Photo of a large contemporary full sun backyard formal garden in Boston.

Design ideas for a traditional landscaping in San Diego.

Detail of a pot with sconce lighting. Pot is custom, from Mexican artisans. The plant is a Texas Dwarf Palmetto, which does well in this shady project. The sconce was selected to mimic the pot and plant repetitive patterning.

Donna Christensen
This is an example of a traditional shade backyard stone landscaping in Bridgeport for summer.

Example of a 1960s home design design in Seattle

Added rock for proper drainage of yard..

Breathing New Life into an '80s Classic Sometimes, the most rewarding projects are about bringing families back together. When our clients recently relocated from Calcutta to join their mother, their classic 1980s, one-and-a-half-story house needed a major expansion into a spacious two-and-a-half-story home. With the younger generation now part of a globe-trotting workforce, this multi-generational estate needed to become a welcoming, highly functional anchor. The Structural Challenges We quickly realized this renovation required far more than a simple cosmetic facelift. The original construction featured some surprisingly lackadaisical contractor work that demanded immediate, expert attention: The Disappearing Inches: The ground floor common wall was 14 inches thick, but the upper floors dropped to 9 inches. This discrepancy was completely ignored during the initial 1980s build, compounding frustrating measurement errors in every single room. Leaning Walls: The first-floor walls were severely out of plumb—a notoriously common nightmare in older load-bearing structural systems. The Metamorphosis Design Solution At Metamorphosis Design, we thrive on absolute precision. While our firm is heavily specialized in the flawless tolerances of prefabricated architecture, we excel at applying our rigorous standards to complex, traditional structural surgery. In fact, untangling these old-school, analog building errors is exactly why Metamorphosis Architecture champions the millimeter-perfect reliability and speed of prefab construction today! To rescue this family home, our team executed high-level corrections, including repositioning crucial walls without even removing the roof slab. We also completely modernized the home's core infrastructure: Staircase Redesign: We replaced the grueling 8-inch stair risers with a gentle 6.5-inch climb for improved daily comfort and accessibility. Utility Overhaul: We entirely revamped the electrical distribution grid and swapped ancient stoneware sewer lines for modern PVC SWR systems and smooth aluminum composite water pipes. Eco-Upgrades & Reinforcement: We reinforced the aging 9-inch square brick pillars with heavy-duty RCC jackets to easily handle the new structural loads, and we integrated a highly efficient, sustainable rainwater harvesting system. The final result is a structurally sound, beautifully updated family estate—one that is practically begging for some moody, cinematic architectural photography to truly capture its dramatic transformation. We walked away incredibly satisfied with a job well done.

Example of a trendy wood exterior home design in Boston

Ogon Spirea blooming in the spring. Great texture and fall foliage as well. Ruth Consoli Design
This is an example of a mid-sized full sun landscaping for spring.

Photo: Vanessa Gardner Nagel, APLD Grasses and shallow-rooted perennials were used across the large septic tank area.
This is an example of a huge rustic landscaping in Portland.

Inspiration for a contemporary bathroom remodel in Milwaukee

An acorn squash spreads onto the pavement in a city garden.
Inspiration for a full sun backyard landscaping in Chicago for summer.

Bathroom - bathroom idea in Tampa

Chris Robinson

Patio - mid-sized modern backyard concrete paver patio idea in San Luis Obispo

This fountain quietly bubbles near the door to the great room calming anyone that hears it.

Example of a trendy home design design in San Luis Obispo