Site Finished American Black Walnut wide plank floor. 8" width and extra long planks. Solid 3/4" planks.
Minimalist exterior home photo in Atlanta

A lawn panel softens the sleek lines of the limestone coping and steps. Limestone walls negotiate the change in elevation. Photo Credit: George Dzahristos

A 3,980 sqft Modern Retreat Merging Nature and Architecture Completed in 2025 in the tranquil hills of Bel Air, this 3,980 sqft residence redefines outdoor living through a seamless blend of modern architecture and natural beauty. Designed by Henne Creative, the project captures the essence of minimalist luxury, where clean lines meet atmospheric elegance. The infinity pool extends toward a lush backdrop, reflecting the dramatic hues of the California sunset. At dusk, the soft architectural lighting highlights the structure’s geometry, creating a calm yet striking silhouette. The pink flamingo float playfully anchors the space, adding a sense of warmth and personality to the design. Floor to ceiling glass panels erase the boundary between indoors and out, while the concrete patio equipped with sleek loungers and side tables offers a refined and relaxed ambiance for everyday retreat or intimate gatherings. Bel Air Serenity isn’t just a home it’s an experience. A sanctuary that celebrates light, openness, and the quiet luxury of nature-infused design.

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

This residence was designed as a series of linked pavilions inspired by the relationship to nature found in traditional Japanese vernacular architecture. The site was conceived and planned in collaboration with Brent Cottong, landscape architect, creating an integration of interior and exterior living spaces, view corridors and site lines. The home was sited around existing natural elements that include a heritage Coast Live Oak tree, a stand of redwoods and a seasonal creek. The interior of the house glows with natural light that suffuses the space. The geometry and fenestration maximize natural light and incorporate energy efficient climate-responsive solar design principles. Solar orientation photographs were taken throughout the site, on which a solar study was based, contributing to the generation of the design.

This 6500 square foot house in a golf course community was designed for a couple with three young children who were relocating to South Florida from Trinidad. They wanted a comfortable family home but with a bright, artistic exuberance, also for entertaining. Their tastes were extremely refined and artistic. Approximately half of the space is family oriented and intimate. . . . . the other half more formal and spacious. All share a view of the golf course though a screened multi-level terrace which includes a swimming pool and spa. Sculpted white interior spaces feature brown marble floors, ledges and built-in furniture. Beige wool carpeting, cool off white fabrics and toned leathers compliment the crisp simplicity of the architecture. Multiple levels of coral stone walls and planters lead to the entrance through a tropical garden and provide a rugged contrast and base for the articulated, layered and stepping forms and vigorous geometry above and within. The exterior with its articulate geometric forms, simplicity and clarity is a direct reflection and result of the spaces within. Read More

Perched on a mountainside offering breathtaking views overlooking Vancouver, this project is defined by a unique sculptural quality that carries from surfaces to plantings. The geometry of concrete work and paving details are designed to play with the eye and sightlines to the view of the city.

Home design - contemporary home design idea in Other

Bathroom photo in Ottawa

THE BIRDHOUSE The San Rafael hills overlooking Richardson Bay are the home to our creative clients, a successful corporate executive and her sculptor husband. Their beautiful home called out for a second unit to house a caretaker family and the solution is a tribute to the sculptor’s inspiring work. Contrasting yet complimenting the original home, the “birdhouse” lives in the midst of the hillside woods and its lines are both modern and warm. The split-level geometry packs a gracious amount of living space into a small and clever container while the exterior celebrates our clients’ wit and whimsy.

Paul Warchol
Example of a minimalist home design design in Seattle

Our overall design concept for the renovation of this space was to optimize the functional space for a family of five and accentuate the existing window. In the renovation, we eliminated a huge centrally located kitchen island which acted as an obstacle to the feeling of the space and focused on creating an elegant and balanced plan promoting movement, simplicity and precisely executed details. We held strong to having the kitchen cabinets, wherever possible, float off the floor to give the subtle impression of lightness avoiding a bottom heavy look. The cabinets were painted a pale tinted green to reduce the empty effect of light flooding a white kitchen leaving a softness and complementing the gray tiles. To integrate the existing dining room with the kitchen, we simply added some classic dining chairs and a dynamic light fixture, juxtaposing the geometry of the boxy kitchen with organic curves and triangular lights to balance the clean design with an inviting warmth.

The ShopBoxes grew from a homeowner’s wish to craft a small complex of living spaces on a large wooded lot. Smash designed two structures for living and working, each built by the crafty, hands-on homeowner. Balancing a need for modern quality with a human touch, the sharp geometry of the structures contrasts with warmer and handmade materials and finishes, applied directly by the homeowner/builder. The result blends two aesthetics into very dynamic spaces, staked out as individual sculptures in a private park.⁠ Design by Smash Design Build and Owner (private) Construction by Owner (private)

Inspiration for a transitional dining room remodel in Chicago

This Master Suite while being spacious, was poorly planned in the beginning. Master Bathroom and Walk-in Closet were small relative to the Bedroom size. Bathroom, being a maze of turns, offered a poor traffic flow. It only had basic fixtures and was never decorated to look like a living space. Geometry of the Bedroom (long and stretched) allowed to use some of its' space to build two Walk-in Closets while the original walk-in closet space was added to adjacent Bathroom. New Master Bathroom layout has changed dramatically (walls, door, and fixtures moved). The new space was carefully planned for two people using it at once with no sacrifice to the comfort. New shower is huge. It stretches wall-to-wall and has a full length bench with granite top. Frame-less glass enclosure partially sits on the tub platform (it is a drop-in tub). Tiles on the walls and on the floor are of the same collection. Elegant, time-less, neutral - something you would enjoy for years. This selection leaves no boundaries on the decor. Beautiful open shelf vanity cabinet was actually made by the Home Owners! They both were actively involved into the process of creating their new oasis. New Master Suite has two separate Walk-in Closets. Linen closet which used to be a part of the Bathroom, is now accessible from the hallway. Master Bedroom, still big, looks stunning. It reflects taste and life style of the Home Owners and blends in with the overall style of the House. Some of the furniture in the Bedroom was also made by the Home Owners.

50/50s House is a love letter to the 1950’s. Our clients, Gina and David have a love for books and found objects and wanted to display their collections with pride. The brief also called for a home that would afford them and their teenagers the ability to occupy different spaces without feeling disconnected. Bold lines and playful geometry work in tandem with the charm of the existing house to create a beautiful healthy home that is as endearing as it is enduring.

This is an example of a mid-century modern landscaping in Los Angeles.

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.

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