Sara Essex Bradley
Example of a small eclectic single-wall dark wood floor eat-in kitchen design in New Orleans with a farmhouse sink

Cathy Stancil Photography
This is an example of a transitional front yard landscaping in San Francisco.

This client grew up in this 1950’s family home and has now become owner in his adult life. Designing and remodeling this childhood home that the client was very bonded and familiar with was a tall order. This modern twist of original mid-century style combined with an eclectic fusion of modern day materials and concepts fills the room with a powerful presence while maintaining its clean lined austerity and elegance. The kitchen was part of a grander complete home re-design and remodel. A modern version of a mid-century His and Hers grand master bathroom was created to include all the amenities and nothing left behind! This bathroom has so much noticeable and hidden “POW” that commands its peaceful spa feeling with a lot of attitude. Maintaining ultra-clean lines yet delivering ample design interest at every detail, This bathroom is eclectically a one of a kind luxury statement. The concept in the laundry room was to create a simple, easy to use and clean space with ample storage and a place removed from the central part of the home to house the necessity of the cats and their litter box needs. There was no need for glamour in the laundry room yet we were able to create a simple highly utilitarian space. If there is one room in the home that requires frequent visitors to thoroughly enjoy with a huge element of surprise, it’s the powder room! This is a room where you know that eventually, every guest will visit. Knowing this, we created a bold statement with layers of intrigue that would leave ample room for fun conversation with your guests upon their prolonged exit. We kept the lights dim here for that intriguing experience of crafted elegance and created ambiance. The walls of peeling metallic rust are the welcoming gesture to a powder room experience of defiance and elegant mystical complexity. It's a lucky house guest indeed who gets to stay in this newly remodeled home. This on-suite bathroom allows them their own space and privacy. Both Bedroom and Bathroom offer plenty of storage for an extended stay. Rift White Oak cabinets and sleek Silestone counters make a lovely combination in the bathroom while the bedroom showcases textured white cabinets with a dark walnut wrap. Photo credit: Fred Donham of PhotographerLink

This modern organic kitchen blends rift white oak cabinetry with warm white uppers and a spacious island topped in quartz. Woven rattan counter stools introduce natural texture, while black dome pendants add bold contrast. A vertical picket marble backsplash and brass fixtures complete the light-filled, inviting space.

INTERIOR --- -Two-zone heating and cooling system results in higher energy efficiency and quicker warming/cooling times -Fiberglass and 3.5” spray foam insulation that exceeds industry standards -Sophisticated hardwood flooring, engineered for an elevated design aesthetic, greater sustainability, and the highest green-build rating, with a 25-year warranty -Custom cabinetry made from solid wood and plywood for sustainable, quality cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom vanities -Fisher & Paykel DCS Professional Grade home appliances offer a chef-quality cooking experience everyday -Designer's choice quartz countertops offer both a luxurious look and excellent durability -Danze plumbing fixtures throughout the home provide unparalleled quality -DXV luxury single-piece toilets with significantly higher ratings than typical builder-grade toilets -Lighting fixtures by Matteo Lighting, a premier lighting company known for its sophisticated and contemporary designs -All interior paint is designer grade by Benjamin Moore -Locally sourced and produced, custom-made interior wooden doors with glass inserts -Spa-style mater bath featuring Italian designer tile and heated flooring -Lower level flex room plumbed and wired for a secondary kitchen - au pair quarters, expanded generational family space, entertainment floor - you decide! -Electric car charging

Photo: Jessica Cain © 2018 Houzz
Living room - large 1950s open concept living room idea in Kansas City with white walls, a standard fireplace and a brick fireplace

This inviting space features a decorative concrete patio with a custom concrete fire pit and Ipe floating bench. The lush landscaping and cedar privacy fence provides a tranquil setting for city living.

This functional, light-filled home takes full advantage of its bucolic site. With the introduction of the butterfly roof, natural light, ventilation and views are brought into the main gathering spaces. Distance between the private and public zones is created by a shift in geometry where those two meet in plan, to provide a calming and rejuvenating private retreat for the occupants. The structured juxtaposition of materials brings order and warmth to the home’s overall experience, complementing the textures and beauty of the site. Photo: ©Cesar Rubio

Camlin Custom Homes Courageous Model Home. Expansive kitchen features Natural stones countertops, classic coastal style cabinetry and white and gray finishes. High ceilings and large windows fill the kitchen with lots of natural light.

Explore this thoughtfully designed mudroom and laundry room sanctuary that is filled with both functionality and personality. On the mudroom side, there is personalized organization for every member of the household. Thoughtfully integrated divided shoe shelves beneath a cozy boot bench, along with open storage perfectly sized for decorative baskets, and decorative coat hooks ensure every essential from seasonal accessories to everyday items (i.e. gloves, hats, scarves, shoes, jackets, etc.) has its designated place. Overhead, elegant closed storage conceals and organizes, maintaining a pristine aesthetic that endures. On the laundry room side, experience the ultimate in ergonomic design with raised washer and dryers, seamlessly integrated for effortless access and reduced strain and bending. Below the machines, a locking roll-out shelf glides out smoothly creating a perfectly positioned platform to set a laundry basket at an easy-to-reach height for loading and unloading. All designed to transforming loading and unloading the washer and dryer into a seamless, comfortable task. Design by Cedar Design Build, Minnesota. Architectural Design by Becky Watson of Niche Design. Cabinetry and mudroom lockers featuring Dura Supreme Cabinetry’s Reese Inset skinny shaker door style in an Evergreen Fog painted finish with accents of Natural Cherry wood. Request a FREE Dura Supreme Brochure Packet: https://www.durasupreme.com/request-brochures/ Find a Dura Supreme Showroom near you today: https://www.durasupreme.com/find-a-showroom/ Want to become a Dura Supreme Dealer? Go to: https://www.durasupreme.com/become-a-dealer/

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

The renovation of an extensive linear residence and site facing Port Orchard waterway embraces water, greenspace and forested hillside. The home, completed this fall, serves as an artist’s studio, galleries, family space, game room, outdoor living areas and peaceful retreat. New interiors and exterior spaces and finishes, cabinetry, lighting, paving, landscape and courtyards become settings for the owner’s art + collections, three-generations of family and the wonderful colors and textures of the land + water. Inside, a monumental central stair and tapered two-story tall red cedar and steel column was designed as the residence’s entry focal point and internal landmarks, guiding the visitor’s eye to the main atrium…. and upward. Heavy wide-flange steel moment frames support the house and enable whole walls of glass. Rough, mill-finished steel contrasts refined cabinetry, stone, wood structure and defining dropped ceilings, reflecting the opener’s love of the tension between highly polished and detailed + rough, found art. Outside, A new southern “dining room” was designed for warm summer evening gatherings under a heavy-timber trellis. The focus, opposite water and island views, is a metal perforated screen. The final screen is composed of the lyrics from a Joe Cocker song of great meaning to the owners, cut from ½” marine bronze, set into dark-fired brick. “Oh My Darling, Be Home Soon….” Natural daylight and high-efficiency lighting are central players as in any gallery. From a high clerestory and extensive southern and eastern window-walls to carefully selected up-lighting, pendants, and accent fixtures, Rhodes Architecture + Light worked closely with the owner to ensure that their dark existing house would become one filled with light…. night and day. The owners, Ken and Jane, allowed us to interview them about their experience working with Rhodes Architecture + Light, and how they are feeling about living with the architecture today. What was your experience like, working with Rhodes Architecture + Light? “They worked with us because it was a remodel, an existing thing, and we had to try to make it work for all of our interests and how our family operated. They listened, and we listened, and it was a great communication back and forth.”–Jane How has the renovation changed the way you live and enjoy your home? “I remember saying to them that I want the whole floor heated because it gets so chilly down here. And we had the wood burning stove, but it was over there and now we just turn the floor heat on and we can come down. It’s cozy and nice. So we’re looking forward to winter now.”–Ken “We have 5 kids together and now a bunch of grandchildren. I wanted a marble countertop, but there’s just no way. I didn’t want it to be a place where I had to say, ‘No, no, no. Wipe up your drink, do this, do that.’ I wanted it to be a place where everybody can come with all the kids, and we make a big mess, and I can clean it up. And we can enjoy ourselves here, because that room upstairs, we almost never went in. And now we’re in there eating pizza and watching the game.” –Jane As an artist, Jane enjoyed the collaborative process. “I can’t believe it was as positive as it was. I went into it thinking it would be a great, creative, fun, collaborative thing, and I have to say, with our architects, it was. I like that creative process. I always say when I am doing a painting, it’s a series of problem solving so it wasn’t unusual for me. I am completely blown away by them and had fun with that part of it.” –Jane Architect: Tim James Rhodes RA AIA, Rhodes Architecture + Light Builder: Fairbank Construction Company Structural: Swensen Say Faget

The Villa Linda center courtyard between protective porticos presents a complex outdoor space full of water, natural materials and venues for leisure. Palm trees tower above this tropical experience-filled outdoor area. The RYAN HUGHES Design Build team created an elegant outdoor design with custom built outdoor rooms, porticos and features. Sun shelf chaise lounging area flows into the pool. All is tied together with a family friendly flow. Photography by Jimi Smith.

Natural modernism for a home on the park. A prominent Chicago lawyer and his beloved dogs live in this Modern Chicago Greystone. We consulted with Wheeler Kearns Architecture to create a warm and welcoming interior architecture that integrates seamlessly with the home’s modernist exterior and natural surroundings. Natural light and earthy materials, such as active limestones, warm woods, and reflective glass tiles, are used to comforting effect in the interior spaces. Wood window frames manipulate the play of light and highlight unobstructed views to Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan. The result is a uniquely integrated experience—from exterior to interior, modern to traditional.

The Entrance into this charming home on Edisto Drive is full of excitement with simple architectural details, great patterns, and colors. The Wainscoting and Soft Gray Walls welcome every pop of color introduced into this space.

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

Summer annuals display. Photo by Rachel Carlson
This is an example of a traditional partial sun landscaping in Chicago for summer.

Tom Holdsworth Photography Our clients wanted to create a room that would bring them closer to the outdoors; a room filled with natural lighting; and a venue to spotlight a modern fireplace. Early in the design process, our clients wanted to replace their existing, outdated, and rundown screen porch, but instead decided to build an all-season sun room. The space was intended as a quiet place to read, relax, and enjoy the view. The sunroom addition extends from the existing house and is nestled into its heavily wooded surroundings. The roof of the new structure reaches toward the sky, enabling additional light and views. The floor-to-ceiling magnum double-hung windows with transoms, occupy the rear and side-walls. The original brick, on the fourth wall remains exposed; and provides a perfect complement to the French doors that open to the dining room and create an optimum configuration for cross-ventilation. To continue the design philosophy for this addition place seamlessly merged natural finishes from the interior to the exterior. The Brazilian black slate, on the sunroom floor, extends to the outdoor terrace; and the stained tongue and groove, installed on the ceiling, continues through to the exterior soffit. The room's main attraction is the suspended metal fireplace; an authentic wood-burning heat source. Its shape is a modern orb with a commanding presence. Positioned at the center of the room, toward the rear, the orb adds to the majestic interior-exterior experience. This is the client's third project with place architecture: design. Each endeavor has been a wonderful collaboration to successfully bring this 1960s ranch-house into twenty-first century living.

Paul Dyer
Deck - coastal backyard deck idea in San Francisco with no cover