Home office - eclectic home office idea in Seattle

Engleman ivy (Parthenosisis quinquefolia) photo by Jocelyn H. Chilvers
Photo of a contemporary landscaping in Denver.

Design Consultant Jeff Doubét is the author of Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights. The 240 page “Design Consultation in a Book” is now available. Please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com for more info. Jeff Doubét specializes in Santa Barbara style home and landscape designs. To learn more info about the variety of custom design services I offer, please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com Jeff Doubét is the Founder of Santa Barbara Home Design - a design studio based in Santa Barbara, California USA.

Rather than starting with an outcome in mind, this 1,400 square foot residence began from a polemic place - exploring shared conviction regarding the concentrated power of living with a smaller footprint. From the gabled silhouette to passive ventilation, the home captures the nostalgia for the past with the sustainable practices of the future. While the exterior materials contrast a calm, minimal palette with the sleek lines of the gabled silhouette, the interior spaces embody a playful, artistic spirit. From the hand painted De Gournay wallpaper in the master bath to the rugged texture of the over-grouted limestone and Portuguese cobblestones, the home is an experience that encapsulates the unexpected and the timeless.

Casey Dunn Photography
Example of a large farmhouse open concept brick floor living room design in Houston with white walls, a standard fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and a concrete fireplace

A Memorial-area art collector residing in a chic modern home wanted his house to be more visible from the street. His yard was full of trees, and he asked us to consider removing them and developing a more modern landscape design that would fully complement the exterior of his home. He was a personal friend of ours as well, and he understood that our policy is to preserve as many trees as possible whenever we undertake a project. However, we decided to make an exception in his case for two reasons. For one thing, he was a very close friend to many people in our company. Secondly, large trees simply would not work with a landscape reflective of the modern architecture that his house featured. The house had been built as story structure that was formed around a blend of unique curves and angles very reminiscent of the geometric patterns common in modern sculpture and art. The windows had been built deliberately large, so that visitors driving up to the house could have a lighted glimpse into the interior, where many sculptures and works of modern art were showcased. The entire residence, in fact, was meant to showcase the eclectic diversity of his artistic tastes, and provide a glimpse at the elegant contents within the home. He asked us to create more modern look to the landscape that would complement the residence with patterns in vegetation, ornamentation, and a new lighted water fountain that would act like a mirror-image of the home. He also wanted us to sculpt the features we created in such a way as to center the eye of the viewer and draw it up and over the landscape to focus on the house itself. The challenge was to develop a truly sophisticated modern landscaping design that would compliment, but in no way overpower the façade of the home. In order to do this, we had to focus very carefully on the geometric appearance of the planting areas first. Since the vegetation would be surrounding a very large, circular stone drive, we took advantage of the contours and created a sense of flowing perspective. We were then very careful to plant vegetation that could be maintained at a very low growth height. This was to prevent vegetation from behaving like the previous trees which had blocked the view of the house. Small hedges, ferns, and flowers were planted in winding rows that followed the course of the circular stone driveway that surrounded the fountain. We then centered this new modern landscape plan with a very sophisticated contemporary fountain. We chose a circular shape for the fountain both to center the eye and to work as a compliment to the curved elements in the home’s exterior design. We selected black granite as the building material, partly because granite speaks to the monumental, and partly because it is a very common material for modern architecture and outdoor contemporary sculpture. We placed the fountain in the very center of the driveway as well, which had the effect of making the entire landscape appear to converge toward the middle of the home’s façade. To add a sense of eclectic refinement to the fountain, we then polished the granite so that anyone driving or walking up to the fountain would see a reflection of the home in the base. To maintain consistency of the circular shape, we radius cut all of the coping around the fountain was all radius cut from polished limestone. The lighter color of the limestone created an archetypal contrast of light and darkness, further contributing to the modern theme of the landscape design, and providing a surface for illumination so the fountain would remain an established keynote on the landscape during the night.

Bathroom - small transitional kids' ceramic tile mosaic tile floor and blue floor bathroom idea in San Francisco with a wall-mount sink, gray walls and a two-piece toilet

Design Consultant Jeff Doubét is the author of Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights. The 240 page “Design Consultation in a Book” is now available. Please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com for more info. Jeff Doubét specializes in Santa Barbara style home and landscape designs. To learn more info about the variety of custom design services I offer, please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com Jeff Doubét is the Founder of Santa Barbara Home Design - a design studio based in Santa Barbara, California USA.

Learn how this Spanish shed was built via photos shared by Designer Jeff Doubét in his book: Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights. This Jeff Doubét Spanish style shed was part of a larger commission to design the main house aesthetic upgrades, as well as the Spanish Mediterranean gardens and landscape. The entire project is featured with informative, time-lapse photography showing how the Spanish shed was designed and constructed. To purchase, or learn more… please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com Jeff’s book can also be considered as your direct resource for quality design info, created by a professional home designer who specializes in Spanish style home and landscape designs. The 240 page “Design Consultation in a Book” is packed with over 1,000 images that include 200+ designs, as well as inspiring behind the scenes photos of what goes into building a quality Spanish home and landscape. Many use the book as inspiration while meeting with their architect, designer and general contractor. Jeff Doubét is the Founder of Santa Barbara Home Design - a design studio based in Santa Barbara, California USA. His website is www.SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com

Inspiration for a contemporary backyard landscaping in San Francisco.

As surely as it is known for its coastline, Boston's North Shore is horse country. The Pine Tree Equestrian Center in Beverly Farms, located in a barn dating back to 1881, was the inspiration for this Tack Room. As a designer, Pat Finn-Martens likes to blend man-made objects and structures with natural textures. As the same time, she always asks the questions: Does it fulfill its function properly? Is it comfortable? And most importantly, does it reflect and contribute to the harmony of the people who will occupy the space? The ideal tack room would be a reflection of the magnificent animals that are cared for in the adjacent barn: chestnut colored woods and leather, steel polished to a shine, furnishings and rugs that show they are as sturdy as they are beautiful. Greg Premru Photography

Mountain style beige tile bathroom photo in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets and dark wood cabinets

Inspiration for a contemporary bathroom remodel in Chicago with granite countertops

Embodying the owner’s love for modern ranch house architecture, this innovative home, designed with Feldman Architecture, sits lightly on its site and connects outwards to the Preserve’s landscape. We located the structure at the lowest point between surrounding hills so that it would be as visually inconspicuous as possible. Rammed earth walls, built using earth excavated from the site, define outdoor living spaces and serve to retain the soil along the edges of the drive and at patio spaces. Within the outdoor living spaces surrounding the buildings, native plants are combined with succulents and ornamental plants to contrast with the open grassland and provide a rich setting for entertaining, while garden areas to the south are stepped and allowed to erode on the edges, blending into the hillside. Sitting prominently adjacent to the home, three tanks capture rainwater for irrigation and are a clear indication of water available for the landscape throughout the year. LEED Platinum certification. Photo by Joe Fletcher.

Design Consultant Jeff Doubét is the author of Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights. The 240 page “Design Consultation in a Book” is now available. Please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com for more info. Jeff Doubét specializes in Santa Barbara style home and landscape designs. To learn more info about the variety of custom design services I offer, please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com Jeff Doubét is the Founder of Santa Barbara Home Design - a design studio based in Santa Barbara, California USA.

Time had stood still at this 1970s ranch in Armonk when the owners invited us to collaborate with them to transform it into a modern, light-filled home for their young family. The budget was lean, so economy was a primary consideration for every design decision. The challenge was to identify the modest home’s virtues – vaulted ceilings and a lovely backyard – and accentuate them by strategically optimizing available funds. We were tasked with rectifying a dysfunctional interior stair, connecting to the outdoors with new large windows, and updating the exterior. We focused our attention on a finite set of architectural moves which would have the biggest impact and improve our clients’ daily experience of the home. Detailing was kept simple, using common grade materials and standard components. All exterior walls were revamped with new windows and siding. Although these materials were not particularly costly, thoughtful layout of boards, battens, and openings produced a cohesive, rigorous composition at each facade. Since the budget would not cover the homeowners’ complete wish list, some items were bracketed for subsequent phases. The challenge was to establish a framework that would allow future work – including a new roof and kitchen renovation – to proceed smoothly. The homeowners, both scientists, were enthusiastic collaborators, contributing their outstanding design sensibilities to selection of fixtures and finishes. Construction ended just in time for the arrival of their baby – and with that, the transformation of their family home was complete.

Time had stood still at this 1970s ranch in Armonk when the owners invited us to collaborate with them to transform it into a modern, light-filled home for their young family. The budget was lean, so economy was a primary consideration for every design decision. The challenge was to identify the modest home’s virtues – vaulted ceilings and a lovely backyard – and accentuate them by strategically optimizing available funds. We were tasked with rectifying a dysfunctional interior stair, connecting to the outdoors with new large windows, and updating the exterior. We focused our attention on a finite set of architectural moves which would have the biggest impact and improve our clients’ daily experience of the home. Detailing was kept simple, using common grade materials and standard components. All exterior walls were revamped with new windows and siding. Although these materials were not particularly costly, thoughtful layout of boards, battens, and openings produced a cohesive, rigorous composition at each facade. Since the budget would not cover the homeowners’ complete wish list, some items were bracketed for subsequent phases. The challenge was to establish a framework that would allow future work – including a new roof and kitchen renovation – to proceed smoothly. The homeowners, both scientists, were enthusiastic collaborators, contributing their outstanding design sensibilities to selection of fixtures and finishes. Construction ended just in time for the arrival of their baby – and with that, the transformation of their family home was complete.

The custom designed and built bench protects the aesthetic calm of the front garden patio. It provides an excellent view of the neighborhood as well as the hummingbirds drawn by pink Alumroot bells, the sweet fragrance and magic wand-like blooms of Hummingbird Sage blooms, as well as the water feature.

Photo by Helen Norman
Traditional white two-story wood gable roof idea in Atlanta