This charming European-inspired home juxtaposes old-world architecture with more contemporary details. The exterior is primarily comprised of granite stonework with limestone accents. The stair turret provides circulation throughout all three levels of the home, and custom iron windows afford expansive lake and mountain views. The interior features custom iron windows, plaster walls, reclaimed heart pine timbers, quartersawn oak floors and reclaimed oak millwork.

The ground floor is comprised of a living/dining room in an open floor concept with a walk-out raised deck. The second floor is comprised of 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. Each townhouse has an elevator.

The Sonoma Farmhaus project was designed for a cycling enthusiast with a globally demanding professional career, who wanted to create a place that could serve as both a retreat of solitude and a hub for gathering with friends and family. Located within the town of Graton, California, the site was chosen not only to be close to a small town and its community, but also to be within cycling distance to the picturesque, coastal Sonoma County landscape. Taking the traditional forms of farmhouse, and their notions of sustenance and community, as inspiration, the project comprises an assemblage of two forms - a Main House and a Guest House with Bike Barn - joined in the middle by a central outdoor gathering space anchored by a fireplace. The vision was to create something consciously restrained and one with the ground on which it stands. Simplicity, clear detailing, and an innate understanding of how things go together were all central themes behind the design. Solid walls of rammed earth blocks, fabricated from soils excavated from the site, bookend each of the structures. According to the owner, the use of simple, yet rich materials and textures...“provides a humanness I’ve not known or felt in any living venue I’ve stayed, Farmhaus is an icon of sustenance for me".

A children’s wing, off to one side of the upper floor, comprises a study area with built-in desks and lots of storage space for books and supplies.
Inspiration for a study space and mid-sized contemporary boy medium tone wood floor and gray floor kids' study room remodel in Los Angeles with white walls

Sited on 35- acres, this rustic cabin was laid out to accommodate the client’s wish for a simple home comprised of 3 connected building forms. The primary form, which includes the entertainment, kitchen, and dining room areas, is built from beetle kill pine harvested on site. The other two forms are sited to take full advantage of spectacular views while providing separation of living and garage spaces. LEED Silver certified.

What began as a renovation project morphed into a new house, driven by the natural beauty of the site. The new structures are perfectly aligned with the coastline, and take full advantage of the views of ocean, islands, and shoals. The location is within walking distance of town and its amenities, yet miles away in the privacy it affords. The house is nestled on a nicely wooded lot, giving the residence screening from the street, with an open meadow leading to the ocean on the rear of the lot. The design concept was driven by the serenity of the site, enhanced by textures of trees, plantings, sand and shoreline. The newly constructed house sits quietly in a location advantageously positioned to take full advantage of natural light and solar orientations. The visual calm is enhanced by the natural material: stone, wood, and metal throughout the home. The main structures are comprised of traditional New England forms, with modern connectors serving to unify the structures. Each building is equally suited for single floor living, if that future needs is ever necessary. Unique too is an underground connection between main house and an outbuilding. With their flowing connections, no room is isolated or ignored; instead each reflects a different level of privacy and social interaction. Just as there are layers to the exterior in beach, field, forest and oceans, the inside has a layered approach. Textures in wood, stone, and neutral colors combine with the warmth of linens, wools, and metals. Personality and character of the interiors and its furnishings are tailored to the client’s lifestyle. Rooms are arranged and organized in an intersection of public and private spaces. The quiet palette within reflects the nature outside, enhanced with artwork and accessories.

Home design - modern home design idea

The kitchen island is comprised of pull-out trash & recycling, cookbook shelves, wine storage, seating and a microwave oven niche. Bunn feet give the island a furniture look.

Sunset garden comprised on Native South African and Australian drought tolerant plants.
Photo of a huge drought-tolerant and full sun side yard stone walkway in San Diego for summer.

Looking through a new cased opening clad in hot rolled steel, the renovated master bathroom is comprised of a new floating vanity, a walk-in shower, a steam shower, and a free standing bathtub. Plain sliced black walnut and Calacatta Oro stone clad the master vanity. Basalt stone in various configurations finish the floor of the space and the walk-in shower. Custom stainless steel supports allow for the mirrors to float in the space while creating some separation of the master shower from the master bathroom. Photos by Chen + Suchart Studio LLC

Open concept comprising kitchen, dining room, and family room
Transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor, brown floor and tray ceiling eat-in kitchen photo in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, blue backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Example of a beach style bathroom design in Miami

With adjacent neighbors within a fairly dense section of Paradise Valley, Arizona, C.P. Drewett sought to provide a tranquil retreat for a new-to-the-Valley surgeon and his family who were seeking the modernism they loved though had never lived in. With a goal of consuming all possible site lines and views while maintaining autonomy, a portion of the house — including the entry, office, and master bedroom wing — is subterranean. This subterranean nature of the home provides interior grandeur for guests but offers a welcoming and humble approach, fully satisfying the clients requests. While the lot has an east-west orientation, the home was designed to capture mainly north and south light which is more desirable and soothing. The architecture’s interior loftiness is created with overlapping, undulating planes of plaster, glass, and steel. The woven nature of horizontal planes throughout the living spaces provides an uplifting sense, inviting a symphony of light to enter the space. The more voluminous public spaces are comprised of stone-clad massing elements which convert into a desert pavilion embracing the outdoor spaces. Every room opens to exterior spaces providing a dramatic embrace of home to natural environment. Grand Award winner for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home The material palette began with a rich, tonal, large-format Quartzite stone cladding. The stone’s tones gaveforth the rest of the material palette including a champagne-colored metal fascia, a tonal stucco system, and ceilings clad with hemlock, a tight-grained but softer wood that was tonally perfect with the rest of the materials. The interior case goods and wood-wrapped openings further contribute to the tonal harmony of architecture and materials. Grand Award Winner for Best Indoor Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home This award-winning project was recognized at the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards with two Grand Awards, one for Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home, and another for Best Interior Design of a One of a Kind or Custom Home. At the 2020 Design Excellence Awards and Gala presented by ASID AZ North, Ownby Design received five awards for Tonal Harmony. The project was recognized for 1st place – Bathroom; 3rd place – Furniture; 1st place – Kitchen; 1st place – Outdoor Living; and 2nd place – Residence over 6,000 square ft. Congratulations to Claire Ownby, Kalysha Manzo, and the entire Ownby Design team. Tonal Harmony was also featured on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Luxe Interiors + Design and received a 14-page editorial feature entitled “A Place in the Sun” within the magazine.

Trent Bell Photography
Huge trendy white two-story wood gable roof photo in Portland Maine

Photo by Jack Thompson

Surrounded by teak, marble, and onyx, the master shower room is comprised of two halves, with one side opening up to the meditation garden. photo by Lael Taylor

The entire back of the home comprises a massive kitchen and great room. The expansive adjoining patio area is partially covered and sumptuously appointed with a series of lounge areas plus an outdoor dining table for eight.

New Marvin windows above the kitchen sink and in the breakfast nook. Kitchen sink window is comprised of a central picture window, flanked by operable casement windows on both sides. Bay window is comprised of a central picture window and a double-hung window on either side.

Surrounded by teak, marble, and onyx, the master shower room is comprised of two halves, with one side opening up to the meditation garden. photo by Lael Taylor