Randall Perry Photography Hardwood Floor: 7” Character Grade Knotty White Oak, Randall Perry Photography Stained with Rubio Monocoat Oil in White 5% Custom Wall Color Trim - SW7006 Extra White

Pool - contemporary backyard custom-shaped pool idea in New York with decking

Example of a 1950s living room design in Portland with a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a tv stand

Situated on a sloping site with a shared driveway and prescribed parking on the lower level, the home was designed to maximize daylight into the walk-out basement. In placing the parking in the center and wrapping the basement spaces around it, all rooms are afforded exterior views. By locating much of the home’s program below street level, the 3244 s.f. house is able to maintain a scale in keeping with the surrounding residences. The grade along the front of the site was pulled back from the home with stepped retaining walls revealing a sunken garden and above-ground basement walls. An entry bridge allows access to the front door above the sunken garden. UV-responsive, color-changing metal siding and cedar rainscreen clad the flat roof volumes of the home while fiber cement boards encase the shed roof volume. The shed was created to provide passive solar daylighting and conditioning in the vaulted living and dining rooms as well as an ideal surface for future solar panels. The home possesses a myriad of outdoor living spaces including a front balcony and sunken courtyard, side balcony terrace, and rear screened porch and deck above a covered patio. The south side balcony is wrapped with a metal and cedar clad bamboo planter which acts as a privacy screen and shading device. Accessibility was a strong consideration in the design as the homeowners were forward-thinking about aging in place. ADA-sized doorways and thresholds are provided as well as a shelled elevator shaft from the basement level.

GC: Osborne Construction Architect: C2 Architecture Design: Kole Made. Custom Woodwork + Cabinetry: Loubier Design. http://www.kolemade.com/ http://www.c2-architecture.com/ http://kirk-loubier.squarespace.com/ Photo Credit: http://www.samoberter.com/

A neutral Kitchen with custom made cabinets in our own signature color. Photo credit Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Inspiration for a large transitional galley light wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, quartzite countertops, gray backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

contractor: Etai Har-El photographer: Christian Garibaldi
Family room - traditional dark wood floor family room idea in New York with white walls and a standard fireplace

Large trendy formal medium tone wood floor living room photo in Miami with white walls

By Design I WANT THAT Wednesday feature of the week . . . tired of the traditional shower entry options? Clear glass door - done. Glass block - meh. Rain or frosted glass - yawn. Here's one that might ring your bell.

Example of a classic galley medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen design in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances and an island

The Mazama house is located in the Methow Valley of Washington State, a secluded mountain valley on the eastern edge of the North Cascades, about 200 miles northeast of Seattle. The house has been carefully placed in a copse of trees at the easterly end of a large meadow. Two major building volumes indicate the house organization. A grounded 2-story bedroom wing anchors a raised living pavilion that is lifted off the ground by a series of exposed steel columns. Seen from the access road, the large meadow in front of the house continues right under the main living space, making the living pavilion into a kind of bridge structure spanning over the meadow grass, with the house touching the ground lightly on six steel columns. The raised floor level provides enhanced views as well as keeping the main living level well above the 3-4 feet of winter snow accumulation that is typical for the upper Methow Valley. To further emphasize the idea of lightness, the exposed wood structure of the living pavilion roof changes pitch along its length, so the roof warps upward at each end. The interior exposed wood beams appear like an unfolding fan as the roof pitch changes. The main interior bearing columns are steel with a tapered “V”-shape, recalling the lightness of a dancer. The house reflects the continuing FINNE investigation into the idea of crafted modernism, with cast bronze inserts at the front door, variegated laser-cut steel railing panels, a curvilinear cast-glass kitchen counter, waterjet-cut aluminum light fixtures, and many custom furniture pieces. The house interior has been designed to be completely integral with the exterior. The living pavilion contains more than twelve pieces of custom furniture and lighting, creating a totality of the designed environment that recalls the idea of Gesamtkunstverk, as seen in the work of Josef Hoffman and the Viennese Secessionist movement in the early 20th century. The house has been designed from the start as a sustainable structure, with 40% higher insulation values than required by code, radiant concrete slab heating, efficient natural ventilation, large amounts of natural lighting, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and locally sourced materials. Windows have high-performance LowE insulated glazing and are equipped with concealed shades. A radiant hydronic heat system with exposed concrete floors allows lower operating temperatures and higher occupant comfort levels. The concrete slabs conserve heat and provide great warmth and comfort for the feet. Deep roof overhangs, built-in shades and high operating clerestory windows are used to reduce heat gain in summer months. During the winter, the lower sun angle is able to penetrate into living spaces and passively warm the exposed concrete floor. Low VOC paints and stains have been used throughout the house. The high level of craft evident in the house reflects another key principle of sustainable design: build it well and make it last for many years! Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

Mark Lohman
Inspiration for a mid-sized coastal 3/4 painted wood floor bathroom remodel in Los Angeles with a vessel sink, blue cabinets, quartz countertops and white walls

Example of a country l-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen design in Boston with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, beige walls, an island, an undermount sink, granite countertops, white backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Matt Waclo Photography
Mountain style formal dark wood floor living room photo in Sacramento with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a media wall

Emerald Coast Real Estate Photography
Transitional kitchen photo in Miami with beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets and an island

Montana Antique 3-5" Random
Inspiration for a huge rustic formal and open concept living room remodel

Inspiration for a huge timeless master beige tile and mosaic tile porcelain tile and beige floor drop-in bathtub remodel in Portland with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, beige walls, an undermount sink and marble countertops

Photography by Jim Tetro This house, built in the 1960s, sits southfacing on a terrific wooded lot in Bethesda, Maryland. The owners desire a whole-house renovation which would improve the general building fabric and systems, and extend the sense of living out of doors in all seasons. The original sixties-modern character is preserved and the renovation extends the design forward into a contemporary, modern approach. Connections to and through the site are enhanced through the creation of new larger window and door openings. Screened porches and decks perch above the sloped and wooded site. The new kitchen and bathrooms allow for opportunities to feel out-of -doors while preparing, cooking, dining, and bathing. Smart passive strategies guide the environmental choices for this project, including envelope improvements, updated mechanical systems, and on-site stormwater management.

Richard Leo Johnson
Example of a cottage galley eat-in kitchen design in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink, medium tone wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances