This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Eli Chamberlin
Small trendy galley ceramic tile eat-in kitchen photo in Vancouver with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, stone tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Gut renovation of 1880's townhouse. New vertical circulation and dramatic rooftop skylight bring light deep in to the middle of the house. A new stair to roof and roof deck complete the light-filled vertical volume. Programmatically, the house was flipped: private spaces and bedrooms are on lower floors, and the open plan Living Room, Dining Room, and Kitchen is located on the 3rd floor to take advantage of the high ceiling and beautiful views. A new oversized front window on 3rd floor provides stunning views across New York Harbor to Lower Manhattan. The renovation also included many sustainable and resilient features, such as the mechanical systems were moved to the roof, radiant floor heating, triple glazed windows, reclaimed timber framing, and lots of daylighting. All photos: Lesley Unruh http://www.unruhphoto.com/

Bedroom - mid-sized country master carpeted and beige floor bedroom idea in Salt Lake City with white walls

Photo Credit: Lincoln Barbour Photo. Interior Design: Kim Hagstette, Maven Interiors. This media room was designed with all the bells and whistles (hidden). The dark walls, ceiling and motorized blackout draperies help set the tone. The television wall was custom designed to conceal all the speakers, subwoofer and AV equipment behind twisted felt panels. All the high definition sound comes through without any distraction from visual clutter. The wall was custom design by Maven Interiors and the custom felt textile is by Moufelt.

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This water fall is complete with a slab cut stone foot bridge. We even installed a LED light under the bridge so the light glows out from the water under the bridge. This pool has a Paramount PCC-2000 in-floor cleaner throughout the pool interior and ledges

Property marketed by Hudson Place Realty - Chic & contemporary 2 bedroom 2 bathroom with private Ipe’ deck & Freedom Tower views in Hoboken's landmark boutique building. Formerly a coconut warehouse, now an in demand visionary LEED GOLD certified building. With 1550 sq. ft. & floor to ceiling windows, this swanky south facing condo has it all; fantastic light, a sleek Italian Valcucine kitchen, Viking refrigerator, integrated Miele DW, Viking 6 burner range with fully vented hood, Viking wine cooler & tempered glass counters. Master suite with walk in closet & spa bath featuring imported Zen soaking tub, separate shower, linen closet, Duravit double sink & Lightolier sconces. Sonos music system, custom closets throughout, bamboo floors, planted green living roof with residents area featuring fabulous NYC & Hudson River views, filtered fresh air system, private storage & bike room. Concrete sub floors and Quiet Rock insulation for soundproofing. Absolutely ideal location, bordered on the western side by the newly established Garden Street Mews pedestrian area, parks, shopping, waterfront and all transportation. NYC bus at door & only 3 blocks to ferry. LEED certified GOLD building.

The residence on the third level of this live/work space is completely private. The large living room features a brick wall with a long linear fireplace and gray toned furniture with leather accents. The dining room features banquette seating with a custom table with built in leaves to extend the table for dinner parties. The kitchen also has the ability to grow with its custom one of a kind island including a pullout table. An ARDA for indoor living goes to Visbeen Architects, Inc. Designers: Visbeen Architects, Inc. with Vision Interiors by Visbeen From: East Grand Rapids, Michigan

A simple, but elegant renovation, creating an extra bedroom for a growing family. Stucco exterior, new front entry, expanded dormers, and spray foam insulation.

Tracii Wearne
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The topography of this large sprawling yard is highlighted with a dry creek bed flowing under a see through corridor of the house to the man made water feature/stream in the backyard.

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Katie Fiedler
Inspiration for a coastal gender-neutral light wood floor kids' room remodel in Charleston