"ACE Content develops and produces premium original content for studios, distributors, media networks and brands including feature film, episodic television, print & publishing, digital & social and experiential/live events." - ACE Content ​ ACE Content wanted to renovate their entire space and create a new layout. The existing floor, partitions, ceiling, and lighting were all demolished. They wanted an updated space that allowed for more flexibility between sections in the office. In order to create a flexible space, I designed accordion doors that were fitted for the meeting room spaces, and designed an open floor plan to encourage collaboration in the office. The accordion style doors and glass/steel mullion partitions were based off of the designs from the Anomaly Door Designs 2017. Anomaly and ACE Content are sister companies and wanted a similar aesthetic. ​ Builder: Falcon Enterprises

This riverfront property received a major facelift while keeping with the traditional style of the home. Working between an existing bulkhead and a covered patio off the back of the house, we incorporated various design elements to add plenty of "rooms" for the homeowners to entertain in. The linear pool features an elevated inset spa, with infinity edge. The pool deck, landing, and cabana floor are travertine. Brick stairs and walls match the existing brick from the property. A linear fire pit sits in a sunken gravel patio, to create a more intimate space and soften the feel of the hardscape surround. Raised planters break up space and add a bright pop of color, encouraging butterflies and birds to visit often. Photo by Josh Mauser

"ACE Content develops and produces premium original content for studios, distributors, media networks and brands including feature film, episodic television, print & publishing, digital & social and experiential/live events." - ACE Content ​ ACE Content wanted to renovate their entire space and create a new layout. The existing floor, partitions, ceiling, and lighting were all demolished. They wanted an updated space that allowed for more flexibility between sections in the office. In order to create a flexible space, I designed accordion doors that were fitted for the meeting room spaces, and designed an open floor plan to encourage collaboration in the office. The accordion style doors and glass/steel mullion partitions were based off of the designs from the Anomaly Door Designs 2017. Anomaly and ACE Content are sister companies and wanted a similar aesthetic. ​ Builder: Falcon Enterprises

We worked with a family of six to create a light-filled “tree house” on two levels entering across bridges from an existing drive, gardens, and walks privately nestled below the accessing street. The owner envisioned a residence that felt open, full of light, and captured connections between family and private spaces vertically and horizontally. The owners wanted egalitarian spaces to encourage peaceful cohabitation between three generations living in the home.

This thoughtful husband wanted to give his wife an Asian-inspired shade garden with deep cedar soaking tub for her 50th birthday - what a guy! They also wanted to encourage their teenagers and friends to hang out at home - smart thinking! The hot tub and deck had to be designed around large existing conifers. The addition of the overhead structure provides visual interest as well as protecting the hot tub from sap and falling debris. This project illustrates skilled woodworking and a minimalist, textural plant palette. We created two separate patios - one for outdoor dining and one with a gas fire table, perfect for enticing teenagers and their friends! Lighting from FX Luminaire highlights the Japanese Maple and illuminates the stamped concrete pathways, creating a magical nighttime effect.

This thoughtful husband wanted to give his wife an Asian-inspired shade garden with deep cedar soaking tub for her 50th birthday - what a guy! They also wanted to encourage their teenagers and friends to hang out at home - smart thinking! The hot tub and deck had to be designed around large existing conifers. The addition of the overhead structure provides visual interest as well as protecting the hot tub from sap and falling debris. This project illustrates skilled woodworking and a minimalist, textural plant palette. We created two separate patios - one for outdoor dining and one with a gas fire table, perfect for enticing teenagers and their friends! Lighting from FX Luminaire highlights the Japanese Maple and illuminates the stamped concrete pathways, creating a magical nighttime effect.

Our client in Point Loma loves to entertain and they invited us to remodel and refresh their home to create a space with multiple seating areas that encourage conversation and a better flow. CairnsCraft Design & Remodel opened up the kitchen area by removing the fireplace and the wall that separated the Kitchen and Family Room. The owners chose a rich stain with beveled shaker style cabinets, punctuated by a lighter quartz countertop and a very elegant stone backsplash tile. Our clients are wine lovers, so we redesigned an existing closet into a bar. We added a wine cooler, lots of storage and upper cabinets with LED lights and seedy-glass doors to display all the sparkling glassware! ​We replaced a sliding door with a wide La Cantina folding glass door, connecting the interior spaces with outdoor areas and bring a lot of natural light in.​ ​We are proud to have earned the trust ​of this family, and that they are truly happy with their fresh remodel home!

How do you add the wow factor to a kitchen? Leo designed a makeover for an existing house that would make it up to date, while at the same time add some unexpected interest. The client wanted a comfortable mix of pieces they had collected and a fresh dramatic touch to keep the feel exciting, yes we are talking about the kitchen. The kitchen doubles as a bar area,a place where all guest feel comfortable standing talking so why not encourage these activities. Leo added new doors with a heavy raised applied molding, added a wine rack section and wine cooler where a desk area was before. A antique French mirror backsplash adds sparkle and reflects light from the windows on the other side og the room.

The Main Stay House exists as a straightforward proposal on an urban infill lot, paring down the components of a house to a minimal amount of planes and openings. The scheme is anchored by a modern entry sequence and a staircase volume, both clad in iron spot masonry externally and internally, creating thresholds between the respective realms of public, common and private, by minimal means. The masonry contrasts with an otherwise muted interior atmosphere of smooth, desaturated surfaces. The entry sequence is a twist upon the conventional domestic front door, front facade, and fence. The front masonry wall replaces the typical residential fence and frames an indirect access to the front door, functioning as a privacy barrier while revealing slices of the interior to the public street. The staircase bifurcates the layout to provide a clear division between the common and private zones of the house, while clearly reading as a mass from all outside view. Brick and glass become portals between common and private zones. The design consolidates the service core along the west façade, allowing the structure to fully open the living zone to the pool court and existing trees. This directly connects interior and exterior, as well as human and nature. Freedom to vary the program or functional use of the area is enabled and strongly encouraged. Photography: Charles Davis Smith

Well-traveled. Relaxed. Timeless. Our well-traveled clients were soon-to-be empty nesters when they approached us for help reimagining their Presidio Heights home. The expansive Spanish-Revival residence originally constructed in 1908 had been substantially renovated 8 year prior, but needed some adaptations to better suit the needs of a family with three college-bound teens. We evolved the space to be a bright, relaxed reflection of the family’s time together, revising the function and layout of the ground-floor rooms and filling them with casual, comfortable furnishings and artifacts collected abroad. One of the key changes we made to the space plan was to eliminate the formal dining room and transform an area off the kitchen into a casual gathering spot for our clients and their children. The expandable table and coffee/wine bar means the room can handle large dinner parties and small study sessions with similar ease. The family room was relocated from a lower level to be more central part of the main floor, encouraging more quality family time, and freeing up space for a spacious home gym. In the living room, lounge-worthy upholstery grounds the space, encouraging a relaxed and effortless West Coast vibe. Exposed wood beams recall the original Spanish-influence, but feel updated and fresh in a light wood stain. Throughout the entry and main floor, found artifacts punctate the softer textures — ceramics from New Mexico, religious sculpture from Asia and a quirky wall-mounted phone that belonged to our client’s grandmother.

The owners are restaurateurs with a special passion for preparing and serving meals to their patrons. This love carried over into their new outdoor living/cooking area addition. The project required taking an existing detached covered pool pavilion and expanding it into an outdoor living and kitchen destination for themselves and their guests. To start, the existing pavilion is turned into an enclosed air-conditioned kitchen space with accordion French door units on three sides to allow it to be used comfortably year round and to encourage easy circulation through it from each side. The newly expanded spaces on each side include a fireplace with a covered sitting area to the right and a covered BBQ area to the left, which ties the new structure to an existing garage storage room. This storage room is converted into another prep kitchen to help with support for larger functions. The vaulted roof structure is maintained in the renovated center space which has an existing slate roof. The two new additions on each side have a flat ceiling clad in antique tongue and groove wood with a lower pitched standing seam copper roof which helps define their function and gives dominance to the original structure in the center. With their love of entertaining through preparing and serving food, this transformed outdoor space will continue to be a gathering place enjoyed by family and friends in every possible setting.

Guadalajara, San Clemente Coastal Modern Remodel This major remodel and addition set out to take full advantage of the incredible view and create a clear connection to both the front and rear yards. The clients really wanted a pool and a home that they could enjoy with their kids and take full advantage of the beautiful climate that Southern California has to offer. The existing front yard was completely given to the street, so privatizing the front yard with new landscaping and a low wall created an opportunity to connect the home to a private front yard. Upon entering the home a large staircase blocked the view through to the ocean so removing that space blocker opened up the view and created a large great room. Indoor outdoor living was achieved through the usage of large sliding doors which allow that seamless connection to the patio space that overlooks a new pool and view to the ocean. A large garden is rare so a new pool and bocce ball court were integrated to encourage the outdoor active lifestyle that the clients love. The clients love to travel and wanted display shelving and wall space to display the art they had collected all around the world. A natural material palette gives a warmth and texture to the modern design that creates a feeling that the home is lived in. Though a subtle change from the street, upon entering the front door the home opens up through the layers of space to a new lease on life with this remodel.

For this backyard garden in the Briargrove neighborhood of Houston, TX, we wanted to create a whimsical and sustainable backyard retreat that incorporated the existing flagstone. The design is based on circles and abstract lines. We installed dwarf mondo grass between the flagstones and incorporated native plants throughout the design including Encore Azaleas, Japanese Yew, Foxtail Ferns, Zoysia Grass and Katie Ruellia. The fence has a diamond trellis adorned with Star Jasmine. Three water fountains made out of Mexican beach pebbles serve as a centerpiece, adding ambient noise and encouraging a sense of tranquility.

The owners are restaurateurs with a special passion for preparing and serving meals to their patrons. This love carried over into their new outdoor living/cooking area addition. The project required taking an existing detached covered pool pavilion and expanding it into an outdoor living and kitchen destination for themselves and their guests. To start, the existing pavilion is turned into an enclosed air-conditioned kitchen space with accordion French door units on three sides to allow it to be used comfortably year round and to encourage easy circulation through it from each side. The newly expanded spaces on each side include a fireplace with a covered sitting area to the right and a covered BBQ area to the left, which ties the new structure to an existing garage storage room. This storage room is converted into another prep kitchen to help with support for larger functions. The vaulted roof structure is maintained in the renovated center space which has an existing slate roof. The two new additions on each side have a flat ceiling clad in antique tongue and groove wood with a lower pitched standing seam copper roof which helps define their function and gives dominance to the original structure in the center. With their love of entertaining through preparing and serving food, this transformed outdoor space will continue to be a gathering place enjoyed by family and friends in every possible setting.

The owners are restaurateurs with a special passion for preparing and serving meals to their patrons. This love carried over into their new outdoor living/cooking area addition. The project required taking an existing detached covered pool pavilion and expanding it into an outdoor living and kitchen destination for themselves and their guests. To start, the existing pavilion is turned into an enclosed air-conditioned kitchen space with accordion French door units on three sides to allow it to be used comfortably year round and to encourage easy circulation through it from each side. The newly expanded spaces on each side include a fireplace with a covered sitting area to the right and a covered BBQ area to the left, which ties the new structure to an existing garage storage room. This storage room is converted into another prep kitchen to help with support for larger functions. The vaulted roof structure is maintained in the renovated center space which has an existing slate roof. The two new additions on each side have a flat ceiling clad in antique tongue and groove wood with a lower pitched standing seam copper roof which helps define their function and gives dominance to the original structure in the center. With their love of entertaining through preparing and serving food, this transformed outdoor space will continue to be a gathering place enjoyed by family and friends in every possible setting.

This Wallingford neighborhood remodel and addition focused on enhancing both the functionality and aesthetics of the existing home through a series of targeted updates and structural improvements. Central to the project was a full kitchen transformation, incorporating a completely new layout with modern finishes, fixtures, and appliances—designed to create a more efficient and visually appealing space. The new design also introduced a cozy sitting area adjacent to the kitchen, offering a comfortable spot for casual dining, conversation, or relaxation. To improve openness on the main floor, an existing structural post was removed and replaced with a concealed beam, resulting in a more seamless and connected layout that encourages natural flow between living spaces. On the upper level, a new dormer was added to extend the living space and accommodate a newly designed bathroom. All existing windows throughout the home were replaced to improve energy efficiency and refresh the home’s overall appearance.

This Wallingford neighborhood remodel and addition focused on enhancing both the functionality and aesthetics of the existing home through a series of targeted updates and structural improvements. Central to the project was a full kitchen transformation, incorporating a completely new layout with modern finishes, fixtures, and appliances—designed to create a more efficient and visually appealing space. The new design also introduced a cozy sitting area adjacent to the kitchen, offering a comfortable spot for casual dining, conversation, or relaxation. To improve openness on the main floor, an existing structural post was removed and replaced with a concealed beam, resulting in a more seamless and connected layout that encourages natural flow between living spaces. On the upper level, a new dormer was added to extend the living space and accommodate a newly designed bathroom. All existing windows throughout the home were replaced to improve energy efficiency and refresh the home’s overall appearance.

This Wallingford neighborhood remodel and addition focused on enhancing both the functionality and aesthetics of the existing home through a series of targeted updates and structural improvements. Central to the project was a full kitchen transformation, incorporating a completely new layout with modern finishes, fixtures, and appliances—designed to create a more efficient and visually appealing space. The new design also introduced a cozy sitting area adjacent to the kitchen, offering a comfortable spot for casual dining, conversation, or relaxation. To improve openness on the main floor, an existing structural post was removed and replaced with a concealed beam, resulting in a more seamless and connected layout that encourages natural flow between living spaces. On the upper level, a new dormer was added to extend the living space and accommodate a newly designed bathroom. All existing windows throughout the home were replaced to improve energy efficiency and refresh the home’s overall appearance.

The owners are restaurateurs with a special passion for preparing and serving meals to their patrons. This love carried over into their new outdoor living/cooking area addition. The project required taking an existing detached covered pool pavilion and expanding it into an outdoor living and kitchen destination for themselves and their guests. To start, the existing pavilion is turned into an enclosed air-conditioned kitchen space with accordion French door units on three sides to allow it to be used comfortably year round and to encourage easy circulation through it from each side. The newly expanded spaces on each side include a fireplace with a covered sitting area to the right and a covered BBQ area to the left, which ties the new structure to an existing garage storage room. This storage room is converted into another prep kitchen to help with support for larger functions. The vaulted roof structure is maintained in the renovated center space which has an existing slate roof. The two new additions on each side have a flat ceiling clad in antique tongue and groove wood with a lower pitched standing seam copper roof which helps define their function and gives dominance to the original structure in the center. With their love of entertaining through preparing and serving food, this transformed outdoor space will continue to be a gathering place enjoyed by family and friends in every possible setting.