A 1970’s addition on the rear of this house awkwardly consumed the entire backyard and reduced natural light to the interior, creating a dark kitchen and dining room. This project was a unique one in that we actually reduced the square footage. One of the advantages of living in California is that a backyard can easily serve as an extra room - with dining, entertainment, and lounge space usable for most of the year. In order to maximize natural daylight into the heart of the home, two large bi-folding patio doors were installed in the kitchen and dining room. This creates a strong connection to the backyard entertainment space, complete with an exterior kitchen and fire-pit seating area. The exterior of the house was redesigned to compliment a modern landscape project. A cedar rain screen leads guests to the front door - shifting the visual emphasis to the front door and reducing the prominence of the garage. The cedar gave the facade a modern, warm feel and differentiated the house from it’s neighbors

A 1970’s addition on the rear of this house awkwardly consumed the entire backyard and reduced natural light to the interior, creating a dark kitchen and dining room. This project was a unique one in that we actually reduced the square footage. One of the advantages of living in California is that a backyard can easily serve as an extra room - with dining, entertainment, and lounge space usable for most of the year. In order to maximize natural daylight into the heart of the home, two large bi-folding patio doors were installed in the kitchen and dining room. This creates a strong connection to the backyard entertainment space, complete with an exterior kitchen and fire-pit seating area. The exterior of the house was redesigned to compliment a modern landscape project. A cedar rain screen leads guests to the front door - shifting the visual emphasis to the front door and reducing the prominence of the garage. The cedar gave the facade a modern, warm feel and differentiated the house from it’s neighbors

The guest house underwent a massive renovation, transforming a dated space with small rooms into an open, modern, multi-functional area for entertaining, working, and hosting guests. The original galley layout was changed to a long wall with black leather granite countertops and a backsplash in herringbone natural stone. The island is a dark stained walnut with a durable quartz countertop, echoed by the frameless cabinetry painted in a black matte finish. Soft satin brass accents are complemented by the chandelier. The coffee/wine bar area is differentiated by open shelving and a wood plank backsplash painted with walnut shelves to anchor it as a separate area. Full SubZero columns add true functionality to this guest house, so much so that the homeowners lived here while renovating their main house.

Nichols Canyon remodel by Tim Braseth and Willow Glen Partners, completed 2006. Parapet and fascia differentiate the two wings that are angled from each other. Gabled roof is extended with beams to support steel trellis. Architect: Michael Allan Eldridge of West Edge Studios. Contractor: Art Lopez of D+Con Design Plus Construction. Designer: Tim Braseth. Photo by Michael McCreary.

Keyes Road is a two-storey, semi-detached red brick house dating to around 1890-1910. The focus of our work was on the ground floor where we were asked to improve the layout and use of the main living areas of the house, for an active family of four. Important to the design was to maximise the quality and amount of light as well as connection to the garden and flow to the rest of the house. Our proposal introduces three single storey extensions, comprising a central, large space that extends the main outrigger of the house. To each side are smaller volumes, affording a full width kitchen. While defining a series of discrete volumes, it was important for us to ensure that the kitchen, living, family and dining rooms that are interconnecting and continuous. The result is a big space punctuated by a series of differently sized arches, defining spaces to ensure their intimacy. It was important for our client to have a sense of warmth and comfort - perhaps not dissimilar to the qualities of a hotel lobby. The colour scheme of the rooms are warm white painted plaster, natural wood flooring with black, bronze and brass accents. Indirect and carefully placed light fittings pulls together the atmosphere of the rooms - particularly in the evenings. Externally, we felt it important to differentiate the extensions from the main house by using a dark, charcoal grey brick. This sets up a contrasting yet complimentary relationship to the rich red coloured brick house. The facets of the brick play with light and depth as do the graduated brick arches. During the design process, we grappled with floor levels, the direction of sunlight, and care to not encroach on the neighbouring properties. As the house is in a conservation area, we worked closely with our trusted planning advisor. Throughout, we pursued a sensitive design strategy, using pitched roofs, matching materials and careful detailing. Internally, many of the original details are intact. This has enabled us to create an eclectic ensemble of elements, colours and materials varying in age and period.

The custom builder went to great lengths to accent differentiate this home with quality finishings and attention to detail. We carefully selected each item in our design plan to highlight and showcase these features, so prospective buyers would be drawn to and impressed by the home.

Keyes Road is a two-storey, semi-detached red brick house dating to around 1890-1910. The focus of our work was on the ground floor where we were asked to improve the layout and use of the main living areas of the house, for an active family of four. Important to the design was to maximise the quality and amount of light as well as connection to the garden and flow to the rest of the house. Our proposal introduces three single storey extensions, comprising a central, large space that extends the main outrigger of the house. To each side are smaller volumes, affording a full width kitchen. While defining a series of discrete volumes, it was important for us to ensure that the kitchen, living, family and dining rooms that are interconnecting and continuous. The result is a big space punctuated by a series of differently sized arches, defining spaces to ensure their intimacy. It was important for our client to have a sense of warmth and comfort - perhaps not dissimilar to the qualities of a hotel lobby. The colour scheme of the rooms are warm white painted plaster, natural wood flooring with black, bronze and brass accents. Indirect and carefully placed light fittings pulls together the atmosphere of the rooms - particularly in the evenings. Externally, we felt it important to differentiate the extensions from the main house by using a dark, charcoal grey brick. This sets up a contrasting yet complimentary relationship to the rich red coloured brick house. The facets of the brick play with light and depth as do the graduated brick arches. During the design process, we grappled with floor levels, the direction of sunlight, and care to not encroach on the neighbouring properties. As the house is in a conservation area, we worked closely with our trusted planning advisor. Throughout, we pursued a sensitive design strategy, using pitched roofs, matching materials and careful detailing. Internally, many of the original details are intact. This has enabled us to create an eclectic ensemble of elements, colours and materials varying in age and period.

This one-of-a-kind real estate was designed originally by SF architect in 1972 and re-designed and remodeled in 2016 by designer Hamid Rafiei and built by Hamta Partners INC. This 6,400 sqft European minimal-modern design home with a state of the art automation system by Control 4, and 27 recessed ceiling speakers is the most desirable custom home anyone can dream of. Awash in natural light and gorgeous land, offering peace and tranquility, with views from custom made windows throughout. Main house features 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths and glass railings that lead to a spacious loft. The fireplace, embedded in book-matched quartzite slabs of stone, becomes the focal point of the house as you walk into the door. Every single room and space in this house has been meticulously designed and constructed with attention to all the small details. All of these unique features added to this beautiful home makes it differentiate its self from all others.

Photo by Sarah Jane Sanders
Kitchen - mid-sized contemporary u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor kitchen idea in Other with an undermount sink, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, concrete countertops, multicolored backsplash and a peninsula

Small ornate ceramic tile enclosed dining room photo in Other with brown walls

This project for a builder husband and interior-designer wife involved adding onto and restoring the luster of a c. 1883 Carpenter Gothic cottage in Barrington that they had occupied for years while raising their two sons. They were ready to ditch their small tacked-on kitchen that was mostly isolated from the rest of the house, views/daylight, as well as the yard, and replace it with something more generous, brighter, and more open that would improve flow inside and out. They were also eager for a better mudroom, new first-floor 3/4 bath, new basement stair, and a new second-floor master suite above. The design challenge was to conceive of an addition and renovations that would be in balanced conversation with the original house without dwarfing or competing with it. The new cross-gable addition echoes the original house form, at a somewhat smaller scale and with a simplified more contemporary exterior treatment that is sympathetic to the old house but clearly differentiated from it. Renovations included the removal of replacement vinyl windows by others and the installation of new Pella black clad windows in the original house, a new dormer in one of the son’s bedrooms, and in the addition. At the first-floor interior intersection between the existing house and the addition, two new large openings enhance flow and access to daylight/view and are outfitted with pairs of salvaged oversized clear-finished wooden barn-slider doors that lend character and visual warmth. A new exterior deck off the kitchen addition leads to a new enlarged backyard patio that is also accessible from the new full basement directly below the addition. (Interior fit-out and interior finishes/fixtures by the Owners)

This project for a builder husband and interior-designer wife involved adding onto and restoring the luster of a c. 1883 Carpenter Gothic cottage in Barrington that they had occupied for years while raising their two sons. They were ready to ditch their small tacked-on kitchen that was mostly isolated from the rest of the house, views/daylight, as well as the yard, and replace it with something more generous, brighter, and more open that would improve flow inside and out. They were also eager for a better mudroom, new first-floor 3/4 bath, new basement stair, and a new second-floor master suite above. The design challenge was to conceive of an addition and renovations that would be in balanced conversation with the original house without dwarfing or competing with it. The new cross-gable addition echoes the original house form, at a somewhat smaller scale and with a simplified more contemporary exterior treatment that is sympathetic to the old house but clearly differentiated from it. Renovations included the removal of replacement vinyl windows by others and the installation of new Pella black clad windows in the original house, a new dormer in one of the son’s bedrooms, and in the addition. At the first-floor interior intersection between the existing house and the addition, two new large openings enhance flow and access to daylight/view and are outfitted with pairs of salvaged oversized clear-finished wooden barn-slider doors that lend character and visual warmth. A new exterior deck off the kitchen addition leads to a new enlarged backyard patio that is also accessible from the new full basement directly below the addition. (Interior fit-out and interior finishes/fixtures by the Owners)

Living room - small contemporary open concept light wood floor and yellow floor living room idea in Toronto with gray walls

A new, ground-up attached house facing Cooper Park in Williamsburg Brooklyn. The site is in a row of small 1950s two-story, split-level brick townhouses, some of which have been modified and enlarged over the years and one of which was replaced by this building. The exterior is intentionally subdued, reminiscent of the brick warehouse architecture that occupies much of the neighborhood. In contrast, the interior is bright, dynamic and highly-innovative. In a nod to the original house, nC2 opted to explore the idea of a new, urban version of the split-level home. The house is organized around a stair oriented laterally at its center, which becomes a focal point for the free-flowing spaces that surround it. All of the main spaces of the house - entry hall, kitchen/dining area, living room, mezzanine and a tv room on the top floor - are open to each other and to the main stair. The split-level configuration serves to differentiate these spaces while maintaining the open quality of the house. A four-story high mural by the artist Jerry Inscoe occupies one entire side of the building and creates a dialog with the architecture. Like the building itself, it can only be truly appreciated by moving through the spaces.

Photo by Ori Sayag Epay wood deck, sandstone tile and midnight gray plaster come together very tastefully, making this backyard an elegant space to complement the house.

Inspiration for a large timeless kitchen remodel in Los Angeles

Köllen Bookshelf is a modular shelf design that allows the user to interact with it. This differentiates it from other classic pieces of furniture. Köllen Bookshelf is a shelf created from the repetition of adaptable pieces in matter of size and shape of the objects on it. Its autonomous structure allows an independent working of each of the strips, so that they can be placed in different positions according to the user’s need. This structure will also allow for it to be a considerably decorative element: it follows a clean structure broken by a curved edge that represents the mountains, in a nod to the piece’s originary region.

The magnificent Casey Flat Ranch Guinda CA consists of 5,284.43 acres in the Capay Valley and abuts the eastern border of Napa Valley, 90 minutes from San Francisco. There are 24 acres of vineyard, a grass-fed Longhorn cattle herd (with 95 pairs), significant 6-mile private road and access infrastructure, a beautiful ~5,000 square foot main house, a pool, a guest house, a manager's house, a bunkhouse and a "honeymoon cottage" with total accommodation for up to 30 people. Agriculture improvements include barn, corral, hay barn, 2 vineyard buildings, self-sustaining solar grid and 6 water wells, all managed by full time Ranch Manager and Vineyard Manager.The climate at the ranch is similar to northern St. Helena with diurnal temperature fluctuations up to 40 degrees of warm days, mild nights and plenty of sunshine - perfect weather for both Bordeaux and Rhone varieties. The vineyard produces grapes for wines under 2 brands: "Casey Flat Ranch" and "Open Range" varietals produced include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. There is expansion opportunity of additional vineyards to more than 80 incremental acres and an additional 50-100 acres for potential agricultural business of walnuts, olives and other products. Casey Flat Ranch brand longhorns offer a differentiated beef delight to families with ranch-to-table program of lean, superior-taste "Coddled Cattle". Other income opportunities include resort-retreat usage for Bay Area individuals and corporations as a hunting lodge, horse-riding ranch, or elite conference-retreat.