A different angle of this gray and white color scheme. The fresh coat of paint is ready for it's new owners.
Traditional gray one-story wood exterior home idea in San Francisco

Photo By: Michele Lee Wilson
Elegant guest light wood floor and beige floor bedroom photo in San Francisco with white walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a transitional medium tone wood floor, brown floor and vaulted ceiling living room remodel in San Francisco with white walls and a standard fireplace

Tucked into the hillsides of Marin, the environment played a predominant role in defining the contemporary yet exotic style of this home. In the master bedroom, a fireplace adds a cozy design element, while an inconspicuous home theater system can be elegantly tucked away when not in use. In the master bathroom, pebbled stone tile adorn the walls of the double shower that overlooks the hillsides of Marin. A guest bathroom was designed to compliment the eclectic aesthetic of the home. While in the center of the residence, a spiral acrylic staircase climbs 3 floors acting as a consistent element, tying together the varied yet complementary styles.

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Tim Burleson
Large trendy medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen photo with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, gray backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Inspiration for an eclectic kitchen remodel in DC Metro

In this kitchen renovation we installed Medallion Silverline Lancaster Cherry Cabinets with Chestnut stain accented with a Medallion Gold Potters Mill Cherry Mission arched valance 4x60 with Chestnut stain accented with Amerock caramel bronze pull. For the countertops, we installed Cambria Quartz surfacing in Bradshaw color with bullnose edge. The backsplash was created using 3x6 Durango tile with Daltile stone radiance glass and stone pieces with a pearl grout. An Elkay sink with Kohler stainless steel faucet. On the floor porcelain wood look tile in light Chocolate was installed.

Photo: Corynne Pless © 2013 Houzz
Example of a cottage chic living room design in New York

Inspiration for a huge cottage master porcelain tile porcelain tile, gray floor and shiplap wall freestanding bathtub remodel in Calgary with shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door and white countertops

DC Fine Homes Inc.
Mid-sized mountain style two-story mixed siding brown, concrete floor and gray floor front door photo with a shingle roof, brown walls and a gray front door

Mid-sized island style backyard tile patio photo in Jacksonville with a fire pit and a pergola

Example of a classic patio design in Cleveland

Greg Hadley, Hadley Photoraphy
Eat-in kitchen - contemporary l-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in DC Metro with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, blue backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Emily Redfield
Transitional master freestanding bathtub photo in Denver with dark wood cabinets

Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2014 Houzz
Kitchen - cottage dark wood floor kitchen idea in New York with open cabinets and white cabinets

emily gilbert photography
Example of a mid-sized trendy kids' beige tile and limestone tile mosaic tile floor drop-in bathtub design in New York with a vessel sink, open cabinets, gray cabinets, a wall-mount toilet, beige walls, limestone countertops and beige countertops

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   This client came to us wanting some help with updating the master bath in their home. Their primary goals were to increase the size of the shower, add a rain head, add a freestanding tub and overall freshen the feel of the space. The existing layout of the bath worked well, so we left the basic footprint the same, but increased the size of the shower and added a freestanding tub on a bit of an angle which allowed for some additional storage. One of the most important things on the wish list was adding a rainhead in the shower, but this was not an easy task with the angled ceiling. We came up with the solution of using an extra long wall-mounted shower arm that was reinforced with a meal bracket attached the ceiling. This did the trick, and no extra framing or insulation was required to make it work. The materials selected for the space are classic and fresh. Large format white oriental marble is used throughout the bath, on the floor in a herrinbone pattern and in a staggered brick pattern on the walls. Alder cabinets with a gray stain contrast nicely with the white marble, while shiplap detail helps unify the space and gives it a casual and cozy vibe. Storage solutions include an area for towels and other necessities at the foot of the tub, roll out shelves and out storage in the vanities and a custom niche and shaving ledge in the shower. We love how just a few simple changes can make such a great impact! Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKBD Photography by: LOMA Studios For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

A modern free standing tub replaces an outdated jacuzzi corner tub for fresh look in this master bathroom remodel.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional master ceramic tile ceramic tile and gray floor freestanding bathtub remodel in Vancouver with gray walls