Inspiration for a timeless bedroom remodel in Dallas

Large ornate open concept dark wood floor, brown floor, tray ceiling and wall paneling living room photo in DC Metro with a bar, white walls, a standard fireplace, a brick fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

Illustrative Depictions Photography
Patio kitchen - coastal backyard patio kitchen idea in Dallas

Sargent Photography
Inspiration for a large transitional porcelain tile and gray floor great room remodel in Miami with gray walls

Darren Phillip Jones Photography
Example of a large trendy l-shaped light wood floor open concept kitchen design in DC Metro with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, brown backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, quartz countertops and stainless steel appliances

Custom Cabinets, hardwood floors, kitchen, open dining room to kitchen, Moen , Kohler, Composite countertops, crystal lighting, Viking appliances
Kitchen - traditional l-shaped kitchen idea in Cleveland with raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Dining room - mediterranean light wood floor dining room idea in New York with white walls

2 Fusion Wow slabs create the backsplash and counter. Custom cabinets. Limestone floor. Viking and Sub-Zero appliances. Brittany Ambridge
Example of a small transitional u-shaped limestone floor and beige floor kitchen design in New York with an undermount sink, quartzite countertops, multicolored backsplash, stone slab backsplash, paneled appliances, multicolored countertops, recessed-panel cabinets, beige cabinets and a peninsula

Painted Banquette with base to match existing trim
Trendy dark wood floor dining room photo in New York with white walls

Adjacent to the television lounge is a recessed seating nook with a large stone fire pit. The uniquely designed seating delivers intimacy and comfort. with a cushioned surrounding bench adorned with custom throw pillows. The fire pit is the heart of this area providing warmth and gathering charm.

James Ray Spahn
Inspiration for a rustic pebble tile and brown tile medium tone wood floor freestanding bathtub remodel in Denver with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets and white walls

Eat-in kitchen - large victorian galley dark wood floor, brown floor and tray ceiling eat-in kitchen idea in DC Metro with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, stone tile backsplash, white appliances, an island and white countertops

Susan Pullman Brooks
Eclectic home design photo in New York

Example of a mid-sized minimalist light wood floor, brown floor, shiplap ceiling and wall paneling hallway design in Newark with white walls

Roehner Ryan
Cottage master powder room photo in Phoenix with a hinged shower door, gray countertops, multicolored walls and a console sink

Open concept kitchen - large coastal l-shaped light wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface countertops, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Rendering Of Proposed Interior
Example of a large backyard patio design in St Louis

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects and Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Designed and built a new warm, modern, Eichler-inspired, open, indoor-outdoor home on a deeper-than-usual San Mateo Highlands property where an original Eichler house had burned to the ground. The owners wanted multi-generational living and larger spaces than the original home offered, but all parties agreed that the house should respect the neighborhood and blend in stylistically with the other Eichlers. At first the Klopf team considered re-using what little was left of the original home and expanding on it. But after discussions with the owner and builder, all parties agreed that the last few remaining elements of the house were not practical to re-use, so Klopf Architecture designed a new home that pushes the Eichler approach in new directions. One disadvantage of Eichler production homes is that the house designs were not optimized for each specific lot. A new custom home offered the team a chance to start over. In this case, a longer house that opens up sideways to the south fit the lot better than the original square-ish house that used to open to the rear (west). Accordingly, the Klopf team designed an L-shaped “bar” house with a large glass wall with large sliding glass doors that faces sideways instead of to the rear like a typical Eichler. This glass wall opens to a pool and landscaped yard designed by Arterra Landscape Architects. Driving by the house, one might assume at first glance it is an Eichler because of the horizontality, the overhanging flat roof eaves, the dark gray vertical siding, and orange solid panel front door, but the house is designed for the 21st Century and is not meant to be a “Likeler.” You won't see any posts and beams in this home. Instead, the ceiling decking is a western red cedar that covers over all the beams. Like Eichlers, this cedar runs continuously from inside to out, enhancing the indoor / outdoor feeling of the house, but unlike Eichlers it conceals a cavity for lighting, wiring, and insulation. Ceilings are higher, rooms are larger and more open, the master bathroom is light-filled and more generous, with a separate tub and shower and a separate toilet compartment, and there is plenty of storage. The garage even easily fits two of today's vehicles with room to spare. A massive 49-foot by 12-foot wall of glass and the continuity of materials from inside to outside enhance the inside-outside living concept, so the owners and their guests can flow freely from house to pool deck to BBQ to pool and back. During construction in the rough framing stage, Klopf thought the front of the house appeared too tall even though the house had looked right in the design renderings (probably because the house is uphill from the street). So Klopf Architecture paid the framer to change the roofline from how we had designed it to be lower along the front, allowing the home to blend in better with the neighborhood. One project goal was for people driving up the street to pass the home without immediately noticing there is an "imposter" on this lot, and making that change was essential to achieve that goal. This 2,606 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom Eichler-inspired new house is located in San Mateo in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Contractor: Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Photography ©2016 Mariko Reed Location: San Mateo, CA Year completed: 2016