A young family with a wooded, triangular lot in Ipswich, Massachusetts wanted to take on a highly creative, organic, and unrushed process in designing their new home. The parents of three boys had contemporary ideas for living, including phasing the construction of different structures over time as the kids grew so they could maximize the options for use on their land. They hoped to build a net zero energy home that would be cozy on the very coldest days of winter, using cost-efficient methods of home building. The house needed to be sited to minimize impact on the land and trees, and it was critical to respect a conservation easement on the south border of the lot. Finally, the design would be contemporary in form and feel, but it would also need to fit into a classic New England context, both in terms of materials used and durability. We were asked to honor the notions of “surprise and delight,” and that inspired everything we designed for the family. The highly unique home consists of a three-story form, composed mostly of bedrooms and baths on the top two floors and a cross axis of shared living spaces on the first level. This axis extends out to an oversized covered porch, open to the south and west. The porch connects to a two-story garage with flex space above, used as a guest house, play room, and yoga studio depending on the day. A floor-to-ceiling ribbon of glass wraps the south and west walls of the lower level, bringing in an abundance of natural light and linking the entire open plan to the yard beyond. The master suite takes up the entire top floor, and includes an outdoor deck with a shower. The middle floor has extra height to accommodate a variety of multi-level play scenarios in the kids’ rooms. Many of the materials used in this house are made from recycled or environmentally friendly content, or they come from local sources. The high performance home has triple glazed windows and all materials, adhesives, and sealants are low toxicity and safe for growing kids. Photographer credit: Irvin Serrano

Nestled in the surrounding hillside of Telluride Ski Resort, this mountain home was born from the idea of integrating a home in to it’s site and having it interact with the natural vegetation and impressive circling views. This did not come without design challenges, but the result was a rustic modern structure clad in steel, glass, wood, and stone. Floor to ceiling glass walls lend to breathtaking views of Mount Emma, Dallas, and Iron Mountain. Transparency through the structure was very important to the clients as it allowed them to feel apart of the natural environment. You can see through the formal entry through the great room and out the back of the house. This created a spacious feel to the already open floor plan of the great room, dining room, and kitchen. http://www.centresky.com/telluride-mountain-home-video-tour Photos by Whit Richardson

Example of a large transitional backyard stone and rectangular natural home design design in New York

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   The Klimala’s and their three kids are no strangers to moving, this being their fifth house in the same town over the 20-year period they have lived there. “It must be the 7-year itch, because every seven years, we seem to find ourselves antsy for a new project or a new environment. I think part of it is being a designer, I see my own taste evolve and I want my environment to reflect that. Having easy access to wonderful tradesmen and a knowledge of the process makes it that much easier”. This time, Klimala’s fell in love with a somewhat unlikely candidate. The 1950’s ranch turned cape cod was a bit of a mutt, but it’s location 5 minutes from their design studio and backing up to the high school where their kids can roll out of bed and walk to school, coupled with the charm of its location on a private road and lush landscaping made it an appealing choice for them. “The bones of the house were really charming. It was typical 1,500 square foot ranch that at some point someone added a second floor to. Its sloped roofline and dormered bedrooms gave it some charm.” With the help of architect Maureen McHugh, Klimala’s gutted and reworked the layout to make the house work for them. An open concept kitchen and dining room allows for more frequent casual family dinners and dinner parties that linger. A dingy 3-season room off the back of the original house was insulated, given a vaulted ceiling with skylights and now opens up to the kitchen. This room now houses an 8’ raw edge white oak dining table and functions as an informal dining room. “One of the challenges with these mid-century homes is the 8’ ceilings. I had to have at least one room that had a higher ceiling so that’s how we did it” states Klimala. The kitchen features a 10’ island which houses a 5’0” Galley Sink. The Galley features two faucets, and double tiered rail system to which accessories such as cutting boards and stainless steel bowls can be added for ease of cooking. Across from the large sink is an induction cooktop. “My two teen daughters and I enjoy cooking, and the Galley and induction cooktop make it so easy.” A wall of tall cabinets features a full size refrigerator, freezer, double oven and built in coffeemaker. The area on the opposite end of the kitchen features a pantry with mirrored glass doors and a beverage center below. The rest of the first floor features an entry way, a living room with views to the front yard’s lush landscaping, a family room where the family hangs out to watch TV, a back entry from the garage with a laundry room and mudroom area, one of the home’s four bedrooms and a full bath. There is a double sided fireplace between the family room and living room. The home features pops of color from the living room’s peach grass cloth to purple painted wall in the family room. “I’m definitely a traditionalist at heart but because of the home’s Midcentury roots, I wanted to incorporate some of those elements into the furniture, lighting and accessories which also ended up being really fun. We are not formal people so I wanted a house that my kids would enjoy, have their friends over and feel comfortable.” The second floor houses the master bedroom suite, two of the kids’ bedrooms and a back room nicknamed “the library” because it has turned into a quiet get away area where the girls can study or take a break from the rest of the family. The area was originally unfinished attic, and because the home was short on closet space, this Jack and Jill area off the girls’ bedrooms houses two large walk-in closets and a small sitting area with a makeup vanity. “The girls really wanted to keep the exposed brick of the fireplace that runs up the through the space, so that’s what we did, and I think they feel like they are in their own little loft space in the city when they are up there” says Klimala. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Carlos Vergara For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Niece Kitchen Designer- Jill Opdyke Starmark Cabinetry pantry/ dog room in cherry wood with "driftwood" stain. Countertop- Granite, color "steel grey" polished. Country: United States

Complete make over: vinyl siding, fascia covering, replacement window, and a vinyl gable vent. Photo by Jeremy Sharrock
Example of a mid-sized classic detached two-car garage design in Los Angeles

Close-up of Energy Star rated LoE window, siding, corner post, and soffit. The insulated vinyl siding is in Greystone with white corner posts and white vinyl soffit up in the eaves.

Upgraded this Apartment complex with LoE 366 Palmer Energy star rated vinyl replacement windows. Pictured is a row of windows to provide both natural light and energy efficiency. Photo by Dave Palmer

Tigerturf artificial turf install and a new duralum patio cover. With a synthetic grass landscape, regular maintenance is a thing of the past! Unlike natural grass lawns, synthetic grass does not require regular watering, mowing, weeding or fertilizing which cuts your expenses and gives you the freedom to enjoy your evergreen lawn with family, friends and co-workers year around. The Duralum patio cover provides the same type of benefit, no maintenance, no paint. All the beauty of wood combined with the durability of metal. Plus, Duralum patio covers come with a lifetime warranty. Jeremy Sharrock

Casey Dunn Photography
Example of a country enclosed dining room design in Houston with white walls

A beautifully designed midcentury modern patio at the Sennett Residence in Asheville, NC, created by Living Stone Design + Build. This outdoor space showcases clean lines, natural materials, and seamless integration with the mountain environment, offering an inviting area for relaxation and entertaining.

Garden 31 in La Canada Flintridge

Neil Landino
Example of a large beach style master white tile and stone tile marble floor drop-in bathtub design in New York with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, green walls, an undermount sink and marble countertops

Replaced old sliding leaky, hard to slide patio door, with energy efficient classic French doors. Featuring tempered glass and warm edge spacers. Fusion welded frame and sash for greater strength and durability. Multiple chambers provide layers of insulation even in the warmest or coldest temperatures. Full perimeter weather strip provides protection from air and water infiltration. A sloped anodized aluminum sill that resists wear. Multi-point lock system with a solid brass center deadbolt and key lock provide optimal safety. Standard center deadbolt with keylock affords optimum security. Plus, additional flush bolts at head and sill on the inactive panel of the French door.

An addition wrapping an existing 1920's cottage. PEric Rorer
Inspiration for a mid-sized rustic open concept medium tone wood floor living room remodel in San Francisco with white walls, a stone fireplace and a concealed tv

Council ring style fire pit designed in the spirit of the properties original landscape architect, Jens Jensen. Designed by: ENVIRONMENTS Studio Day 1 after installation.

This traditional style 3-Panel Craftsman interior door features a top horizontal panel with two lower vertical panels. Durable and beautiful, this quality door features uncomplicated style, detail and is designed to last. Eco-friendly, this door is created from recycled and recovered wood fiber and won’t shrink, expand or warp when exposed to the environment. It is also available for closets, pocket doors, barn doors and fire doors. The extra smooth surface is also easy to paint and ensures a great finish. Built to size, it is an ideal selection for custom size openings, including hvac closets, custom cabinets and more. The stile and rail construction ensures true square corners and the proven hardwood edge system will endure for many years to come. A variety of paint colors, selectively chosen to coordinate with most interior doorjambs and moldings, are also available along with a wide selection of door knobs and levers.

Kids' bedroom - bedroom rustic gender-neutral carpeted and beige floor kids' bedroom idea with white walls

For this project, we took on the neighbourhood eyesore. We replaced the original energy wasting windows with LoE366 Energy Star rated vinyl replacement windows. This is a close up of the windows. The first thing this customer noticed after the beauty is how quiet the windows are. Plus these windows will pay for themselves in reduced energy costs.