Klopf Architecture and Outer space Landscape Architects designed a new warm, modern, open, indoor-outdoor home in Los Altos, California. Inspired by mid-century modern homes but looking for something completely new and custom, the owners, a couple with two children, bought an older ranch style home with the intention of replacing it. Created on a grid, the house is designed to be at rest with differentiated spaces for activities; living, playing, cooking, dining and a piano space. The low-sloping gable roof over the great room brings a grand feeling to the space. The clerestory windows at the high sloping roof make the grand space light and airy. Upon entering the house, an open atrium entry in the middle of the house provides light and nature to the great room. The Heath tile wall at the back of the atrium blocks direct view of the rear yard from the entry door for privacy. The bedrooms, bathrooms, play room and the sitting room are under flat wing-like roofs that balance on either side of the low sloping gable roof of the main space. Large sliding glass panels and pocketing glass doors foster openness to the front and back yards. In the front there is a fenced-in play space connected to the play room, creating an indoor-outdoor play space that could change in use over the years. The play room can also be closed off from the great room with a large pocketing door. In the rear, everything opens up to a deck overlooking a pool where the family can come together outdoors. Wood siding travels from exterior to interior, accentuating the indoor-outdoor nature of the house. Where the exterior siding doesn’t come inside, a palette of white oak floors, white walls, walnut cabinetry, and dark window frames ties all the spaces together to create a uniform feeling and flow throughout the house. The custom cabinetry matches the minimal joinery of the rest of the house, a trim-less, minimal appearance. Wood siding was mitered in the corners, including where siding meets the interior drywall. Wall materials were held up off the floor with a minimal reveal. This tight detailing gives a sense of cleanliness to the house. The garage door of the house is completely flush and of the same material as the garage wall, de-emphasizing the garage door and making the street presentation of the house kinder to the neighborhood. The house is akin to a custom, modern-day Eichler home in many ways. Inspired by mid-century modern homes with today’s materials, approaches, standards, and technologies. The goals were to create an indoor-outdoor home that was energy-efficient, light and flexible for young children to grow. This 3,000 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom new house is located in Los Altos in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, and Chuang-Ming Liu 
Landscape Architect: Outer space Landscape Architects 
Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers 
Staging: Da Lusso Design 
Photography ©2018 Mariko Reed 
Location: Los Altos, CA
 Year completed: 2017

Trendy blue tile and glass tile doorless shower photo in Vancouver with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops and a two-piece toilet

This is an example of a modern partial sun concrete paver garden path in San Diego.

Stepping stones in a minimal gravel paved area lead past two lounge chairs to the intimate dining area. The herringbone-patterned limestone patio dissipates into a lush planting bed filled with loose swaths of shade-loving perennials and seasonal bulbs. Beech hedging, and formal clipped evergreens, surround the space and provide privacy, structure and winter interest to the garden. On axis to the main interior living space of the home, the fountain, is the focal point of the garden. A limestone water wall featuring an engraved pattern of fallen Honey Locust leaves nods to the centrally located mature Honey Locust tree that anchors the garden. Water, flowing down the wall, falls a short distance into a pool with a submerged limestone panel. The light noise of the falling water helps soften the sounds of the bustling downtown neighbourhood, creating a tranquil back drop for living and entertaining.

Roman shades mounted below the arched portion of the windows. Maintains privacy at street level, while light continues to filter in through the arched windows.

This garden was designed by Hunter Ten Broeck of Waterwise Landscapes Incorporated. They installed this in 2009 and continue to maintain it. It was featured on an Albuquerque Garden Tour.

View of the open pantry with included appliance storage. Custom by Huntwood, flat panel walnut veneer doors. Nathan Williams, Van Earl Photography www.VanEarlPhotography.com

Down a private lane and sited on an oak studded lot, this charming Kott home has been transformed with contemporary finishes and clean line design. Vaulted ceilings create light filled spaces that open to outdoor living. Modern choices of Italian tiles combine with hardwood floors and newly installed carpets. Fireplaces in both the living and family room. Dining room with picture window to the garden. Kitchen with ample cabinetry, newer appliances and charming eat-in area. The floor plan includes a gracious upstairs master suite and two well-sized bedrooms and two full bathrooms downstairs. Solar, A/C, steel Future Roof and dual pane windows and doors all contribute to the energy efficiency of this modern design. Quality throughout allows you to move right and enjoy the convenience of a close-in location and the desirable Kentfield school district.

We relocated the bathroom to an adjacent sitting room that had 8’ ceilings and was flooded with natural light. At twice the size of the old bathroom, the new location had ample space to create a true second master bathroom complete with soaking tub, walk-in shower and 5’ vanity. We used the same classic marble finishes throughout which provides continuity and maintains the elegant and timeless look befitting this historic mansion.

Large stone landings and landscape boulders create a much more natural feeling landscape. Large Arctic Willows , blankets of Sweet Woodruff, and clusters of various Hosta species soften the edges.

A small full basement bathroom in our Modern Spanish-Style Revival project boasts a tiled focal vanity wall with floating shelves, brass details, and red penny floor tiles.

The custom cedar wall trellis softens the large blank expanse of the garage wall. White paint and copper accents were selected to provide continuity with the homes architecture.

Located at the Toll Brothers Model Homes the Enclave at Yorba Linda. Toll Brothers envisioned a raised overflow pool with glass walls, allowing guests to see underwater from the outside. Extensive care was taken during the difficult design and build process to ensure that excellence was achieved and Toll Brothers was completely enamored with the results. This pool features a very modern look with straight, clean lines, square columns and LED lights accenting the acrylic pool walls. The bar area touts an acrylic wall and in-pool bar stools, while the tile inside the pool matches the house, bringing continuity to the entire space. An extreme amount of coordination was required for the 2.5 inch thick pieces of acrylic to fit perfectly within the slots on the columns while still maintaining the structural integrity of the pool. We were in continual communication with the structural engineer and acrylic manufacturer, ensuring that each piece fit perfectly. The completed acrylic walls were then craned over the house due to their weight. With a vanishing edge on the front three sections and a negative edge along the back, it was absolutely imperative that the pool was perfectly level and that the water filtration system operated perfectly so that the flow was even over each wall. The water cascading over the front walls collects in a trough that ties into to the rear negative edge basin, where it recirculates back into the pool. The rear negative edge was designed so as not to distract from the breathtaking view of the valley below, while the lounging deck overhangs the pool with a freestanding cover ensuring that the view is completely unobstructed. An elegant piece of artwork frames the back of the pool, completing the look for this intriguing swimming pool.

OVERVIEW Set into a mature Boston area neighborhood, this sophisticated 2900SF home offers efficient use of space, expression through form, and myriad of green features. MULTI-GENERATIONAL LIVING Designed to accommodate three family generations, paired living spaces on the first and second levels are architecturally expressed on the facade by window systems that wrap the front corners of the house. Included are two kitchens, two living areas, an office for two, and two master suites. CURB APPEAL The home includes both modern form and materials, using durable cedar and through-colored fiber cement siding, permeable parking with an electric charging station, and an acrylic overhang to shelter foot traffic from rain. FEATURE STAIR An open stair with resin treads and glass rails winds from the basement to the third floor, channeling natural light through all the home’s levels. LEVEL ONE The first floor kitchen opens to the living and dining space, offering a grand piano and wall of south facing glass. A master suite and private ‘home office for two’ complete the level. LEVEL TWO The second floor includes another open concept living, dining, and kitchen space, with kitchen sink views over the green roof. A full bath, bedroom and reading nook are perfect for the children. LEVEL THREE The third floor provides the second master suite, with separate sink and wardrobe area, plus a private roofdeck. ENERGY The super insulated home features air-tight construction, continuous exterior insulation, and triple-glazed windows. The walls and basement feature foam-free cavity & exterior insulation. On the rooftop, a solar electric system helps offset energy consumption. WATER Cisterns capture stormwater and connect to a drip irrigation system. Inside the home, consumption is limited with high efficiency fixtures and appliances. TEAM Architecture & Mechanical Design – ZeroEnergy Design Contractor – Aedi Construction Photos – Eric Roth Photography

Roman shades mounted below the arched portion of the windows. Maintains privacy at street level, while light continues to filter in through the arched windows.

Roman shades mounted below the arched portion of the windows. Maintains privacy at street level, while light continues to filter in through the arched windows.

Lush container in a project we installed over 10 years ago and continue to maintain. Garden Design Inc.
Photo of a mid-sized eclectic landscaping in Philadelphia.

Complete bathroom remodel Summer 2013. This bath offers generous space without going overboard in square footage. The homeowner chose to go with a large double vanity, a nice shower with custom features a shower seat. We decided to keep the existing tub and deck it with carrara marble. The vanity area shown in this photo has plenty of storage for bathroom appliances in the tower. Below the mirrored wall cabinets we added a open towel storage space below. The mirrors were cased out with the matching woodwork, crown detail and carrara tile mosaics on each side. The countertop is Carrara slab marble with undermount Marzi sinks. The Kallista faucets are wall mounted, we was chosen in chrome since it was an easier finish to maintain for years to come. The floor tile is a 20 x 20 Silver Strand with a Carrara Marble strip set in straight. The backsplash to the vanity is the companion carrara mosaic random. Vaulted ceilings add to the dramatic feel of this bath. The polished nickel Restoration glass globe chandelier also adds to the dramatic glamour of the bath. The shower has three zones function, with a polished gray porcelain tile, mixed with split face white marble and carrara marble mosaics. This luxury bath sets its residence in Houston Texas.

Front Door Entry [Photography by Ralph Lauer] [Landscaping by Lin Michaels]
Mid-sized minimalist marble floor and white floor foyer photo in Dallas with white walls and a glass front door