This is a hard working dining room that gets used everyday and is now a part of an open space plan. We removed the wall between the kitchen and the living room to open up the space and to bring more natural light into the space. The family hosts many gatherings including children, so the best option was to create a dining space with benches, so we could fit as many kids around the table as possible. We refinished the dining table in a dark stain to match the legs of the benches and upholstered dining chairs. A custom built-in buffet was designed to house extra plates, party platters, and glasses. It also includes a hidden charging station for iphones, iPods, and iMacs. The beautiful china was purchased in Italy during the home owner's travels.

Designed by Jen Denham of Reico Kitchen & Bath in White Plains, MD in collaboration with Potomac LLC, this kitchen remodeling project features a transitional style inspired design with Merillat Masterpiece cabinets in the door style Martel in the finish Evercore Rainfall. The kitchen countertops are Cambria Torquay. The kitchen also includes Roma Splendor Keystone Blend tile, Adex Habitat Leaf Glossy tile and 12x24 Nashville Nord Cement tile. “The clients were a joy to work with! They were able to roll with the process during all the issues and delays with Covid and were gracious and kind when everything was finished. They were so full of inspiration and were not afraid of color. They wanted to incorporate their favorite shades of green into each aspect of the kitchen,” said Jen. “We tried to open up the kitchen as much as possible and allow a bit more counter and storage space. A nice feature was being able to take the cabinets up to the ceiling to give more storage. Adding accessories like roll outs, a utensil pull out by the stove and a mixer lift up brought the extra storage needed.” Photos courtesy of BTW Images.

This opulent, newly constructed four-bedroom, three and a half bath residence is situated on a sprawling 1-acre lot within an exclusive gated community. Boasting an elegant exterior of four-sided brick complemented by white-washed stone accents, this home features numerous spacious living areas, each graced by a cozy fireplace and seamlessly connected to the open-concept kitchen. The shared spaces are adorned with exquisite site-finished hardwood flooring and adorned with wood-beamed ceilings, creating a warm and inviting ambiance throughout. The impeccably designed kitchen features custom white cabinetry adorned with brushed gold hardware, stunning quartz countertops that seamlessly extend up the backsplash, a truly breathtaking Waterfall Kitchen Center Island, and top-of-the-line KitchenAid stainless steel appliances, including a separate gas cooktop and a convenient pot-filler. A striking office is conveniently situated just off the entry foyer, exuding an elevated sense of style with its Board and Batten walls and upgraded lighting. Whether you prefer to unwind in the expansive screened-in porch with its elegant flagstone flooring, brick fireplace, and charming tongue-and-groove ceiling, which overlooks the spacious backyard, or relax on the front porch with similar high-quality finishes, you'll find outdoor living at its finest. The main level hosts the primary suite, featuring hardwood flooring, a wood-beamed ceiling, and a walk-in closet equipped with custom shelving for optimal organization. The primary spa retreat offers a luxurious standing tub, a beautifully tiled shower, and double vanities complemented by a quartz countertop tower. Upstairs, you'll discover three more bedrooms, including a guest suite with its private bathroom, as well as two additional bedrooms connected by a convenient Jack and Jill bathroom. The upper level also boasts a generously sized bonus room, adding extra flexibility and living space to this exceptional home. This residence radiates elegant detailing and offers limitless possibilities to accommodate today's lifestyles. The partially finished Terrace Level is graced by a double-sided fireplace, and the builder has thoughtfully included all HVAC, electrical, drywall, and rough plumbing required for a full bathroom and powder room. The property's landscape is professionally designed and features an underground irrigation system to ensure the grounds remain beautifully maintained.

Mid-sized beach style master gray tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile and gray floor shower curtain photo in Minneapolis with shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a drop-in sink, quartz countertops, white countertops and gray walls

[Armstrong Laminate - Illusions] Crystal clear visuals that look and feel like hardwood or stone, plus a surface that resists scratches, stains, dents and moisture. Laminate flooring makes it all possible on a practical budget. Choose from countless traditional, rustic or modern styles, perfect for any room in your home – even your walls! Over their 40-year history of selling top quality floor coverings, Sarmazian Bros. Ltd.'s reputation for high caliber products and service is continually being enhanced by the testimonials of its customers. As a family-owned business, the Sarmazian brothers and their staff pride themselves on the ability to provide the best end-to-end purchasing experience in the market. New flooring is the foundation of personal expression in any home; at the same time, it is one of the most costly investments. This is why Sarmazian's takes the extra time to supply the expert knowledge, exceptional pricing, and professional installation enabling to transfer optimum satisfaction to the customer. Sarmazian's award winning showrooms allow the imagination to go wild. The spacious design and interactive layouts let customers browse, touch, and feel the extensive selection of merchandise in a friendly relaxed atmosphere. Because Sarmazian Bros. deals directly with the manufacturers and installers we offer quicker service, better support, and pass on the savings directly to you, the customer.

Skovby SM 23 dining table with a unique design and patented function. A smaller version of the Skovby #24 dining table with the same design and functionality. Can easily be extended from 4 to 12 seatings Underneath the table top 3 veneered extension leaves are stored – furthermore it is possible to buy 1 extra leaf. Extension leaves for solid top also veneered.

In this 2024 build, our clients wanted a bathroom reimagined for easy access in and out of the shower, with thoughtful features like safety bars, a Toto toilet, and a seamless design to last for years to come. We ensured the space was not only aesthetically pleasing but also incredibly functional, incorporating modern fixtures and finishes that meet their evolving needs. Another feature of this remodel is the heated towel rack, providing extra comfort and luxury. The sleek, wall-mounted faucets and double sinks add a contemporary touch, while glass shower has a wide opening making it easy to access - this thoughtful design makes it both beautiful and practical. We also included custom cabinetry in a natural wood finish, adding warmth and storage without compromising the clean, modern aesthetic. Our goal is to create spaces that support our clients' desires to live in their homes for as long as possible, combining style with essential functionality. If you’re looking to update your home, whether for aging in place, accessibility improvements, a growing family, or just a much-needed refresh, we’re here to discuss your options. Contact us today to start your transformation!

The living room furniture wasn’t doing our clients any favours. The comfort they once sought in the room had turned to lethargy, and they wanted to liven things up. (When the sag in your sofa turns you into a human burrito, it’s time to let go.) Before we brought in the new, however, we wanted to focus on functionality. How was the space going to be used? Our clients love to host casual get togethers with family and friends, and they love a family movie night, so we knew ample seating was a must-have. We also wanted to make the living room feel as big as it actually is. Something to note: Let your furniture breathe! Allow for plenty of clearance between your furniture; don’t fill up your space with furniture just because the space allows for it. We got rid of the bookshelf and console table behind the sofa, which opened up the space for entertaining or for movie nights. Our clients now have room for a Christmas tree in the corner! Now the space is modern, purposeful, and oh so cozy! We stopped at nothing to make this living room feel as inviting as possible. The detailed tile in the fireplace, the textures in the accessories and pillows, and the various wood tones all work together to create comfort and style. And please don’t worry about mixing wood tones. When done with the right balance, the different shades will add warmth and depth to any space. Ottomans are the perfect way to maximize seating and comfort. They can be used for extra seating or pulled over to a sofa to rest the legs for maximum lounging. Now that there’s plenty of clearance between the cocktail table and sofas, our clients have the space to move these versatile pieces around. Thank you for visiting! We’re always honoured to share our transformed and updated homes! We hope you love this cozy living room as much as our clients do. If you have any questions about this project, feel free to ask us in the Comments below!

These original owners have lived in this home since 2005. They wanted to finish their unused 3rd floor and add value to their home. They are an active family so it seemed fitting to create an in-home gym with a sauna! We also wanted to incorporate a storage closet for Christmas decorations and such. To make this space as energy efficient as possible we added spray foam. Their current HVAC could not handle the extra load, so we installed a mini-split system. There is a large unfinished storage closet as well as a knee wall storage access compartment. The 451 sqft attic now has Rosemary 9” width Ridge Core Waterproof planks on the main floor with a custom carpeted staircase. After a long workout, these homeowners are happy to take a break in their new built-in sauna. Who could blame them!? Even their kids partake in the exercise space and sauna. We are thankful to be able to serve this amazing family.

This proposal is for a new two-story home on the vacant heavily wooded lot with an existing 150-foot-long driveway lined by several beautiful oak trees culminating in a behemoth 43-inch oak tree where the driveway meets the main lot. The far end of the driveway terminates in a grove of three 43/40/43-inch redwoods and at the very center of the vacant lot stands a gargantuan V-twin 59-inch redwood tree paired with a “small” 29-inch redwood tree. The owners want to build a beautiful contemporary-styled home for their family that fully enjoys and embraces the mature trees on their cozy 65-foot by 100-foot lot. As with all small, constrained lots, this project’s site design started first with meeting the relatively large parking and car maneuvering requirements. Menlo Park’s Department of Transportation typically requires side-facing garages to have 24-feet of backup space. So that they could give the largest feature redwood tree on site an added four feet (50%) of clearance outside of its critical root zone, the owners agreed to install a vehicle turntable at the end of their driveway to eliminate the extra four feet of space needed to back up and turnaround. This allowed them to pull their garage forward an additional four feet towards the front property line on the panhandle side, drastically reducing the rest of the home’s impact on the gargantuan V-Twin paired redwood tree at the center of the lot. One of the owners has mobility issues, and accordingly, they first sought to design a one-story floor plan that incorporated all their family’s needs including plenty of covered patio and deck space to enjoy our fantastic California weather. But that single-story footprint spread too far into the critical root zones of several of the redwood trees on site, even despite the use of the vehicle turntable. During my interview process with the owners, they made it clear to me that one of their primary concerns is ensuring that the largest trees on site would thrive and become features of their new home after construction is complete. The single-story designs that removed the grove of three huge redwood trees were non-starters, as was the skimpy 5x10 master bath I designed when trying to squeeze the whole house program into an overly compromised single-story design. It was therefore deemed necessary to go with a two-story design despite the owner’s mobility issues. This two-story design has a much more compact ground floor footprint and has no bedrooms downstairs, other than the detached ADU. The owners must give up the floor area and incur the costs to install a residential elevator to access their upstairs master suite. Our ground floor footprint is smaller due to the two-story design decision, and our foundation is pulled away from the trees thanks to the vehicle turntable. Yet, a tiny portion of the home’s ground floor footprint still encroaches into the critical root zones of the largest 59” redwood tree. Therefore, as outlined in the Arborist Report prepared by Aesculus Arboricultural Consulting, the structural engineers are incorporating an array of drilled piers and shallow-grade beams for the main home’s foundation and deck area nearest the redwood’s critical root zone. This drilled piers and grade beam foundation is a type of “bridging” foundation as outlined in Aesculus’ report to preserve the health of these trees that the property was designed around. The rest of the foundation will be constructed as an insulated slab-on-grade foundation to minimize the number of steps and ramps needed for the owners to enjoy their home and patio areas. Despite the owner’s desire to keep as many trees as possible on site, and despite the smaller ground floor footprint and the advantage of the vehicle turntable, the need for a 20x20-foot garage and 20x20/25-foot guest parking space on our panhandle lot requires the removal of two heritage trees in the required driveway, a 16” coast redwood, and a 17” coast redwood. An alternate design, such as swapping the garage and guest parking locations north-to-south, still requires the removal of these two trees for vehicle maneuvering but has the added disadvantage of cutting off the home’s sightlines to the behemoth 43” oak tree just outside the currently proposed front patio space and living room. Jim Redman of Elements Landscape is proposing 13 new trees be planted on site to replace the lost value of these two heritage coast redwood trees. This contemporary architectural design features clean lines, and an abundance of full-height windows and large skylights to best take in the immense trees on site. To blend in with the forest-like setting, the home boasts a mix of rich textures and features a color palette of natural wood tones contrasted with dark blue and black. Once through the new steel gate at the street and down the 150-foot tree-lined driveway, a large covered front patio becomes visible past the neighbor’s detached accessory structure. The covered patio is just across the driveway from the beautiful 43” behemoth coast live oak. The single plane of the covered patio roof is delicately supported by a pair of steel posts in a “V-twin” configuration much like the largest redwood trees that tower over the center of the lot and will still be visible above the new two-story home, even from the front yard. The patio is covered in a dark-colored standing seam roof, with steel C-channel fascias, and tongue-and-groove wood ceiling planks on the underside. Generously sized skylights on the patio roof and inside the living area allow for impressive views of the amazing oak canopy as well as precious natural light. Supporting the sloped covered patio on the other side is the two-car garage with a secondary bedroom suite stacked above the garage. This two-story volume is to be clad in vertical clear-coated redwood siding, to tie in with the grove of three 43-inch redwood trees just beyond. The garage door, and the bank of windows for Bedroom#2 above feature a steel fascia eyebrow header feature to provide shade and overhang protection, as we are not proposing a large overhang at this “redwood trunk”. The garage and bedroom volume are pulled 16 feet away from the side property line, instead of the minimum required setback of 6’-6”, thus leaving plenty of room for the redwood grove and existing mature pear tree to continue to thrive. This existing mature green screen in this 16-foot-wide side yard is a feature worth soaking in, which is why tall windows with low sill heights are proposed for both the stairs and the upstairs hallway. Though it may be infrequent to approve side-facing 2nd floor windows with sill heights as low as what we’re proposing, we are confident that the mature green screen and the over 16-foot-wide side yard are sufficient to provide for the continued privacy of our neighbor’s rear yard space, especially considering theses windows are in walkway zones. The covered patio at the front entry is also bound by the 10-foot-tall living room. The great room is clad in a dark blue brick veneer, which wraps around all three sides of the living room. Upon entering the home from the covered patio, you are immediately greeted with one of the most impressive features of the home’s design: a 10-foot-tall by 24-foot-wide set of sliding glass doors. From the entry, this huge opening gives merely an initial glimpse of the massive trunks of the gargantuan V-twin redwoods sitting at the center of the lot. All three sliding glass panels open directly out into the smaller partially covered deck in the rear. This roof overhang element matches the design of the front patio with a steel C-channel fascia and a large skylight. But the rear deck’s roof element is set flat at a ten-foot ceiling height so that the living room’s ceiling seems to float above and out beyond the expanse of full-height sliding doors, thus creating an indoor-outdoor living space that will feel much larger than the home’s actual footprint. This rear covered deck is smaller than the patio in the front and also has a mix of solid and open-slatted roofing to allow for more solar access for the relatively small amount of open sky available. The downstairs living room is open to the dining and kitchen areas, as well as the stair-and-elevator tower beyond. The stair tower is very open and glassy, and the stairs wind up and around the redwood-clad elevator tower. From certain perspectives in the 16-foot-wide side yard, it will almost seem as if the grove of three redwoods has a fourth tree that the house and the stairs were carefully built around. Other than the 3-foot-wide windows, the exterior walls of the stair tower, downstairs utility spaces, and Bedroom#3 above are finished in cement plaster, painted dark blue and black. The sloped roof over the stair-and-elevator tower continues cleanly over the area of upstairs Bedroom#3. This roof level is set by the side daylight plane and only yields an inside wall height of just under 6 feet in height. The owners are satisfied that the rest of this upstairs room has a nice vaulted ceiling to make up for the one short wall under the daylight plane. The rest of the ground floor adjacent to the stair tower consists of a small utility wing containing a half-bath, laundry, storage area, and an exterior alcove for the electric heat pump HVAC unit. This short wing also gives more accessible access to the rear yard deck, as well as a backdrop for an outdoor kitchen. The bright white stone backsplash for the outdoor kitchen provides contrast to the otherwise consistent use of cement plaster painted dark blue and black for the two-story wing closest to the detached ADU. Though Bedroom#3 is stacked directly above this small wing, it is relatively short to comply with the side daylight plane of this narrow lot. Still, to further help break up the scale of this wall, another steel fascia eyebrow element is set about 8 feet above the rear deck. The master suite sits centered above the ten-foot-tall great room. The master bedroom and its balcony, as well as the master bathtub area, have a commanding view of the central redwood trees and their impressive canopy, though the balcony is mostly recessed and should pose no privacy concerns to the neighbor’s rear yards. The master balcony parapet is clad in the same brick veneer continuing up from the living room below. A dark-painted metal rail makes up the rest of the open guardrail height. The entire length of the master balcony is comprised of 9-foot-tall sliding glass doors, but the area above the doors, as well as the area below the master bathroom windows, is accented with more redwood siding. The remainder of the master suite bathroom and walk-in closet is finished in cement plaster painted dark blue. The master bathroom has one side yard-facing window but will be frosted glass for both the owner’s and the neighbor’s privacy. The 2nd floor is capped under a simple gable roof design with one roof ridge and varying eave and rake overhangs depending on the 2nd-floor layout and solar orientation. Since these roof planes are quite difficult to see in the middle of the heavily wooded panhandle lot, we are proposing a white TPO roofing for these two upper roof planes as a more sustainable choice compared to more dark-colored roofing like the covered patios and detached ADU. The owners also wish to build a detached 292-square-foot Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) as an office and guest suite. For the ADU foundation to be situated outside the central redwood tree’s critical root zone, this relatively tiny structure takes advantage of the narrower 4-foot side and rear setbacks allowed for ADUs smaller than 800 square feet. The small L-shaped detached ADU frames a wonderful quasi-courtyard around the gargantuan V-twin redwoods at the center of the lot. The ADU shares a matching material palette consisting of cement plaster painted blue and black, vertical redwood siding and soffits, and thin brick veneer. The ADU also features large full-height windows. The only difference between the main home and the ADU material palette is that the roofing will be a dark composition shingle roofing since it will be quite visible from the master balcony.

Utilizing as much space as possible, the marble counter space acts as both an eating area and kitchen area. The counter space extends and acts as a storage area for the bar stools and holds extra cabinets underneath it.

Illusion 3-Door Buffet by Up Huppe Made in Canada The Illusion by Huppe is a modern wooden sideboard made of a white oak veneer and solid oak. The buffet is available in a natural, smoked, espresso, torrefied, aged or gray oak finish. The drawers and doors of the sideboard are able to close softly and quietly thanks to hidden, self-closing slow motion slides. The drawer interiors are made of Russian birch, which is treated and stained like the unit and then finished with a silky coating. Designed by Joel Dupras and manufactured in Canada by a passionate teams, this product ensures the highest build quality to prolong the life of this beautiful unit for as long as possible. The buffet is available in two sizes. Features: Designed by Joel Dupras Oak veneer structure available in a natural, smoked, espresso, torrefied, aged or gray oak finish Drawer interiors are treated and stained like the furniture and then finished with a silky coating The drawers feature self-closing slow motions slides Available in two versions: 3-door 2-drawer buffet or 4-door 2-drawer buffet An optional lacquered glass top is available (for the extra charge) The starting price is for the Illusion 3-Door 2-Drawer Buffet. Dimensions: 3-Door 2-Drawer Buffet: W60.4" x D19.2" x H30" 4-Door 2-Drawer Buffet: W72.4" x D19.2" x H30"

One of our Louisville clients showed her sister what we had done for her Great Room with our Personal Shopper Service, and her sister said, “Do they travel?” The answer is “Absolutely!” When we arrived in the Windy City, we were absolutely blown away by the view and were excited to put the finishing touches on this High Rise condo. We worked with the homeowner’s existing furniture pieces (sofa, club chairs, and media console with towers) and added personality with accent furniture, accessories, lighting, and artwork. We opened up the seating area and made their beautiful rug more visible by selecting a sleek glass-topped coffee table. Accessories in a range of metal tones complement the existing furniture and rug. Oil canisters in pewter tones look fantastic on the coffee table. We added this concrete base lamp with square shade in between the club chairs. The white marble-topped two-tiered side table breaks up the dark leather of the club chairs. The countertops in the small galley kitchen are a grey blue, so we pulled that color into living space by selecting these great nesting tables with a blue soapstone top. We topped it with a metal lamp and organic white vases to soften the edges. The hallway prints and this beautiful blue watercolor pull the colors from the living space into the Entry. The homeowner was not fond of the existing media cabinet, but not anymore! We accessorized with varying metal tones and lots of texture that bring interest to an otherwise generic furniture piece.  With limited space, we made the most of views by placing our favorite marble writing desk in the bay window. We plan to add upholstered arm chairs on either end that can serve as dining chairs or extra seating for the living area. The important thing is to keep that view as open as possible. A big thanks to our Chicago client for having us up there to make her condo more of a home. Maybe we should change our motto to “Have paint deck & measuring tape, Will Travel!” Enjoy!

This opulent, newly constructed four-bedroom, three and a half bath residence is situated on a sprawling 1-acre lot within an exclusive gated community. Boasting an elegant exterior of four-sided brick complemented by white-washed stone accents, this home features numerous spacious living areas, each graced by a cozy fireplace and seamlessly connected to the open-concept kitchen. The shared spaces are adorned with exquisite site-finished hardwood flooring and adorned with wood-beamed ceilings, creating a warm and inviting ambiance throughout. The impeccably designed kitchen features custom white cabinetry adorned with brushed gold hardware, stunning quartz countertops that seamlessly extend up the backsplash, a truly breathtaking Waterfall Kitchen Center Island, and top-of-the-line KitchenAid stainless steel appliances, including a separate gas cooktop and a convenient pot-filler. A striking office is conveniently situated just off the entry foyer, exuding an elevated sense of style with its Board and Batten walls and upgraded lighting. Whether you prefer to unwind in the expansive screened-in porch with its elegant flagstone flooring, brick fireplace, and charming tongue-and-groove ceiling, which overlooks the spacious backyard, or relax on the front porch with similar high-quality finishes, you'll find outdoor living at its finest. The main level hosts the primary suite, featuring hardwood flooring, a wood-beamed ceiling, and a walk-in closet equipped with custom shelving for optimal organization. The primary spa retreat offers a luxurious standing tub, a beautifully tiled shower, and double vanities complemented by a quartz countertop tower. Upstairs, you'll discover three more bedrooms, including a guest suite with its private bathroom, as well as two additional bedrooms connected by a convenient Jack and Jill bathroom. The upper level also boasts a generously sized bonus room, adding extra flexibility and living space to this exceptional home. This residence radiates elegant detailing and offers limitless possibilities to accommodate today's lifestyles. The partially finished Terrace Level is graced by a double-sided fireplace, and the builder has thoughtfully included all HVAC, electrical, drywall, and rough plumbing required for a full bathroom and powder room. The property's landscape is professionally designed and features an underground irrigation system to ensure the grounds remain beautifully maintained.

Solid Mahogany Exterior doors with two sidelights- Model: N-600 & N-100 Sidelight Door with oval glass Door size: 36” Sidelight size: From 11” sidelights threw 16” sidelights Glass type: Decorative Majestic Class Rough opening- Custom door size - Built to suit Wood Species: 100% Solid Brazilian Mahogany (no veneers) Door Thickness: 1 3/4" Jamb size: Custom jamb size. Call- 219-663-2279 for inquiries System is Pre-hung with Solid Mahogany Jambs, 2" Brick-molding, Adjustable Continuous Bronze Threshold, Our Pre-Hung Door Systems are "NOT" Kits! Shipped truly and completely pre-hung with hinges mortised to door and pre-installed in the Jamb for the easiest installation possible. This will save you Time and Money. No extra work needed for the carpenter. Ready to install into the doorway. Your Choice of Commercial Grade Ball-Bearing Hinge Color, Q-Lon compression Weather-stripping and Rubber Door Sweep. Lock Prep included. Left or Right Hand Door Swing. Single or Double Bored. 2 1/8" diameter hole(s), w/ 2 3/4" backset, 5 1/2" spread. Do you have an odd size? We can make a door that will fit your opening- call 210-663-2279 for detail

This proposal is for a new two-story home on the vacant heavily wooded lot with an existing 150-foot-long driveway lined by several beautiful oak trees culminating in a behemoth 43-inch oak tree where the driveway meets the main lot. The far end of the driveway terminates in a grove of three 43/40/43-inch redwoods and at the very center of the vacant lot stands a gargantuan V-twin 59-inch redwood tree paired with a “small” 29-inch redwood tree. The owners want to build a beautiful contemporary-styled home for their family that fully enjoys and embraces the mature trees on their cozy 65-foot by 100-foot lot. As with all small, constrained lots, this project’s site design started first with meeting the relatively large parking and car maneuvering requirements. Menlo Park’s Department of Transportation typically requires side-facing garages to have 24-feet of backup space. So that they could give the largest feature redwood tree on site an added four feet (50%) of clearance outside of its critical root zone, the owners agreed to install a vehicle turntable at the end of their driveway to eliminate the extra four feet of space needed to back up and turnaround. This allowed them to pull their garage forward an additional four feet towards the front property line on the panhandle side, drastically reducing the rest of the home’s impact on the gargantuan V-Twin paired redwood tree at the center of the lot. One of the owners has mobility issues, and accordingly, they first sought to design a one-story floor plan that incorporated all their family’s needs including plenty of covered patio and deck space to enjoy our fantastic California weather. But that single-story footprint spread too far into the critical root zones of several of the redwood trees on site, even despite the use of the vehicle turntable. During my interview process with the owners, they made it clear to me that one of their primary concerns is ensuring that the largest trees on site would thrive and become features of their new home after construction is complete. The single-story designs that removed the grove of three huge redwood trees were non-starters, as was the skimpy 5x10 master bath I designed when trying to squeeze the whole house program into an overly compromised single-story design. It was therefore deemed necessary to go with a two-story design despite the owner’s mobility issues. This two-story design has a much more compact ground floor footprint and has no bedrooms downstairs, other than the detached ADU. The owners must give up the floor area and incur the costs to install a residential elevator to access their upstairs master suite. Our ground floor footprint is smaller due to the two-story design decision, and our foundation is pulled away from the trees thanks to the vehicle turntable. Yet, a tiny portion of the home’s ground floor footprint still encroaches into the critical root zones of the largest 59” redwood tree. Therefore, as outlined in the Arborist Report prepared by Aesculus Arboricultural Consulting, the structural engineers are incorporating an array of drilled piers and shallow-grade beams for the main home’s foundation and deck area nearest the redwood’s critical root zone. This drilled piers and grade beam foundation is a type of “bridging” foundation as outlined in Aesculus’ report to preserve the health of these trees that the property was designed around. The rest of the foundation will be constructed as an insulated slab-on-grade foundation to minimize the number of steps and ramps needed for the owners to enjoy their home and patio areas. Despite the owner’s desire to keep as many trees as possible on site, and despite the smaller ground floor footprint and the advantage of the vehicle turntable, the need for a 20x20-foot garage and 20x20/25-foot guest parking space on our panhandle lot requires the removal of two heritage trees in the required driveway, a 16” coast redwood, and a 17” coast redwood. An alternate design, such as swapping the garage and guest parking locations north-to-south, still requires the removal of these two trees for vehicle maneuvering but has the added disadvantage of cutting off the home’s sightlines to the behemoth 43” oak tree just outside the currently proposed front patio space and living room. Jim Redman of Elements Landscape is proposing 13 new trees be planted on site to replace the lost value of these two heritage coast redwood trees. This contemporary architectural design features clean lines, and an abundance of full-height windows and large skylights to best take in the immense trees on site. To blend in with the forest-like setting, the home boasts a mix of rich textures and features a color palette of natural wood tones contrasted with dark blue and black. Once through the new steel gate at the street and down the 150-foot tree-lined driveway, a large covered front patio becomes visible past the neighbor’s detached accessory structure. The covered patio is just across the driveway from the beautiful 43” behemoth coast live oak. The single plane of the covered patio roof is delicately supported by a pair of steel posts in a “V-twin” configuration much like the largest redwood trees that tower over the center of the lot and will still be visible above the new two-story home, even from the front yard. The patio is covered in a dark-colored standing seam roof, with steel C-channel fascias, and tongue-and-groove wood ceiling planks on the underside. Generously sized skylights on the patio roof and inside the living area allow for impressive views of the amazing oak canopy as well as precious natural light. Supporting the sloped covered patio on the other side is the two-car garage with a secondary bedroom suite stacked above the garage. This two-story volume is to be clad in vertical clear-coated redwood siding, to tie in with the grove of three 43-inch redwood trees just beyond. The garage door, and the bank of windows for Bedroom#2 above feature a steel fascia eyebrow header feature to provide shade and overhang protection, as we are not proposing a large overhang at this “redwood trunk”. The garage and bedroom volume are pulled 16 feet away from the side property line, instead of the minimum required setback of 6’-6”, thus leaving plenty of room for the redwood grove and existing mature pear tree to continue to thrive. This existing mature green screen in this 16-foot-wide side yard is a feature worth soaking in, which is why tall windows with low sill heights are proposed for both the stairs and the upstairs hallway. Though it may be infrequent to approve side-facing 2nd floor windows with sill heights as low as what we’re proposing, we are confident that the mature green screen and the over 16-foot-wide side yard are sufficient to provide for the continued privacy of our neighbor’s rear yard space, especially considering theses windows are in walkway zones. The covered patio at the front entry is also bound by the 10-foot-tall living room. The great room is clad in a dark blue brick veneer, which wraps around all three sides of the living room. Upon entering the home from the covered patio, you are immediately greeted with one of the most impressive features of the home’s design: a 10-foot-tall by 24-foot-wide set of sliding glass doors. From the entry, this huge opening gives merely an initial glimpse of the massive trunks of the gargantuan V-twin redwoods sitting at the center of the lot. All three sliding glass panels open directly out into the smaller partially covered deck in the rear. This roof overhang element matches the design of the front patio with a steel C-channel fascia and a large skylight. But the rear deck’s roof element is set flat at a ten-foot ceiling height so that the living room’s ceiling seems to float above and out beyond the expanse of full-height sliding doors, thus creating an indoor-outdoor living space that will feel much larger than the home’s actual footprint. This rear covered deck is smaller than the patio in the front and also has a mix of solid and open-slatted roofing to allow for more solar access for the relatively small amount of open sky available. The downstairs living room is open to the dining and kitchen areas, as well as the stair-and-elevator tower beyond. The stair tower is very open and glassy, and the stairs wind up and around the redwood-clad elevator tower. From certain perspectives in the 16-foot-wide side yard, it will almost seem as if the grove of three redwoods has a fourth tree that the house and the stairs were carefully built around. Other than the 3-foot-wide windows, the exterior walls of the stair tower, downstairs utility spaces, and Bedroom#3 above are finished in cement plaster, painted dark blue and black. The sloped roof over the stair-and-elevator tower continues cleanly over the area of upstairs Bedroom#3. This roof level is set by the side daylight plane and only yields an inside wall height of just under 6 feet in height. The owners are satisfied that the rest of this upstairs room has a nice vaulted ceiling to make up for the one short wall under the daylight plane. The rest of the ground floor adjacent to the stair tower consists of a small utility wing containing a half-bath, laundry, storage area, and an exterior alcove for the electric heat pump HVAC unit. This short wing also gives more accessible access to the rear yard deck, as well as a backdrop for an outdoor kitchen. The bright white stone backsplash for the outdoor kitchen provides contrast to the otherwise consistent use of cement plaster painted dark blue and black for the two-story wing closest to the detached ADU. Though Bedroom#3 is stacked directly above this small wing, it is relatively short to comply with the side daylight plane of this narrow lot. Still, to further help break up the scale of this wall, another steel fascia eyebrow element is set about 8 feet above the rear deck. The master suite sits centered above the ten-foot-tall great room. The master bedroom and its balcony, as well as the master bathtub area, have a commanding view of the central redwood trees and their impressive canopy, though the balcony is mostly recessed and should pose no privacy concerns to the neighbor’s rear yards. The master balcony parapet is clad in the same brick veneer continuing up from the living room below. A dark-painted metal rail makes up the rest of the open guardrail height. The entire length of the master balcony is comprised of 9-foot-tall sliding glass doors, but the area above the doors, as well as the area below the master bathroom windows, is accented with more redwood siding. The remainder of the master suite bathroom and walk-in closet is finished in cement plaster painted dark blue. The master bathroom has one side yard-facing window but will be frosted glass for both the owner’s and the neighbor’s privacy. The 2nd floor is capped under a simple gable roof design with one roof ridge and varying eave and rake overhangs depending on the 2nd-floor layout and solar orientation. Since these roof planes are quite difficult to see in the middle of the heavily wooded panhandle lot, we are proposing a white TPO roofing for these two upper roof planes as a more sustainable choice compared to more dark-colored roofing like the covered patios and detached ADU. The owners also wish to build a detached 292-square-foot Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) as an office and guest suite. For the ADU foundation to be situated outside the central redwood tree’s critical root zone, this relatively tiny structure takes advantage of the narrower 4-foot side and rear setbacks allowed for ADUs smaller than 800 square feet. The small L-shaped detached ADU frames a wonderful quasi-courtyard around the gargantuan V-twin redwoods at the center of the lot. The ADU shares a matching material palette consisting of cement plaster painted blue and black, vertical redwood siding and soffits, and thin brick veneer. The ADU also features large full-height windows. The only difference between the main home and the ADU material palette is that the roofing will be a dark composition shingle roofing since it will be quite visible from the master balcony.

Catherine Buley, Rain Garden Nursery, LandscapeMakeover.biz, HTT&T. Another example of roof tiles laid in vertically to edge a garden, and separate sections. At another project Scott Buley did this at Om El Arab in Santa Ynez California to separate sunken Rain Garden Beds with Palm Trees and grass-like plantings from the higher surrounding lawns. In an arid environment this is a wonderful way to conserve water and put it to extra use adjacent to lawns. Running turf drain tiles to this lowered bed puts the water to use twice, and further filters any possible nitrate runoff, etc..

Le Chalet Vert's master bathroom features a his and hers vanity setup with extra storage space in an upper cabinet with drawers. You can use the "knee hole" gap between the two vanities for a dressing chair, or as a space to store a basket (a splash of white would blend beautifully into this room - imagine placing a light maple basket with white towels under the counter top). The floors, bathtub surround, and shower are all tile - in a soft color tone that compliments the "Comfort Gray" wall color.

This is the ultimate In-Home Lounge for chilling out in impressive style. The look is 'Current' utilizing our hi-tech shop machinery to mill the white satin painted wavy relief panels in 2 different scales. I wanted to create an upbeat atmosphere with the well balanced pattern mixed with Espresso stained Rift Cut Oak and polished glass. The peninsula bar houses extra storage as well as the Led lite hip-wall for the seating. Two TV's to give a "Night out" feel for good energy but not overpowering in size. For projects of this caliber Perlick stainless beer dispenser and appliances was the natural choice accented by a Kohler trough sink and Contemporary faucet. For added convenience there are 2 interior liquor drawers to replenish inventory. To help frame the space some paneling with subtle relief and up-lite LED display shelves. The bar stools where meant to be simple and as transparent as possible to not clutter the design.