A view of the kitchen dining area with grapes hanging through the wood patio cover in the early summer. New steps lead from this once isolated patio to the upper pool area now. Photo: Wendy Harper Master Builder: Ken Palmer

Located in a traditional row house in Charlottesville, this full-home renovation was primarily focused on opening up a cramped, inefficient kitchen and integrating it into the social space of the home. Where previously the kitchen was a small dark and closed off, we dissolved the boundaries between the isolated rooms and opened it up to the dining room and entry foyer to create a porous and inviting kitchen command center. A punched opening to the entryway with a sliding pocket door allows an occupant in the kitchen to greet guests arriving for a dinner party, or communicate with the kids as they are getting ready for school. Floating maple shelves bridge the boundary between the kitchen and the dining room and connect the two spaces functionally and aesthetically. A maple plywood ceiling with a perimeter light strip completes the material palette of the kitchen which consists of white and grey painted cabinets, soapstone countertop, a white tile backsplash, and the warm tones of natural wood. In addition to the kitchen renovation, Alloy also updated various other items throughout the house that include installation of maple floors, window replacement, and a storage zone at the entry complete with Muuto Dot coat hooks and custom shoe storage below with a painted paneling surround. Andrea Hubbell Photography

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)

A expansive backyard with modern touch ups. Everything seen in the pictures are built or installed by Park Landscaping Ltd. From the brown slate outdoor walkway that supports the dark wood deck to the ocean pearl slate stairs that lead to the outdoor stone fireplace. Creativity with stealthy and modern elements to ensure that the surrounding area is complemented, not isolated.

Private house is located in the northwestern part of the area with the development of the south by the living aisle. The building has 3 floors and a basement. The building has 5 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, 2 swimming pools, 2 elevators, bowling, sauna, steam bath, garage for 4 cars, an isolated area for staff. The building has developed balconies and terraces, roofs planted with grass and used for recreation. Facades are decorated with fiber cement panels and granite. Due to the extensive glazing and the unusual layout, a beautiful view opens to the adjacent lot from the windows of all dwellings. All living rooms have access to the green roof and balconies. Architect: Sergey Kuzmin

Living room - contemporary living room idea in Other

Wall was opened up to allow a more open living concept. Kitchen was isolated and dark. Added Butcherblock with overhang for seating... Monerail lighting to lighten kitchen and seating area.. Overall Livingroom looks so much better...!

The property occupied a Spanish house in the Hollywood Hills. It was fully renovated by Arroyo to become the primary residence for a young family. The original layout wasted considerable space and was poorly orientated. Its longitudinal distribution, won by the transversal bearing walls, resulted in several densely distributed small areas spared along a large corridor that isolated the two ends of the home. The client’s wish was to have three double bedrooms and a home that would highlight and underline early century crafting of the property through a design that uses a contemporary language.

This open concept floor plan uses staple pieces to define the designated areas. Here in the dining room is a table centered below a soft light fixture isolating itself from the rest of the room.

This home was transformed from small closed spaces to wide open areas perfect for family gatherings and entertaining. The old kitchen had very little counter top space and was designed to work well for only one person. The old kitchen was isolated from the other areas of the home. For a family with teenage children that like to partake in the duties of cooking this was an unfit kitchen. A wall was taken down that allowed for a larger kitchen, an island, lots of counter top space and expanded views to the rest of the public areas. Now cooking and sharing meals proves easier and more enjoyable for the whole family. The island has become a hub where homework, conversation and sharing takes place.

Want a real theater experience in your home? We can create a dedicated private cinema in which the environment is precisely designed & engineered to provide maximum movie and music enjoyment. The room is isolated from outside noise with special acoustic treatments and audio is optimized with measured speaker placement. Cozy up on plush theater seating positioned specifically for the ultimate viewing experience of your big screen. Lighting is also controlled so when you press a single button, the lights dim and the show begins. Press pause and lights dim up so you can get more popcorn and soda.

Patio - traditional patio idea in New York

Inspiration for a farmhouse kitchen remodel in Boston

Renovation of a 100 year old Queenslander home in Redcliffe, Queensland
Inspiration for a coastal living room remodel in Brisbane

Our client wanted a ship themed room and we were challenged to provide great sound with so many reflective surfaces. We got very creative and the room came out perfect. This room was a six page feature in Home Theater Room is isolated from main house with special materials. Room reflections we controlled by using three ceiling vents and special insulation as well as motorized drapes at from of room. We created irregular surfaces where ever we could to eliminate flat smooth surfaces.

Mafi Swiss Stone Pine has a subtle fragrance, of which scientific studies have proved to have a positive effect on sleep behaviour*. This floor is therefore highly recommended for installation in bedrooms and relaxation rooms. A further advantage of Swiss Stone Pine is its function as natural protection against moths. Mafi floors stand out due to their longevity and robustness, and are 100% all-natural, free from harmful substances such as formaldehyde. This hand crafted, engineered board consists of three-layers with the top and bottom made of the same species, ensuring perfect balance. The middle layer is conifer and runs across the grain for added strength. The layers are glued together with an all-natural glue of water, lime and plant acid. This board comes pre-finished with a superior brushed textured surface and all-natural oil finish making it suitable for low to medium frequented domestic areas, as well as over under floor heating and in bathrooms. Each board comes with a micro bevel on the long side with tongue and groove on all sides for easy installation and to prevent splintering. Knots and sapwood are a typical feature of Swiss Stone Pine. Isolated cracks and stress cracks in the knots are sealed with appropriate wood putty.

Photo by Jim Raycroft The owner of this distinguished Somerville late Victorian wanted not just a new kitchen, but a more efficient and healthier house overall. The challenge wasn’t just to capture the light and view towards the Boston skyline; we also needed to improve the space plan and work flow. Overlaid on those goals, we needed to respect the carefully maintained Victorian character of the rest of the home and bring that sensibility back into the kitchen space. OPENING THE SPACE We removed the wall that isolated the sink space to create one unified kitchen area. We relocated the sink to a center island so that we could replace the small window with a large sliding glass door out onto the deck and the view of the skyline. REPURPOSING MATERIALS We salvaged and re-used the honey-colored southern yellow pine wainscoting; we matched and extended it to a window seat and laundry room door to create continuity and tie those new elements to the old. The cabinets and counters have traditional styling in light colors to reflect the light from the new sliding doors deep into the space. More light from the rear utility stairs is brought into the space by means of a frosted glass door. IMPROVING EFFICIENCY More prosaically, but just as important to the client and the project team, we upgraded the insulation and air-sealing throughout the house to improve the home’s comfort and efficiency.

Sometimes a home’s location is too good to move away from and so you start to look inward for your dream home. This would be the case for our Whisper Path House, where the interior of the house needed to be completely overhauled to accommodate the owner’s dream retirement home. Two living areas and isolated kitchen, divided by a solid walls will merge together, creating a single open-concept living-kitchen-dining room within the heart of the home. The new kitchen features a massive 14ft long island, custom cabinets and a separate dishwashing area that overlooks the lush backyard. The spacious living room follows suite and features folding glass doors that allows the room to double in size by opening up on to an adjacent covered patio. The project is currently under construction.

Nestled in an undeveloped thicket between two homes on Monmouth road, the Eastern corner of this client’s lot plunges ten feet downward into a city-designated stormwater collection ravine. Our client challenged us to design a home, referencing the Scandinavian modern style, that would account for this lot’s unique terrain and vegetation. Through iterative design, we produced four house forms angled to allow rainwater to naturally flow off of the roof and into a gravel-lined runoff area that drains into the ravine. Completely foregoing downspouts and gutters, the chosen design reflects the site’s topography, its mass changing in concert with the slope of the land. This two-story home is oriented around a central stacked staircase that descends into the basement and ascends to a second floor master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The main entrance—a triangular form subtracted from this home’s rectangular plan—opens to a kitchen and living space anchored with an oversized kitchen island. On the far side of the living space, a solid void form projects towards the backyard, referencing the entryway without mirroring it. Ground floor amenities include a bedroom, full bathroom, laundry area, office and attached garage. Among Architecture Office’s most conceptually rigorous projects, exterior windows are isolated to opportunities where natural light and a connection to the outdoors is desired. The Monmouth home is clad in black corrugated metal, its exposed foundations extending from the earth to highlight its form. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2020.