This vacation residence located in a beautiful ocean community on the New England coast features high performance and creative use of space in a small package. ZED designed the simple, gable-roofed structure and proposed the Passive House standard. The resulting home consumes only one-tenth of the energy for heating compared to a similar new home built only to code requirements. Architecture | ZeroEnergy Design Construction | Aedi Construction Photos | Greg Premru Photography

photos: Matt Delphenich
Example of a trendy kitchen design in Boston with wood countertops, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets and stainless steel appliances

Vintage door entering the master bathroom.
Freestanding bathtub - large country master freestanding bathtub idea in Houston

This is a 50'' Orton Style Rumford Fireplace at my home in Oxford,CT. A Rumford Firplace is made with either a straight rear wall or a slanted one. The slanted ones are the better heaters and I just proved "the more efficient" as they do not have a bigger throat area than the straight variety. The book "The Forgotten Art of Building a Good Fireplace" written bu Vrest Orton in the late 60's descibes the slanted variety well and that is where they picked up the name. He did not invent them rather he wrote of what he witnessed as being nice enjoyable good heating Rumfords . It uses my self made damper and burns all winter long with the damper blade at only a 1-3/4'''' gap opening. This represents a throat area to fireplace opening area of 1 to 30 a achievement that recently left the top authority on Rumford Fireplaces in awe and disbelief as his straight backed Rumfords only get to a 1:20 ratio. Although he remained skeptical and wanting more explicit videos and refusing to sign a nondisclosure agreement, he wanted to know if I could do the same with his chosen styled Rumfords. With a large or small fire the damper stays fixed. Weather is a non issue, even foggy drizzly nights do not effect this fireplace. There are videos at FCasini on You Tube showing the 50'' burning along with my basement 36'' Orton which I did experimenting last winter . The basement [never used before] has no face, so I affixed a steel panel on it to see if it could burn at the same ratio as my 50'' which uses my self made 30 year old damper. Iinstead it has a custom vestal damper which I cut the front off as I occasionally do when the budget is limited. It burned good at a 1 to 26 ratio which is way above the 1/17 that Straight Back Rumfords normally do although their very best is 1/20 ..both of which depend on the use of the highly suggested Tee Pee Fire which will assist any fireplace in smoke evacuation due to solely emitting the smoke form the high end of the standing logs! Both of my fireplaces certainly can use this style fire but I enjoy the horizontal log cabin style because of the easy loading and longer lasting fire per load. This winter I am going to affix a glass panel to get a good look at the throat and inner breast chamber while the fireplace is burning. This will be done in my third [ also un faced like the basement] Rumford. This one uses an outside chimney that is about 18' tall, much shorter than the other two and not as warm an environment being the other two are interior chimneys. I am anxious to see if it will compete with a lesser draft ? I have been searching the patent data base and to date there is nothing close to even resemble the way I get these slanted fireplaces to pass the smoke through such a ridiculously thin throat which I call "The Gates Of Hell". The prototype is complete and installed into this fireplace which is in it's second year of performance testing and doing better than I expected, in fact before installing it last week I cleaned the throat and chimney and damper blade which hasn't been done in 6 years. This did help the performance a lot as the passage is so thin any build up greatly slows it down from the added viscosity ie flow drag. For those that don't understand the benefit of a 1:30 ratio it is half the loss of heated air up the chimney and results in a 50% increase in heat efficiency. This equals a 100% enjoyment factor for anyone whom takes fireplace burning seriously like have done and do for the past 30 years! The house doesn't get sucked cold!

Inspiration for a large coastal enclosed dark wood floor living room remodel in Portland with blue walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

Inspiration for a transitional eat-in kitchen remodel in Los Angeles

This Mid-Century home had been updated except for the kitchen and master bath. After a few years of being empty nesters, and with the neighborhood turning over drastically to infill property in the millions, this couple decided the time was right to update the last remaining rooms. Starting in the Kitchen Taking a dark, u-shaped kitchen out of the past and updating it for the future, was a dream come true for this family. They knew what they wanted in order to entertain their large extended family, which included their three kids; plus, his family, consisting of nine children, spouses, and now grandchildren. Requirements of an open space to hang out and help out, a banquet for food presentation without obstruction, bright and clean, easy storage, a place for her mother’s china decanters, and an instant hot for tea were all part of the “must haves” for this kitchen. We also needed to work around the homeowners’ existing appliances since many of them were practically new. Vaulted ceilings, lots of high windows, and large openings to other spaces in the house, were challenges that only a galley style kitchen could address. Blending and lacing the hardwood floor with new flooring required both the new and existing to be sanded down and refinished. This provided a coherent look to the entire first floor of this home. Matching casings, baseboards and base shoe helped to make the updates look fresh, but original to the house. In the kitchen, choosing the sandstone slate finish on our Wellborn Maple select series cabinets kept the space soft; but really opened it, making the space lighter and brighter. The Harmony style door choice blended with the décor in the rest of the house, while also giving straight clean lines the homeowner desired. Grounding the row of cabinets with their refrigerator and a pantry cabinet, gave symmetry to this side of the kitchen. On the opposite side, a built-in pantry cabinet mirrors the refrigerator. A row of drawer cabinets expanded the storage and banquet space, to lay out food for entertaining. Also added were some much-needed wall cabinets with glass inserts to mirror the windows and keep the space open. This also allowed the taller canister to be displayed and admired. A few smaller shelves were added above the window space, to house the smaller canisters so loved by the homeowner. An artist by trade, this homeowner added two narrow cabinets to the side of the pantry and the side of the refrigerator panel to house and create easy access to the various spices her husband loves to use while cooking. She painted them to blend with Wellborn’s Sandstone finish. The Caesarstone countertop with a 3cm eased edge in London Gray has a small pattern that is subtle and interesting. Cutting down the Caesarstone to 2 cm and carrying the same London Gray pattern up the backsplash area, lended to the clean lines and easy cleaning this homeowner requested. Choosing chrome plumbing fixtures from Moen’s Brantford line is timeless choice. Chrome is always popular and yet in today’s market, also very trendy. The Brantford faucet has a pull-down spray and one side handle, leaving space for the all-important request of a Transcape hot water dispenser, also in chrome. Scraping away the past included smoothing out the popcorn ceiling. Adding LED slope cans to the vaulted ceilings provided the necessary task lighting to elevate these homeowners’ joy of cooking. Removing the dated “popcorn look” enhanced the clean and spacious feel created by the architecture of the ceiling. Adding Top Knob chrome hardware was the final element that tied the kitchen all together. Master Bathroom The original dated Master Bathroom had dark cabinets, a huge Jacuzzi tub and a small shower stall that provided barely enough room for even a child to shower. Removing the Jacuzzi tub that was never used, opened this floor plan to a grand shower that is comfortable and spacious. For easy cleaning, these homeowners opted for a panel system in their shower. Onyx shower walls with a shower seat and recess wide shower caddy were installed in place of the old Jacuzzi style tub. The large panels were quite a challenge for our team, with an eight foot door and vaulted ceilings; but they were determined not to have a seam. These seamless panels are beautiful and very easy to clean. Keeping with the original floor plan, a double sink vanity from Wellborn’s select line with the Harmony door style in a pebble finish was installed. New Kohler Caxton under mount sinks were installed, along with the Moen Kinsley 8” wide spread faucets in chrome. Matching Kingsley 18” grab bars were added to the shower area, along with the Kohler Brantford fixed shower head and handheld slide bar. The countertop was a beautiful Caesarstone in Frosty Carrina with an eased edge and 4” back and side splash. Matching Kinsley towel hooks were added, along with mirrors the homeowner purchased and we installed for her. Top Knobs chrome cabinet hardware finished the look along with a beautiful tile floor AO Mira 1224-S Silver Maple laid in a broken joint pattern. Matching marble sills were added on top of the knee walls and threshold in the doorway. A 3/8” frameless custom shower door with fixed panels surrounded the shower creating an open airy feel to the space. Not shown: Kohler’s Wellworth highline toilet with a slow-close seat replaces the original toilet. The original shower stall became a space used to house a stackable washer and dryer, a top a safety pan and drain to slop sink in the basement. There was even enough room for small shelving to provide storage for laundry essentials. Adding a louver door keeps the laundry area behind the scene and opens the master area to multiple tasks needed. Master Bedroom Fireplace This homeowner really missed a bedroom fireplace they had in a previous home. Since we were going to be working on their master bathroom anyway; was there a way to create a fireplace without making it feel too odd in their large bedroom area? They had purchased a ventless gas fireplace and they had their original television as well. Challenged by windows, a vaulted ceiling and the natural light streaming from the back window; this divided wall was created, keeping the lighting from the other side of the room and providing a dressing area opposite the fireplace. This was a perfect idea since the closets are now in the dressing area and the creative wall houses the fireplace and TV for cold winter nights of snuggling to a movie. Better yet, the fireplace and TV are all on remote control!

Bathroom - traditional bathroom idea in DC Metro

Eclectic enclosed dining room photo in Boston with red walls

Architecture by Vinci | Hamp Architects, Inc. Interiors by Stephanie Wohlner Design. Lighting by Lux Populi. Construction by Goldberg General Contracting, Inc. Photos by Eric Hausman.

This kitchen design packs ample work and storage areas into every available space. The white chocolate finish Medallion kitchen cabinets with a burnt sienna glaze include concealed hinges and slow close doors and drawers. The U-shaped design includes a peninsula with space for seating, and additional cabinets incorporate a built-in television and extra storage. A Rev-a-shelf pull out ironing board is neatly concealed inside the cabinets. The design is complemented by a mosaic tile backsplash, hardwood floors, and Top Knobs hardware.

The back yard patio is the new living room. Let’s discuss. If you’ve tried to purchase an outdoor, propane heater, new grill, or even outdoor seating in the past six months, this is not news to you. We’re all doing our best to manage through the pandemic while still enjoying social connections and time with family and friends. The solution that so many of us have adopted is to spend more time outside. There’s a Norwegian saying that says, “there is no bad weather, only bad clothing.” It’s a mantra worth adopting these days. We have a lot of customers who are ready to bundle up and enjoy their back yards as much as they enjoy their living rooms. But these lucky homeowners have had that opportunity for the past six months. Reading any further may make you pretty jealous, but we hope that it inspires you for a future project in your own back yard.

This is an example of an eclectic vegetable garden landscape in San Francisco.

This Mid-Century home had been updated except for the kitchen and master bath. After a few years of being empty nesters, and with the neighborhood turning over drastically to infill property in the millions, this couple decided the time was right to update the last remaining rooms. Starting in the Kitchen Taking a dark, u-shaped kitchen out of the past and updating it for the future, was a dream come true for this family. They knew what they wanted in order to entertain their large extended family, which included their three kids; plus, his family, consisting of nine children, spouses, and now grandchildren. Requirements of an open space to hang out and help out, a banquet for food presentation without obstruction, bright and clean, easy storage, a place for her mother’s china decanters, and an instant hot for tea were all part of the “must haves” for this kitchen. We also needed to work around the homeowners’ existing appliances since many of them were practically new. Vaulted ceilings, lots of high windows, and large openings to other spaces in the house, were challenges that only a galley style kitchen could address. Blending and lacing the hardwood floor with new flooring required both the new and existing to be sanded down and refinished. This provided a coherent look to the entire first floor of this home. Matching casings, baseboards and base shoe helped to make the updates look fresh, but original to the house. In the kitchen, choosing the sandstone slate finish on our Wellborn Maple select series cabinets kept the space soft; but really opened it, making the space lighter and brighter. The Harmony style door choice blended with the décor in the rest of the house, while also giving straight clean lines the homeowner desired. Grounding the row of cabinets with their refrigerator and a pantry cabinet, gave symmetry to this side of the kitchen. On the opposite side, a built-in pantry cabinet mirrors the refrigerator. A row of drawer cabinets expanded the storage and banquet space, to lay out food for entertaining. Also added were some much-needed wall cabinets with glass inserts to mirror the windows and keep the space open. This also allowed the taller canister to be displayed and admired. A few smaller shelves were added above the window space, to house the smaller canisters so loved by the homeowner. An artist by trade, this homeowner added two narrow cabinets to the side of the pantry and the side of the refrigerator panel to house and create easy access to the various spices her husband loves to use while cooking. She painted them to blend with Wellborn’s Sandstone finish. The Caesarstone countertop with a 3cm eased edge in London Gray has a small pattern that is subtle and interesting. Cutting down the Caesarstone to 2 cm and carrying the same London Gray pattern up the backsplash area, lended to the clean lines and easy cleaning this homeowner requested. Choosing chrome plumbing fixtures from Moen’s Brantford line is timeless choice. Chrome is always popular and yet in today’s market, also very trendy. The Brantford faucet has a pull-down spray and one side handle, leaving space for the all-important request of a Transcape hot water dispenser, also in chrome. Scraping away the past included smoothing out the popcorn ceiling. Adding LED slope cans to the vaulted ceilings provided the necessary task lighting to elevate these homeowners’ joy of cooking. Removing the dated “popcorn look” enhanced the clean and spacious feel created by the architecture of the ceiling. Adding Top Knob chrome hardware was the final element that tied the kitchen all together. Master Bathroom The original dated Master Bathroom had dark cabinets, a huge Jacuzzi tub and a small shower stall that provided barely enough room for even a child to shower. Removing the Jacuzzi tub that was never used, opened this floor plan to a grand shower that is comfortable and spacious. For easy cleaning, these homeowners opted for a panel system in their shower. Onyx shower walls with a shower seat and recess wide shower caddy were installed in place of the old Jacuzzi style tub. The large panels were quite a challenge for our team, with an eight foot door and vaulted ceilings; but they were determined not to have a seam. These seamless panels are beautiful and very easy to clean. Keeping with the original floor plan, a double sink vanity from Wellborn’s select line with the Harmony door style in a pebble finish was installed. New Kohler Caxton under mount sinks were installed, along with the Moen Kinsley 8” wide spread faucets in chrome. Matching Kingsley 18” grab bars were added to the shower area, along with the Kohler Brantford fixed shower head and handheld slide bar. The countertop was a beautiful Caesarstone in Frosty Carrina with an eased edge and 4” back and side splash. Matching Kinsley towel hooks were added, along with mirrors the homeowner purchased and we installed for her. Top Knobs chrome cabinet hardware finished the look along with a beautiful tile floor AO Mira 1224-S Silver Maple laid in a broken joint pattern. Matching marble sills were added on top of the knee walls and threshold in the doorway. A 3/8” frameless custom shower door with fixed panels surrounded the shower creating an open airy feel to the space. Not shown: Kohler’s Wellworth highline toilet with a slow-close seat replaces the original toilet. The original shower stall became a space used to house a stackable washer and dryer, a top a safety pan and drain to slop sink in the basement. There was even enough room for small shelving to provide storage for laundry essentials. Adding a louver door keeps the laundry area behind the scene and opens the master area to multiple tasks needed. Master Bedroom Fireplace This homeowner really missed a bedroom fireplace they had in a previous home. Since we were going to be working on their master bathroom anyway; was there a way to create a fireplace without making it feel too odd in their large bedroom area? They had purchased a ventless gas fireplace and they had their original television as well. Challenged by windows, a vaulted ceiling and the natural light streaming from the back window; this divided wall was created, keeping the lighting from the other side of the room and providing a dressing area opposite the fireplace. This was a perfect idea since the closets are now in the dressing area and the creative wall houses the fireplace and TV for cold winter nights of snuggling to a movie. Better yet, the fireplace and TV are all on remote control!

Inspiration for a tropical patio remodel in Hawaii

A classic fenced vegetable garden integrated into an existing landscape where it serves as a focal point.
Inspiration for a traditional vegetable garden landscape in Boston.

The garden 3 weeks after planting, on a foggy day. Photo by Steve Masley
Inspiration for a timeless deck container garden remodel in San Francisco

Example of a small classic subway tile bathroom design in Seattle with a pedestal sink

In hundred year old homes, bathrooms are usually a challenge. Narrow spaces have been converted to bathrooms and use of this space can be a design challenge. This master bathroom in Ladue was outdated and needed a more update eloquent look that the house itself inspires, a compete master bathroom remodel. Marble seemed to be the only choice in keeping with the houses history and blending today’s modern trends. Long and narrow, this bathroom reconfigured to give the toilet its own space. Behind the camera was a toilet room housing a Kohler Memoirs Stately Comfort Height Toilet with a Glenbury Slow Close Seat. A pocket door closes the toilet room off from the rest of the bathroom and allows room for a small Linen Closet for this bathroom. On opposite end a Shower is created housing a Moen rain fixed shower head in chrome. A Shower Bench in matching marble is designed behind the glass shower door and a Moen hand held slide bar in chrome is added convenience. A corner shelf holds shower needs and fits perfectly in the far corner of the shower. Wellborn’s Maple Concord Series in Glacier finish created the vanity with two shallow cabinets for extra storage and giving the bathroom extra floor space. Legs added to the base of the vanity cabinet gives the vanity a furniture feel that may have been original to the house. A wall to wall mirror framed produced the illusion of a larger space. A Marble top fits the era of the house and an added marble ledge under the mirror gave extra counter for makeup brushes or hair items. Moen Showhouse Weymouth with cross handles in the shower and lavatory faucets with a chrome finish completes the look. Installing Sconces on the mirror reflects the light and continues the space saving theme. Wallpaper and moldings finish the look and stays within the keeping of a hundred year old home. If your master bathroom needs a remodel contact Roeser Home Remodeling today at 314-822-0839