What began as a renovation project morphed into a new house, driven by the natural beauty of the site. The new structures are perfectly aligned with the coastline, and take full advantage of the views of ocean, islands, and shoals. The location is within walking distance of town and its amenities, yet miles away in the privacy it affords. The house is nestled on a nicely wooded lot, giving the residence screening from the street, with an open meadow leading to the ocean on the rear of the lot. The design concept was driven by the serenity of the site, enhanced by textures of trees, plantings, sand and shoreline. The newly constructed house sits quietly in a location advantageously positioned to take full advantage of natural light and solar orientations. The visual calm is enhanced by the natural material: stone, wood, and metal throughout the home. The main structures are comprised of traditional New England forms, with modern connectors serving to unify the structures. Each building is equally suited for single floor living, if that future needs is ever necessary. Unique too is an underground connection between main house and an outbuilding. With their flowing connections, no room is isolated or ignored; instead each reflects a different level of privacy and social interaction. Just as there are layers to the exterior in beach, field, forest and oceans, the inside has a layered approach. Textures in wood, stone, and neutral colors combine with the warmth of linens, wools, and metals. Personality and character of the interiors and its furnishings are tailored to the client’s lifestyle. Rooms are arranged and organized in an intersection of public and private spaces. The quiet palette within reflects the nature outside, enhanced with artwork and accessories.

What began as a renovation project morphed into a new house, driven by the natural beauty of the site. The new structures are perfectly aligned with the coastline, and take full advantage of the views of ocean, islands, and shoals. The location is within walking distance of town and its amenities, yet miles away in the privacy it affords. The house is nestled on a nicely wooded lot, giving the residence screening from the street, with an open meadow leading to the ocean on the rear of the lot. The design concept was driven by the serenity of the site, enhanced by textures of trees, plantings, sand and shoreline. The newly constructed house sits quietly in a location advantageously positioned to take full advantage of natural light and solar orientations. The visual calm is enhanced by the natural material: stone, wood, and metal throughout the home. The main structures are comprised of traditional New England forms, with modern connectors serving to unify the structures. Each building is equally suited for single floor living, if that future needs is ever necessary. Unique too is an underground connection between main house and an outbuilding. With their flowing connections, no room is isolated or ignored; instead each reflects a different level of privacy and social interaction. Just as there are layers to the exterior in beach, field, forest and oceans, the inside has a layered approach. Textures in wood, stone, and neutral colors combine with the warmth of linens, wools, and metals. Personality and character of the interiors and its furnishings are tailored to the client’s lifestyle. Rooms are arranged and organized in an intersection of public and private spaces. The quiet palette within reflects the nature outside, enhanced with artwork and accessories.

With very subtle features, this backyard has stone walls to give the two fireplace areas a slight feeling of isolation in a very open backyard. All it took was two short, curved walls and a one-step platform.

Home theater - modern carpeted home theater idea in DC Metro with a projector screen

This typical late 20th Century home located in Fishers, IN had a somewhat open kitchen-living area.Because their extensive home-grown gardening, canning and wine making needs weren't accommodated by the small existing kitchen/dining areas, these clients hired Residential Architect LeeConstantine to improve their situation. Constantine separated the "wine making zone" from the everyday "family kitchen zone" striving to allow the zones to "flow" between the two without isolating one from the other. A small rear addition allowed the necessary expansion needed to create the different zones as well as provide for a new walk-in food pantry closet, the various prep and cooking centers, and the opportunity and space to entertain guests there to sample their delicious "creations".In addition, Constantine provided a design offering opportunities for the expression of the clients individual personalities and tastes. This was achieved by incorporating niches for artwork, arched stained glass components highlighting the "home-grown" concept and even a dumb waiter housed within a base cabinet accommodating the transport of 5 gallon "carboys" directly to the basement wine cellar.

So often our task as residential architects is not to create something out of nothing. Instead, it is to help evolve, or bring forward something that is already there; to see with new eyes the best of what exists and to clarify and expand it, so that the house supports and celebrates how the client lives, and hopes to live, in the home. So was the case with our House of Blues. The house was already wonderful. There was plenty of space, good views, a functioning floor plan, and the home was in overall good condition. The best features however, were embedded in the time it was built – mid 1960’s. The views were good, but too small. The kitchen location worked well, but is was closed off, cramped, and lacking counter space. The dining room was elegant, but too large and isolated. The graceful central hallway remained the homes most unique feature, but it was dark and the entry to the rooms on either side were accessed via small doorways. The bathrooms were large enough, and in the right locations, but they were tired and dated, and there was no mudroom. We created something out of something. Beautiful shades of blue permeated the owner’s things and became a central theme in new elements. Daylight was expanded and brought deeper into the space. Doorways were widened and walls removed. The central hallway was fully opened at the end with two-story glass to improve on an already good idea. The kitchen was wholly new and expanded by borrowing space from the dining room. A mudroom was carved out of the garage. All the bathrooms were remodeled with fresh materials and new features. The gracious concrete stoop was reclad in stone and the front door was changed out for a splash of color. Light now permeates all the rooms and spaces flow together without losing their identity or function. The owners no longer feel blue in their House of Blues! Location: St Paul, MN Project Team: Ben Awes, AIA, Principal- in -Charge Nate Dodge

Hammer & Hand built this custom listening room for a Portland audiophile. To isolate the room from the rest of the home and improve the listening experience the space includes a self-contained minisplit heat pump and a dedicated cryogenically-treated electricity system. Tibetan bowls allow the client to tune the room. Noted acoustic engineer Art Noxon positioned gray bass traps along the walls of the room so bass frequencies penetrate the walls instead of bouncing around the room. The team removed a bathroom to increase the size of the space to 11 x 17. Double sound attenuating doors lock sound into the room and keep the rest of the home quiet. A small storage room adjoining the listening room includes a custom built bookshelf for holding records, CDs, and other items. Photos by Jeff Amram Photography

This was a complete kitchen renovation. The remodel included removing skylights and installing a two story bump up adding no square footage to the room but creating a dramatic visual even for the most discriminating designer. When you enter this kitchen your eyes wander trying to absorb the immense planning and detail that went into the renovation but ultimately you find yourself positioned under the large Theresa Maria chandelier gazing into the sky. The kitchen was designed around the 48 inch Thermador stove. The 2 story inset cabinet creation around the stove flows up into the addition creating a visual masterpiece that is only rivaled by original pieces of art works created by the likes of Van Gogh, Picasso and Rembrandt. The sink was relocated from the exterior wall and into the island so that the stove wall would be isolated and not connected any other cabinets. The 36-inch-wide refrigerator and 36-inch-wide freezer were designed and installed next to a microwave cabinet that makes heating up items as convenient as 1,2,3. The outside cabinet wall section is perfect for entertaining with the 42 inch base cabinets. The massive two-tiered island of 124 inches long is perfect for everyday family living. A farmer’s sink adds the perfect touch to this traditional design. Renovating a kitchen without ceiling detail is one of the most overlooked parts of the renovation. The amount of money spent on the renovation depends on the budget of course but I highly recommend including ceiling detail as much as one considers the tile backsplash.

Prior to being renovated, the existing rooms of this home were compartmentalized into claustrophobic sections, barely serving their individual functions in relative isolation. With a belief that utility need not exist independent of comfort, we looked to open up and expand the kitchen space into an existing porch. We feel this answered the client's call for a combined kitchen and living space while improving on all functional elements of the design. Throughout the project we would keep our focus on the goal of bringing the home into the modern age, without sacrificing the client's desire for a comfortable, family friendly feel. Photographed by: Skylim Photography

This was a complete kitchen renovation. The remodel included removing skylights and installing a two story bump up adding no square footage to the room but creating a dramatic visual even for the most discriminating designer. When you enter this kitchen your eyes wander trying to absorb the immense planning and detail that went into the renovation but ultimately you find yourself positioned under the large Theresa Maria chandelier gazing into the sky. The kitchen was designed around the 48 inch Thermador stove. The 2 story inset cabinet creation around the stove flows up into the addition creating a visual masterpiece that is only rivaled by original pieces of art works created by the likes of Van Gogh, Picasso and Rembrandt. The sink was relocated from the exterior wall and into the island so that the stove wall would be isolated and not connected any other cabinets. The 36-inch-wide refrigerator and 36-inch-wide freezer were designed and installed next to a microwave cabinet that makes heating up items as convenient as 1,2,3. The outside cabinet wall section is perfect for entertaining with the 42 inch base cabinets. The massive two-tiered island of 124 inches long is perfect for everyday family living. A farmer’s sink adds the perfect touch to this traditional design. Renovating a kitchen without ceiling detail is one of the most overlooked parts of the renovation. The amount of money spent on the renovation depends on the budget of course but I highly recommend including ceiling detail as much as one considers the tile backsplash.

The master bedroom features a sliding barn door with damping. Tilt turn triple pane windows, upgraded mineral wool insulation and heartwood yellow pine floors create a peaceful space that is easily isolated from the rest of the home.

This 3,000 sq. ft. West Village duplex, penthouse loft was designed as a one bedroom apartment. The space was created out of 2 factory buildings; the main floor is bisected by a three foot masonry wall. Rosenberg Kolb’s new design creates new openings in this wall and makes living, dining, kitchen and guestroom/study areas that are open to each other but can also be isolated with a series of cherrywood door-walls. With small windows on the main living floor, two large skylights bring daylight to the previously dark areas of the loft. Upstairs the master bedroom and bath have continuous windows with a spectacular view of the Hudson River. Rosenberg Kolb finished the bathroom floor and walls with glass mosaic tiles. The second level opens to two large deck areas commanding panoramic views of the Hudson River from the Statue of Liberty to the George Washington Bridge. The detailing here has a ‘nautical’ theme with weathered teak furniture and cedar decking, running lights, stainless cabling and circular steel stairs.

The condominium is on the 15th floor of Siesta Key’s Terrace Building, originally designed in 1969 by Frank Folsom Smith. Two corner units were combined into a single condo. All interior partitions were removed. The ceiling finish was stripped to expose the concrete formwork. The bathrooms, storage, and kitchen are laid out in a wood-clad central core. The windows were replaced by a series of 7-panel bi-fold glass doors that open out from the structural corners. A custom steel desk was designed to span between existing columns. The master bedroom faces the city while the living space faces the Gulf and the beach. Ten-foot-wide steel and wood folding partitions allow the owner to transform the space and to isolate the office from either the living or the master. The partitions fold back into the wood core to reconnect the private suite with the rest of the unit to form one continuous space. The master bath borrows light from an adjoining space through a window with a switchable electric film. Speakers, vents and air return are all accommodated through discrete cuts and perforations in the wood veneer.

This project for a builder husband and interior-designer wife involved adding onto and restoring the luster of a c. 1883 Carpenter Gothic cottage in Barrington that they had occupied for years while raising their two sons. They were ready to ditch their small tacked-on kitchen that was mostly isolated from the rest of the house, views/daylight, as well as the yard, and replace it with something more generous, brighter, and more open that would improve flow inside and out. They were also eager for a better mudroom, new first-floor 3/4 bath, new basement stair, and a new second-floor master suite above. The design challenge was to conceive of an addition and renovations that would be in balanced conversation with the original house without dwarfing or competing with it. The new cross-gable addition echoes the original house form, at a somewhat smaller scale and with a simplified more contemporary exterior treatment that is sympathetic to the old house but clearly differentiated from it. Renovations included the removal of replacement vinyl windows by others and the installation of new Pella black clad windows in the original house, a new dormer in one of the son’s bedrooms, and in the addition. At the first-floor interior intersection between the existing house and the addition, two new large openings enhance flow and access to daylight/view and are outfitted with pairs of salvaged oversized clear-finished wooden barn-slider doors that lend character and visual warmth. A new exterior deck off the kitchen addition leads to a new enlarged backyard patio that is also accessible from the new full basement directly below the addition. (Interior fit-out and interior finishes/fixtures by the Owners)

Example of a large trendy enclosed carpeted and purple floor home theater design in New York with purple walls and a wall-mounted tv

This 2022 project was a fully custom mix and writing suite designed for multi-Grammy and Dove Award–winning producer and songwriter Kyle Lee. The goal was to create an environment that mirrors his creative workflow—quiet, natural, highly accurate, and intentionally crafted for long sessions of collaboration and focused work. The layout is compact but feels open thanks to high ceilings, soft daylight from the surrounding windows, and a palette of warm textures and natural materials. The room maintains a clean, grounded aesthetic without sacrificing technical performance, balancing style and acoustical precision in a way that supports both creativity and accuracy. Acoustic isolation was a core priority. The suite is fully separated from the rest of the home using sound-reducing wall assemblies, custom bass management including a full soft-ceiling trap and a false rear wall trap, and full-lite doors designed for controlled leakage. The result is a private, self-contained environment that integrates seamlessly with the home’s flow yet transforms into a focused creative space the moment the doors close. Monitoring was built around Kyle’s preferred ATC SCM45A loudspeakers, paired with Dynaudio subwoofers and calibrated specifically to the room’s frequency response. Every treatment, material, and speaker position was selected to ensure what Kyle hears while mixing precisely translates to the final master. The finished suite delivers an effortless feel with professional-grade performance—an inspiring, accurate, and dependable space built to support Kyle’s work at the highest level.

With its decorative mouldings and traditional influences throughout the home, this renovation is a classic take on modernism. Approaching the gates to the property, rich red brick surrounds a beautiful traditional white lacquered timber door with lead lite coloured panels on either side. Entering into the home, deep jarrah planked timber floors lead the way through to the kitchen and living areas. The kitchen was small for my client who loved to cook as well as her daughter’s love for baking, needing a re- configure of the space to allow the kitchen to flow and function between the existing kitchen and small meals room. Outdated cabinetry made their home look tired and needed a fresh take on the newly architecturally extended home. Traditional pairings of fresh whites, marbles and glass are delicately detailed within the design, modernising the homes interior. Lacquered chalky slabbed fronts surrounded by marbled benches and splashbacks, the introduction of curves to the isolated hood and island centre piece and depth injected with deep navy to create a monochrome palette. Warmth is then allowed in by brass hardware, reeded glass, a play on texture with tiles and warmly lit surfaces. Now a cook’s kitchen.

Our clients, a couple in their 40’s, approached us to remodel their Kitchen, which felt cramped and closed off from the rest of the Main Floor. They felt especially isolated when entertaining guests. They love to cook and entertain, but the lack of space made both of those things difficult for them to do. We removed the walls surrounding the Kitchen, opening it up to the rest of the Main Floor. We expanded the Kitchen across the new open area, allowing for a lot more counter space for preparing and serving food. This also gave room for an enormous island, which is perfect for guests to gather around while entertaining. During the planning stage, it was discovered that beams and posts needed to remain in the space for structural support. Our talented designer, Chantal, was able to incorporate the beams and posts in the design of the Kitchen, so they served a logical purpose, rather than feeling like they were in the way. Featured in the new Kitchen are classic black and white cabinets, complemented by brass fixtures and accents. Ample task and ambient lighting was installed in order to brighten up this new space and allow for better visibility when cooking in the Kitchen. We also installed luxury vinyl flooring throughout the space, which is not only stylish,but incredibly durable. From the beginning of the project, our Clients shared with us their concerns about the project staying within the budget, and the accuracy of the timeline for construction. Ultimately, we were able to ease those concerns, as we finished the renovation on time, and within the allotted budget without compromising on the quality or design wishes of our clients. If you’re ready to make your forever home feel like it’s been made just for you, contact us to get started! We’re the Renovator You Can Count On! Sosna Inc 7250 Keele Street, Unit 372 Vaughan, ON L4K 1Z8 416-888-7366 (RENO) Website: sosna.ca Email: contact@sosna.ca