Michael Hospelt Photography
Open concept kitchen - small modern u-shaped brick floor and red floor open concept kitchen idea in San Francisco with flat-panel cabinets, gray backsplash, a peninsula, an undermount sink, light wood cabinets, concrete countertops, stone slab backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Robert Hawkins, Be A Deer
Inspiration for a mid-sized country medium tone wood floor and brown floor hallway remodel with white walls

Example of a mid-sized trendy medium tone wood floor and beige floor great room design in Austin with white walls and no fireplace

Farmhouse style with an industrial, contemporary feel.
Mid-sized cottage open concept family room photo in San Francisco with gray walls, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Kitchen, bathroom and partial renovation of a residence. Design intent was to create a design complimentary to the existing mid century house while introducing hints and love of Japanese lifestyle. Photographed by: Bo Sundius

Small beach style medium tone wood floor and brown floor great room photo in Charleston with beige walls and no fireplace

Hallway - contemporary medium tone wood floor hallway idea in Chicago with gray walls

This small kitchen nook had no space to walk out onto the terrace. I forced a walk way by adding a custom banquette on the wall to create more space....John Carlson Photography

Transitional light wood floor dining room photo in San Francisco with beige walls

Luna Grey
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional medium tone wood floor dining room remodel in New York with white walls

This project reimagines an under-used back yard in Portland, Oregon, creating an urban garden with an adjacent writer’s studio. Taking inspiration from Japanese precedents, we conceived of a paving scheme with planters, a cedar soaking tub, a fire pit, and a seven-foot-tall cedar fence. A maple tree forms the focal point and will grow to shade the yard. Board-formed concrete planters house conifers, maples and moss, appropriate to the Pacific Northwest climate. Photo: Anna M Campbell: annamcampbell.com

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. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Open concept kitchen - large transitional l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, marble countertops and ceramic backsplash

Doug Edmunds
Large trendy single-wall laminate floor and white floor utility room photo in Milwaukee with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite countertops, gray walls, a side-by-side washer/dryer and gray countertops

Example of a mid-sized transitional dark wood floor enclosed dining room design in Kansas City with gray walls

Example of a classic built-in desk medium tone wood floor study room design in Baltimore with white walls

Beach style medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, white backsplash and white countertops

Huge country medium tone wood floor and brown floor breakfast nook photo in Boston with a farmhouse sink