Search results for "Enabling access" in Home Design Ideas

This beautiful, three-story, updated shingle-style cottage is perched atop a bluff on the shores of Lake Michigan, and was designed to make the most of its towering vistas. The proportions of the home are made even more pleasing by the combination of stone, shingles and metal roofing. Deep balconies and wrap-around porches emphasize outdoor living, white tapered columns, an arched dormer, and stone porticos give the cottage nautical quaintness, tastefully balancing the grandeur of the design.
The interior space is dominated by vast panoramas of the water below. High ceilings are found throughout, giving the home an airy ambiance, while enabling large windows to display the natural beauty of the lakeshore. The open floor plan allows living areas to act as one sizeable space, convenient for entertaining. The diagonally situated kitchen is adjacent to a sunroom, dining area and sitting room. Dining and lounging areas can be found on the spacious deck, along with an outdoor fireplace. The main floor master suite includes a sitting area, vaulted ceiling, a private bath, balcony access, and a walk-through closet with a back entrance to the home’s laundry. A private study area at the front of the house is lined with built-in bookshelves and entertainment cabinets, creating a small haven for homeowners.
The upper level boasts four guest or children’s bedrooms, two with their own private bathrooms. Also upstairs is a built-in office space, loft sitting area, ample storage space, and access to a third floor deck. The walkout lower level was designed for entertainment. Billiards, a bar, sitting areas, screened-in and covered porches make large groups easy to handle. Also downstairs is an exercise room, a large full bath, and access to an outdoor shower for beach-goers.
Photographer: Bill Hebert
Builder: David C. Bos Homes

Constricted by a structural wall that could not be moved, to widen the door leading into the master bedroom we eked out every inch by removing the hinged door, eliminating the casing, and installing a barn door that slides completely out of the way of the opening. Heavy duty hardware promotes easy motion and minimal force to open and close the door.

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
Find the right local pro for your project

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

The primary goal of this landscape design project was to create a serene and accessible patio area that is wheelchair friendly, enabling the homeowner to freely navigate, engage with planters, and savor outdoor moments.
To achieve this, we removed obtrusive posts and introduced a sturdy steel beam to open up the space, providing an unobstructed pathway. The homeowners expressed a preference for the timeless beauty of natural Pennsylvania bluestone, which we artfully incorporated into the design.
Incorporating a water feature into this unique diagonal lot added an extra touch of tranquility to the landscape. Emphasizing sustainability, we predominantly utilized native plants, weaving together all the desired elements. The result is a harmonious outdoor oasis, thoughtfully designed to cater to both aesthetics and accessibility, where the homeowners can cherish the beauty of their surroundings.

This shower was designed to provide independence and safety for an 87 year old while showering. The curbless shower entrance enables her to use her walker to get into the shower. Well placed grab bars and a slide bar hand held shower also make this shower safe and beautiful for her.

The open architecture of the barrier-free desk enables our client to easily pull up to the side of the freezer and provides a work surface for paperwork and more. The lower cabinets have pull-out shelves for baking goods, recipe books and personal papers.

Sponsored
Sunbury, OH
J.Holderby - Renovations
Franklin County's Leading General Contractors - 2X Best of Houzz!

The constricted, completely inaccessible kitchen space was transformed by widening the distance between the essential areas (island, cooking area, fridge/desk/work space). His and hers sinks promote a loving couple's shared cooking experience (and they both get to do the dishes). The distances were precisely set to enable ample space to maneuver throughout the kitchen in a power wheelchair. The mechanized table is topped with matching granite. The area serves as a large, barrier-free food prep area and allows for casual, in-kitchen dining.

The Pop-Out Outlet lets you hide an oulet when not in use. Simply push on the outlet and it disapears into the wall. When you're ready to plug something in, just push on the box and the outlets will "pop out," enabling easy acess to power.
Patented shutter system helps prevent improper insertion of foreign objects.
Push on the box and the outlets will "pop out," enabling easy access to power.
Includes capacity for three plugs.
Configuration easily supports two plugs and offers the capacity of a standard outlet.
Easy "1-for-1" installation lets you simply replace your existing outlet in just minutes.
Requires a minimum box size of 22.5 cubic inches.
ARPTR151GW2

This shower was designed to provide independence and safety for an 87 year old while showering. The curbless shower entrance enables her to use her walker to get into the shower. Well placed grab bars and a slide bar hand held shower also make this shower safe and beautiful for her.

Selections: Calcutta Monaco Quartz counters. White-painted maple Decor cabinets. Ruvati sink with Delta faucet. Wi-fi-enabled LG 4-door, black stainless refrigerator. LG combination electric wall ovens. GE Profile induction cooktop. Solid white oak flooring.

This shower was designed to provide independence and safety for an 87 year old while showering. The curbless shower entrance enables her to use her walker to get into the shower. Well placed grab bars and a slide bar hand held shower also make this shower safe and beautiful for her.

Large windows were thoughtfully placed to provide a visual connection to the surrounding landscape while allowing a degree of privacy from the main house. An accessible terrace provides a private space for the clients to enjoy views of the river and woods. Raised Corten steel planters allow a lifelong gardener to be safely seated while she tends to her plants and provide her with a visual cue that indicates the edge of the terrace. The guest house is now self-sufficient. It has a necessary degree of privacy from the main house but is still part of the overall compound. This arrangement will enable three generations of the family to interact, socialize, and support one another.

Sponsored
Sunbury, OH
J.Holderby - Renovations
Franklin County's Leading General Contractors - 2X Best of Houzz!

Photographer: Jon Miller Architectural Photography
Separated by a band of light this garage space has a unique and sophisticated identity. Glass door and custom skylight create a bright-line separation from the house. The transition ramp enables accessibility into the home.

We worked alongside ACG Architects and accessible kitchen design specialist, Adam Thomas to create this stunning wheelchair-accessible kitchen so our client could prepare, cook and serve meals for her family independently.
We designed this kitchen to have three different heights to enable our client and family to prepare and cook food easily. For example, the accessible worktop with a custom-made sink was made to be 870mm - the perfect height for a wheelchair user.
Other key features in this design include wheelchair level ovens with tray slides that sit directly under two Neff Slide & Glide ovens, a Neff Steamer and a Microwave, so hot oven trays can be moved easily across each tray slide.
A pull-out shelf allows for food/trays to be moved easily to the worktop level that was designed to be lower than standard for wheel-chair use. In front of the hob, there is also a protective lip at the edge of the worktop to stop a pan from boiling over onto the floor, or onto the client's lap.
A stone sink was also custom made by Cosentino, so it wasn’t too deep for our client to reach into.
The architects included wood slatting across the entire ground floor that creating a stunning feature in the kitchen space. Each slat was designed to run with precision over the door units - there were also toasters and pull-out drawers hidden behind this area which were designed to be isolated from the power when the doors were closed.
Mixing different materials and textures in a kitchen space created interest and contrast. The striking mix of the stained wood slatting, Graphite Grey cabinetry and durable Dekton Keon worktops in this collaborative kitchen design creates a real wow factor.
This kitchen design works for each family member with varying needs and heights so that it is a space that allows for the whole family to enjoy and create memories together.
Photography by: Paul Craig
Kitchen designed by The Myers Touch in collaboration with Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt Architects & Adam Thomas adamthomasconsultancy.com

The primary goal of this landscape design project was to create a serene and accessible patio area that is wheelchair friendly, enabling the homeowner to freely navigate, engage with planters, and savor outdoor moments.
To achieve this, we removed obtrusive posts and introduced a sturdy steel beam to open up the space, providing an unobstructed pathway. The homeowners expressed a preference for the timeless beauty of natural Pennsylvania bluestone, which we artfully incorporated into the design.
Incorporating a water feature into this unique diagonal lot added an extra touch of tranquility to the landscape. Emphasizing sustainability, we predominantly utilized native plants, weaving together all the desired elements. The result is a harmonious outdoor oasis, thoughtfully designed to cater to both aesthetics and accessibility, where the homeowners can cherish the beauty of their surroundings.

Sponsored
Columbus, OH
Free consultation for landscape design!
Peabody Landscape Group
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Create a kitchen layout that is functional and safe. This kitchen layout offers easy maneuverability whether you are using a wheelchair, walker, cane, or no device at all. There is color contrast between the, floor, cabinets, and counter. Natural light comes in through the kitchen window with additional lighting overhead. Counter work space is non- porous and enables user to work safely and make the most out of the light that comes into the room (white or light colored counter-tops amplify lighting in a room). Loop handles include universal design features to ensure access to people of all ages and abilities.

A gate was installed to enable easier access into the backyard for children getting to and from school.
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional shade backyard landscaping in Chicago.
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional shade backyard landscaping in Chicago.
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