The Solstice team worked with these Crofton homeowners to achieve their vision of having a kitchen design that is the center of home life in this Chapman Farm home. The result is a kitchen located in the heart of the home, that serves as a welcome destination for family and visitors, with a highly effective layout. The addition of a peninsula adds extra seating and also separates the kitchen work zone from an external doorway and the living area. HomeCrest kitchen cabinets in willow finish Sedona maple includes customized pull out storage accessories like cooking utensil and knife storage inserts, pull out shelves, and more. The gray cabinetry is accented by an amazing Cambria "Langdon" quartz countertop and gray subway tile backsplash. An Allora USA double bowl sink with American Standard pull out sprayer faucet is situated facing the window, and includes an InSinkErator Evolution garbage disposal and InstaHot water dispenser in chrome. The design is accented by stainless appliances, a warm wood floor, and under- and over-cabinet lighting.

In this deck design project, located in the University Village neighborhood in Chicago, we enhanced the client’s existing deck with lots of exciting new features. The deck includes a new custom-built pergola, custom lattice work, custom-built benches, planters and a watering system.

These clients retained MMI to assist with a full renovation of the 1st floor following the Harvey Flood. With 4 feet of water in their home, we worked tirelessly to put the home back in working order. While Harvey served our city lemons, we took the opportunity to make lemonade. The kitchen was expanded to accommodate seating at the island and a butler's pantry. A lovely free-standing tub replaced the former Jacuzzi drop-in and the shower was enlarged to take advantage of the expansive master bathroom. Finally, the fireplace was extended to the two-story ceiling to accommodate the TV over the mantel. While we were able to salvage much of the existing slate flooring, the overall color scheme was updated to reflect current trends and a desire for a fresh look and feel. As with our other Harvey projects, our proudest moments were seeing the family move back in to their beautifully renovated home.

The two person spa-style shower features body sprays and multiple shower heads, including a rain shower feature. This project won Best Before & After Bath in the 2016 NKBA Design Competition. Photo by Shelly Harrison.

Marisa Vitale Photography www.marisavitale.com
Example of a large country light wood floor and beige floor open concept kitchen design in Los Angeles with white cabinets, marble countertops, an island, an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Spa-like bathroom with seamless glass shower enclosure and bold designer details, including black countertops, fixtures, and hardware, flat panel warm wood cabinets, and pearlescent tile flooring.

Patio kitchen - large coastal backyard stone patio kitchen idea in Chicago with a roof extension

This is an example of a rustic backyard landscaping with a fire pit.

Inspiration for a transitional bathroom remodel in Nashville

Reach-in closet - mid-sized traditional men's brown floor reach-in closet idea in Salt Lake City with white cabinets and open cabinets

Wine cellar - small contemporary galley wine cellar idea in Ottawa with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and storage racks

Example of a transitional living room design in Austin

Wet bar - rustic single-wall wet bar idea in Salt Lake City with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets and dark wood cabinets

Photography by Ryan Davis | CG&S Design-Build
Example of a 1950s kitchen design in Austin

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Trendy master black tile beige floor freestanding bathtub photo in Phoenix with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, beige walls, a vessel sink and a hinged shower door

Calista Chandler Photography
Example of an eclectic courtyard outdoor patio shower design in San Francisco with no cover

Deer resistant plantings. This selection of perennials and shrubs are bearing up well under the pressure from a large herd of deer that frequently hang out in this open area. The perennials are astilbe, carex, evergreen autumn fern, hellebore, and variegated solomon's seal. Shrubs include abelia, itea, laurel, mugho pine and oak leaf hydrangea. Note that in different locations, some of these plants will be grazed by deer. Photo by Barbara Katz