This cozy lake cottage skillfully incorporates a number of features that would normally be restricted to a larger home design. A glance of the exterior reveals a simple story and a half gable running the length of the home, enveloping the majority of the interior spaces. To the rear, a pair of gables with copper roofing flanks a covered dining area that connects to a screened porch. Inside, a linear foyer reveals a generous staircase with cascading landing. Further back, a centrally placed kitchen is connected to all of the other main level entertaining spaces through expansive cased openings. A private study serves as the perfect buffer between the homes master suite and living room. Despite its small footprint, the master suite manages to incorporate several closets, built-ins, and adjacent master bath complete with a soaker tub flanked by separate enclosures for shower and water closet. Upstairs, a generous double vanity bathroom is shared by a bunkroom, exercise space, and private bedroom. The bunkroom is configured to provide sleeping accommodations for up to 4 people. The rear facing exercise has great views of the rear yard through a set of windows that overlook the copper roof of the screened porch below. Builder: DeVries & Onderlinde Builders Interior Designer: Vision Interiors by Visbeen Photographer: Ashley Avila Photography

Landmark Photography
Example of a transitional sunroom design in Minneapolis with a standard fireplace and a standard ceiling

To separate the living room and den, a floating partition was erected that houses the flat-screen TV on the den side (along with cabinets below for the components), and allows traffic to flow from both sides between the two spaces. Even more importantly, light from the living room now cascades into the den, relieving it of its cramped, dark feeling. Two distinct living areas were created that share the natural light. Photo by Eric Roth

Ankeny Row CoHousing Net Zero Energy Pocket Neighborhood An urban community of 5 townhouses and 1 loft surrounding a courtyard, this pocket neighborhood is designed to encourage community interaction. The siting of homes maximizes light, energy and construction efficiency while balancing privacy and orientation to the community. Floor plans accommodate aging in place. Ankeny Row is constructed to the Passive House standard and aims to be net-zero energy use. Shared amenities include a community room, a courtyard, a garden shed, and bike parking/workshop. Interior design by 2Yoke Design

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

This screened in porch is a divine outdoor living space. With beautiful hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings that boast outdoor fans, a brick outdoor fireplace flanked with an outdoor TV and cozy living and dining spaces, this porch has it all. Easy access to the kitchen of the home makes this a convenient place to share a meal or enjoy company. The view of the spacious, private backyard is relaxing. Exterior lighting was also taken in to account to create ambiance and function.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Photo: Faith Towers Media © 2016 Houzz
Living room - eclectic living room idea in New York

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.

Desirable features are bountiful in this small footprint home plan. A cozy front porch opens to a foyer with an art niche and coat closet. The great room flows seamlessly into the dining room and they share a cathedral ceiling. An adjacent screened porch offers protection from the elements and an open porch features skylights for an abundance of natural light. A pantry is located within the kitchen and the nearby mud and utility rooms offer a private entry. A luxurious master suite features dual closets and vanities and two additional bedrooms share a bath and large storage closet in this home plan.