Project Overview: The Fairfax House is an opulent blend of exotic materials and stacked fusion design. An engawa encourages the living area to outside, and consistent finishes blend indoor with outdoor spaces. Product: Suyaki 1×6 select grade shiplap Prefinish: Black Application: Residential – Interior & Exterior SF: 3000SF Designer: Laura Mans Builder: Date: April 2019 Location: Fairfax, CA

Project Overview: The Fairfax House is an opulent blend of exotic materials and stacked fusion design. An engawa encourages the living area to outside, and consistent finishes blend indoor with outdoor spaces. Product: Suyaki 1×6 select grade shiplap Prefinish: Black Application: Residential – Interior & Exterior SF: 3000SF Designer: Laura Mans Builder: Date: April 2019 Location: Fairfax, CA

A simple front facade consisting solely of ten-foot shuttered French doors radiates elegance in this new traditional foursquare home in Washington, D.C. Featured in Country Living magazine, the airy plan offers spaciousness in a limited-fronted site of the American foursquare house. The goal for the design was creating a contemporary foursquare style house. The family room and kitchen of this American foursquare interior are separated by a glassy built-in rather than walls, encouraging visual connection between the spaces in the four square house. Though nestled in the city, this American foursquare home feels like a classic country home.

A simple front facade consisting solely of ten-foot shuttered French doors radiates elegance in this new traditional foursquare home in Washington, D.C. Featured in Country Living magazine, the airy plan offers spaciousness in a limited-fronted site of the American foursquare house. The goal for the design was creating a contemporary foursquare style house. The family room and kitchen of this American foursquare interior are separated by a glassy built-in rather than walls, encouraging visual connection between the spaces in the four square house. Though nestled in the city, this American foursquare home feels like a classic country home.

Project Overview: The Fairfax House is an opulent blend of exotic materials and stacked fusion design. An engawa encourages the living area to outside, and consistent finishes blend indoor with outdoor spaces. Product: Suyaki 1×6 select grade shiplap Prefinish: Black Application: Residential – Interior & Exterior SF: 3000SF Designer: Laura Mans Builder: Date: April 2019 Location: Fairfax, CA

Project Overview: The Fairfax House is an opulent blend of exotic materials and stacked fusion design. An engawa encourages the living area to outside, and consistent finishes blend indoor with outdoor spaces. Product: Suyaki 1×6 select grade shiplap Prefinish: Black Application: Residential – Interior & Exterior SF: 3000SF Designer: Laura Mans Builder: Date: April 2019 Location: Fairfax, CA

Project Overview: The Fairfax House is an opulent blend of exotic materials and stacked fusion design. An engawa encourages the living area to outside, and consistent finishes blend indoor with outdoor spaces. Product: Suyaki 1×6 select grade shiplap Prefinish: Black Application: Residential – Interior & Exterior SF: 3000SF Designer: Laura Mans Builder: Date: April 2019 Location: Fairfax, CA

Designed and built by Terramor Homes in Raleigh, NC. In continuing the retreat feel, the goal in the master bath was to achieve a spa like feel. Inspired to incorporate the spa together with the tone of the rest of the home, the main focal element was a gorgeous free standing oval tub centered in the room under the vault of the ceiling and an 8 foot tall and 5 foot wide casement window that overlooks the river and greenway area behind the home. Directly across, the 6 foot by 6 foot full glass and glass tile was located- sharing the view out of the large windows. Flanking the tub are the adult height cabinets with large square legs and a shelf underneath, similar to the spa look that is expected. A full height cabinet pantry was added to encourage storage or rolled towels, bathing accessories and additional storage as well. The entire room was finished with a chocolate brown, 18” x 12” tile, laid in a brick pattern and continued up the walls for the consistent and clean look. Centered in the vault, a large, linen drum pendant with chrome trim drops- bringing elegance to the space. Small shelves were built at the bottom of each side of the vaulted ceiling to house the LED lighting that shines up the vaults of the ceiling, again replicating natural day light at any time of day. The final result of this master bath was exactly as we had set out to achieve- a peaceful and relaxing retreat right inside our home. Photography: M. Eric Honeycutt

Located on a tight corner lot, the design of this addition left one wall standing and built a new home around it. The home fits wonderfully into a neighborhood full of mature trees and front porches. We placed generous porches on both the front and back of the house to maximize the owners' use of the lot. There's even a balcony off of the master bedroom with planters for herbs and flowers. The kitchen, though compact, is a chef's dream. There are also windows placed behind the upper cabinets to create a backlighting effect during the day and bring more natural light into the space. Here's what the owner had to say about the project:

Our pioneer project, Casita de Tierra in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, showcases the natural building techniques of a rubble trench foundation, earthbag construction, natural plasters, earthen floors, and a composting toilet. Our earthbag wall system consists of locally available, cost-efficient, polypropylene bags that are filled with a formula of clay and aggregate unearthed from our building site. The bags are stacked like bricks in running bonds, which are strengthened by courses of barbed wire laid between each row, and tamped into place. The walls are then plastered with a mix composed of clay, sand, soil and straw, and are followed by gypsum and lime renders to create attractive walls. The casita exhibits a load-bearing wall system demonstrating that thick earthen walls, with no rebar or cement, can support a roofing structure. We, also, installed earthen floors, created an indoor dry-composting toilet system, utilized local woods for the furniture, routed all grey water to the outdoor garden, and maximized air flow by including cross-ventilating screened windows below the natural palm frond and cane roof. Casita de Tierra exemplifies an economically efficient, structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing, environmentally kind, and socially responsible home.

A simple front facade consisting solely of ten-foot shuttered French doors radiates elegance in this new traditional foursquare home in Washington, D.C. Featured in Country Living magazine, the airy plan offers spaciousness in a limited-fronted site of the American foursquare house. The goal for the design was creating a contemporary foursquare style house. The family room and kitchen of this American foursquare interior are separated by a glassy built-in rather than walls, encouraging visual connection between the spaces in the four square house. Though nestled in the city, this American foursquare home feels like a classic country home.

This new Lake Minnetonka custom home was designed for a young growing family that decided to trade uptown Minneapolis condo life for lake living. Located on a narrow 40-foot-wide lot, this 2,850sf modern home provides a strong connection to the lake while also balancing privacy from the neighbors. The main level comprises a three-car tandem garage and public living spaces, the upper level consists of private spaces while the finished basement serves as a flexible space. High performance triple pane European windows were strategically placed to frame views of the lake while interior facing windows were placed to frame tree and sky views. A stone clad fireplace acts as a spatial anchor that helps define the interior spaces as well as encourages the transition from interior to exterior spaces. Future solar panel conduits to the roof were installed as were EV charging stations in the garage and at the dock for future EV boat charging. Site water runoff is managed through an underground retention system. The exterior cement board siding is painted black to recede into the landscape while accents of thermally modified wood, custom steel slats and stone add visual interest at the street and lake facing sides. The interior material palette is purposefully simple and consists of stained white oak flooring, ebony stained white oak cabinetry and millwork, white quartz counters, powder coated steel railings and stone veneer. The final result is a vibrant home for this young family that infuses warmth with a modern aesthetic.

This new Lake Minnetonka custom home was designed for a young growing family that decided to trade uptown Minneapolis condo life for lake living. Located on a narrow 40-foot-wide lot, this 2,850sf modern home provides a strong connection to the lake while also balancing privacy from the neighbors. The main level comprises a three-car tandem garage and public living spaces, the upper level consists of private spaces while the finished basement serves as a flexible space. High performance triple pane European windows were strategically placed to frame views of the lake while interior facing windows were placed to frame tree and sky views. A stone clad fireplace acts as a spatial anchor that helps define the interior spaces as well as encourages the transition from interior to exterior spaces. Future solar panel conduits to the roof were installed as were EV charging stations in the garage and at the dock for future EV boat charging. Site water runoff is managed through an underground retention system. The exterior cement board siding is painted black to recede into the landscape while accents of thermally modified wood, custom steel slats and stone add visual interest at the street and lake facing sides. The interior material palette is purposefully simple and consists of stained white oak flooring, ebony stained white oak cabinetry and millwork, white quartz counters, powder coated steel railings and stone veneer. The final result is a vibrant home for this young family that infuses warmth with a modern aesthetic.

This new Lake Minnetonka custom home was designed for a young growing family that decided to trade uptown Minneapolis condo life for lake living. Located on a narrow 40-foot-wide lot, this 2,850sf modern home provides a strong connection to the lake while also balancing privacy from the neighbors. The main level comprises a three-car tandem garage and public living spaces, the upper level consists of private spaces while the finished basement serves as a flexible space. High performance triple pane European windows were strategically placed to frame views of the lake while interior facing windows were placed to frame tree and sky views. A stone clad fireplace acts as a spatial anchor that helps define the interior spaces as well as encourages the transition from interior to exterior spaces. Future solar panel conduits to the roof were installed as were EV charging stations in the garage and at the dock for future EV boat charging. Site water runoff is managed through an underground retention system. The exterior cement board siding is painted black to recede into the landscape while accents of thermally modified wood, custom steel slats and stone add visual interest at the street and lake facing sides. The interior material palette is purposefully simple and consists of stained white oak flooring, ebony stained white oak cabinetry and millwork, white quartz counters, powder coated steel railings and stone veneer. The final result is a vibrant home for this young family that infuses warmth with a modern aesthetic.

This new Lake Minnetonka custom home was designed for a young growing family that decided to trade uptown Minneapolis condo life for lake living. Located on a narrow 40-foot-wide lot, this 2,850sf modern home provides a strong connection to the lake while also balancing privacy from the neighbors. The main level comprises a three-car tandem garage and public living spaces, the upper level consists of private spaces while the finished basement serves as a flexible space. High performance triple pane European windows were strategically placed to frame views of the lake while interior facing windows were placed to frame tree and sky views. A stone clad fireplace acts as a spatial anchor that helps define the interior spaces as well as encourages the transition from interior to exterior spaces. Future solar panel conduits to the roof were installed as were EV charging stations in the garage and at the dock for future EV boat charging. Site water runoff is managed through an underground retention system. The exterior cement board siding is painted black to recede into the landscape while accents of thermally modified wood, custom steel slats and stone add visual interest at the street and lake facing sides. The interior material palette is purposefully simple and consists of stained white oak flooring, ebony stained white oak cabinetry and millwork, white quartz counters, powder coated steel railings and stone veneer. The final result is a vibrant home for this young family that infuses warmth with a modern aesthetic.

This new Lake Minnetonka custom home was designed for a young growing family that decided to trade uptown Minneapolis condo life for lake living. Located on a narrow 40-foot-wide lot, this 2,850sf modern home provides a strong connection to the lake while also balancing privacy from the neighbors. The main level comprises a three-car tandem garage and public living spaces, the upper level consists of private spaces while the finished basement serves as a flexible space. High performance triple pane European windows were strategically placed to frame views of the lake while interior facing windows were placed to frame tree and sky views. A stone clad fireplace acts as a spatial anchor that helps define the interior spaces as well as encourages the transition from interior to exterior spaces. Future solar panel conduits to the roof were installed as were EV charging stations in the garage and at the dock for future EV boat charging. Site water runoff is managed through an underground retention system. The exterior cement board siding is painted black to recede into the landscape while accents of thermally modified wood, custom steel slats and stone add visual interest at the street and lake facing sides. The interior material palette is purposefully simple and consists of stained white oak flooring, ebony stained white oak cabinetry and millwork, white quartz counters, powder coated steel railings and stone veneer. The final result is a vibrant home for this young family that infuses warmth with a modern aesthetic.

This new Lake Minnetonka custom home was designed for a young growing family that decided to trade uptown Minneapolis condo life for lake living. Located on a narrow 40-foot-wide lot, this 2,850sf modern home provides a strong connection to the lake while also balancing privacy from the neighbors. The main level comprises a three-car tandem garage and public living spaces, the upper level consists of private spaces while the finished basement serves as a flexible space. High performance triple pane European windows were strategically placed to frame views of the lake while interior facing windows were placed to frame tree and sky views. A stone clad fireplace acts as a spatial anchor that helps define the interior spaces as well as encourages the transition from interior to exterior spaces. Future solar panel conduits to the roof were installed as were EV charging stations in the garage and at the dock for future EV boat charging. Site water runoff is managed through an underground retention system. The exterior cement board siding is painted black to recede into the landscape while accents of thermally modified wood, custom steel slats and stone add visual interest at the street and lake facing sides. The interior material palette is purposefully simple and consists of stained white oak flooring, ebony stained white oak cabinetry and millwork, white quartz counters, powder coated steel railings and stone veneer. The final result is a vibrant home for this young family that infuses warmth with a modern aesthetic.

This new Lake Minnetonka custom home was designed for a young growing family that decided to trade uptown Minneapolis condo life for lake living. Located on a narrow 40-foot-wide lot, this 2,850sf modern home provides a strong connection to the lake while also balancing privacy from the neighbors. The main level comprises a three-car tandem garage and public living spaces, the upper level consists of private spaces while the finished basement serves as a flexible space. High performance triple pane European windows were strategically placed to frame views of the lake while interior facing windows were placed to frame tree and sky views. A stone clad fireplace acts as a spatial anchor that helps define the interior spaces as well as encourages the transition from interior to exterior spaces. Future solar panel conduits to the roof were installed as were EV charging stations in the garage and at the dock for future EV boat charging. Site water runoff is managed through an underground retention system. The exterior cement board siding is painted black to recede into the landscape while accents of thermally modified wood, custom steel slats and stone add visual interest at the street and lake facing sides. The interior material palette is purposefully simple and consists of stained white oak flooring, ebony stained white oak cabinetry and millwork, white quartz counters, powder coated steel railings and stone veneer. The final result is a vibrant home for this young family that infuses warmth with a modern aesthetic.

This new Lake Minnetonka custom home was designed for a young growing family that decided to trade uptown Minneapolis condo life for lake living. Located on a narrow 40-foot-wide lot, this 2,850sf modern home provides a strong connection to the lake while also balancing privacy from the neighbors. The main level comprises a three-car tandem garage and public living spaces, the upper level consists of private spaces while the finished basement serves as a flexible space. High performance triple pane European windows were strategically placed to frame views of the lake while interior facing windows were placed to frame tree and sky views. A stone clad fireplace acts as a spatial anchor that helps define the interior spaces as well as encourages the transition from interior to exterior spaces. Future solar panel conduits to the roof were installed as were EV charging stations in the garage and at the dock for future EV boat charging. Site water runoff is managed through an underground retention system. The exterior cement board siding is painted black to recede into the landscape while accents of thermally modified wood, custom steel slats and stone add visual interest at the street and lake facing sides. The interior material palette is purposefully simple and consists of stained white oak flooring, ebony stained white oak cabinetry and millwork, white quartz counters, powder coated steel railings and stone veneer. The final result is a vibrant home for this young family that infuses warmth with a modern aesthetic.