This new home was sited to take full advantage of overlooking the floodplain of the Ottawa River where family ball games take place. The heart of this home is the kitchen — with adjoining dining and family room to easily accommodate family gatherings. With first-floor primary bedroom and a study with three bedrooms on the second floor with a large grandchild dream bunkroom. The lower level with home office and a large wet bar, a fireplace with a TV for everyone’s favorite team on Saturday with wine tasting and storage.

Harbor View is a modern-day interpretation of the shingled vacation houses of its seaside community. The gambrel roof, horizontal, ground-hugging emphasis, and feeling of simplicity, are all part of the character of the place. While fitting in with local traditions, Harbor View is meant for modern living. The kitchen is a central gathering spot, open to the main combined living/dining room and to the waterside porch. One easily moves between indoors and outdoors. The house is designed for an active family, a couple with three grown children and a growing number of grandchildren. It is zoned so that the whole family can be there together but retain privacy. Living, dining, kitchen, library, and porch occupy the center of the main floor. One-story wings on each side house two bedrooms and bathrooms apiece, and two more bedrooms and bathrooms and a study occupy the second floor of the central block. The house is mostly one room deep, allowing cross breezes and light from both sides. The porch, a third of which is screened, is a main dining and living space, with a stone fireplace offering a cozy place to gather on summer evenings. A barn with a loft provides storage for a car or boat off-season and serves as a big space for projects or parties in summer.

Down-to-studs remodel and second floor addition. The original house was a simple plain ranch house with a layout that didn’t function well for the family. We changed the house to a contemporary Mediterranean with an eclectic mix of details. Space was limited by City Planning requirements so an important aspect of the design was to optimize every bit of space, both inside and outside. The living space extends out to functional places in the back and front yards: a private shaded back yard and a sunny seating area in the front yard off the kitchen where neighbors can easily mingle with the family. A Japanese bath off the master bedroom upstairs overlooks a private roof deck which is screened from neighbors’ views by a trellis with plants growing from planter boxes and with lanterns hanging from a trellis above. Photography by Kurt Manley. https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/modern-mediterranean/

This new home was sited to take full advantage of overlooking the floodplain of the Ottawa River where family ball games take place. The heart of this home is the kitchen — with adjoining dining and family room to easily accommodate family gatherings. With first-floor primary bedroom and a study with three bedrooms on the second floor with a large grandchild dream bunkroom. The lower level with home office and a large wet bar, a fireplace with a TV for everyone’s favorite team on Saturday with wine tasting and storage.

Living room - transitional living room idea

My client for this project was a builder/ developer. He had purchased a flat two acre parcel with vineyards that was within easy walking distance of downtown St. Helena. He planned to “build for sale” a three bedroom home with a separate one bedroom guest house, a pool and a pool house. He wanted a modern type farmhouse design that opened up to the site and to the views of the hills beyond and to keep as much of the vineyards as possible. The house was designed with a central Great Room consisting of a kitchen area, a dining area, and a living area all under one roof with a central linear cupola to bring natural light into the middle of the room. One approaches the entrance to the home through a small garden with water features on both sides of a path that leads to a covered entry porch and the front door. The entry hall runs the length of the Great Room and serves as both a link to the bedroom wings, the garage, the laundry room and a small study. The entry hall also serves as an art gallery for the future owner. An interstitial space between the entry hall and the Great Room contains a pantry, a wine room, an entry closet, an electrical room and a powder room. A large deep porch on the pool/garden side of the house extends most of the length of the Great Room with a small breakfast Room at one end that opens both to the kitchen and to this porch. The Great Room and porch open up to a swimming pool that is on on axis with the front door. The main house has two wings. One wing contains the master bedroom suite with a walk in closet and a bathroom with soaking tub in a bay window and separate toilet room and shower. The other wing at the opposite end of the househas two children’s bedrooms each with their own bathroom a small play room serving both bedrooms. A rear hallway serves the children’s wing, a Laundry Room and a Study, the garage and a stair to an Au Pair unit above the garage. A separate small one bedroom guest house has a small living room, a kitchen, a toilet room to serve the pool and a small covered porch. The bedroom is ensuite with a full bath. This guest house faces the side of the pool and serves to provide privacy and block views ofthe neighbors to the east. A Pool house at the far end of the pool on the main axis of the house has a covered sitting area with a pizza oven, a bar area and a small bathroom. Vineyards were saved on all sides of the house to help provide a private enclave within the vines. The exterior of the house has simple gable roofs over the major rooms of the house with sloping ceilings and large wooden trusses in the Great Room and plaster sloping ceilings in the bedrooms. The exterior siding through out is painted board and batten siding similar to farmhouses of other older homes in the area. Clyde Construction: General Contractor Photographed by: Paul Rollins

Down-to-studs remodel and second floor addition. The original house was a simple plain ranch house with a layout that didn’t function well for the family. We changed the house to a contemporary Mediterranean with an eclectic mix of details. Space was limited by City Planning requirements so an important aspect of the design was to optimize every bit of space, both inside and outside. The living space extends out to functional places in the back and front yards: a private shaded back yard and a sunny seating area in the front yard off the kitchen where neighbors can easily mingle with the family. A Japanese bath off the master bedroom upstairs overlooks a private roof deck which is screened from neighbors’ views by a trellis with plants growing from planter boxes and with lanterns hanging from a trellis above. Photography by Kurt Manley. https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/modern-mediterranean/

This curved eave sunroom off the rear of the home is a wonderful addition. Adding square footage it is easily usable space three seasons of most any year. This home, in Ocean Shores, WA overlooks a view of the Canal.

Kitchen - contemporary kitchen idea in San Francisco

Basement - rustic gray floor basement idea in Cincinnati

Huge living room is overlooked by octagonal step ceiling and floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace surround. The white brick easily blends with custom colors throughout the living areas.

This Orchid House Conservatory is perched on a deck overlooking a manicured yard. Entry to the room is directly from the first floor kitchen so it is an easily accessible and thus frequently used space. Just what the owners wanted. The delicate glass roof dome towers above the Orchid Room floor creating an enchanting ethereal feeling. An ornate Art Nouveau style railing alludes to the free flowing foliage within. Photos: Tanglewood Conservatories, Inc.

This lakefront design called for an inovative approach to include usable outdoor entertaining areas easily accessible from the indoor spaces of the summer residence. Perched on a rock outcrop, the residence enjoys decks in the trees overlooking the lake, decks midway down stone steps to sleeping areas above a boathouse and decks at the beachfront and dock.

Warm colors of the family room lead easily to the outdoor veranda room through a set of seamless lift-and-slide disappearing doors. Photos by FlashItFirst.com

Kitchen overlooking breakfast room, large walk-in pantry is easily accessible providing additional storage space. Photography by Malte Strauss Professional staging by idesigntosell.com

This new home was sited to take full advantage of overlooking the floodplain of the Ottawa River where family ball games take place. The heart of this home is the kitchen — with adjoining dining and family room to easily accommodate family gatherings. With first-floor primary bedroom and a study with three bedrooms on the second floor with a large grandchild dream bunkroom. The lower level with home office and a large wet bar, a fireplace with a TV for everyone’s favorite team on Saturday with wine tasting and storage.

Example of a transitional kitchen design in Boston

Example of a transitional family room design in Salt Lake City with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and no tv

Overlooking the rear yard, the lounge is an informal space for family gatherings and includes easily moveable seating and poufs for kids to play on the floor within sight of the kitchen. Built-in millwork accommodates plenty of storage for coats and jackets while also providing a space for homework that is tucked away yet still connected to the rest of the ground floor.