Charles Quinn Photography
Transitional pool photo in Austin

This visually simple, modern solution is unique within its suburban context, and gives this family the custom landscape of their dreams. The homeowners’ wish list included a modern design and clearly defined spaces: a larger dining patio, firepit patio, hot tub, and a 4-season sport court (which gets flooded for ice hockey in the winter). Circulation and screening were key in Ground One’s landscape design. A sport court could overwhelm the entire backyard, so it was raised three feet above the primary backyard to physically separate different spaces, and minimize its visual impact. Rectangular bluestone in a running bond pattern was used in all the gathering spaces (dining, firepit, hot tub). Bluestone walls reinforce a simple material palette. A larger dining patio was installed near the house for greater entertaining flexibility. Plank paver paths connect to a private hot tub area and allow kids to don hockey gear and enter the sport court without messing up the house. The firepit patio is at the back of the property, nestled into the existing hillside under a large oak and below the sport court terrace. Plantings reinforce the geometry of each gathering space, provide focal points, and create layers of screening and separation from any given vantage point. Hardy species were selected for their low-maintenance requirements and various seasons of interest. Landscape lighting was incorporated to provide way finding between the patios, accent various hardscape elements, and highlight the trees.

This remarkable freestanding elliptical staircase creates a spectacular architectural moment. Three flights rise gracefully through the house, featuring soft light-stained oak treads and handrail that blend seamlessly with the home's hardwood flooring. Crisp white stringers and risers provide a clean foundation, allowing the natural wood warmth to shine. The defining feature is the geometric black wrought-iron balusters. It is the contrast between organic curves and precise geometry, natural wood and forged metal, that creates a staircase that's both elegant and dramatic. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

Large 1950s porcelain tile and beige floor eat-in kitchen photo in Other with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, no island and white countertops

A sleek, contemporary exterior that blends modern geometry with industrial accents. The asymmetrical roofline creates a striking architectural silhouette, while the large picture window framed in corrugated metal adds both texture and character. Smooth, minimalist siding keeps the design fresh and refined, and the metal railing and wood fencing balance the look with warmth and structure. A truly unique remodel with a crisp, urban edge.

Inspiration for a kitchen remodel in Houston

Photo by George Dzahristos
This is an example of a landscaping in Detroit.

Geometry of the house makes the backyard and patio a courtyard-like setting. The windows create a gallery-style entry experience into and throughout the home. Photo credit Kyle Pugh Photography.

Set on a spacious lot in Gilbert, this thoughtfully layered landscape design balances clean, contemporary architecture with soft, welcoming outdoor spaces. Designed by Shearon Design Collective, the project features a linear pool with integrated spa, custom firepit, and a modern outdoor kitchen anchored by natural materials and minimalist geometry. Intimate lounge areas are framed by lush, desert-adapted plantings that soften the hardscape and create a sense of warmth and retreat. This backyard transformation captures the essence of luxury outdoor living—designed for both entertaining and everyday connection.

This remarkable freestanding elliptical staircase creates a spectacular architectural moment. Three flights rise gracefully through the house, featuring soft light-stained oak treads and handrail that blend seamlessly with the home's hardwood flooring. Crisp white stringers and risers provide a clean foundation, allowing the natural wood warmth to shine. The defining feature is the geometric black wrought-iron balusters. It is the contrast between organic curves and precise geometry, natural wood and forged metal, that creates a staircase that's both elegant and dramatic. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

Cape Courtyard is a vacation house in the Greek Revival tradition so richly characteristic of Cape Cod. A temple-like entry portico in an enigmatic shingled wall is one’s first view on approaching the house. The view of the water is to the north, but there was a desire for a sunny, wind-sheltered southern courtyard. The house looks inward to the courtyard and outward to the bay. Set behind dunes, preserving indigenous plantings, the house is approached from the south. The wall with the entry portico screens the courtyard from the driveway. Only after passing through the portico does one discover the courtyard. The house is arrayed around the court like a village of small Greek Revival houses, connected by an intimately-scaled colonnade. The main block of the house is two stories, one room wide, running east–west, open both to the north water view and the southern courtyard. A wing containing service functions and garage defines the east side of the courtyard. The shape of the compact lot gave rise to the angled plan and dynamic courtyard geometry. Photography by Robert Benson

The Vondom Vela Chair was crafted with prismatic geometry that bases singularity in the balance of proportions. The architectural- and sculpture-like dining chairs pair well with the Vela collection.

Studio Z designed a replacement balustrade for this detailed wood stairway in a downtown Ann Arbor condominium. The homeowner wanted a fluid, continuous railing to replace the original fussy, hard-edged, metal guardrail that was there when they bought the home. The wood and glass balustrade creates a beautiful contrast to the geometry of the surrounding spaces. Contractor: Momentum Construction LLC Photo: Emily Rose Imagery

The den is a modernist homage to Eileen Gray. A silver metallic window cornice mirrors the geometry of the small space den. The metallic tile wraps the entire room as ceiling molding. And, the sheer white draperies is also trimmed with silver metallic trim. The walls are upholstered in a soft gray leather. There is a modernist fabric on the couch.

The cabin typology redux came out of the owner’s desire to have a house that is warm and familiar, but also “feels like you are on vacation.” The basis of the “Hewn House” design starts with a cabin’s simple form and materiality: a gable roof, a wood-clad body, a prominent fireplace that acts as the hearth, and integrated indoor-outdoor spaces. However, rather than a rustic style, the scheme proposes a clean-lined and “hewned” form, sculpted, to best fit on its urban infill lot. The plan and elevation geometries are responsive to the unique site conditions. Existing prominent trees determined the faceted shape of the main house, while providing shade that projecting eaves of a traditional log cabin would otherwise offer. Deferring to the trees also allows the house to more readily tuck into its leafy East Austin neighborhood, and is therefore more quiet and secluded. Natural light and coziness are key inside the home. Both the common zone and the private quarters extend to sheltered outdoor spaces of varying scales: the front porch, the private patios, and the back porch which acts as a transition to the backyard. Similar to the front of the house, a large cedar elm was preserved in the center of the yard. Sliding glass doors open up the interior living zone to the backyard life while clerestory windows bring in additional ambient light and tree canopy views. The wood ceiling adds warmth and connection to the exterior knotted cedar tongue & groove. The iron spot bricks with an earthy, reddish tone around the fireplace cast a new material interest both inside and outside. The gable roof is clad with standing seam to reinforced the clean-lined and faceted form. Furthermore, a dark gray shade of stucco contrasts and complements the warmth of the cedar with its coolness. A freestanding guest house both separates from and connects to the main house through a small, private patio with a tall steel planter bed. Photo by Charles Davis Smith

Mid-sized trendy side yard stone patio photo in Boston with a fire pit

Central El Paso Backyard Renovation: Fifteen years is a long time for a backyard to quietly wait. At first, it was full of intention—a pool that promised summers, laughter, and long evenings. But time has a way of settling in. The water turned still, then green. Edges cracked. The space became less of a destination and more of something you looked past. Life moved forward, but the backyard stayed behind. Then came the decision: it was time. Not a patch job. Not a quick fix. A complete reset. The transformation didn’t begin beautifully—it began with demolition. The old pool was drained, exposing years of neglect etched into its surface. Crews stepped in, breaking, clearing, reshaping. What once held stagnant water became an open cavity of possibility. Steel rebar formed a new skeleton, precise and intentional. Every line measured. Every elevation reconsidered. This wasn’t just construction—it was rethinking how the space should live. The shell was rebuilt. Surfaces were refined. Plumbing, structure, and flow were corrected at their core. What had once been outdated and failing was now engineered to last. Then the shift happened. Hardscape came in—clean, warm-toned concrete replacing worn decking. Stone walls, once just boundaries, were elevated into features. Subtle textures, intentional lines. A visual language that matched the architecture of the home instead of competing with it. The pool returned—but not as it was. Now it was sharp, modern, and inviting. A long, clean body of water with a shallow tanning ledge that catches the sun just right. Stainless steel scuppers arc water into the pool—movement, sound, life. Steps are crisp, geometry is balanced, and the water reflects clarity instead of neglect. Around it, the yard found purpose. Artificial turf introduced contrast—green, controlled, low-maintenance. A pergola structure rose in the corner, creating a destination within the destination. Beneath it, a built-in outdoor kitchen turned the backyard into a place to gather, not just pass through. Lighting stitched everything together, making the space just as alive at dusk as it is under the midday sun. By the end, nothing felt accidental. What was once forgotten is now deliberate. What was once avoided is now the center of attention. Fifteen years later, the backyard didn’t just come back—it finally became what it was always supposed to be.

Memories Surround Me - Fireplace Ancient Art of Stone was commissioned by our clients in Spokane, Washington to create this natural stone, river rock fireplace. Much of the natural stone saucers in this fireplace project were supplied by our clients. Collected during 50 years of weekends and holidays fishing together, gathering the stone saucers then commissioning Ancient Art of Stone to build a fireplace to honour and remember the decades spent together.

A beautiful home designed by Julie Snow Architects. The exterior is concrete, ipe wood and glass. The geometry is strong and precise and yet somehow quiet and simple. (Work created by I\E\E founder Matt Olson for his former studio RO/LU)