Example of a tuscan wooden curved medium tone wood floor staircase design in San Diego with beige walls and wooden risers

The Challenge This original mid-century Colorado Springs home hadn’t been updated in 40 years. We were tasked with transforming a dysfunctional, outdated space into a seamless design that maintained the integrity of the original architecture - including a challenging layout, seven different flooring types, and old lighting and electrical. The Solution Within a limited budget we streamlined the finish palette with natural materials to play with the concept of indoor/outdoor living; gutted the bedrooms and combined two guest rooms into one large master suite; updated the electrical with recessed cans and Noguchi fixtures (which pay homage to the home’s 1960s roots); and filled the home with new furniture and accessories that speak to the homeowner’s love of modern design. Dado Interior Design Location: Denver, CO, USA Photographed by: JC Buck

The challenge – take a dated kitchen, family room and office and turn them into a home that reflects today’s open and integrated living style. Comfortable seating with performance fabrics on the sofa and chairs and leather look-alike vinyl on the ottomans make this family room family friendly.

2013 Red Diamond Achiever Award winner: Dave deBruyen of InHaus Development Ltd. Distributor: Marvin Windows of Canada Products Used: All Ultrex® Casement & Awning, sliding patio door. Marvin® windows and doors. The Beachaus project was originally designed to qualify for LEED Platinum status. The design goal of this highly contemporary home was to leave a small footprint and to be 100% lit by natural daylight. 12’ ceilings with wall to wall glass give the illusion of additional space, but made it a challenge when it came to solar heat gain. Integrity’s combination of glazing options and Ultrex pultruded fiberglass helped the home meet the rigorous requirements of LEED Platinum status.

Design by Mark Lind Project Management by Jon Strain Photo by Patrick Wong Integrating structural requirements and exacting finishes with the numerous unique architectural elements was a significant challenge overcome by careful planning and coordination. A high degree of detail went into planning for the rough-in stage to allow for lights in the new pair structural steel beam that separates the kitchen from the living room, for the dual custom concrete bars at the kitchen and dining areas, and for the structural supports of the awnings.

2013 Red Diamond Achiever Award winner: Dave deBruyen of InHaus Development Ltd. Distributor: Marvin Windows of Canada Products Used: All Ultrex® Casement & Awning, sliding patio door. Marvin® windows and doors. The Beachaus project was originally designed to qualify for LEED Platinum status. The design goal of this highly contemporary home was to leave a small footprint and to be 100% lit by natural daylight. 12’ ceilings with wall to wall glass give the illusion of additional space, but made it a challenge when it came to solar heat gain. Integrity’s combination of glazing options and Ultrex pultruded fiberglass helped the home meet the rigorous requirements of LEED Platinum status.

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Open concept kitchen - rustic open concept kitchen idea in Dallas with medium tone wood cabinets, wood countertops and colored appliances

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Kids' bedroom - bedroom transitional guest and boy medium tone wood floor and brown floor kids' bedroom idea in San Francisco with white walls

Photo by Michael Kelley https://www.houzz.com/pro/mpkelley/michael-kelley-photography

Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/

The design complimented the style of the house while integrating well with the overall look. This Modern minimalist house was built on a very steep land and the challenge was to plant on the slope and prevent the soil from eroding. Photos by Hashem L Kelesh

2013 Red Diamond Achiever Award winner: Dave deBruyen of InHaus Development Ltd. Distributor: Marvin Windows of Canada Products Used: All Ultrex® Casement & Awning, sliding patio door. Marvin® windows and doors. The Beachaus project was originally designed to qualify for LEED Platinum status. The design goal of this highly contemporary home was to leave a small footprint and to be 100% lit by natural daylight. 12’ ceilings with wall to wall glass give the illusion of additional space, but made it a challenge when it came to solar heat gain. Integrity’s combination of glazing options and Ultrex pultruded fiberglass helped the home meet the rigorous requirements of LEED Platinum status.

Example of a mid-sized classic backyard stamped concrete patio kitchen design in Tampa with a pergola

Creating elevations in a flat yard is a challenge. Here we raised a portion of the patio and integrated the elevation into the pool.
Pool fountain - mid-sized traditional backyard concrete and custom-shaped pool fountain idea in Austin

The client’s coastal New England roots inspired this Shingle style design for a lakefront lot. With a background in interior design, her ideas strongly influenced the process, presenting both challenge and reward in executing her exact vision. Vintage coastal style grounds a thoroughly modern open floor plan, designed to house a busy family with three active children. A primary focus was the kitchen, and more importantly, the butler’s pantry tucked behind it. Flowing logically from the garage entry and mudroom, and with two access points from the main kitchen, it fulfills the utilitarian functions of storage and prep, leaving the main kitchen free to shine as an integral part of the open living area. An ARDA for Custom Home Design goes to Royal Oaks Design Designer: Kieran Liebl From: Oakdale, Minnesota

For this beach condo kitchen remodel the client wanted to give this open kitchen the fully integrate look. The challenge was to also reface walls and soffits with panels. They went with Northern Contours Elegante II doors in an antique gloss and swiss elm. The result is a beautiful new look that blended with the rest of the house.

The real challenge for this demolition project was the fact that the structure was poured concrete with steel rebar, integrated into the house...about 20 years ago. And, the owners wanted a makeover to match the amazing job they did in remodeling the pool area and landscaping.

For this beach condo kitchen remodel the client wanted to give this open kitchen the fully integrate look. The challenge was to also reface walls and soffits with panels. They went with Northern Contours Elegante II doors in an antique gloss and swiss elm. The result is a beautiful new look that blended with the rest of the house.

For this beach condo kitchen remodel the client wanted to give this open kitchen the fully integrate look. The challenge was to also reface walls and soffits with panels. They went with Northern Contours Elegante II doors in an antique gloss and swiss elm. The result is a beautiful new look that blended with the rest of the house.