The kitchen, dining room, and porch now read as one continuous social room, with the chandelier, dining table, and flanking wine towers aligned along the view.

Penza Bailey Architects was contacted to update the main house to suit the next generation of owners, and also expand and renovate the guest apartment. The renovations included a new mudroom and playroom to accommodate the couple and their three very active boys, creating workstations for the boys’ various activities, and renovating several bathrooms. The awkwardly tall vaulted ceilings in the existing great room and dining room were scaled down with lowered tray ceilings, and a new fireplace focal point wall was incorporated in the great room. In addition to the renovations to the focal point of the home, the Owner’s pride and joy includes the new billiard room, transformed from an underutilized living room. The main feature is a full wall of custom cabinetry that hides an electronically secure liquor display that rises out of the cabinet at the push of an iPhone button. In an unexpected request, a new grilling area was designed to accommodate the owner’s gas grill, charcoal grill and smoker for more cooking and entertaining options. This home is definitely ready to accommodate a new generation of hosting social gatherings. Mitch Allen Photography

Penza Bailey Architects was contacted to update the main house to suit the next generation of owners, and also expand and renovate the guest apartment. The renovations included a new mudroom and playroom to accommodate the couple and their three very active boys, creating workstations for the boys’ various activities, and renovating several bathrooms. The awkwardly tall vaulted ceilings in the existing great room and dining room were scaled down with lowered tray ceilings, and a new fireplace focal point wall was incorporated in the great room. In addition to the renovations to the focal point of the home, the Owner’s pride and joy includes the new billiard room, transformed from an underutilized living room. The main feature is a full wall of custom cabinetry that hides an electronically secure liquor display that rises out of the cabinet at the push of an iPhone button. In an unexpected request, a new grilling area was designed to accommodate the owner’s gas grill, charcoal grill and smoker for more cooking and entertaining options. This home is definitely ready to accommodate a new generation of hosting social gatherings. Mitch Allen Photography

Penza Bailey Architects was contacted to update the main house to suit the next generation of owners, and also expand and renovate the guest apartment. The renovations included a new mudroom and playroom to accommodate the couple and their three very active boys, creating workstations for the boys’ various activities, and renovating several bathrooms. The awkwardly tall vaulted ceilings in the existing great room and dining room were scaled down with lowered tray ceilings, and a new fireplace focal point wall was incorporated in the great room. In addition to the renovations to the focal point of the home, the Owner’s pride and joy includes the new billiard room, transformed from an underutilized living room. The main feature is a full wall of custom cabinetry that hides an electronically secure liquor display that rises out of the cabinet at the push of an iPhone button. In an unexpected request, a new grilling area was designed to accommodate the owner’s gas grill, charcoal grill and smoker for more cooking and entertaining options. This home is definitely ready to accommodate a new generation of hosting social gatherings. Mitch Allen Photography

Scott Amundson Photography
Inspiration for a rustic living room remodel in Minneapolis

Penza Bailey Architects was contacted to update the main house to suit the next generation of owners, and also expand and renovate the guest apartment. The renovations included a new mudroom and playroom to accommodate the couple and their three very active boys, creating workstations for the boys’ various activities, and renovating several bathrooms. The awkwardly tall vaulted ceilings in the existing great room and dining room were scaled down with lowered tray ceilings, and a new fireplace focal point wall was incorporated in the great room. In addition to the renovations to the focal point of the home, the Owner’s pride and joy includes the new billiard room, transformed from an underutilized living room. The main feature is a full wall of custom cabinetry that hides an electronically secure liquor display that rises out of the cabinet at the push of an iPhone button. In an unexpected request, a new grilling area was designed to accommodate the owner’s gas grill, charcoal grill and smoker for more cooking and entertaining options. This home is definitely ready to accommodate a new generation of hosting social gatherings. Mitch Allen Photography

Penza Bailey Architects was contacted to update the main house to suit the next generation of owners, and also expand and renovate the guest apartment. The renovations included a new mudroom and playroom to accommodate the couple and their three very active boys, creating workstations for the boys’ various activities, and renovating several bathrooms. The awkwardly tall vaulted ceilings in the existing great room and dining room were scaled down with lowered tray ceilings, and a new fireplace focal point wall was incorporated in the great room. In addition to the renovations to the focal point of the home, the Owner’s pride and joy includes the new billiard room, transformed from an underutilized living room. The main feature is a full wall of custom cabinetry that hides an electronically secure liquor display that rises out of the cabinet at the push of an iPhone button. In an unexpected request, a new grilling area was designed to accommodate the owner’s gas grill, charcoal grill and smoker for more cooking and entertaining options. This home is definitely ready to accommodate a new generation of hosting social gatherings. Mitch Allen Photography

Penza Bailey Architects was contacted to update the main house to suit the next generation of owners, and also expand and renovate the guest apartment. The renovations included a new mudroom and playroom to accommodate the couple and their three very active boys, creating workstations for the boys’ various activities, and renovating several bathrooms. The awkwardly tall vaulted ceilings in the existing great room and dining room were scaled down with lowered tray ceilings, and a new fireplace focal point wall was incorporated in the great room. In addition to the renovations to the focal point of the home, the Owner’s pride and joy includes the new billiard room, transformed from an underutilized living room. The main feature is a full wall of custom cabinetry that hides an electronically secure liquor display that rises out of the cabinet at the push of an iPhone button. In an unexpected request, a new grilling area was designed to accommodate the owner’s gas grill, charcoal grill and smoker for more cooking and entertaining options. This home is definitely ready to accommodate a new generation of hosting social gatherings. Mitch Allen Photography

Atherton has many large substantial homes - our clients purchased an existing home on a one acre flag-shaped lot and asked us to design a new dream home for them. The result is a new 7,000 square foot four-building complex consisting of the main house, six-car garage with two car lifts, pool house with a full one bedroom residence inside, and a separate home office /work out gym studio building. A fifty-foot swimming pool was also created with fully landscaped yards. Given the rectangular shape of the lot, it was decided to angle the house to incoming visitors slightly so as to more dramatically present itself. The house became a classic u-shaped home but Feng Shui design principals were employed directing the placement of the pool house to better contain the energy flow on the site. The main house entry door is then aligned with a special Japanese red maple at the end of a long visual axis at the rear of the site. These angles and alignments set up everything else about the house design and layout, and views from various rooms allow you to see into virtually every space tracking movements of others in the home. The residence is simply divided into two wings of public use, kitchen and family room, and the other wing of bedrooms, connected by the living and dining great room. Function drove the exterior form of windows and solid walls with a line of clerestory windows which bring light into the middle of the large home. Extensive sun shadow studies with 3D tree modeling led to the unorthodox placement of the pool to the north of the home, but tree shadow tracking showed this to be the sunniest area during the entire year. Sustainable measures included a full 7.1kW solar photovoltaic array technically making the house off the grid, and arranged so that no panels are visible from the property. A large 16,000 gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of tanks buried below grade was installed. The home is California GreenPoint rated and also features sealed roof soffits and a sealed crawlspace without the usual venting. A whole house computer automation system with server room was installed as well. Heating and cooling utilize hot water radiant heated concrete and wood floors supplemented by heat pump generated heating and cooling. A compound of buildings created to form balanced relationships between each other, this home is about circulation, light and a balance of form and function. Photo by Philip Liang Photography.

Penza Bailey Architects was contacted to update the main house to suit the next generation of owners, and also expand and renovate the guest apartment. The renovations included a new mudroom and playroom to accommodate the couple and their three very active boys, creating workstations for the boys’ various activities, and renovating several bathrooms. The awkwardly tall vaulted ceilings in the existing great room and dining room were scaled down with lowered tray ceilings, and a new fireplace focal point wall was incorporated in the great room. In addition to the renovations to the focal point of the home, the Owner’s pride and joy includes the new billiard room, transformed from an underutilized living room. The main feature is a full wall of custom cabinetry that hides an electronically secure liquor display that rises out of the cabinet at the push of an iPhone button. In an unexpected request, a new grilling area was designed to accommodate the owner’s gas grill, charcoal grill and smoker for more cooking and entertaining options. This home is definitely ready to accommodate a new generation of hosting social gatherings. Mitch Allen Photography

Penza Bailey Architects was contacted to update the main house to suit the next generation of owners, and also expand and renovate the guest apartment. The renovations included a new mudroom and playroom to accommodate the couple and their three very active boys, creating workstations for the boys’ various activities, and renovating several bathrooms. The awkwardly tall vaulted ceilings in the existing great room and dining room were scaled down with lowered tray ceilings, and a new fireplace focal point wall was incorporated in the great room. In addition to the renovations to the focal point of the home, the Owner’s pride and joy includes the new billiard room, transformed from an underutilized living room. The main feature is a full wall of custom cabinetry that hides an electronically secure liquor display that rises out of the cabinet at the push of an iPhone button. In an unexpected request, a new grilling area was designed to accommodate the owner’s gas grill, charcoal grill and smoker for more cooking and entertaining options. This home is definitely ready to accommodate a new generation of hosting social gatherings. Mitch Allen Photography

Large windows were thoughtfully placed to provide a visual connection to the surrounding landscape while allowing a degree of privacy from the main house. An accessible terrace provides a private space for the clients to enjoy views of the river and woods. Raised Corten steel planters allow a lifelong gardener to be safely seated while she tends to her plants and provide her with a visual cue that indicates the edge of the terrace. The guest house is now self-sufficient. It has a necessary degree of privacy from the main house but is still part of the overall compound. This arrangement will enable three generations of the family to interact, socialize, and support one another.

The virtual and the real are blurring in the form of seamless commerce and "office anywhere" collaboration. Impatient for social and political change, we’re reinventing ourselves first. Identity has never been more fluid. "You do you" is the mantra of a generation primed for self-expression, cheered on by their own #squad and tossing aside old categories. There’s a feisty energy to our present moment, arriving in fiery tones and vibrant, kimono colors. Window trim: Caviar SW 6990 Drawers: Kimono Violet SW 6839 Dahlia SW 6816 Window wall: High Reflective White SW 7757 (Yellow) Table vase: Rayo de Sol SW 9020 (Orange part) Drawers: Serape SW 6656 (Red) Table vase:: Emotional SW 6621 Center wall: Sierra Redwood SW 7598 Wall: Citrobella SW 6915 Ceiling above windows: Popular Gray SW 6071

"This 1960s ranch home, inherited from the homeowner’s parents, hadn’t been renovated in 45 years. The goal was to transform it into a dream space where family could gather, grandchildren could visit, and memories could be made for generations to come. The whole home renovation included a large, open kitchen designed for cooking holiday meals and entertaining loved ones. Thoughtful additions, like freezer drawers for ice cream socials with the grandchildren, added a personal touch. The project also featured updates to two bathrooms, a wet bar, and other key living spaces, seamlessly blending modern functionality with warmth and comfort."

"This 1960s ranch home, inherited from the homeowner’s parents, hadn’t been renovated in 45 years. The goal was to transform it into a dream space where family could gather, grandchildren could visit, and memories could be made for generations to come. The whole home renovation included a large, open kitchen designed for cooking holiday meals and entertaining loved ones. Thoughtful additions, like freezer drawers for ice cream socials with the grandchildren, added a personal touch. The project also featured updates to two bathrooms, a wet bar, and other key living spaces, seamlessly blending modern functionality with warmth and comfort."

"This 1960s ranch home, inherited from the homeowner’s parents, hadn’t been renovated in 45 years. The goal was to transform it into a dream space where family could gather, grandchildren could visit, and memories could be made for generations to come. The whole home renovation included a large, open kitchen designed for cooking holiday meals and entertaining loved ones. Thoughtful additions, like freezer drawers for ice cream socials with the grandchildren, added a personal touch. The project also featured updates to two bathrooms, a wet bar, and other key living spaces, seamlessly blending modern functionality with warmth and comfort."

"This 1960s ranch home, inherited from the homeowner’s parents, hadn’t been renovated in 45 years. The goal was to transform it into a dream space where family could gather, grandchildren could visit, and memories could be made for generations to come. The whole home renovation included a large, open kitchen designed for cooking holiday meals and entertaining loved ones. Thoughtful additions, like freezer drawers for ice cream socials with the grandchildren, added a personal touch. The project also featured updates to two bathrooms, a wet bar, and other key living spaces, seamlessly blending modern functionality with warmth and comfort."

"This 1960s ranch home, inherited from the homeowner’s parents, hadn’t been renovated in 45 years. The goal was to transform it into a dream space where family could gather, grandchildren could visit, and memories could be made for generations to come. The whole home renovation included a large, open kitchen designed for cooking holiday meals and entertaining loved ones. Thoughtful additions, like freezer drawers for ice cream socials with the grandchildren, added a personal touch. The project also featured updates to two bathrooms, a wet bar, and other key living spaces, seamlessly blending modern functionality with warmth and comfort."

"This 1960s ranch home, inherited from the homeowner’s parents, hadn’t been renovated in 45 years. The goal was to transform it into a dream space where family could gather, grandchildren could visit, and memories could be made for generations to come. The whole home renovation included a large, open kitchen designed for cooking holiday meals and entertaining loved ones. Thoughtful additions, like freezer drawers for ice cream socials with the grandchildren, added a personal touch. The project also featured updates to two bathrooms, a wet bar, and other key living spaces, seamlessly blending modern functionality with warmth and comfort."