This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

The original Family Room was half the size with heavy dark woodwork everywhere. A major refresh was in order to lighten, brighten, and expand. The custom cabinetry drawings for this addition were a beast to finish, but the attention to detail paid off in spades. One of the first decor items we selected was the wallpaper in the Butler’s Pantry. The green in the trees offset the white in a fresh whimsical way while still feeling classic. Cincinnati area home addition and remodel focusing on the addition of a Butler’s Pantry and the expansion of an existing Family Room. The Interior Design scope included custom cabinetry and custom built-in design and drawings, custom fireplace design and drawings, fireplace marble selection, Butler’s Pantry countertop selection and cut drawings, backsplash tile design, plumbing selections, and hardware and shelving detailed selections. The decor scope included custom window treatments, furniture, rugs, lighting, wallpaper, and accessories.

Whit Preston; styling by Creative & Sons
Entryway - mid-sized 1950s entryway idea in Austin with a red front door

Living room - large modern open concept medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room idea in Boston with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv

http://www.nicelydonekitchens.com
Example of a classic dark wood floor eat-in kitchen design in DC Metro with raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets and stainless steel appliances

Inspiration for a transitional beige floor and single-sink bathroom remodel in Philadelphia with shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, beige walls, an undermount sink, a hinged shower door, white countertops and a built-in vanity

Entryway - traditional dark wood floor entryway idea in St Louis with beige walls and a white front door

Example of a transitional dark wood floor and brown floor dining room design in Philadelphia with gray walls

Photo: Michaela Dodd © 2015 Houzz
Inspiration for a transitional galley kitchen remodel in DC Metro with shaker cabinets, white cabinets and a peninsula

RM STUDIO
Example of a mid-sized island style entryway design in Other with a light wood front door and white walls

Mid-sized white two-story wood exterior home photo in New York with a shingle roof

The goal of the homeowner was to add more natural light into the kitchen and easier access to the deck. We change the stationary window to a sliding door, and changed the small door into a double hung window. The new sliding door we installed allows more fresh air on those beautiful Atlanta days.

Large minimalist open concept medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room photo in Boston with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv

Dustin Halleck
Example of a large classic brown floor and dark wood floor living room design in Chicago with beige walls and no tv

Darrell Hale, Fresh Coat Painters of Allen-McKinney
Example of a classic dining room design in Dallas

Transitional exterior home idea in Chicago

A living room in the Oakland Hills for a family with two young kids. The goal was simple: sophisticated enough for the adults, relaxed enough for real life. Dark painted built-ins anchor the space with quiet drama, while a fuzzy rug, playful organic lighting, and family-friendly fabrics keep it warm, approachable, and never too precious to use.

A fresh take on traditional style, this sprawling suburban home draws its occupants together in beautifully, comfortably designed spaces that gather family members for companionship, conversation, and conviviality. At the same time, it adroitly accommodates a crowd, and facilitates large-scale entertaining with ease. This balance of private intimacy and public welcome is the result of Soucie Horner’s deft remodeling of the original floor plan and creation of an all-new wing comprising functional spaces including a mudroom, powder room, laundry room, and home office, along with an exciting, three-room teen suite above. A quietly orchestrated symphony of grayed blues unites this home, from Soucie Horner Collections custom furniture and rugs, to objects, accessories, and decorative exclamationpoints that punctuate the carefully synthesized interiors. A discerning demonstration of family-friendly living at its finest.

Folding windows opening even from the center for fresh air and an open view. Folding windows are an excellent alternative to a stationary, fixed window.