A sunny perennial delight bursting with color and texture.
Design ideas for a traditional stone landscaping in San Francisco.

Kitchen features all Wood-Mode cabinets. Perimeter features the Vanguard Plus door style on Plain Sawn Walnut. Storage wall features large pull-out pantry. Flooring by Porcelanosa, Rapid Gris. All pictures are copyright Wood-Mode. For promotional use only.

Margot Hartford Photography
Example of a classic wooden staircase design in San Francisco

A sunny perennial delight bursting with color and texture.
Inspiration for a traditional stone landscaping in San Francisco.

Landscape lighting highlights form
This is an example of a traditional stone landscaping in San Francisco.

All wall cabinets have mullion doors with gold highlighting and recessed bottoms for under cabinet lighting. The custom 60" hood is finished off with columns with burl inserts to either side. The island ends feature fluted turned posts with acanthus leaves and bun feet. Cabinets are Brookhaven, featuring the Winterhaven Raised door style with a Candlelight finish with Black Glaze on Maple. Cabinet Innovations Copyright 2013 Don A. Hoffman

Dean J. Birinyi Photography, copyright 2012-2014
Inspiration for a coastal medium tone wood floor living room remodel in San Francisco with blue walls

Copyright Dean J. Birinyi, ASMP
Enclosed kitchen - mid-sized traditional u-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen idea in San Francisco with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, multicolored backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, gray walls, a peninsula and granite countertops

Copyright 2015, Photos by Kyle Ketchel, Visual Properties, LLC
Doorless shower - large contemporary master gray tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile doorless shower idea in Raleigh with marble countertops and gray walls

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

This project won in the 2013 Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh Housing Excellence Award for Best Urban Renewal Renovation Project. The glass bowl was made in the glass studio owned by the owner which is adjacent to the residence. The mirror is a repurposed window. The door is repurposed from a boarding house. George Mendel

This timber frame great room is created by the custom, curved timber trusses, which also open the up to the window prow with amazing lake views. Photos: Copyright Heidi Long, Longview Studios, Inc.

We converted an underused back yard into a modern outdoor living space. Functions include a cedar soaking tub, outdoor shower, fire pit, and dining area. The decking is ipe hardwood, the fence is stained cedar, and cast concrete with gravel adds texture at the fire pit. Photos copyright Laurie Black Photography.

"Raw" Copper Shower Pan with Matching Back Rest 153" x 75" x 3" Photo Credit: Copyright Brent Bingham
Example of a trendy white tile beige floor walk-in shower design in Denver

Location photography Copyright © 2014 Brett Beyer Photography
Inspiration for a transitional u-shaped kitchen remodel in Boston with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash and a peninsula

The home was built in the mid-1960’s as the personal residence of a commercial developer using commercial construction methodologies and systems. Tying into a structure that is almost entirely steel and concrete, and bringing it up to current code required a greater level of engineering expertise that was managed successfully by the builder. Copyright Bob Narod Photography and BOWA

Dean J. Birinyi Photography, copyright 2012-2014
Inspiration for a timeless white tile alcove shower remodel in San Francisco

Copyright Kariel Staging & Decor
Inspiration for a craftsman living room remodel in Minneapolis

The stark white stand-alone bathtub is a focal point of this well-lit bathroom. Photos: Copyright Heidi Long, Longview Studios, Inc.
Inspiration for a mid-sized rustic master brown tile freestanding bathtub remodel in Edmonton with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, granite countertops and gray walls