Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/

Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/

Transitional living room photo in Minneapolis

Sources: Floating shelves: Custom design (Rethink Design Studio x AWD of Savannah) Table lamp: Caravan Pacific Credenza: Schoolhouse Electric Co. Woven baskets: Target Turkish towels: bathstyle (Etsy) Glass decanters: Vintage Wall color: BM Silver Song 1557 Vanity color: BM Arctic Shadows 1559 Vanity mirror: Custom teak mirror (Rethink Design Studio x AWD of Savannah) Vanity hardware: Anthropologie Flooring: Heart of Pine Richard Leo Johnson

A load bearing support column was concealed and worked into the design by wrapping it with custom cabinetry millwork which was mirrored on the opposing side to create symmetry. The columns are now the bookends to beautiful double-sided glass cabinets which offer a display case for the client's china and help to keep the open feel. The custom wood hood and backsplash tile are the focal point of the adjacent wall. Photo credit: Patsy McEnroe http://patsymcenroe.com/

Photo: Corynne Pless Photography © 2014 Houzz
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Kelli Kroneberger
Transitional kitchen photo in Denver

This farmhouse style home was already lovely and inviting. We just added some finishing touches in the kitchen and expanded and enhanced the basement. In the kitchen we enlarged the center island so that it is now five-feet-wide. We rebuilt the sides, added the cross-back, “x”, design to each end and installed new fixtures. We also installed new counters and painted all the cabinetry. Already the center of the home’s everyday living and entertaining, there’s now even more space for gathering. We expanded the already finished basement to include a main room with kitchenet, a multi-purpose/guestroom with a murphy bed, full bathroom, and a home theatre. The COREtec vinyl flooring is waterproof and strong enough to take the beating of everyday use. In the main room, the ship lap walls and farmhouse lantern lighting coordinates beautifully with the vintage farmhouse tuxedo bathroom. Who needs to go out to the movies with a home theatre like this one? With tiered seating for six, featuring reclining chair on platforms, tray ceiling lighting and theatre sconces, this is the perfect spot for family movie night! Rudloff Custom Builders has won Best of Houzz for Customer Service in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021. We also were voted Best of Design in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, which only 2% of professionals receive. Rudloff Custom Builders has been featured on Houzz in their Kitchen of the Week, What to Know About Using Reclaimed Wood in the Kitchen as well as included in their Bathroom WorkBook article. We are a full service, certified remodeling company that covers all of the Philadelphia suburban area. This business, like most others, developed from a friendship of young entrepreneurs who wanted to make a difference in their clients’ lives, one household at a time. This relationship between partners is much more than a friendship. Edward and Stephen Rudloff are brothers who have renovated and built custom homes together paying close attention to detail. They are carpenters by trade and understand concept and execution. Rudloff Custom Builders will provide services for you with the highest level of professionalism, quality, detail, punctuality and craftsmanship, every step of the way along our journey together. Specializing in residential construction allows us to connect with our clients early in the design phase to ensure that every detail is captured as you imagined. One stop shopping is essentially what you will receive with Rudloff Custom Builders from design of your project to the construction of your dreams, executed by on-site project managers and skilled craftsmen. Our concept: envision our client’s ideas and make them a reality. Our mission: CREATING LIFETIME RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON TRUST AND INTEGRITY. Photo Credit: Linda McManus Images

Details: Dishes, once stored in upper cabinets, are now located in base cabinet drawers — a request by the client for aging in place. Heavy duty drawer hardware makes for easy operation. While it looks a bit tight, the adjacency to the dishwasher functions very well, our client reports. The flooring is sheet Marmoleum, and serves to nicely set apart the kitchen from adjacent spaces.

This master bath ‘Renovision’ came with three main requests from the homeowner: more storage, a larger shower and a luxurious look that feels like being at an upscale hotel. The Renovisions team accomplished these wishes and exceeded the clients expectations. Request number 1: more storage. The existing closet was reconfigured to accommodate better storage for towels and bath supplies making it both functional and attractive. The custom built pull-out hamper was perfect. The long vanity and center tower offers much more cabinet space and drawer storage compared to what they had, especially with the increased vanity height. Request number 2: A larger shower. Working within the existing footprint we were able to build a shower that is nearly a foot deeper as space was available. Creating a large rectangular cubby provides plenty of space for shampoos and soaps. The frameless sliding glass shower enclosure keeps the space open and airy while allowing the beautiful Carrera-look porcelain wall tiles to be the focus of this master bath. Request number 3: a luxurious look. Turning their once boring, builder grade bathroom into an upscale hotel-like space was challenging, however, not a problem for the Renovisions team and their creative ways of resolving design snags along the way. Re-locating the doorway to the bathroom was one way to create a more spacious flow in and out of the space. Having the right design to start was half the battle – installing the beautiful products right the first time to ensure a proper fit and finish worthy of the upscale feel is the other half. The delicate tile detail in the shower cubby is the ‘jewelry’ in the room – the soft curves of this 2-tone wave design tile adds a dramatic feel and enlightened mood this client loves. Overall, the homeowner was happy with every solution-based approach to all requests – their once dated builders bath is now bright, open and airy with a soft grey wall color adding to the soothing feel of this master bath.

With proper cabinet placement, chores can be a breeze. Unloading the dishwasher is an arm's reach away in the pointedly placed glass- front cabinet.

A comfortable bedroom doesn't have to come with a luxury price tag. This inviting space showcases the Buena Vista® Medium Mattress from Denver Mattress, designed for shoppers who want dependable comfort, lasting quality, and smart value. The Buena Vista® Medium offers a balanced feel that combines everyday support with comfortable cushioning, making it a versatile choice for a variety of sleep styles. Built to deliver reliable comfort night after night, it helps create a bedroom that feels welcoming, functional, and designed for real life. Warm wood furniture, soft neutral walls, colorful textiles, and playful accents create a space that feels polished yet approachable. The result is a bedroom that reflects thoughtful design and practical decision-making, proving that quality sleep and beautiful style can go hand in hand without overspending.

This inviting kitchen features classic white cabinetry, warm hardwood floors, and a functional layout designed for everyday life. A central island with granite countertops and casual bar seating offers extra prep space, while a breakfast nook provides a cozy spot for family meals. Crown molding, soft pendant lighting, and neutral backsplash tile bring timeless appeal to this transitional design.

This Kansas City-area home organization project focused on creating functional, design-forward systems throughout several of the family's most-used spaces, including the kitchen, pantry, butler's pantry, and mudroom. Each space was thoughtfully planned around the family's everyday routines, with organizational products and systems selected to maximize storage, improve visibility, and make frequently used items easier to access and maintain. In the mudroom, an existing cabinet was transformed into a family command center with dedicated spaces for each family member, grab-and-go items, paper management, note-taking supplies, and a charging station. By connecting the organization across these hardworking spaces, the finished home feels cohesive, functional, and easier to navigate throughout the day.

The Mira Garden Trellis provides artful support for a blackberry vine on a bluestone patio in a potted edible garden.
Design ideas for a modern landscaping in Los Angeles.

Tiles and bathrooms go together like shampoo and conditioner. Now you can enjoy the classic, easy-to-work-with look with our Everyday Tile Shower Curtain. Add our Printed Storage Bins to stay organized and keep clutter at a minimum.

Patrick Reynolds
Inspiration for a contemporary hallway remodel in Auckland