Fold up counter on the right extends the work area as needed. Photos by Stonegate Construction, Inc.
Example of a small country galley medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen design in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, wood countertops, stainless steel appliances and no island

Example of a transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor kitchen design in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, green cabinets, an island and black countertops

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Original craftsman with a European flare. Open floor plan. Bold wall color serves as a setting for the warm wood cabinets with opaque glass doors. Stainless steel appliances are highlighting this kitchen. Granite countertops pick up some of the wall color and bring together a one-of-a-kind kitchen project in this unique Bethesda home.

Like many California ranch homes built in the 1950s, this original master bathroom was not really a "master bath." My clients, who only three years ago purchased the home from the family of the original owner, were saddled with a small, dysfunctional space. Chief among the dysfunctions: a vanity only 30" high, and an inconveniently placed window that forced the too-low vanity mirror to reflect only the waist and partial torso--not the face--of anyone standing in front of it. They wanted not only a more spacious bathroom but a bedroom as well, so we worked in tandem with an architect and contractor to come up with a fantastic new space: a true Master Suite. In order to refine a design concept for the soon-to-be larger space, and thereby narrow down material choices, my clients and I had a brainstorming session: we spoke of an elegant Old World/ European bedroom and bathroom, a luxurious bath that would reference a Roman spa, and finally the idea of a Hammam was brought into the mix. We blended these ideas together in oil-rubbed bronze fixtures, and a tiny tile mosaic in beautiful Bursa Beige marble from Turkey and white Thassos marble from Greece. The new generously sized bathroom boasts a jetted soaking tub, a very large walk-in shower, a double-sided fireplace (facing the tub on the bath side), and a luxurious 8' long vanity with double sinks and a storage tower. The vanity wall is covered with a mosaic vine pattern in a beautiful Bursa Beige marble from Turkey and white Thassos marble from Greece,. The custom Larson Juhl framed mirrors are flanked by gorgeous hand-wrought scones from Hubbardton Forge which echo the vine and leaf pattern in the mosaic. And the vanity itself features an LED strip in the toe-kick which allows one to see in the middle of the night without having to turn on a shockingly bright overhead fixture. At the other end of the master bath, a luxurious jetted tub nestles by a fireplace in the bay window area. Views of my clients' garden can be seen while soaking in bubbles. The over-sized walk-in shower features a paneled wainscoting effect which I designed in Crema Marfil marble. The vine mosaic continues in the shower, topped by green onyx squares. A rainshower head and a hand-held spray on a bar provides showering options. The shower floor slopes gently in one direction toward a hidden linear drain; this allows the floor to be read as a continuation of the main space, without being interrupted by a center drain. Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

European appliances were chosen due to space constraints, and the smaller appliances allowed for options not often seen in smaller condominiums: a dedicated range hood and double the amount of counter space as compared with the original kitchen. In addition, this design was able to accommodate 40% more storage than the original kitchen.

The grandness of this newly renovated facade completely transformed the original simple french colonial into the European Estate you see here.
Large elegant red two-story brick exterior home photo in Detroit with a hip roof

Home was my personal residence and was original 1980 Stan Sachley modern. Entire interior and landscape was updated to European, desert modern.
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Primary bedroom blending luxury and comfort. An elegant upholstered bed with high thread count bedding. Custom window treatments frame the windows allowing natural light to filter through. Comfortable chairs provide a cozy nook for reading or unwinding. Also included are Hunter Douglas shades hidden under the window panels with motorization.

Mark Lohman
Open concept kitchen - large coastal light wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in Los Angeles with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

The main design goal of this Northern European country style home was to use traditional, authentic materials that would have been used ages ago. ORIJIN STONE premium stone was selected as one such material, taking the main stage throughout key living areas including the custom hand carved Alder™ Limestone fireplace in the living room, as well as the master bedroom Alder fireplace surround, the Greydon™ Sandstone cobbles used for flooring in the den, porch and dining room as well as the front walk, and for the Greydon Sandstone paving & treads forming the front entrance steps and landing, throughout the garden walkways and patios and surrounding the beautiful pool. This home was designed and built to withstand both trends and time, a true & charming heirloom estate. Architecture: Rehkamp Larson Architects Builder: Kyle Hunt & Partners Landscape Design & Stone Install: Yardscapes Mason: Meyer Masonry Interior Design: Alecia Stevens Interiors Photography: Scott Amundson Photography & Spacecrafting Photography

This is a before photo showing the original pool. There was a clear separation between the property and the water beyond.
Inspiration for a modern pool remodel in Miami

Flooring Kentwood Originals - European Plank 'Cobble Hill' Designer Cynthia Steinbrecher of Davis Partnership Architects Photography by: J.C. Buck
Example of a trendy medium tone wood floor kitchen design in Vancouver with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, gray backsplash and a peninsula

crystaljofoto Modern European Farmhouse
Farmhouse exterior home idea in Columbus

The owners of this home, purchased it from an architect, who converted an old factory, in downtown Jersey City, into a house. When the family grew, they needed to either move, or extend this house they love so much. Being that this is a historical-preservation building, the front had to remain 'as is'. Owners hired Fogarty Finger architects to redesign the home and Kuche+Cucina, for the kitchen, closets and the party kitchenette. Pedini cabinets were chosen, for their sleek, minimal look, in both matte glass and matte lacquer, for different textures. The work countertop, was done in durable quartz, while the island and the backsplash are real marble.

By breaking a large room down into zones, the Fishers have created a diverse living space that is also conducive to entertaining. Although their home is filled with unique vintage finds, such as the corner sectional with it's original fabric, the couple is not on edge when others enjoy the space. Whether entertaining or swapping houses (the Fishers did an 8-week European house swap with three different families this summer), they are at peace with the possibility of what can happen. "I believe in using and enjoying what we have," Bobbie says. "An additional ding to a piece of furniture adds to its patina and life story." "And," she jokes, "if something breaks, it’s an excuse to find another wonderful piece to replace it!" Adrienne DeRosa Photography © 2013 Houzz

Reclaimed whitewashed ceiling paneling originated from the original property prior to deconstruction. Floors are reclaimed white oak. Windows are European tilt turn in white oak. Photo credit: www.jetkatphoto.com

Pure & Original Fresco lime paint - Shades finish
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Pure & Original 100% mineral lime fresco paint. Color: Artisan Tan. Finish: Clouds.
Example of a mountain style slate floor home design design in Calgary with a one-piece toilet, beige walls and a pedestal sink