Photos © Anice HoachlanderOur client was drawn to the property in Wesley Heights as it was in an established neighborhood of stately homes, on a quiet street with views of park. They wanted a traditional home for their young family with great entertaining spaces that took full advantage of the site. The site was the challenge. The natural grade of the site was far from traditional. The natural grade at the rear of the property was about thirty feet above the street level. Large mature trees provided shade and needed to be preserved. The solution was sectional. The first floor level was elevated from the street by 12 feet, with French doors facing the park. We created a courtyard at the first floor level that provide an outdoor entertaining space, with French doors that open the home to the courtyard.. By elevating the first floor level, we were able to allow on-grade parking and a private direct entrance to the lower level pub "Mulligans". An arched passage affords access to the courtyard from a shared driveway with the neighboring homes, while the stone fountain provides a focus. A sweeping stone stair anchors one of the existing mature trees that was preserved and leads to the elevated rear garden. The second floor master suite opens to a sitting porch at the level of the upper garden, providing the third level of outdoor space that can be used for the children to play. The home's traditional language is in context with its neighbors, while the design allows each of the three primary levels of the home to relate directly to the outside. Builder: Peterson & Collins, Inc Photos © Anice Hoachlander

Example of a cottage kitchen design in Miami

Here you can see how the room fits into the house. Escape to the sea!
Wine cellar - mid-sized coastal light wood floor and brown floor wine cellar idea in Chicago with display racks

Home office - contemporary home office idea in San Francisco

Room remodel to turn an open space into an enclosed multi-use/guest bedroom. American Leather sofa bed and Lee Industries custom fabric. Client's collection of jazz posters displayed throughout the room. Use of black and white with blue and accent colors.

Example of a trendy living room design in San Francisco with white walls

A young family with a wooded, triangular lot in Ipswich, Massachusetts wanted to take on a highly creative, organic, and unrushed process in designing their new home. The parents of three boys had contemporary ideas for living, including phasing the construction of different structures over time as the kids grew so they could maximize the options for use on their land. They hoped to build a net zero energy home that would be cozy on the very coldest days of winter, using cost-efficient methods of home building. The house needed to be sited to minimize impact on the land and trees, and it was critical to respect a conservation easement on the south border of the lot. Finally, the design would be contemporary in form and feel, but it would also need to fit into a classic New England context, both in terms of materials used and durability. We were asked to honor the notions of “surprise and delight,” and that inspired everything we designed for the family. The highly unique home consists of a three-story form, composed mostly of bedrooms and baths on the top two floors and a cross axis of shared living spaces on the first level. This axis extends out to an oversized covered porch, open to the south and west. The porch connects to a two-story garage with flex space above, used as a guest house, play room, and yoga studio depending on the day. A floor-to-ceiling ribbon of glass wraps the south and west walls of the lower level, bringing in an abundance of natural light and linking the entire open plan to the yard beyond. The master suite takes up the entire top floor, and includes an outdoor deck with a shower. The middle floor has extra height to accommodate a variety of multi-level play scenarios in the kids’ rooms. Many of the materials used in this house are made from recycled or environmentally friendly content, or they come from local sources. The high performance home has triple glazed windows and all materials, adhesives, and sealants are low toxicity and safe for growing kids. Photographer credit: Irvin Serrano

Advance Cabinetry MI
Eat-in kitchen - rustic u-shaped eat-in kitchen idea with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, wood countertops, stainless steel appliances, white backsplash and stone tile backsplash

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in San Francisco

Private terrace with white horizontal timber cladding, grey flooring, wall lights and black outdoor pieces. The space is enclosed from the city while retaining views of the surrounding buildings.

"Diogene," a cabin designed by Renzo Piano and RPBW for Vitra, installed at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Photographer: Julien Lanoo © Vitra

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern master bathroom remodel in New York with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, a two-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink and quartz countertops

Morningside Architects, LLP Structural Engineers: Vatani Consulting Engineers, Inc. Contractor: Lucas Craftsmanship Photographer: Rick Gardner Photography

The client's desire was to fit into this established neighborhood of classic period houses. Care was taken when adding a full second floor to keep the pedestrian scale at the street.

Trendy living room photo in New York

Bathroom - small modern 3/4 beige tile and ceramic tile bathroom idea in New York with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, a drop-in sink and laminate countertops

813 Magrath | Traditional | 1-1/2 Storey | 4163 Sq. Ft. Located in a quiet rural setting, this large, traditional french country home welcomes its guests with an elegant, yet approachable design style. Wrapped entirely in a warming hue of stone that tells of strength and stability, this custom home will stand the test of generations. Set against steep roof pitches, the observer is drawn to the subtle, curved roof lines over the windows and dormers that tell of quiet sophistication. Punctuated on the front with an elegantly detailed entry portico, and with spacious public and private indoor areas of the home to welcome family and friends, this country home is truly inspired.

Inspiration for a contemporary one-story exterior home remodel in Portland with a shed roof

A couple wanted a weekend retreat without spending a majority of their getaway in an automobile. Therefore, a lot was purchased along the Rocky River with the vision of creating a nearby escape less than five miles away from their home. This 1,300 sf 24’ x 24’ dwelling is divided into a four square quadrant with the goal to create a variety of interior and exterior experiences while maintaining a rather small footprint. Typically, when going on a weekend retreat one has the drive time to decompress. However, without this, the goal was to create a procession from the car to the house to signify such change of context. This concept was achieved through the use of a wood slatted screen wall which must be passed through. After winding around a collection of poured concrete steps and walls one comes to a wood plank bridge and crosses over a Japanese garden leaving all the stresses of the daily world behind. The house is structured around a nine column steel frame grid, which reinforces the impression one gets of the four quadrants. The two rear quadrants intentionally house enclosed program space but once passed through, the floor plan completely opens to long views down to the mouth of the river into Lake Erie. On the second floor the four square grid is stacked with one quadrant removed for the two story living area on the first floor to capture heightened views down the river. In a move to create complete separation there is a one quadrant roof top office with surrounding roof top garden space. The rooftop office is accessed through a unique approach by exiting onto a steel grated staircase which wraps up the exterior facade of the house. This experience provides an additional retreat within their weekend getaway, and serves as the apex of the house where one can completely enjoy the views of Lake Erie disappearing over the horizon. Visually the house extends into the riverside site, but the four quadrant axis also physically extends creating a series of experiences out on the property. The Northeast kitchen quadrant extends out to become an exterior kitchen & dining space. The two-story Northwest living room quadrant extends out to a series of wrap around steps and lounge seating. A fire pit sits in this quadrant as well farther out in the lawn. A fruit and vegetable garden sits out in the Southwest quadrant in near proximity to the shed, and the entry sequence is contained within the Southeast quadrant extension. Internally and externally the whole house is organized in a simple and concise way and achieves the ultimate goal of creating many different experiences within a rationally sized footprint. Photo: Sergiu Stoian