Our 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

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

Sensitive Fern. Photo by Jay Sifford.

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courtyard, dignified, elegantly decorated, entertaining space, family home, majestic, Our 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

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Photo: Lucy Call © 2016 Houzz
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The Winslow House is a play of solid and void in the context of a modern farmhouse. The daytime pavilion houses the kitchen and home office that spreads into the living and dining spaces. The nocturnal wing of the house features a master bedroom downstairs with two junior master bedrooms upstairs. Designed by BC&J Architecture.

Juxtaposing a Southern Colorado setting with a Moorish feel, North Star Ranch explores a distinctive Mediterranean architectural style in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The owner raises cutting horses, but has spent much of her free time traveling the world. She has brought art and artifacts from those journeys into her home, and they work in combination to establish an uncommon mood. The stone floor, stucco and plaster walls, troweled stucco exterior, and heavy beam and trussed ceilings welcome guests as they enter the home. Open spaces for socializing, both outdoor and in, are what those guests experience but to ensure the owner's privacy, certain spaces such as the master suite and office can be essentially 'locked off' from the rest of the home. Even in the context of the region's extraordinary rock formations, North Star Ranch conveys a strong sense of personality.

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Juxtaposing a Southern Colorado setting with a Moorish feel, North Star Ranch explores a distinctive Mediterranean architectural style in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The owner raises cutting horses, but has spent much of her free time traveling the world. She has brought art and artifacts from those journeys into her home, and they work in combination to establish an uncommon mood. The stone floor, stucco and plaster walls, troweled stucco exterior, and heavy beam and trussed ceilings welcome guests as they enter the home. Open spaces for socializing, both outdoor and in, are what those guests experience but to ensure the owner's privacy, certain spaces such as the master suite and office can be essentially 'locked off' from the rest of the home. Even in the context of the region's extraordinary rock formations, North Star Ranch conveys a strong sense of personality.

Paul Wolfgang Steimer
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Photo Credit: Damien Hendley Mixed materials add variety to the space while keeping the context of the white kitchen in a north facing rrom
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A new-build, replacement dwelling in a sensitive green belt location, designed to take advantage of the countryside setting and views. By capitalising on volume increases to the existing dwelling through a series of incremental Permitted Development schemes, the home better suits its site and context. By raising a previously ground bearing floor area into a cantilever it can now encapsulate long ranging views from the master bedroom. To create a contemporary rural aesthetic the materials include a zinc roof, pre-weathered burnt timber cladding and brick. Landscaping has been designed by renowned British Garden Designer Andy Sturgeon who created three distinct gardens: a wild flower walk to the pool, a formal crescent-shaped striped lawn and south-facing gravel garden. The garden takes advantage of views across the Thames valley to Hedsor House and Cliveden, as a result of it being elevated and levelled with excavation material from the basement.

Mathew and his team at Cummings Architects have a knack for being able to see the perfect vision for a property. They specialize in identifying a building’s missing elements and crafting designs that simultaneously encompass the large scale, master plan and the myriad details that make a home special. For this Winchester home, the vision included a variety of complementary projects that all came together into a single architectural composition. Starting with the exterior, the single-lane driveway was extended and a new carriage garage that was designed to blend with the overall context of the existing home. In addition to covered parking, this building also provides valuable new storage areas accessible via large, double doors that lead into a connected work area. For the interior of the house, new moldings on bay windows, window seats, and two paneled fireplaces with mantles dress up previously nondescript rooms. The family room was extended to the rear of the house and opened up with the addition of generously sized, wall-to-wall windows that served to brighten the space and blur the boundary between interior and exterior. The family room, with its intimate sitting area, cozy fireplace, and charming breakfast table (the best spot to enjoy a sunlit start to the day) has become one of the family’s favorite rooms, offering comfort and light throughout the day. In the kitchen, the layout was simplified and changes were made to allow more light into the rear of the home via a connected deck with elongated steps that lead to the yard and a blue-stone patio that’s perfect for entertaining smaller, more intimate groups. From driveway to family room and back out into the yard, each detail in this beautiful design complements all the other concepts and details so that the entire plan comes together into a unified vision for a spectacular home. Photos By: Eric Roth

Tom Arena
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