This home is in Noe Valley, a highly desirable and growing neighborhood of San Francisco. As young highly-educated families move into the area, we are remodeling and adding on to the aging homes found there. This project remodeled the entire existing two story house and added a third level, capturing the incredible views toward downtown. The design features integral color stucco, zinc roofing, an International Orange staircase, eco-teak cabinets and concrete counters. A flowing sequence of spaces were choreographed from the entry through to the family room.

Hoi Ning Wong
Photo of a traditional full sun formal garden in San Francisco.

Indoor Gardening / Orchid Planters
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Photo: Nanette Wong © 2014 Houzz
Small eclectic medium tone wood floor living room photo in San Francisco with a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace, white walls and no tv

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(Benjamin Benschneider/The Seattle Times)
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Ian Moore
Design ideas for a large contemporary drought-tolerant backyard gravel retaining wall landscape in San Francisco.

Meredith Heuer
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This project presented unique opportunities that are not often found in residential landscaping. The homeowners were not only restoring their 1840's era farmhouse, a piece of their family’s history, but also enlarging and updating the home for modern living. The landscape designers continued this idea by creating a space that is a modern day interpretation of an 1840s era farm rather then a strict recreation. The resulting design combines elements of farm living from that time, as well as acknowledging the property’s history as a horse farm, with staples of 21st century landscapes such as space for outdoor living, lighting, and newer plant varieties. Guests approach from the main driveway which winds through the property and ends at the main barn. There is secondary gated driveway just for the homeowners. Connected to this main driveway is a narrower gravel lane which leads directly to the residence. The lane passes near fruit trees planted in broken rows to give the illusion that they are the remains of an orchard that once existed on the site. The lane widens at the entrance to the gardens where there is a hitching post built into the fence that surrounds the gardens and a watering trough. The widened section is intended as a place to park a golf cart or, in a nod to the home’s past, tie up horses before entering. The gravel lane passes between two stone pillars and then ends at a square gravel court edged in cobblestones. The gravel court transitions into a wide flagstone walk bordered with yew hedges and lavender leading to the front door. Directly to the right, upon entering the gravel court, is located a gravel and cobblestone edged walk leading to a secondary entrance into the residence. The walk is gated where it connects with the gravel court to close it off so as not to confuse visitors and guests to the main residence and to emphasize the primary entrance. An area for a bench is provided along this walk to encourage stopping to view and enjoy the gardens. On either side of the front door, gravel and cobblestone walks branch off into the garden spaces. The one on the right leads to a flagstone with cobblestone border patio space. Since the home has no designated backyard like most modern suburban homes the outdoor living space had to be placed in what would traditionally be thought of as the front of the house. The patio is separated from the entrance walk by the yew hedge and further enclosed by three Amelanchiers and a variety of plantings including modern cultivars of old fashioned plants such as Itea and Hydrangea. A third entrance, the original front door to the 1840’s era section, connects to the patio from the home’s kitchen, making the space ideal for outdoor dining. The gravel and cobblestone walk branching off to the left of the front door leads to the vegetable and perennial gardens. The idea for the vegetable garden was to recreate the tradition of a kitchen garden which would have been planted close to the residence for easy access. The vegetable garden is surrounded by mixed perennial beds along the inside of the wood picket fence which surrounds the entire garden space. Another area designated for a bench is provided here to encourage stopping and viewing. The home’s original smokehouse, completely restored and used as a garden shed, provides a strong architectural focal point to the vegetable garden. Behind the smokehouse is planted lilacs and other plants to give mass and balance to the corner and help screen the garden from the neighboring subdivision. At the rear corner of the garden a wood arbor was constructed to provide a structure on which to grow grapes or other vines should the homeowners choose to. The landscape and gardens for this restored farmhouse and property are a thoughtfully designed and planned recreation of a historic landscape reinterpreted for modern living. The idea was to give a sense of timelessness when walking through the gardens as if they had been there for years but had possibly been updated and rejuvenated as lifestyles changed. The attention to materials and craftsmanship blend seamlessly with the residence and insure the gardens and landscape remain an integral part of the property. The farm has been in the homeowner’s family for many years and they are thrilled at the results and happy to see respect given to the home’s history and to its meticulous restoration.

Sam Oberter Photography
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Braedon Flynn
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The simplicity of the white pots on a white background in our living room emphasises the beautiful dark green colours of our plants. We buil this vertical garden ourselves with upcycled wood. The pots are all different because we'd love to go thrift-shopping for pots for our collection of 100+ plants. Credits: instagram.com/houtje.touwtje

This home is in Noe Valley, a highly desirable and growing neighborhood of San Francisco. As young highly-educated families move into the area, we are remodeling and adding on to the aging homes found there. This project remodeled the entire existing two story house and added a third level, capturing the incredible views toward downtown. The design features integral color stucco, zinc roofing, an International Orange staircase, eco-teak cabinets and concrete counters. A flowing sequence of spaces were choreographed from the entry through to the family room.

Paul Bardagjy Photography
1950s gender-neutral playroom photo in Austin with beige walls

Designer: Shadi Khadivi Photography: Sebastien Barre
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Thankfully this Northeast home had room for its kitchen to grow. The 9 foot by 8 foot kitchen had an adjacent, 6 foot by 11 foot office space which could be given up so the kitchen could expand into it. With this all the plumbing fixtures and appliances got rearranged, larger windows were installed and a glass exterior door was added along with a little deck. The new kitchen is almost double in size, comfortably accommodating cooks, guests and a cat. Plus an adjacent, secondary stairway was taken out so a half bathroom could go in its place. Along with a new pantry, well-made Crystal Cabinets span the kitchen to offer more storage than some know what to do with. Durable new Silestone quartz and butcher block countertops make for great working surfaces. Thoughtful plays on colors bring a sense of balance, calm, and light. Intentional selections made to make the kitchen fit with the home include; new hard wood flooring same size and species as existing, dark hardware, shaker style cabinetry and subway tile. To mix in a pop of local, colorful flare locally made Clay Squared tile is showcased above the range. Overall the remodeled kitchen allows for a whole new way of life that is being much enjoyed!

1960s living room photo in Other