Trendy open concept medium tone wood floor family room photo in Austin with a corner fireplace and a media wall

J. Savage Gibson
Elegant dark wood floor eat-in kitchen photo with open cabinets, paneled appliances, an island and a farmhouse sink

The new backyard is perfect for entertaining large groups, hosting intimate dinners, or relaxing. Birdhouses and plants line the new space and a pergola shades a table for al fresco dining. A pass-through into the basement allows guests to pull a stool right up to the bar.

A full, custom kitchen remodel turned a once-dated and awkward layout into a spacious modern farmhouse kitchen with crisp black and white contrast, double islands, a walk-in pantry and ample storage.

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

Example of a trendy wooden staircase design in Dallas with white walls and wooden risers

Brandon Stengel
Dining room - transitional medium tone wood floor dining room idea in Minneapolis with blue walls and no fireplace

In the kitchen we exposed the previously hidden original brick walls by eliminating the upper storage and swapping with chunky shelves that wrap the brick. Additional lighting onto the texture of the exposed brick brings the architecture back into the space and provides a nice contrast to the sleek slab doors. We created placement for dish storage by adding a wall of shallow drawers underneath with peg organizers. We extended the island to provide additional seating and more space for baking.

Tre Dunham
Inspiration for a cottage l-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Austin with raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, beige backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Chadsworth provided (16) - 16" x 9' PolyStone® composite columns for this residence in Greenwich, Connecticut. Photos Courtesy of: Mr. Foster Lyons (Coastal Point Development, LLC)

Sandi Lanigan Interiors Beck Photography
Mid-sized elegant master white tile and porcelain tile alcove bathtub photo in Boston with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, gray walls and a hinged shower door

A visually sumptuous idea book, showcasing an eclectic array of interior design possibilities using salvaged goods. Following up on her celebrated first Salvage Secrets book, which Fine Homebuilding called “An invaluable first step in the salvage-for-design journey,” here salvage design guru Joanne Palmisano takes readers further, exploring a wealth of smaller-scale interior design and decor concepts. Bottle caps turned into a kitchen backsplash, old bed springs reinvented as candle holders, and a recycled shipping container-turned-guesthouse are just a few examples of the innovative repurposing of second-hand items that readers will discover. From retro and modern to classic, “cottage,” and urban chic, Palmisano takes readers on a sumptuous visual journey featuring unique salvage ideas in an eclectic array of styles, for every room in the house—kitchens and dining rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms, living rooms and dens, and entryways and outdoor areas. The journey continues with a sampling of cutting-edge retail spaces, hotels, cafes, and boutiques across the country that incorporate salvage into their designs, such as Industrie Denim in San Francisco, Stowe Mountain Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, and Rejuvenation in Portland. Profiles of thirteen “salvage success stories” are also included, showcasing the imaginative designs of creative homeowners. And lastly, fourteen easy, do-it-yourself projects are included at the back of the book (with step-by-step instructions), not to mention a comprehensive “Where to Find Salvage” resource section. Packed with over 350 color photos, Salvage Secrets Design & Decor offers a trove of salvage ideas to inspire, proving that you need look no further than your local rebuild center, architectural salvage shop, or flea market to transform your living space. Susan Teare Photography Book: Salvage Secrets Design & Décor Kitchen Design: Jane Coslick

Example of a transitional kitchen design in Los Angeles

BC&J Architecture designed a floating home that is now located at its permanent location on the Willamette River in Portland. The home was constructed at a Marina an hour from the final home location. Upon completion, the home was floated up the Willamette River to the current site. The homeowners were looking for a river side, cottage style house well suited to entertaining. At 2,100 square feet, the home has an open floor plan with a large kitchen opening to a dining room and the living room with views onto the river. Upstairs, the master bedroom extends toward the river under a large centered dormer. On the opposite side of the master bedroom is a bonus room under a symmetrical dormer that will serve as guest quarters when adult children and grandchildren visit.

Photography by Trent Bell
Huge trendy l-shaped beige floor open concept kitchen photo in Las Vegas with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, two islands and white countertops

Pool pavillion
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional backyard concrete paver patio remodel in New York with a gazebo

Enclosed dining room - small contemporary carpeted and beige floor enclosed dining room idea in Seattle with beige walls and no fireplace

Michael Jacobs
Mid-sized elegant backyard stone patio photo in St Louis with no cover

nat rea
Inspiration for a coastal freestanding desk medium tone wood floor home office remodel in Providence with blue walls