Trendy wood gable roof photo in Seattle

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Airoom remodeled this kitchen with Old Hollywood glamour in mind, but included contemporary touches like appliances from Subzero and Wolf. Large windows provide natural light and a stunning lakefront view. Sparkling crystal cabinets flank a backsplash in laser-cut Calcutta Gold marble – also featured in the polished countertops. A barreled ceiling crowns the butler’s pantry, and the warmth of these durable Brazilian cherry floors balance the gleaming monochrome look throughout the kitchen area.

The Oriflamme Hammered Copper gas fire pit includes a metal lid, fire glass and a propane tank. Not only is this gas fire table beautiful, it is also functional with its unique height and burner style that allows this table to sit at standard coffee table height and burn up to 64,000 btus with the hidden propane tank or up to 90,000 BTUs with natural gas. This gas fire pit is truly unique and sets itself apart from the rest.

Photos by Manolo Langis
Example of a classic dining room design in Los Angeles with yellow walls

Reclaimed tin roof v-chanel material lines the shower walls. Ceramic "brick" tile adds to the rustic appeal with ultimate durability. Photography by Emily Minton Redfield

This traditional inspired kitchen design features Merillat Masterpiece cabinets in the Verona raised panel door style in the Pebble Grey Paint finish. Kitchen countertops are Cambria Brittanica. Photos courtesy of Felicia Evans Photography.

Rob Karosis
Beach style laundry room photo in Portland Maine

We helped stylish blogger Erin Hatzis - one half of Suburban Bitches - choose chairs for her new wood and iron dining room table from Restoration Hardware. The silver tabouret chairs she had paired with her old, farmhouse table just weren't working, and Erin needed sorting through the overwhelming number of options available online. She had her eye on the handwoven, antiqued zinc CB2 Reed chair, and Decorist suggested layering in two Pascal Modern Shell Chairs from Overstock (with a sheepskin overlay for added comfort!) to blend the mid-century elements she had in her living room. Shop the room here http://www.decorist.com/makeovers/24/a-rustic-modern-dining-room-makeover Rachel Olsen Photography

Example of a farmhouse bathroom design in Houston

Though my client wanted a marble shower, I recommended porcelain with a faux marble finish because it is more durable in a steam shower and is low maintenance. The steam setting contributes to a great shave, so I added a fog-free mirror on the wall for in-shower grooming. Photo by Jeff Mateer

This home office was created from an outbuilding on the property. Seagrass wall-to-wall carpet was installed for ultimate durability and a relaxed vibe. We employed a high-low aesthetic to create a space that was unique but still within budget, utilizing the owner's Stickley desk, a custom desk chair, custom blush Roman shades, a Hudson Valley Fenwater chandelier and sconces, and multiple office items from budget sources like IKEA and The Container Store. The ceiling is painted Quicksand and walls and trim in White Dove by Benjamin Moore. Photo by Sabrina Cole Quinn Photography.

Casey Dunn
This is an example of a mid-sized cottage porch design in Austin with decking.

Gridley+Graves Photographers
Example of a mid-sized country single-wall brick floor and red floor eat-in kitchen design in Philadelphia with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, concrete countertops, paneled appliances, an island and gray countertops

Existing mature pine trees canopy this outdoor living space. The homeowners had envisioned a space to relax with their large family and entertain by cooking and dining, cocktails or just a quiet time alone around the firepit. The large outdoor kitchen island and bar has more than ample storage space, cooking and prep areas, and dimmable pendant task lighting. The island, the dining area and the casual firepit lounge are all within conversation areas of each other. The overhead pergola creates just enough of a canopy to define the main focal point; the natural stone and Dekton finished outdoor island.