These beautiful contemporary wall panels make a grand statement in any space. Relaxing, yet elegant, they instantaneously upgrade the decor of a room.

Nothing works as well in a shade garden as bamboo to provide an instantaneous effect of lushness, height, and a Zen-like, tropical feel. Bamboo is extremely versatile and can tolerate conditions ranging from full sun to full shade. It also does really well in containers, which keep the roots contained and the plants in check. In this garden, we've softened a monolithic looking black metal wall through the use of a row of bamboo planters, a red Japanese maple, and clustered container plantings in Asian ceramic pots. This rooftop garden is located on Manhattan's Upper West Side near the Hudson River. Read more about this garden on my blog, www.amberfreda.com.

Ever since they bought their home, this couple envisioned their Kitchen opening into an under-utilized room next to the Kitchen. Designed by Lee Meyer Architects, the plan creates an open Kitchen, featuring a center island with an induction cook top and attached Cherry table/seating area. Cherry cabinetry with crown molding is featured throughout. Photos by Greg Schmidt.

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

Dan Cutrona Photography
Family room - transitional open concept family room idea in Miami with gray walls, no fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Contemporary Entry in Maui, Photo credit: David Livingston
Example of a trendy entryway design in Hawaii

Excerpted from Marrakesh by Design by Maryam Montague (Artisan Books). Copyright 2012.
Tuscan living room photo in New York with white walls

The inviting front porch with craftsman style detailing and trellis create a sense of welcome and arrival to the home. The home features a comfortable and distinctive combination of the Great Room, Kitchen, and Dining areas. These areas have expansive windows and doors which create a true connection to the spacious outdoor living space and provide openness and the wash of natural light throughout the interior. The floor plan at 2741 sq ft. includes 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ bath with 3 car tandem garage. Photos by: Farrell Scott

This is an example of a mid-sized french country partial sun backyard stone landscaping in Manchester for spring.

The inviting front porch with craftsman style detailing and trellis create a sense of welcome and arrival to the home. The home features a comfortable and distinctive combination of the Great Room, Kitchen, and Dining areas. These areas have expansive windows and doors which create a true connection to the spacious outdoor living space and provide openness and the wash of natural light throughout the interior. The floor plan at 2741 sq ft. includes 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ bath with 3 car tandem garage. Photos by: Farrell Scott

For the purple lover in all of us. Add this deep sensual color to just about any space in your home and notice how it instantaneously warms up the space. photo by: Picture Perfect LLC

The inviting front porch with craftsman style detailing and trellis create a sense of welcome and arrival to the home. The home features a comfortable and distinctive combination of the Great Room, Kitchen, and Dining areas. These areas have expansive windows and doors which create a true connection to the spacious outdoor living space and provide openness and the wash of natural light throughout the interior. The floor plan at 2741 sq ft. includes 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ bath with 3 car tandem garage. Photos by: Farrell Scott

The ultimate spa bathroom! Being bold with your gold and knowing how to place your fixtures perfectly, and your gold in the right amount, will leave you with a bathroom so luxurious, it will instantaneously become your favorite room in the home.

For a modern treatment on the home library, we painted this bookcase a stunning shade of magenta, which instantaneously makes it the focal point of the room. A pin dot Moroccan lantern adds great presence and dapples the room in soft patterns at night. Photo by Tim Street-Porter

The inviting front porch with craftsman style detailing and trellis create a sense of welcome and arrival to the home. The home features a comfortable and distinctive combination of the Great Room, Kitchen, and Dining areas. These areas have expansive windows and doors which create a true connection to the spacious outdoor living space and provide openness and the wash of natural light throughout the interior. The floor plan at 2741 sq ft. includes 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ bath with 3 car tandem garage. Photos by: Farrell Scott

General Plan Features The inviting front porch with craftsman style detailing and trellis create a sense of welcome and arrival to the home. The home features a comfortable and distinctive combination of the Great Room, Kitchen, and Dining areas. These areas have expansive windows and doors which create a true connection to the spacious outdoor living space and provide openness and the wash of natural light throughout the interior. The floor plan at 2741 sq ft. includes 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ bath with 3 car tandem garage. Photos by: Farrell Scott

General Plan Features The inviting front porch with craftsman style detailing and trellis create a sense of welcome and arrival to the home. The home features a comfortable and distinctive combination of the Great Room, Kitchen, and Dining areas. These areas have expansive windows and doors which create a true connection to the spacious outdoor living space and provide openness and the wash of natural light throughout the interior. The floor plan at 2741 sq ft. includes 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ bath with 3 car tandem garage. Photos by: Farrell Scott

Photos by Manolo Langis
Inspiration for a timeless living room remodel in Los Angeles

The inviting front porch with craftsman style detailing and trellis create a sense of welcome and arrival to the home. The home features a comfortable and distinctive combination of the Great Room, Kitchen, and Dining areas. These areas have expansive windows and doors which create a true connection to the spacious outdoor living space and provide openness and the wash of natural light throughout the interior. The floor plan at 2741 sq ft. includes 4 bedrooms, 2 ½ bath with 3 car tandem garage. Photos by: Farrell Scott