This unique city-home is designed with a center entry, flanked by formal living and dining rooms on either side. An expansive gourmet kitchen / great room spans the rear of the main floor, opening onto a terraced outdoor space comprised of more than 700SF. The home also boasts an open, four-story staircase flooded with natural, southern light, as well as a lower level family room, four bedrooms (including two en-suite) on the second floor, and an additional two bedrooms and study on the third floor. A spacious, 500SF roof deck is accessible from the top of the staircase, providing additional outdoor space for play and entertainment. Due to the location and shape of the site, there is a 2-car, heated garage under the house, providing direct entry from the garage into the lower level mudroom. Two additional off-street parking spots are also provided in the covered driveway leading to the garage. Designed with family living in mind, the home has also been designed for entertaining and to embrace life's creature comforts. Pre-wired with HD Video, Audio and comprehensive low-voltage services, the home is able to accommodate and distribute any low voltage services requested by the homeowner. This home was pre-sold during construction. Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing

Faux finished, custom moldings accent the layers of the ceiling. Chandelier is comprised of over 1300 pieces of glass that were placed on fixture one by one on site. Custom medallion in center of staircase. Marble floors. Staircase railing is iron capped with stained wood. Photographer - John Stillman John Stillman

Ellen Weiss Design works throughout the Seattle area and in many of the communities comprising Seattle's Eastside such as Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Redmond, Clyde Hill, Medina and Mercer Island.

A small galley kitchen in a standard LA home is a common sight in Los Angeles. The wall between the laundry room and the kitchen was removed to create one big open space. The placement of all large appliances ( Fridge, Washer\Dryer and Double oven) on a single full height built-in cabinets wall opened up all the rest of the space to be more airy and practical. The custom made cabinets are in a traditional manner with white finish and some glass doors to allow a good view of the good chinaware. The floors are done with wood looking tile and color matched to the dark oak floors of the rest of the house to create a continuality of colors. The backsplash is comprised of two different glass tiles, the larger pieces as the main tile and a small brick glass as the deco line. The counter top is finished with a beveled edge for a touch of modern look.

The Maya Collection is a modular seating system comprising a number of pieces that can be configured in multiple variations, allowing for endless possibilities of composition and dimension. Highly versatile and scalable, it is ideal for large public spaces such as the open areas by the poolside, loggia, or smaller configurations to fit a terrace or veranda. The pieces can be easily and quickly rearranged to fit the space, function or event, making it as intimate or as large scaled as necessary. The pieces can be made into configurations as simple as a love seat or large daybed, to large seating configurations that can be made to accommodate “parties” large or small. The low profile of its modular design with wide (6") wrap around armrest provides functionality with ample space for drinks yet sturdy enough to be sat or leaned on, a feature that many will find readily appealing for casual parties and events. The Maya 7 pc Deep Seating Teak Set features: 1 left sectional, 1 right sectional, 1 corner sectional, 2 slipper chairs, 1 ottoman and 1 side table. Cushions made with Quick Dry Foam® core and 100% solution dyed Sunbrella fabrics. Overall Size: Corner Sofa - 104.75" x 132" x 38.85" Deep x 27.5" Height Seat Height - 12" Seat Height cushion top - 17" Seat Depth - 27.5" Ottoman/Coffee Table - 37.5W x 37.5D x 11.5H Crafted with SVLK Certified Grade A Teak harvested from sustainable plantations in Indonesia. Every piece is precision manufactured to standard specifications for commercial and residential use. Optional Teak Finishes available.

Hardwood floors stained in an espresso color to match the existing first floors created warmth and tied the house together. The banisters also comprised the espresso finish and the white pickets gave a craftsman feel. White trim finished the look and provided the charm they desired. Photos courtesy of John Gussman, Doubleclick Productions

Hidden next to the fairways of The Bears Club in Jupiter Florida. This home is a classic 8,200 square foot Mediterranean estate with some contemporary flare. Custom built for our client, this home is comprised of all the essentials including five bedrooms, six full baths in addition to two half baths, grand room featuring a marble fireplace, dining room adjacent to a large wine room, family room overlooking the loggia and pool as well as a master wing complete with separate his and her closets and bathrooms.

The luxurious Rivage Frameless Dual-Bypass Sliding Shower Door provides a bold, unrestricted solution to your next showering experience. The Rivage’s unique dual-door design provides a smooth, silent sliding operation while enabling you to access your shower alcove from either side. Available in 48" and 60" width configurations, the Rivage is comprised of durable stainless steel and aluminum hardware, providing up to 1 in. adjustability ensuring a watertight integration for your shower's alcove. It’s thick 3/8 in. tempered clear glass with StarCast easy clean coating, ensuring lasting clarity and low-maintenance care provides a smooth, silent gliding motion. With the Rivage frameless sliding shower door, you won’t need to compromise an attractive design for functionality.

Essential client goals were a sustainable low-maintenance house, primarily single floor living, orientation to views, natural light to interiors, establishment of individual privacy, creation of a formal outdoor space for gardening, incorporation of a full workshop for cars, generous indoor and outdoor social space for guests and parties. The Holly Hill house is comprised of three wings joined by bridges: An architect's wing with a master garden to the east, an engineer’s wing with automobile workshop and a central activity, kitchen, living, dining wing.

The Belmore Frameless 60 in x 60 in Hinged Tub Door provides your bathtub alcove with a wall-to-wall open air presence utilizing the highest quality materials. The Belmore is comprised of thick, premium 3/8 in. tempered clear glass with StarCast easy clean coating, ensuring your Aston door stays beautiful for years to come. Its inline wall channel provides the solution for uneven bathroom walls with up to a 1” out-of-plumb adjustment. Available in multiple hardware finish options, this ready-to-install frameless tub door will instantly enhance your next bathing or showering experience.

A great way to introduce pattern and visual interest to an office space, which mostly comprises of storage along the walls, is by treating the ceiling. Graphic geometric wallpaper was introduced within a moulding detail that was painted blue to match the bookcase millwork.

This propery is situated on the south side of Centre Island at the edge of an oak and ash woodlands. orignally, it was three properties having one house and various out buildings. topographically, it more or less continually sloped to the water. Our task was to creat a series of terraces that were to house various functions such as the main house and forecourt, cottage, boat house and utility barns. The immediate landscape around the main house was largely masonry terraces and flower gardens. The outer landscape was comprised of heavily planted trails and intimate open spaces for the client to preamble through. As the site was largely an oak and ash woods infested with Norway maple and japanese honey suckle we essentially started with tall trees and open ground. Our planting intent was to introduce a variety of understory tree and a heavy shrub and herbaceous layer with an emphisis on planting native material. As a result the feel of the property is one of graciousness with a challenge to explore.

Photo by Bill Timmerman
Living room - living room idea

The Watermill House is a beautiful example of a classic Hamptons wood shingle style home. The design and renovation would maintain the character of the exterior while transforming the interiors to create an open and airy getaway for a busy and active family. The house comfortably sits within its one acre lot surrounded by tall hedges, old growth trees, and beautiful hydrangeas. The landscape influenced the design approach of the main floor interiors. Walls were removed and the kitchen was relocated to the front of the house to create an open plan for better flow and views to both the front and rear yards. The kitchen was designed to be both practical and beautiful. The u-shape design features modern appliances, white cabinetry and Corian countertops, and is anchored by a beautiful island with a knife-edge marble countertop. The island and the dining room table create a strong axis to the living room at the rear of the house. To further strengthen the connection to the outdoor decks and pool area of the rear yard, a full height sliding glass window system was installed. The clean lines and modern profiles of the window frames create unobstructed views and virtually remove the barrier between the interior and exterior spaces. The open plan allowed a new sitting area to be created between the dining room and stair. A screen, comprised of vertical fins, allows for a degree of openness, while creating enough separation to make the sitting area feel comfortable and nestled in its own area. The stair at the entry of the house was redesigned to match the new elegant and sophisticated spaces connected to it. New treads were installed to articulate and contrast the soft palette of finishes of the floors, walls, and ceilings. The new metal and glass handrail was intended to reduce visual noise and create subtle reflections of light. Photo by Guillaume Gaudet

In the back of this estate just outside of Omaha, Nebraska, Elite Landscaping designed a custom concrete swimming pool with a covered pool house and 360-degree, negative-edge spa. The pool house features an outdoor kitchen and bar area, which rests on posts that adjoin the raised pool wall. The pool house was built as an exact architectural match to the house, from the stucco, to the cedar decking beams, down to the paint color. This covered outdoor entertaining area provides a shady spot in the afternoons, where guests can lounge on four in-pool, swim up bar stools. The rest of the pool remains in full sun. The sunken swim-up bar is adorned with glass tile accents, and the pool wall features natural stone. Oversized, UniLock bluestone pavers comprise the pool deck and patio. The unique negative-edge spa sits above the pool, and was designed so one half of the spa flows into the pool while the other half flows back into the landscaping. The entire poolscape is automated by a Pentair IntelliTouch system that runs off of a smartphone or other device. With the touch of a button, the homeowners can adjust pool and spa temperatures, change water flow speed, program the FX color-changing LED lights, and even test the pool chemistry.

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. Eric Roth Photo

This unique city-home is designed with a center entry, flanked by formal living and dining rooms on either side. An expansive gourmet kitchen / great room spans the rear of the main floor, opening onto a terraced outdoor space comprised of more than 700SF. The home also boasts an open, four-story staircase flooded with natural, southern light, as well as a lower level family room, four bedrooms (including two en-suite) on the second floor, and an additional two bedrooms and study on the third floor. A spacious, 500SF roof deck is accessible from the top of the staircase, providing additional outdoor space for play and entertainment. Due to the location and shape of the site, there is a 2-car, heated garage under the house, providing direct entry from the garage into the lower level mudroom. Two additional off-street parking spots are also provided in the covered driveway leading to the garage. Designed with family living in mind, the home has also been designed for entertaining and to embrace life's creature comforts. Pre-wired with HD Video, Audio and comprehensive low-voltage services, the home is able to accommodate and distribute any low voltage services requested by the homeowner. This home was pre-sold during construction. Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing

Holly Hill, a retirement home, whose owner's hobbies are gardening and restoration of classic cars, is nestled into the site contours to maximize views of the lake and minimize impact on the site. Holly Hill is comprised of three wings joined by bridges: A wing facing a master garden to the east, another wing with workshop and a central activity, living, dining wing. Similar to a radiator the design increases the amount of exterior wall maximizing opportunities for natural ventilation during temperate months. Other passive solar design features will include extensive eaves, sheltering porches and high-albedo roofs, as strategies for considerably reducing solar heat gain. Daylighting with clerestories and solar tubes reduce daytime lighting requirements. Ground source geothermal heat pumps and superior to code insulation ensure minimal space conditioning costs. Corten steel siding and concrete foundation walls satisfy client requirements for low maintenance and durability. All light fixtures are LEDs. Open and screened porches are strategically located to allow pleasant outdoor use at any time of day, particular season or, if necessary, insect challenge. Dramatic cantilevers allow the porches to project into the site’s beautiful mixed hardwood tree canopy without damaging root systems. Guest arrive by vehicle with glimpses of the house and grounds through penetrations in the concrete wall enclosing the garden. One parked they are led through a garden composed of pavers, a fountain, benches, sculpture and plants. Views of the lake can be seen through and below the bridges. Primary client goals were a sustainable low-maintenance house, primarily single floor living, orientation to views, natural light to interiors, maximization of individual privacy, creation of a formal outdoor space for gardening, incorporation of a full workshop for cars, generous indoor and outdoor social space for guests and parties.

Hidden next to the fairways of The Bears Club in Jupiter Florida, this classic 8,200 square foot Mediterranean estate is complete with contemporary flare. Custom built for our client, this home is comprised of all the essentials including five bedrooms, six full baths in addition to two half baths, grand room featuring a marble fireplace, dining room adjacent to a large wine room, family room overlooking the loggia and pool as well as a master wing complete with separate his and her closets and bathrooms.