Cohuatichan is a 715 m2 weekend residence located in the Mexican mountains of Puebla. Attached to the edge of a cliff overlooking a 100ha site, the house has stunning views of a waterfall and the surrounding tropical cloud mountain forest. The exuberant context guided the design of this holiday residence extension. The integration of both interior and exterior programs was achieved through the use of a large sliding curtain wall on both levels intended to remain open while the house is in use. This allows the house to open up to the unique landscape, while also connecting the adjacent infinity swimming pool with the public living area on the lower level, and the master bedroom with an open hot tub, bathroom and terrace on the upper level. The house’s aesthetics and materials were kept light and clean in contrast to the breathtaking surroundings in order to foster a unique experience of outdoor living while being under the comfort of a contemporary structure.

Cohuatichan is a 715 m2 weekend residence located in the Mexican mountains of Puebla. Attached to the edge of a cliff overlooking a 100ha site, the house has stunning views of a waterfall and the surrounding tropical cloud mountain forest. The exuberant context guided the design of this holiday residence extension. The integration of both interior and exterior programs was achieved through the use of a large sliding curtain wall on both levels intended to remain open while the house is in use. This allows the house to open up to the unique landscape, while also connecting the adjacent infinity swimming pool with the public living area on the lower level, and the master bedroom with an open hot tub, bathroom and terrace on the upper level. The house’s aesthetics and materials were kept light and clean in contrast to the breathtaking surroundings in order to foster a unique experience of outdoor living while being under the comfort of a contemporary structure.

Oakley Home Builders is a custom home builder and remodeling company in the Chicago suburbs that has integrated distinctive home designs into surrounding communities, neighborhoods and coveted residential landscapes. Positioned as a flourishing Chicago western suburbs home builder, Oakley Home Builders demonstrates a passionate pursuit of detail-rich, value-driven design and efficient construction that provides homebuyers with a masterfully planned and executed living environment. Whether building on your site or one of our many available lots, Oakley Home Builders is recognized among Chicago western suburbs home builders for its excellent build-to-suit program. Guiding homebuyers through a simple, step-by-step process, we enhance the building experience by providing practical advice, flexible accommodations, and educational insight. But while we are mainly a home builder in Chicago suburbs, we also build luxurious beach homes in Naples, FL and along the shores of Lake Michigan in Indiana and Michigan's Harbor Country. In addition we serve as an expert suburban Chicago remodeling company catering to the communities of Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Naperville, Glen Ellyn, LaGrange, Western Springs, Elmhurst, and other west suburban locations.

Location, location, location! Isn’t that what all of our real-estate friends and colleagues are always telling us? Our clients made a wise choice when purchasing this beautifully located ocean front property nestled in the dunes of Palm Beach, but they were presented with a challenge: how to take this luxury townhouse from dark and dated to a chic easy breezy dream home that reflects is naturally gorgeous sun and sand dunes surroundings as well as our clients laid back personalities. Built in 1981, this dream home’s post-modern style with dark wood architectural features, cold concrete structure, and harsh lighting felt out of step by todays standards. Our solution: open the staircase and switch out the wood paneled banister for clear glass, exposing its grand design and allowing for amazing and unobscured views of the property’s outdoor spaces as well as the home’s common areas, permitting its large loft space to shine. Bedrooms were treated to neutral color-schemes inspired by the Palm Beach dunes that surround this oceanfront home. An impressive pallet of textures and materials were chosen, and juxtapositions of lux linens and natural textiles like grass wall coverings and a large arrangement of sculptural branches brings the outside, in. Big and bold custom metal sculptures were installed in the primary bedroom along with hand blown glass light fixtures, adding that touch of glam that we are known for. The private courtyard revamp is above and beyond anything you will see in Palm Beach. Playful and luxurious, it features a koi pond, a two story art installation and a dramatic custom stone waterfall. Its seating area makes great use of this homes original design by softening the heavy overhang with ceiling coverings in Peaky Cyprus and covering the walls with grass, creating a very cool and cozy space to relax and unwind. The entire courtyard is expertly illuminated by artistic lighting that makes every corner a sparkling treat for the eyes. We had fun with this ambitious project and we hope your takeaway is to let location be your guide when looking for your dream home, because anything is possible in design but great surroundings are rare treasures that must be found and cherished.

Steed's Holly 6 ft tall max. Will not outgrow deck. Elliott Hallum
Design ideas for a small traditional partial sun front yard landscaping in Nashville for winter.

An extreme makeover turns an unassuming lanai deck into an outdoor oasis. These Bonita Bay homeowners loved the location of their home, but needed it to fit their current lifestyle. Because they love to entertain, they wanted to maximize their outdoor space—one that would accommodate a large family and lots of guests. Working with Progressive Design Build, Mike Spreckelmeier helped the homeowners formulate a list of ideas about what they wanted to achieve in the renovation; then, guided them through the process of planning their remodel. The renovation focused on reconfiguring the layout to extend the outdoor kitchen and living area—to include a new outdoor kitchen, dining area, sitting area and fireplace. Finishing details comprised a beautiful wood ceiling, cast stone accents, and porcelain tile. The lanai was also expanded to include a full size bocce ball court, which was fully encased in a beautiful custom colonnade and screen enclosure. With the extension of the outdoor space came a need to connect the living area to the existing pool and deck. The pool and spa were refinished; and a well thought-out low voltage remote-control relay system was installed for easy control of all of the outdoor and landscape lighting, ceiling fans, and hurricane shutters. This outdoor kitchen project turned out so well, the Bonita Bay homeowners hired Progressive Design Build to remodel the front of their home as well. To create much needed space, Progressive Design Build tore down an existing two-car garage and designed and built a brand new 2.5-car garage with a family suite above. The family suite included three bedrooms, two bathrooms, additional air conditioned storage, a beautiful custom made stair system, and a sitting area. Also part of the project scope, we enlarged a separate one-car garage to a two-car garage (totaling 4.5 garages), and build a 4,000 sq. ft. driveway, complete with landscape design and installation.

The new Mudroom and Laundry located off the garage is the main entrance used by the family. 3-panel barn doors from Artisan Hardware with Classic Black hardware provide separation leading into the Butler’s Pantry and Family Room/Kitchen - as well as a discreet way to hide Laundry and Mudroom everyday messes from the Kitchen and Family Room!

Firepower Nandina and Wintergem Korean Boxwood. Elliott Hallum
Photo of a small traditional partial sun front yard landscaping in Nashville for winter.

This gem of a house was built in the 1950s, when its neighborhood undoubtedly felt remote. The university footprint has expanded in the 70 years since, however, and today this home sits on prime real estate—easy biking and reasonable walking distance to campus. When it went up for sale in 2017, it was largely unaltered. Our clients purchased it to renovate and resell, and while we all knew we'd need to add square footage to make it profitable, we also wanted to respect the neighborhood and the house’s own history. Swedes have a word that means “just the right amount”: lagom. It is a guiding philosophy for us at SYH, and especially applied in this renovation. Part of the soul of this house was about living in just the right amount of space. Super sizing wasn’t a thing in 1950s America. So, the solution emerged: keep the original rectangle, but add an L off the back. With no owner to design with and for, SYH created a layout to appeal to the masses. All public spaces are the back of the home--the new addition that extends into the property’s expansive backyard. A den and four smallish bedrooms are atypically located in the front of the house, in the original 1500 square feet. Lagom is behind that choice: conserve space in the rooms where you spend most of your time with your eyes shut. Put money and square footage toward the spaces in which you mostly have your eyes open. In the studio, we started calling this project the Mullet Ranch—business up front, party in the back. The front has a sleek but quiet effect, mimicking its original low-profile architecture street-side. It’s very Hoosier of us to keep appearances modest, we think. But get around to the back, and surprise! lofted ceilings and walls of windows. Gorgeous.

Wintergem Korean Boxwood can tolerate afternoon shade. Elliott Hallum
Photo of a small traditional partial sun front yard landscaping in Nashville for winter.

The Contemporary Sliding Barn Door is a unique twist on the popular 3-Panel barn door. The 3 equal panels create a sense of uniformity and structure that work well with clean and modern spaces, while the "X's" add a sense of rustic nostalgia. The Contemporary Sliding Barn Door is made with hand selected wood for optimal performance and cross grained rails and stiles to prevent warping. The door itself is made with mortise and tenon joinery, along with engineered rails and stiles to ensure the door's longevity. The bottom of the door is grooved out to accept floor guides and maintain a clean appearance. This barn door is complementary to any of our barn door hardware. 1 1/2" thick Contemporary Sliding Doors are most often found at the following locations: Study Closet Master Bathroom Door Sun Room Entrance Hardware not included unless added to the order Hardware is Micro Barn Door Hardware

Centennial Spirit Crapemyrtle (existing, just pruned base), Wintergem Korean Boxwood. Elliott Hallum
Photo of a small traditional partial sun front yard landscaping in Nashville for winter.

Blue Fescue Perennial in flower. Elliott Hallum
Photo of a mid-sized traditional partial sun front yard mulch landscaping in Nashville for fall.

Steed's Holly 6 ft tall max. Will not outgrow deck. Elliott Hallum
Photo of a small traditional partial sun front yard landscaping in Nashville for winter.

Elliott Hallum
Photo of a small modern full sun front yard gravel garden path in Nashville for summer.

Soft Touch Holly along sidewalk. Emerald Green Arborvitae Entrance. Cherokee Princess Dogwood as the specimen tree. Compacta Holly in front of porch with Firepower Nandina. Little Moses Euonymus (Burning Bush) along driveway. Elliott Hallum

This Jersey City, NJ space was the first permanent ‘home’ for the yoga studio, so it was essential for us to listen well and design a space to serve their needs for years to come. Through our design process, we helped to guide the owners through the fit-out of their new studio location that required minimal demolition and disruption to the existing space. Together, we converted a space originally used as a preschool into a welcoming, spacious yoga studio for local yogis. We created one main yoga studio by combining four small classrooms into a single larger space with new walls, while all the other program spaces (including designated areas for holistic treatments, massage, and bodywork) were accommodated into pre-existing rooms. Our team completed all demo, sheetrock, electrical, and painting aspects of the project. (The studio owners did some of the work themselves, and a different company installed the flooring and carpets.) The results speak for themselves: a peaceful, restorative space to facilitate health and healing for the studio’s community. Looking to renovate your place of business? Contact the Houseplay team; we’ll help make it happen! Photo Credit: Anne Ruthmann Photography

Detail view of cable guided drop screen
Inspiration for a craftsman concrete outdoor kitchen porch remodel in Portland with a pergola

Steed's Holly 6 ft tall max. Will not outgrow deck. Elliott Hallum
Inspiration for a small traditional partial sun front yard landscaping in Nashville for winter.