The original ceiling, comprised of exposed wood deck and beams, was revealed after being concealed by a flat ceiling for many years. The beams and decking were bead blasted and refinished (the original finish being damaged by multiple layers of paint); the intact ceiling of another nearby Evans' home was used to confirm the stain color and technique. Architect: Gene Kniaz, Spiral Architects General Contractor: Linthicum Custom Builders Photo: Maureen Ryan Photography

The island comprises a prep sink, a microwave drawer and a dishwasher. A second dishwasher is adjacent to the farmhouse sink, beneath the window.
Large french country u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen photo in Los Angeles with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, multicolored backsplash, marble backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and multicolored countertops

The use of ornate lighting fixture, black tiles, geometric forms, and chrome has really captured the Art Deco style in the space.
Example of a trendy kitchen design in Los Angeles

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

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.

Following along the second floor glass railed foyer featuring random width shiplap paneling, you come upon the elegant master bedroom suite. The bed chamber features a high tray ceiling and a fireplace with a surround comprised of natural stone and floor to ceiling antique Vermont barn board siding.

This mid-century remodel is comprised of four bedrooms and a backyard addition that functions as both a guest suite and home office. Influenced by its site on a large hilltop, additional windows were introduced to showcase views of the landscape and add natural light throughout the interior. Further filling interior spaces with natural light, skylights and transom windows have also been added. The material palette consists of open grained cypress ceilings, rift white oak millwork, old growth walnut floors and painted brick. This variety of woods and textures is toned down with the simplicity of warm white walls. To complement the home’s fusion of contemporary and mid-century architecture, the interior features a range of soft modern furnishings. Interior by Allison Burke Interior Design Architecture by A Parallel Paul Finkel Photography

Nestled in the dunes on a double ocean front lot, the interior of this magnificent home is comprised of bespoke furnishings designed and built for each space. Carefully selected antiques and eclectic artwork blend colors and textures to create a comfortable, fresh palette balancing formality with a touch of whimsy granting the classic architecture an unexpected and lighthearted feel. Photography: Dana Hoff

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

Nestled in the dunes on a double ocean front lot, the interior of this magnificent home is comprised of bespoke furnishings designed and built for each space. Carefully selected antiques and eclectic artwork blend colors and textures to create a comfortable, fresh palette balancing formality with a touch of whimsy granting the classic architecture an unexpected and lighthearted feel. Photography: Dana Hoff

A large soapstone slab comprises the backsplash to a gas range.
Large country eat-in kitchen photo with soapstone countertops, stone slab backsplash and stainless steel appliances

© Kristine Buban - http://www.photobykoe.com/
Staircase - large contemporary wooden u-shaped open staircase idea in Toronto

Design ideas for a modern landscaping in New York.

Since space was at a premium, we created a central table comprised of 4 individual Ikea Micke desks.
Small trendy home design photo in Cleveland

Open concept comprising kitchen, dining room, and family room
Example of a classic l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen design 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

The Maya Collection is a modular seating system comprising of 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 6 pc Teak Lounge Set features: 1 daybed sectional, 1 left side sectional, 1 slipper chair, 2 ottomans, and 1 side table. Cushions made with Quick Dry Foam® core and 100% solution dyed Sunbrella fabrics. Made with SVLK certified Grade A Teak from sustainable plantations in Indonesia. Every piece is precision crafted to commercial specifications. Optional Teak Finishes available.

The stairway is art in itself comprised of metal and wood in a great blend of industrial and contemporary styles. Photo: Gary D. Parker

Maple bookcase wall system, painted Antique White. This system is comprised of four 48" wide x 84" high bookcases. All shelves are adjustable. Installation completed by Sam's Wood Furniture. Photo credit: Sam's Wood Furniture Staff

Mountain style glass tile tub/shower combo photo in Denver with onyx countertops, a vessel sink and beige walls