Large country red two-story wood gable roof photo in Cincinnati with a tile roof

Photograph © Ken Gutmaker • Interior Designer: Jennifer Ott Design • Architect: Studio Sarah Willmer Architecture • Builder: Blair Burke General Contractors, Inc.

The homeowners had just purchased this home in El Segundo and they had remodeled the kitchen and one of the bathrooms on their own. However, they had more work to do. They felt that the rest of the project was too big and complex to tackle on their own and so they retained us to take over where they left off. The main focus of the project was to create a master suite and take advantage of the rather large backyard as an extension of their home. They were looking to create a more fluid indoor outdoor space. When adding the new master suite leaving the ceilings vaulted along with French doors give the space a feeling of openness. The window seat was originally designed as an architectural feature for the exterior but turned out to be a benefit to the interior! They wanted a spa feel for their master bathroom utilizing organic finishes. Since the plan is that this will be their forever home a curbless shower was an important feature to them. The glass barn door on the shower makes the space feel larger and allows for the travertine shower tile to show through. Floating shelves and vanity allow the space to feel larger while the natural tones of the porcelain tile floor are calming. The his and hers vessel sinks make the space functional for two people to use it at once. The walk-in closet is open while the master bathroom has a white pocket door for privacy. Since a new master suite was added to the home we converted the existing master bedroom into a family room. Adding French Doors to the family room opened up the floorplan to the outdoors while increasing the amount of natural light in this room. The closet that was previously in the bedroom was converted to built in cabinetry and floating shelves in the family room. The French doors in the master suite and family room now both open to the same deck space. The homes new open floor plan called for a kitchen island to bring the kitchen and dining / great room together. The island is a 3” countertop vs the standard inch and a half. This design feature gives the island a chunky look. It was important that the island look like it was always a part of the kitchen. Lastly, we added a skylight in the corner of the kitchen as it felt dark once we closed off the side door that was there previously. Repurposing rooms and opening the floor plan led to creating a laundry closet out of an old coat closet (and borrowing a small space from the new family room). The floors become an integral part of tying together an open floor plan like this. The home still had original oak floors and the homeowners wanted to maintain that character. We laced in new planks and refinished it all to bring the project together. To add curb appeal we removed the carport which was blocking a lot of natural light from the outside of the house. We also re-stuccoed the home and added exterior trim.

The homeowners had just purchased this home in El Segundo and they had remodeled the kitchen and one of the bathrooms on their own. However, they had more work to do. They felt that the rest of the project was too big and complex to tackle on their own and so they retained us to take over where they left off. The main focus of the project was to create a master suite and take advantage of the rather large backyard as an extension of their home. They were looking to create a more fluid indoor outdoor space. When adding the new master suite leaving the ceilings vaulted along with French doors give the space a feeling of openness. The window seat was originally designed as an architectural feature for the exterior but turned out to be a benefit to the interior! They wanted a spa feel for their master bathroom utilizing organic finishes. Since the plan is that this will be their forever home a curbless shower was an important feature to them. The glass barn door on the shower makes the space feel larger and allows for the travertine shower tile to show through. Floating shelves and vanity allow the space to feel larger while the natural tones of the porcelain tile floor are calming. The his and hers vessel sinks make the space functional for two people to use it at once. The walk-in closet is open while the master bathroom has a white pocket door for privacy. Since a new master suite was added to the home we converted the existing master bedroom into a family room. Adding French Doors to the family room opened up the floorplan to the outdoors while increasing the amount of natural light in this room. The closet that was previously in the bedroom was converted to built in cabinetry and floating shelves in the family room. The French doors in the master suite and family room now both open to the same deck space. The homes new open floor plan called for a kitchen island to bring the kitchen and dining / great room together. The island is a 3” countertop vs the standard inch and a half. This design feature gives the island a chunky look. It was important that the island look like it was always a part of the kitchen. Lastly, we added a skylight in the corner of the kitchen as it felt dark once we closed off the side door that was there previously. Repurposing rooms and opening the floor plan led to creating a laundry closet out of an old coat closet (and borrowing a small space from the new family room). The floors become an integral part of tying together an open floor plan like this. The home still had original oak floors and the homeowners wanted to maintain that character. We laced in new planks and refinished it all to bring the project together. To add curb appeal we removed the carport which was blocking a lot of natural light from the outside of the house. We also re-stuccoed the home and added exterior trim.

design: Tim Hess, Design Principal Justin Mello, Nathan Sawyer all for DSA Architects photographs: Charles Mayer photography and Tim Hess photo-styling: Natalie Leighton stone sculpture: Todd Fulshaw paintings: Charles Mayer and Todd Fulshaw Guest quarters for a big house on the Concord River, this project enlarges former studio space over a four-bay garage into a new four-bedroom ‘outpost’. design challenges: Convert Studio Apartment to 4-Bedroom Home without enlarging footprint of building. Keep costs minimal. On the ground floor, both pre-existing eight- and twelve-foot tall halves of the former scheme remain in-place, as do the structural bones of two faceted ‘beaks’. The complex former roof was removed for its limited use of available floor area. A single long shed now unifies the high East side of the house and its small private individual spaces with the wide-open shared space of the lower West Side. Aligned with the stair-tower extruded from a former beak, a childrens’ loft-library and two-sided fireplace conduct the East-West interface.

A side patio is ringed by young lavender plants and a half-circle of olives frames the space. Dark Monterey cypress, trimmed as a tall hedge, creates the luscious dark backdrop. A converted chicken shed provides storage nearby.

Stacked queen size bunk beds for guests, housed in the detached guest house made from a converted barn/shed.
Bedroom - small modern guest concrete floor, beige floor and exposed beam bedroom idea in Los Angeles with white walls

This converted barn/shed now houses queen size bunk beds, pingpong table, disco ball, and full bar. The bar features stool seating and bespoke redwood countertops. Attached bathroom even has a composting toilet!

This converted barn/shed now houses queen size bunk beds, pingpong table, disco ball, and full bar. The bar features stool seating and bespoke redwood countertops. Attached bathroom even has a composting toilet!

Converting a customers Shed into living space and a art studio! Give us a call if you're interested in building a Tiny home or expanding your living space!

Converting a customers Shed into living space and a art studio! Give us a call if you're interested in building a Tiny home or expanding your living space!

Converting a customers Shed into living space and a art studio! Give us a call if you're interested in building a Tiny home or expanding your living space!

Converting a customers Shed into living space and a art studio! Give us a call if you're interested in building a Tiny home or expanding your living space!

Converting a customers Shed into living space and a art studio! Give us a call if you're interested in building a Tiny home or expanding your living space!

Converting a customers Shed into living space and a art studio! Give us a call if you're interested in building a Tiny home or expanding your living space!

Converting a customers Shed into living space and a art studio! Give us a call if you're interested in building a Tiny home or expanding your living space!

Converting a customers Shed into living space and a art studio! Give us a call if you're interested in building a Tiny home or expanding your living space!

My clients knew their house didn't match their modern Scandinavian style. Located in South Charlotte in an older, well-established community, Sara and Ash had big dreams for their home. During our virtual consultation, I learned a lot about this couple and their style. Ash is a woodworker and business owner; Sara is a realtor so they needed help pulling a vision together to combine their styles. We looked over their Pinterest boards where I began to envision their mid-century, meets modern, meets Scandinavian, meets Japanese garden, meets Monterey style. I told you I love making each exterior unique to each homeowner! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The backyard was top priority for this family of 4 with a big wish-list. Sara and Ash were looking for a she-shed for Sara’s Peleton workouts, a fire pit area to hangout, and a fun and functional space that was golden doodle-friendly. They also envisioned a custom tree house that Ash would create for their 3-year-old, and an artificial soccer field to burn some energy off. I gave them a vision for the back sunroom area that would be converted into the woodworking shop for Ash to spend time perfecting his craft. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This landscape is very low-maintenance with the rock details, evergreens, and ornamental grasses. My favorite feature is the pops of black river rock that contrasts with the white rock

Shed - modern shed idea in Toronto