The client’s request was quite common - a typical 2800 sf builder home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living space, and den. However, their desire was for this to be “anything but common.” The result is an innovative update on the production home for the modern era, and serves as a direct counterpoint to the neighborhood and its more conventional suburban housing stock, which focus views to the backyard and seeks to nullify the unique qualities and challenges of topography and the natural environment. The Terraced House cautiously steps down the site’s steep topography, resulting in a more nuanced approach to site development than cutting and filling that is so common in the builder homes of the area. The compact house opens up in very focused views that capture the natural wooded setting, while masking the sounds and views of the directly adjacent roadway. The main living spaces face this major roadway, effectively flipping the typical orientation of a suburban home, and the main entrance pulls visitors up to the second floor and halfway through the site, providing a sense of procession and privacy absent in the typical suburban home. Clad in a custom rain screen that reflects the wood of the surrounding landscape - while providing a glimpse into the interior tones that are used. The stepping “wood boxes” rest on a series of concrete walls that organize the site, retain the earth, and - in conjunction with the wood veneer panels - provide a subtle organic texture to the composition. The interior spaces wrap around an interior knuckle that houses public zones and vertical circulation - allowing more private spaces to exist at the edges of the building. The windows get larger and more frequent as they ascend the building, culminating in the upstairs bedrooms that occupy the site like a tree house - giving views in all directions. The Terraced House imports urban qualities to the suburban neighborhood and seeks to elevate the typical approach to production home construction, while being more in tune with modern family living patterns. Overview: Elm Grove Size: 2,800 sf, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Completion Date: September 2014 Services: Architecture, Landscape Architecture Interior Consultants: Amy Carman Design

Wine cellar - traditional wine cellar idea in Chicago with diamond bins

Home bar - transitional home bar idea in Denver

Photo Credit: Annie M Design

The Snaidero IDEA kitchen designed by Ferrari designer Paolo Pininfarina for Snaidero in Arctic White Melaimine. Photographed by Jennifer Hughes.
Minimalist light wood floor kitchen photo in DC Metro with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, quartz countertops, gray backsplash, an island, glass tile backsplash and black appliances

This award-winning and intimate cottage was rebuilt on the site of a deteriorating outbuilding. Doubling as a custom jewelry studio and guest retreat, the cottage’s timeless design was inspired by old National Parks rough-stone shelters that the owners had fallen in love with. A single living space boasts custom built-ins for jewelry work, a Murphy bed for overnight guests, and a stone fireplace for warmth and relaxation. A cozy loft nestles behind rustic timber trusses above. Expansive sliding glass doors open to an outdoor living terrace overlooking a serene wooded meadow. Photos by: Emily Minton Redfield

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern light wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in San Francisco with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, an island, marble countertops, white appliances and gray countertops

Amadeus Lietner, Chris Corrie, Amy Steidlmayer
Trendy living room photo in Albuquerque with white walls, a ribbon fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Mid-sized transitional dark wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Orlando with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, an island, marble countertops and stainless steel appliances

Morning are easy with a Miele Machine
Example of a small minimalist kitchen design in Houston with a milk frother, flat-panel cabinets and white cabinets

Down-to-studs remodel and second floor addition. The original house was a simple plain ranch house with a layout that didn’t function well for the family. We changed the house to a contemporary Mediterranean with an eclectic mix of details. Space was limited by City Planning requirements so an important aspect of the design was to optimize every bit of space, both inside and outside. The living space extends out to functional places in the back and front yards: a private shaded back yard and a sunny seating area in the front yard off the kitchen where neighbors can easily mingle with the family. A Japanese bath off the master bedroom upstairs overlooks a private roof deck which is screened from neighbors’ views by a trellis with plants growing from planter boxes and with lanterns hanging from a trellis above. Photography by Kurt Manley. https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/modern-mediterranean/

Ryann Ford
Inspiration for a modern landscaping in Austin.

PORTA S2 | High Gloss | Bianco Gloss • TERRA | Bark
Example of a 1960s u-shaped kitchen design in Seattle with flat-panel cabinets, stainless steel appliances and an island

Example of a mid-sized classic built-in desk medium tone wood floor home office design with yellow walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a rustic brown tile and slate tile doorless shower remodel in Sacramento with a vessel sink and beige walls

©Teague Hunziker
Large trendy l-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen photo with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, quartz countertops and stone slab backsplash

Inspiration for a transitional formal medium tone wood floor living room remodel in San Francisco with gray walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

Open concept kitchen - large contemporary l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in Columbus with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, wood countertops, brown backsplash, wood backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and brown countertops

Featured in Montreal Home 2015 Kitchen issue. Well situated in Mont Royal, this split-level home had many positives apart from its dated interior, and layout of many small and inefficient rooms. This was all at odds with the owners’ lifestyle and aesthetic. The client had architectural plans designed for a third floor addition that were to include a master bedroom and ensuite bathroom. The desired look for the entire house influenced all aspects of construction. Apart from the removal most walls on the main floor, everything was stripped back to the most simple and pure of finishing materials. The existing floors were refinished in a smoked grey matte palette and offset the rich warm walnut accents in the kitchen and soft white walls. With an abundance of white walls throughout, feature walls were essential in both the master bedroom and ensuite. The deep charcoal wall in the bedroom provides dramatic contrast to the teak headboard and hammered silver light fixture. The ensuite’s feature wall is made of pewter ceramic tiles that add texture and elegance to this simple space. Materials and furnishings throughout were selected for their simplicity and form. Photo : Drew Hadley