff, A Sea Ranch Home is Remade from the Inside Out
The house had always been grounded, on an ocean bluff at The Sea Ranch. It sits unencumbered, adjacent to one of the most dramatic stretches of the Sonoma coast with protected commons meadow to the east, uninterrupted Pacific views to the west, and a bluff trail running alongside. What it lacked was the feeling of home, one that could hold up its own against the natural landscape.
The owners are entrepreneurs with deep involvement across tech, real estate, and development and they know how things are built. The Sea Ranch house had been in their lives for years, a second residence and a place for family to gather. Built for a different time, it felt more compromising than comfortable. Sitting in a closed off nook, the kitchen fit one cook at a time and turned its back on the rest of the house. The entry was dim and compressed, divided by a structural column that presented itself at exactly the wrong moment. The primary suite was small relative to the view outside it. A large rear bedroom sat behind a lowered ceiling with a bathroom that had never been added. The house was certainly worth the trouble of doing it right.
What followed was not one project but four, each with its own design challenge, each addressed over a period of time.
Where the House Meets the Ocean
The most complex piece of the project, in both structural and spatial terms, was the kitchen expansion. The existing room was a single-person galley squeezed in as an afterthought with no meaningful connection to the dining room, the living space, or the deck outside. To make it useful for a family that cooks and gathers, it needed to grow outward into an existing patio and flow into the rooms around it.
A big challenge was the roofline. Several planes at different pitches and angles converged directly where additional volume was needed. A new form had to join that geometry without reading as a correction. The solution found the simplest possible connection between the existing angles, a roofline that from outside the structure, appears entirely original. From the bluff trail where the addition is visible, there is no discernible seam.
Inside, the kitchen is now open to the living and dining rooms without interruption. A large sliding glass door connects the space onto the rear deck. The deck itself was expanded and oriented so that the body of the house shields it from the coastal wind which is a common consideration that determines whether outdoor space at The Sea Ranch actually gets used. The result is a room that works for large family gatherings where no one feels cutoff, and one that makes the boundary between being inside and outside easy to ignore.
Welcoming Light
A structural column stood at the convergence of eight distinct roof planes in the entry. It was load-bearing, but it was also the reason the entry had always felt like a hallway rather than a welcoming arrival.
With the structural engineer, a custom steel connector was designed to receive beams from six separate directions, redistributing the load through a single new continuous beam. The column was surgically removed. Three triangular skylights were then cut into the roof above, their shapes drawn from the
existing geometry of the planes around them. The entry is now bright and open. The skylights feel native to the structure because they follow the logic already present in the roof.
Two Suites, Two Views
At opposite ends of the house, the two bedroom suites were each reconfigured, and each found a different way to introduce more of the landscape into the room.
An addition to the primary suite extended the structure outward to create a wraparound plan with a loop from the bedroom through bath and closet that had not been possible before. The expansion opened a slot view from the tub and shower toward the ocean. The view is precise and private. The ocean view is present and deliberate.
The rear bedroom absorbed an adjacent storage room to transform it into a full second suite with a vaulted ceiling, a large bathroom with a tub, a shower, and a sauna. A private fenced garden courtyard sits just beyond the glass bringing the outdoors inside. The tub was placed so that, looking past the courtyard and through the bedroom beyond, the ocean is visible at the far end. It is a long view and it makes the room feel larger and more settled than its footprint would suggest.
Glass on Four Sides, Fire at the Center
The main living and gathering room had always been caught between two competing facts: glass on four sides meant exceptional views but at The Sea Ranch, it also meant a cold room. A 360-degree cylindrical fireplace was added at the center on a raised stone base, providing radiant heat in every direction and giving the room a focal point around which a group naturally orients itself, whether that means two people at the end of the day or the whole family after dinner.
Owners Who Picked Up the Tools
The owner was not a passive client. they came with construction knowledge, specific ideas, and the desire to be an active part of the process, a dynamic that other architects may had found difficult, which Klopf Architecture accepted as an asset. They took it upon themselves to complete some of the work during construction, including the installation of a new radiant heating system beneath the floors.
The radiant system added to the older and less-desirable forced-air setup. At The Sea Ranch, that change matters as the house sits close enough to the ocean and moving air competes with the sound of it, where radiant heat does not. Solar panels were added to the roof as part of the new system. Insulation was upgraded throughout the walls, roof, and crawl space. The house that had always had the right setting now holds warmth the way a house on the bluff should.
They were also deeply involved in the design and selections throughout, and the finished house reflects both of them in ways that are specific rather than generic. The process took longer and moved through more iterations than a more arms-length relationship might have allowed. The result is more defined and personal because of it.
The Landscape Holds Priority
Every exterior decision was shaped by The Sea Ranch Design Standards, which require that buildings defer to the landscape around them rather than compete with it. Because this house sits on the bluff and is visible from the public trail, the additions faced a close review. Existing materials were matched. Geometries were resolved. The additions had to become indistinguishable from the original building.
From the trail, the house reads exactly as it always has — low, cedar-clad, secondary to the meadow and the water. The setting holds priority. Inside, the house has been remade.
Klopf Architecture Project Team: Geoff Campen and Trenton Jewett
Contractor: Shawn Bettega Construction
Photography: ©2025 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2023
Location: The Sea Ranch, CA

If you want a flooring material that gets the job done with few drawbacks then go with floating cork flooring. Cork will bring your floors beauty without losing the functionality that makes it one of the best on the market. Here’s but a bit of what it can do. Only the bark of the cork oak tree is used, the tree is left standing, so cork is considered a “green” material. It’s very cellular construction deems it hypoallergenic, anti-microbial and non-toxic. Cork is elastic and compressible, which makes it very comfortable underfoot and durable. Great benefits with few drawbacks, add floating cork flooring to your home today.

This house was designed to maintain clean sustainability and durability. Minimal, simple, modern design techniques were implemented to create an open floor plan with natural light. The entry of the home, clad in wood, was created as a transitional space between the exterior and the living spaces by creating a feeling of compression before entering into the voluminous, light filled, living area. The large volume, tall windows and natural light of the living area allows for light and views to the exterior in all directions. This project also considered our clients' need for storage and love for travel by creating storage space for an Airstream camper in the oversized 2 car garage at the back of the property. As in all of our homes, we designed and built this project with increased energy efficiency standards in mind. Our standards begin below grade by designing our foundations with insulated concrete forms (ICF) for all of our exterior foundation walls, providing the below grade walls with an R value of 23. As a standard, we also install a passive radon system and a heat recovery ventilator to efficiently mitigate the indoor air quality within all of the homes we build.

Color: New-Dimensions-Wide-Tile-Scirocco
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized craftsman u-shaped cork floor eat-in kitchen idea in Chicago with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances and an island
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized craftsman u-shaped cork floor eat-in kitchen idea in Chicago with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances and an island

Record shelves lead to a gallery hallway with a slot skylight running length of the space. A hanging container garden of Pothos, Philodendrons and other indoor plants benefit from the natural light. A laundry room sits behind the rolling barn door clad in black burlap.

Sarah McGovern
Mid-sized trendy l-shaped light wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Seattle with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island
Mid-sized trendy l-shaped light wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Seattle with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

Color: Naturals-Quadro
Mid-sized elegant living room library photo in Chicago with beige walls
Mid-sized elegant living room library photo in Chicago with beige walls
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