Nestled on a corner lot in the Madrona neighborhood, we chose to exploit the abundance of natural light in this 1905 home. We worked with Board & Vellum to remodel this residence from the dining and living rooms to the kitchen and powder room. Our client loved bold rich colors, perfect in combination with the natural lighting of the home. We used blue hues throughout, mirroring the palette in the details of the accessories and artwork. We balanced the deep shades in the kitchen with coastal grey quartz and honed Calacatta Marble backsplash, extending from the countertop to the ceiling. Filling the main space with comfortable furniture married with a collection of colors, textures, and patterns proved for cohesive balanced style. DATE COMPLETED – 2016 LOCATION – SEATTLE, WA PHOTOGRAPHY – JOHN GRANEN PHOTOGRAPHY

This custom residence exploits its southern exposure with a daylight basement that opens out to unencumbered mountain views. Interior finishes such as inlaid wood ceilings, Oklahoma sandstone masonry, and log wrapped steel columns, carry the ubiquitous natural tones of the site into the interior with a refined touch. Designed by Ward+Blake Architects in Jackson, Wyoming. Photo Credit: Douglas Kahn

This custom residence exploits its southern exposure with a daylight basement that opens out to unencumbered mountain views. Interior finishes such as inlaid wood ceilings, Oklahoma sandstone masonry, and log wrapped steel columns, carry the ubiquitous natural tones of the site into the interior with a refined touch. Designed by Ward+Blake Architects in Jackson, Wyoming. Photo Credit: Douglas Kahn

Steve Lazar's newest project, a six-bedroom residence built on a hillside peak of 30th Street in Hermosa Beach for design+build by South Swell, is a study in the functional exploitation of lot size and surrounding beauty. That, and an evolution of the designer’s singular style. Modernist in its veins, the new home has the earmarks of a Lazar design inside and out. There’s a hint of lifeguard tower in its exterior, though more muted than visible in his past projects, mainly due to a ring of rusticated wood cladding swathed around its mid-section. Other signifiers are there, too, from a row of high-perched observation windows to a slightly raised metal hip roof of soft blue. Jutting out slightly over the home, its underside dressed in tidy shiplap, the roof contrasts smartly against the clean white stucco and earthy wood of the lower levels. In all, it’s still clean-cut Lazar, but more organic than sleek. “I use a lot of the same ideas,” says Lazar, standing outside the structure while craftsmen and workers buzz around, putting finishing touches on the place. “ “I have a signature vocabulary, but I adapt it with each custom home to meet a client’s needs and maximize the particulars of that space.” Thoughtfully designed by Steve Lazar design+build by South Swell. designbuildbysouthswell.com Photography by Joel Silva.

This custom residence exploits its southern exposure with a daylight basement that opens out to unencumbered mountain views. Interior finishes such as inlaid wood ceilings, Oklahoma sandstone masonry, and log wrapped steel columns, carry the ubiquitous natural tones of the site into the interior with a refined touch. Designed by Ward+Blake Architects in Jackson, Wyoming. Photo Credit: Douglas Kahn

The goal for this mid-century home was to exploit the best features of the property, taking advantage of views, the dramatic light, the potential for an incredible indoor-outdoor experience and the mid-century bones of the house. When we first visited the property, I was struck by the potential for a beautiful mountain view that was currently cut off by a low ceiling height in the main living area. Raising the roof of the main living area became the largest gesture in our scope of work. The former chopped-up side entry and tiny kitchen were combined to make a long, generous kitchen and built-in banquette. The original rhombus-shaped pool was kept, restored and lined with Ann Sacks tiles. In the center of the action, we conceived a large floating desk surface suspended from a black metal screen to define the space and allow filtered light and views to pass between. The clients were drawn to clean lines, pared-down details and highly disciplined palettes of white, grey and matte black. We generally opted for deep, muted colors balanced with crisp white, adding textures to create patterns with the shifting daylight throughout the house. This soothing collection of finishes playing with light and shadow would achieve a peaceful and elegant home that would stand the test of time and honor the landscape of the surrounding area. ​ Photography: Douglas Friedman

Located on a marsh in the upper reaches of the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, the existing house was well-sited and well-built, but the design failed to exploit the views and more importantly was a confused combination of contemporary and traditional elements. The new homeowners, a successful businesswoman and an accomplished artist and photographer, were interested in creating a fully-contemporary environment to open up space, connect indoors with outdoors, display artwork and showcase the husband’s distinctive photographs. One glaring deficiency was the curb appeal and approach sequence: the grade sloped down and the path to the house followed, but this led to an uncomfortable dip and abrupt rise to the front door. By creating a virtual “moat,” occupied by a grid of raised-bed grasses contained in aluminum-clad boxes, and spanning the moat with an ipe bridge, the approach becomes level and engaging. The façade of the existing house was blank and bland, and with no cover. Adding a deep overhang with a wide porch creates a welcoming, covered condition, accentuated by a 6’ wide pivoting front door that feels more like a moving piece of wall. Another deficiency was the connection to the outdoors. By adding glass to the front and back of the house, and removing interior walls selectively, the house takes on a diaphanous quality that allows one to see through to the marsh beyond, even when in the driveway. The raised-bed grasses act as abstract, geometric versions of the marsh beyond. A large, pyramidal skylight establishes a spatial hierarchy around which the rooms revolve. The house featured several tray-ceilinged spaces – living room, kitchen, and master bedroom – that were poorly-proportioned and with panels at the top that resembled inset flat panel doors. The solution was to use a different strategy for each: the bedroom turns the ceiling into an eggshell through the use of a creative trim detail; the living room has an oversized sculptural, backlit lighting element; and the kitchen has a collage of painted rectangular forms that support or include lighting pieces. A palette of concrete, blackened steel, stainless steel and colors carefully chosen by homeowner and architect create an interior and exterior environment punctuated by moments that are as artistic as the featured works in the black-ceilinged gallery.

Located on a marsh in the upper reaches of the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, the existing house was well-sited and well-built, but the design failed to exploit the views and more importantly was a confused combination of contemporary and traditional elements. The new homeowners, a successful businesswoman and an accomplished artist and photographer, were interested in creating a fully-contemporary environment to open up space, connect indoors with outdoors, display artwork and showcase the husband’s distinctive photographs. One glaring deficiency was the curb appeal and approach sequence: the grade sloped down and the path to the house followed, but this led to an uncomfortable dip and abrupt rise to the front door. By creating a virtual “moat,” occupied by a grid of raised-bed grasses contained in aluminum-clad boxes, and spanning the moat with an ipe bridge, the approach becomes level and engaging. The façade of the existing house was blank and bland, and with no cover. Adding a deep overhang with a wide porch creates a welcoming, covered condition, accentuated by a 6’ wide pivoting front door that feels more like a moving piece of wall. Another deficiency was the connection to the outdoors. By adding glass to the front and back of the house, and removing interior walls selectively, the house takes on a diaphanous quality that allows one to see through to the marsh beyond, even when in the driveway. The raised-bed grasses act as abstract, geometric versions of the marsh beyond. A large, pyramidal skylight establishes a spatial hierarchy around which the rooms revolve. The house featured several tray-ceilinged spaces – living room, kitchen, and master bedroom – that were poorly-proportioned and with panels at the top that resembled inset flat panel doors. The solution was to use a different strategy for each: the bedroom turns the ceiling into an eggshell through the use of a creative trim detail; the living room has an oversized sculptural, backlit lighting element; and the kitchen has a collage of painted rectangular forms that support or include lighting pieces. A palette of concrete, blackened steel, stainless steel and colors carefully chosen by homeowner and architect create an interior and exterior environment punctuated by moments that are as artistic as the featured works in the black-ceilinged gallery.

The goal for this mid-century home was to exploit the best features of the property, taking advantage of views, the dramatic light, the potential for an incredible indoor-outdoor experience and the mid-century bones of the house. When we first visited the property, I was struck by the potential for a beautiful mountain view that was currently cut off by a low ceiling height in the main living area. Raising the roof of the main living area became the largest gesture in our scope of work. The former chopped-up side entry and tiny kitchen were combined to make a long, generous kitchen and built-in banquette. The original rhombus-shaped pool was kept, restored and lined with Ann Sacks tiles. In the center of the action, we conceived a large floating desk surface suspended from a black metal screen to define the space and allow filtered light and views to pass between. The clients were drawn to clean lines, pared-down details and highly disciplined palettes of white, grey and matte black. We generally opted for deep, muted colors balanced with crisp white, adding textures to create patterns with the shifting daylight throughout the house. This soothing collection of finishes playing with light and shadow would achieve a peaceful and elegant home that would stand the test of time and honor the landscape of the surrounding area. ​ Photography: Douglas Friedman

Large maple vanities are positioned to exploit the light and view. Joe Elario Photography
Bathroom - mid-sized modern master beige tile ceramic tile bathroom idea in Boston with shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, beige walls, an undermount sink and quartzite countertops

DESIGN + INNOVATION: Award of Excellence PROJECT: RE_FAB Mobile Fabrication Lab CLIENT: Ford College Community Challenge and Project RE_ ARCHITECTURE FIRM: Urban Design Build Studio CONTRACTORS: Urban Design Build Studio PHOTOGRAPHER: Urban Design Build Studio DESCRIPTION: RE_FAB is a mobile fabrication lab that functions as an educational and digital fabrication tool with the capacity to serve schools, facilities, and communities. The project is designed to exploit and celebrate the potentials of the tools that it houses, and will house (full size CNC router, laser cutter, vacuum former, digital spatial scanner, and a 3D printer) and was funded by grants from two corporations interested in architecture community outreach projects. JURY COMMENTS: This is a project that every jury member unanimously loved. Every aspect of its problem-solving design seemed smart and responsive, and it is those responses that resulted in a design that is both innovative and legible to what its function is intended to serve. Why is there not one of these in my neighborhood?

Located on a marsh in the upper reaches of the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, the existing house was well-sited and well-built, but the design failed to exploit the views and more importantly was a confused combination of contemporary and traditional elements. The new homeowners, a successful businesswoman and an accomplished artist and photographer, were interested in creating a fully-contemporary environment to open up space, connect indoors with outdoors, display artwork and showcase the husband’s distinctive photographs. One glaring deficiency was the curb appeal and approach sequence: the grade sloped down and the path to the house followed, but this led to an uncomfortable dip and abrupt rise to the front door. By creating a virtual “moat,” occupied by a grid of raised-bed grasses contained in aluminum-clad boxes, and spanning the moat with an ipe bridge, the approach becomes level and engaging. The façade of the existing house was blank and bland, and with no cover. Adding a deep overhang with a wide porch creates a welcoming, covered condition, accentuated by a 6’ wide pivoting front door that feels more like a moving piece of wall. Another deficiency was the connection to the outdoors. By adding glass to the front and back of the house, and removing interior walls selectively, the house takes on a diaphanous quality that allows one to see through to the marsh beyond, even when in the driveway. The raised-bed grasses act as abstract, geometric versions of the marsh beyond. A large, pyramidal skylight establishes a spatial hierarchy around which the rooms revolve. The house featured several tray-ceilinged spaces – living room, kitchen, and master bedroom – that were poorly-proportioned and with panels at the top that resembled inset flat panel doors. The solution was to use a different strategy for each: the bedroom turns the ceiling into an eggshell through the use of a creative trim detail; the living room has an oversized sculptural, backlit lighting element; and the kitchen has a collage of painted rectangular forms that support or include lighting pieces. A palette of concrete, blackened steel, stainless steel and colors carefully chosen by homeowner and architect create an interior and exterior environment punctuated by moments that are as artistic as the featured works in the black-ceilinged gallery.

Make a dream of your world Unico is an amazing new collection reborn from the traditional Provençal Tile. Angelo Marchesi’s idea was to re-propose the antique size exploiting the most modern technologies used for the biggest sizes in ceramic. The result is a collection of unbelievable aesthetical innovation. The echo of the ancient style becomes wider and wider and finds a new strong expression, and becomes almost honiric suggestion.

Nestled amidst a neighborhood of single story bungalows in Venice, California, the Solar Umbrella Residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41’ wide x 100’-0” long through lot, the Solar Umbrella addition transforms the architects’ existing 650 square foot bungalow into a 1900 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century. Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella provides a contemporary reinvention of the solar canopy—a strategy that provides thermal protection in climates with intense exposures. In establishing the program for their residence, which accommodates the couple and their one child chose to integrate into the design, principles of sustainability that they strive to achieve in their own practice. The architects carefully considered the entire site, taking advantage of as many opportunities for sustainable living as possible. Passive and active solar design strategies render the residence 100% energy neutral. Recycled, renewable, and high performance materials and products are specified throughout. Hardscape and landscape treatments are considered for their aesthetic and actual impact on the land. The Brooks Scarpa Residence elegantly crafts each of these strategies and materials, exploiting the potential for performance and sensibility while achieving a rich and interesting sensory and aesthetic experience.

Nestled amidst a neighborhood of single story bungalows in Venice, California, the Solar Umbrella Residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41’ wide x 100’-0” long through lot, the Solar Umbrella addition transforms the architects’ existing 650 square foot bungalow into a 1900 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century. Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella provides a contemporary reinvention of the solar canopy—a strategy that provides thermal protection in climates with intense exposures. In establishing the program for their residence, which accommodates the couple and their one child chose to integrate into the design, principles of sustainability that they strive to achieve in their own practice. The architects carefully considered the entire site, taking advantage of as many opportunities for sustainable living as possible. Passive and active solar design strategies render the residence 100% energy neutral. Recycled, renewable, and high performance materials and products are specified throughout. Hardscape and landscape treatments are considered for their aesthetic and actual impact on the land. The Brooks Scarpa Residence elegantly crafts each of these strategies and materials, exploiting the potential for performance and sensibility while achieving a rich and interesting sensory and aesthetic experience.

Nestled amidst a neighborhood of single story bungalows in Venice, California, the Solar Umbrella Residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41’ wide x 100’-0” long through lot, the Solar Umbrella addition transforms the architects’ existing 650 square foot bungalow into a 1900 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century. Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella provides a contemporary reinvention of the solar canopy—a strategy that provides thermal protection in climates with intense exposures. In establishing the program for their residence, which accommodates the couple and their one child chose to integrate into the design, principles of sustainability that they strive to achieve in their own practice. The architects carefully considered the entire site, taking advantage of as many opportunities for sustainable living as possible. Passive and active solar design strategies render the residence 100% energy neutral. Recycled, renewable, and high performance materials and products are specified throughout. Hardscape and landscape treatments are considered for their aesthetic and actual impact on the land. The Brooks Scarpa Residence elegantly crafts each of these strategies and materials, exploiting the potential for performance and sensibility while achieving a rich and interesting sensory and aesthetic experience.

A dysfunctional layout on the main floor included a tiny kitchen and dining room, both of which were disproportionate with other rooms in this sprawling five bedroom home. The spatial constraints didn’t allow for large gatherings nor was the kitchen remotely functional. The removal of several interior walls, along with opening door entries to their maximum heights and widths provide greater flow and a more inviting atmosphere. Views to the garden were exploited by replacing one small window with a thirteen foot linear window in the kitchen. Other windows were transformed into exterior doors for easy access to the large terrace leading to a swimming pool during summer months. The kitchen is a luminous sanctuary, combining a serene palette of muted grey cabinetry and marbled quartz counters. Panels of white oak maintain minimal lines while concealing an abundance of storage. The former dining room gave way to a more casual experience, with a custom built-in banquette spanning the width of the kitchen. Continuing the oak floors from the living room into the kitchen, creates a visual flow that was integral to the open concept of the main floor.

A dysfunctional layout on the main floor included a tiny kitchen and dining room, both of which were disproportionate with other rooms in this sprawling five bedroom home. The spatial constraints didn’t allow for large gatherings nor was the kitchen remotely functional. The removal of several interior walls, along with opening door entries to their maximum heights and widths provide greater flow and a more inviting atmosphere. Views to the garden were exploited by replacing one small window with a thirteen foot linear window in the kitchen. Other windows were transformed into exterior doors for easy access to the large terrace leading to a swimming pool during summer months. The kitchen is a luminous sanctuary, combining a serene palette of muted grey cabinetry and marbled quartz counters. Panels of white oak maintain minimal lines while concealing an abundance of storage. The former dining room gave way to a more casual experience, with a custom built-in banquette spanning the width of the kitchen. Continuing the oak floors from the living room into the kitchen, creates a visual flow that was integral to the open concept of the main floor.

A dysfunctional layout on the main floor included a tiny kitchen and dining room, both of which were disproportionate with other rooms in this sprawling five bedroom home. The spatial constraints didn’t allow for large gatherings nor was the kitchen remotely functional. The removal of several interior walls, along with opening door entries to their maximum heights and widths provide greater flow and a more inviting atmosphere. Views to the garden were exploited by replacing one small window with a thirteen foot linear window in the kitchen. Other windows were transformed into exterior doors for easy access to the large terrace leading to a swimming pool during summer months. The kitchen is a luminous sanctuary, combining a serene palette of muted grey cabinetry and marbled quartz counters. Panels of white oak maintain minimal lines while concealing an abundance of storage. The former dining room gave way to a more casual experience, with a custom built-in banquette spanning the width of the kitchen. Continuing the oak floors from the living room into the kitchen, creates a visual flow that was integral to the open concept of the main floor.