Located on farmland in McLean, Virginia, the American Farmhouse balances the expected comforts of a new home with the bucolic beauty of an old farmhouse. The final site plan still has evidence showing parallel courses of the barn’s destiny. The house mass is broken and lowered so that the home can remain secondary to the monolithic barn structure. Earthy and elemental materials are selected for the home that reference the barn without directly mimicking it. Wooden members found inside the barn and from other barns bridge ceilings and are used in floors along with rustic slate adding to a sense of simplicity to the farmhouse design. The age and patina of the barn is reflected in the house’s textural use of board and batten and field stone layered similar to stone foundations. The original development plan was to demolish the existing barn and construct three suburban homes. Part of an endangered breed, as one of the few remaining barns in the area, it was originally viewed as a challenge in a luxury home construction with several difficulties posed to the impending project: it would be expensive to renovate, vulnerable to demolition, and threatened by urban sprawl. However, instead of trying to alter or destroy the barn, the structure was fully embraced into the traditional architecture project as a centerpiece and was used as the inspiration for the home. The new house was sited parallel to the barn so that views to the barn gable were accessible.

Artaic worked closely with underwater photographer and digital imaging specialist Jim Hellemn to produce a stunning pool-bottom mosaic for a luxurious vacation home in the Cayman Islands. Inspired by the natural coral reef situated right beside the property, the 60-foot long mosaic, which is made up of thousands of squared 3/8” vitreous glass tiles, offers the homeowners a permanent art installation that immortalizes the underwater ecosystem living right in their backyard. Hellemn, whose work has appeared in National Geographic and at the American Museum of Natural History, took a “stitched” high-resolution photograph of the coral reef, which was then digitally translated into a mosaic using Artaic’s proprietary Tylist™ software. “Capturing the essence of coral reefs and marine environments is at the core of my imaging pursuits. Coral reefs are among the most colorful places on the planet, but are nearly impossible to visualize on a large scale without the use of some very special tools,” says Hellemn. Coral reefs, although now one of the most widely endangered ecosystems in the world, still remain some of the most colorful and beautiful wildlife habitats on Earth. The combination of Hellemn’s photography and the precision of Artaic’s mosaic tile arrangement gives the residence’s owners a realistic and everlasting interpretation of the vibrant reef found beside them to enjoy for years to come.

Located on farmland in McLean, Virginia, the American Farmhouse balances the expected comforts of a new home with the bucolic beauty of an old farmhouse. The final site plan still has evidence showing parallel courses of the barn’s destiny. The house mass is broken and lowered so that the home can remain secondary to the monolithic barn structure. Earthy and elemental materials are selected for the home that reference the barn without directly mimicking it. Wooden members found inside the barn and from other barns bridge ceilings and are used in floors along with rustic slate adding to a sense of simplicity to the farmhouse design. The age and patina of the barn is reflected in the house’s textural use of board and batten and field stone layered similar to stone foundations. The original development plan was to demolish the existing barn and construct three suburban homes. Part of an endangered breed, as one of the few remaining barns in the area, it was originally viewed as a challenge in a luxury home construction with several difficulties posed to the impending project: it would be expensive to renovate, vulnerable to demolition, and threatened by urban sprawl. However, instead of trying to alter or destroy the barn, the structure was fully embraced into the traditional architecture project as a centerpiece and was used as the inspiration for the home. The new house was sited parallel to the barn so that views to the barn gable were accessible.

A lush carpet of synthetic turf next to the pool provides ample play space without endangering an existing heritage oak tree.
Inspiration for a large traditional backyard landscaping in San Francisco.

Basements & Cellars. Finishing Ideas! Turn your basement spaces into smart areas dedicated to leisure, hobbies, play areas, or entertainment. Unfinished basements are usually a headache for home and business owners, not just because of the waste of space and precious square footage, but because unused basements are more likely to deteriorate, accumulate humidity, mold, allergens, and endanger the overall foundations and structures when there is lack of maintenance. Improve and transform your space into an additional guest room, a custom-designed home office, a bar or an an entertainment room; add closets and storage space or contact us to help you with more ideas to give your basement a good make over!

Furcraea mediopicta shoots up between plantings of Native California Sage Salvia apiana. Dried sage used in Native American rituals and is endangered in wild. Photo by Katrina Coombs

Basements & Cellars. Finishing Ideas! Turn your basement spaces into smart areas dedicated to leisure, hobbies, play areas, or entertainment. Unfinished basements are usually a headache for home and business owners, not just because of the waste of space and precious square footage, but because unused basements are more likely to deteriorate, accumulate humidity, mold, allergens, and endanger the overall foundations and structures when there is lack of maintenance. Improve and transform your space into an additional guest room, a custom-designed home office, a bar or an an entertainment room; add closets and storage space or contact us to help you with more ideas to give your basement a good make over!

Basements & Cellars. Finishing Ideas! Turn your basement spaces into smart areas dedicated to leisure, hobbies, play areas, or entertainment. Unfinished basements are usually a headache for home and business owners, not just because of the waste of space and precious square footage, but because unused basements are more likely to deteriorate, accumulate humidity, mold, allergens, and endanger the overall foundations and structures when there is lack of maintenance. Improve and transform your space into an additional guest room, a custom-designed home office, a bar or an an entertainment room; add closets and storage space or contact us to help you with more ideas to give your basement a good make over!

Natives: woodland spiderwort (pink in rear) coral bells (cultivar with big leaves at right rear) jack-in-the-pulpit (large tri-leaves at front). The tall slender plant is Tall Larkspur, Delphinium exaltatum, which is an endangered native plant. It is ephemeral, so is out of the ground only the cool spring. by July it hides below ground.

Basements & Cellars. Finishing Ideas! Turn your basement spaces into smart areas dedicated to leisure, hobbies, play areas, or entertainment. Unfinished basements are usually a headache for home and business owners, not just because of the waste of space and precious square footage, but because unused basements are more likely to deteriorate, accumulate humidity, mold, allergens, and endanger the overall foundations and structures when there is lack of maintenance. Improve and transform your space into an additional guest room, a custom-designed home office, a bar or an an entertainment room; add closets and storage space or contact us to help you with more ideas to give your basement a good make over!

Basements & Cellars. Finishing Ideas! Turn your basement spaces into smart areas dedicated to leisure, hobbies, play areas, or entertainment. Unfinished basements are usually a headache for home and business owners, not just because of the waste of space and precious square footage, but because unused basements are more likely to deteriorate, accumulate humidity, mold, allergens, and endanger the overall foundations and structures when there is lack of maintenance. Improve and transform your space into an additional guest room, a custom-designed home office, a bar or an an entertainment room; add closets and storage space or contact us to help you with more ideas to give your basement a good make over!

What does a roof deck look like when every part of the roof, even areas deemed uninhabitable and structurally weak, is utilized and optimized? This large midcentury home on the edge of Presidio National Park in San Francisco had an incredible location and views. But the original roof deck suffered from poor design detailing that had rendered it a leaking, deteriorating mess. Even worse, the previous owner had covered three roof areas surrounding the deck with river stones, structurally overloading the building and endangering its occupants. We removed the river stones and everything else down to the framing. An expertly detailed drainage and waterproofing system underlies everything above. The deck and access stairs are surfaced with durable and refined porcelain pavers. The guardrail is made from custom stainless steel supports with clear, low-iron, laminated glass spanning between for an unobstructed view. Heated seats make watching the chilly fog roll in through the gate comfy. Planting and greenery surround the deck. The type varies depending on structural conditions- a deep planter sits on top of a structural wall, sedums in shallow soil occupy the strong edges of the surrounding rooftops, and faux grass turf fills out the middle in areas that can’t support the weight of wet soil.

This garden has been designed to be friendly to wildlife, especially the endangered Monarch butterflies. Susan Irving
Inspiration for a huge farmhouse green landscaping in New York.

What does a roof deck look like when every part of the roof, even areas deemed uninhabitable and structurally weak, is utilized and optimized? This large midcentury home on the edge of Presidio National Park in San Francisco had an incredible location and views. But the original roof deck suffered from poor design detailing that had rendered it a leaking, deteriorating mess. Even worse, the previous owner had covered three roof areas surrounding the deck with river stones, structurally overloading the building and endangering its occupants. We removed the river stones and everything else down to the framing. An expertly detailed drainage and waterproofing system underlies everything above. The deck and access stairs are surfaced with durable and refined porcelain pavers. The guardrail is made from custom stainless steel supports with clear, low-iron, laminated glass spanning between for an unobstructed view. Heated seats make watching the chilly fog roll in through the gate comfy. Planting and greenery surround the deck. The type varies depending on structural conditions- a deep planter sits on top of a structural wall, sedums in shallow soil occupy the strong edges of the surrounding rooftops, and faux grass turf fills out the middle in areas that can’t support the weight of wet soil.

What does a roof deck look like when every part of the roof, even areas deemed uninhabitable and structurally weak, is utilized and optimized? This large midcentury home on the edge of Presidio National Park in San Francisco had an incredible location and views. But the original roof deck suffered from poor design detailing that had rendered it a leaking, deteriorating mess. Even worse, the previous owner had covered three roof areas surrounding the deck with river stones, structurally overloading the building and endangering its occupants. We removed the river stones and everything else down to the framing. An expertly detailed drainage and waterproofing system underlies everything above. The deck and access stairs are surfaced with durable and refined porcelain pavers. The guardrail is made from custom stainless steel supports with clear, low-iron, laminated glass spanning between for an unobstructed view. Heated seats make watching the chilly fog roll in through the gate comfy. Planting and greenery surround the deck. The type varies depending on structural conditions- a deep planter sits on top of a structural wall, sedums in shallow soil occupy the strong edges of the surrounding rooftops, and faux grass turf fills out the middle in areas that can’t support the weight of wet soil.

What does a roof deck look like when every part of the roof, even areas deemed uninhabitable and structurally weak, is utilized and optimized? This large midcentury home on the edge of Presidio National Park in San Francisco had an incredible location and views. But the original roof deck suffered from poor design detailing that had rendered it a leaking, deteriorating mess. Even worse, the previous owner had covered three roof areas surrounding the deck with river stones, structurally overloading the building and endangering its occupants. We removed the river stones and everything else down to the framing. An expertly detailed drainage and waterproofing system underlies everything above. The deck and access stairs are surfaced with durable and refined porcelain pavers. The guardrail is made from custom stainless steel supports with clear, low-iron, laminated glass spanning between for an unobstructed view. Heated seats make watching the chilly fog roll in through the gate comfy. Planting and greenery surround the deck. The type varies depending on structural conditions- a deep planter sits on top of a structural wall, sedums in shallow soil occupy the strong edges of the surrounding rooftops, and faux grass turf fills out the middle in areas that can’t support the weight of wet soil.

Please contact the artist via email at darlenewatsonartist@gmail.com or check online galleries that represent her which are also listed on her website. This original is part of the three that are available on the artist's website where when sold 50% of this will go to the Canadian Wildlife Federation in relation to the Monarch Butterfly being on the endangered list.

Our Natural Cowhide Rugs are qualified as tanned finished products, unique natural pieces from animals not in risk of extinction or endangered species. Natural leather is marked with signs of its natural origin as marks, scars, insect bites, veins, hair density, shade and grain variations, among other. These serve as proof that only genuine hides have been used and are the markings which owners cherish and should be embraced as statements of authenticity and individuality. Grey cowhide rugs are naturally scarce, their high demand has created a shortage in the market, resulting in increasing prices for this color.