This project consisted of renovating an existing 17 stall stable and indoor riding arena, 3,800 square foot residence, and the surrounding grounds. The renovated stable boasts an added office and was reduced to 9 larger stalls, each with a new run. The residence was renovated and enlarged to 6,600 square feet and includes a new recording studio and a pool with adjacent covered entertaining space. The landscape was minimally altered, all the while, utilizing detailed space management which makes use of the small site, In addition, arena renovation required successful resolution of site water runoff issues, as well as the implementation of a manure composting system for stable waste. The project created a cohesive, efficient, private facility. - See more at: http://equinefacilitydesign.com/project-item/three-sons-ranch#sthash.wordIM9U.dpuf

Classically beautiful white inset kitchen transformed this home into an everyday retreat for the homeowners. Designed by Jonathan Desimini at Lakeville Kitchens and featured on the cover HOUSE magazine's January 2015 issue. David Reeves

Published in the NORTHSHORE HOME MAGAZINE Fall 2015 issue, this home was dubbed 'Manchester Marvel'. Before its renovation, the home consisted of a street front cottage built in the 1820’s, with a wing added onto the back at a later point. The home owners required a family friendly space to accommodate a large extended family, but they also wished to retain the original character of the home. The design solution was to turn the rectangular footprint into an L shape. The kitchen and the formal entertaining rooms run along the vertical wing of the home. Within the central hub of the home is a large family room that opens to the kitchen and the back of the patio. Located in the horizontal plane are the solarium, mudroom and garage. Client Quote "He (John Olson of OLSON LEWIS + Architects) did an amazing job. He asked us about our goals and actually walked through our former house with us to see what we did and did not like about it. He also worked really hard to give us the same level of detail we had in our last home." “Manchester Marvel” clients. Photo Credits: Eric Roth

In this recent kitchen design and renovation project, these long time clients came to me originally, several years ago to start discussing the design of their kitchen. At that time, the kitchen in this 1800’s home included a kitchen that had been poorly remodeled in the 1980’s, so the kitchen had already lost most of it’s original charm. I created a design plan creating a beautiful large kitchen expanding the space into the adjacent rooms. My clients loved this design plan, but other home issues took precedence, so after a few additional years, my clients were now ready to start their kitchen project. Their overall goals for the property did change since we first looked at this project, my clients decided that they did not want to enlarge or expand the small kitchen by opening it up to the adjacent rooms. So, I went back to the drawing board to create a kitchen in the existing kitchen space that fulfilled their new goals and created a beautiful functional space within the existing kitchen space. This new design, like my former design, honored this home’s traditional architecture, but added a light, fresh feel to the space using updated colors and material selections. This design consisted of additional storage and cabinetry, additional countertop space, and a small space to sit. We added new cabinetry, appliances, electrical, plumbing, beautiful quartz countertops, glass backsplash tile, traditional lighting fixtures, and finished everything off using beautiful classic hardware elements. My clients are now in love with this new renovated kitchen space. It contains many of the elements of a much larger kitchen, and melds beautifully with the rest of the house which we have also designed renovated over the last few years. Finally my client’s get to enjoy their new kitchen space as much as they enjoy the rest of this beautiful home!

Eric Roth Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized country open concept light wood floor living room remodel in Boston with white walls, a wood stove, a stone fireplace and no tv

In this recent kitchen design and renovation project, these long time clients came to me originally, several years ago to start discussing the design of their kitchen. At that time, the kitchen in this 1800’s home included a kitchen that had been poorly remodeled in the 1980’s, so the kitchen had already lost most of it’s original charm. I created a design plan creating a beautiful large kitchen expanding the space into the adjacent rooms. My clients loved this design plan, but other home issues took precedence, so after a few additional years, my clients were now ready to start their kitchen project. Their overall goals for the property did change since we first looked at this project, my clients decided that they did not want to enlarge or expand the small kitchen by opening it up to the adjacent rooms. So, I went back to the drawing board to create a kitchen in the existing kitchen space that fulfilled their new goals and created a beautiful functional space within the existing kitchen space. This new design, like my former design, honored this home’s traditional architecture, but added a light, fresh feel to the space using updated colors and material selections. This design consisted of additional storage and cabinetry, additional countertop space, and a small space to sit. We added new cabinetry, appliances, electrical, plumbing, beautiful quartz countertops, glass backsplash tile, traditional lighting fixtures, and finished everything off using beautiful classic hardware elements. My clients are now in love with this new renovated kitchen space. It contains many of the elements of a much larger kitchen, and melds beautifully with the rest of the house which we have also designed renovated over the last few years. Finally my client’s get to enjoy their new kitchen space as much as they enjoy the rest of this beautiful home!

A central island has 4 stools to sit for homework, art or snacktime, and houses drawers for each of the kids to drop their keys, with a USB charger for phones and iPads.

Tassel Fern. Photo by Jay Sifford.

It is not uncommon for down2earth interior design to be tasked with the challenge of combining an existing kitchen and dining room into one open space that is great for communal cooking and entertaining. But what happens when that request is only the beginning? In this kitchen, our clients had big dreams for their space that went well beyond opening up the plan and included flow, organization, a timeless aesthetic, and partnering with local vendors. Although the family wanted all the modern conveniences afforded them by a total kitchen renovation, they also wanted it to look timeless and fit in with the aesthetic of their 100 year old home. So all design decisions were made with an eye towards timelessness, from the profile of the cabinet doors, to the handmade backsplash tiles, to the choice of soapstone for countertops, which is a beautiful material that is naturally heat resistant. The soapstone was strategically positioned so that the most stunning veins would be on display across the island top and on the wall behind the cooktop. Even the green color of the cabinet, and the subtle green-greys of the trim were specifically chosen for their softness so they will not look stark or trendy in this classic home. To address issues of flow, the clients really analyzed how they cook, entertain, and eat. We went well beyond the typical “kitchen triangle” to make sure all the hot spots of the kitchen were in the most functional locations within the space. Once we located the “big moves” we really dug down into the details. Some noteworthy ones include a whole wall of deep pantries with pull outs so all food storage is in one place, knives stored in a drawer right over the cutting boards, trash located right behind the sink, and pots, pans, cookie sheets located right by the oven, and a pullout for the Kitchenaid mixer. There are also pullouts that serve as dedicated storage next to the oven for oils, spices, and utensils, and a microwave located in the island which will facilitate aging in place if that becomes an objective in the future. A broom and cleaning supply storage closet at the top of the basement stairs coordinates with the kitchen cabinets so it will look nice if on view, or it can be hidden behind barn doors that tuck just a bit behind the oven. Storage for platters and a bar are located near the dining room so they will be on hand for entertaining. As a couple deeply invested in their local community, it was important to the homeowners to work with as many local vendors as possible. From flooring to woodwork to tile to countertops, choosing the right materials to make this project come together was a real collaborative effort. Their close community connections also inspired these empty nesters to stay in their home and update it to their needs, rather than relocating. The space can now accommodate their growing family that might consist of children’s spouses, grandkids, and furry friends alike.

In this recent kitchen design and renovation project, these long time clients came to me originally, several years ago to start discussing the design of their kitchen. At that time, the kitchen in this 1800’s home included a kitchen that had been poorly remodeled in the 1980’s, so the kitchen had already lost most of it’s original charm. I created a design plan creating a beautiful large kitchen expanding the space into the adjacent rooms. My clients loved this design plan, but other home issues took precedence, so after a few additional years, my clients were now ready to start their kitchen project. Their overall goals for the property did change since we first looked at this project, my clients decided that they did not want to enlarge or expand the small kitchen by opening it up to the adjacent rooms. So, I went back to the drawing board to create a kitchen in the existing kitchen space that fulfilled their new goals and created a beautiful functional space within the existing kitchen space. This new design, like my former design, honored this home’s traditional architecture, but added a light, fresh feel to the space using updated colors and material selections. This design consisted of additional storage and cabinetry, additional countertop space, and a small space to sit. We added new cabinetry, appliances, electrical, plumbing, beautiful quartz countertops, glass backsplash tile, traditional lighting fixtures, and finished everything off using beautiful classic hardware elements. My clients are now in love with this new renovated kitchen space. It contains many of the elements of a much larger kitchen, and melds beautifully with the rest of the house which we have also designed renovated over the last few years. Finally my client’s get to enjoy their new kitchen space as much as they enjoy the rest of this beautiful home!

In this recent kitchen design and renovation project, these long time clients came to me originally, several years ago to start discussing the design of their kitchen. At that time, the kitchen in this 1800’s home included a kitchen that had been poorly remodeled in the 1980’s, so the kitchen had already lost most of it’s original charm. I created a design plan creating a beautiful large kitchen expanding the space into the adjacent rooms. My clients loved this design plan, but other home issues took precedence, so after a few additional years, my clients were now ready to start their kitchen project. Their overall goals for the property did change since we first looked at this project, my clients decided that they did not want to enlarge or expand the small kitchen by opening it up to the adjacent rooms. So, I went back to the drawing board to create a kitchen in the existing kitchen space that fulfilled their new goals and created a beautiful functional space within the existing kitchen space. This new design, like my former design, honored this home’s traditional architecture, but added a light, fresh feel to the space using updated colors and material selections. This design consisted of additional storage and cabinetry, additional countertop space, and a small space to sit. We added new cabinetry, appliances, electrical, plumbing, beautiful quartz countertops, glass backsplash tile, traditional lighting fixtures, and finished everything off using beautiful classic hardware elements. My clients are now in love with this new renovated kitchen space. It contains many of the elements of a much larger kitchen, and melds beautifully with the rest of the house which we have also designed renovated over the last few years. Finally my client’s get to enjoy their new kitchen space as much as they enjoy the rest of this beautiful home!

Originally built in 1859 by Justice William J. Robertson and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, this home has elements of both the Italianate and Gothic Revival styles which were taken into consideration during the design process. The project consisted of three main components: a basement renovation, a new screened in porch and a new two car garage. For the basement renovation we removed the original brick floor which was causing moisture issues and replaced them with an insulated, colored concrete slab. The end result: a previously unusable space was transformed into a family room with a complete guest suite and an exercise room. In the guest bedroom, low ceilings due to existing duct work were strategically wrapped with stained pine tongue and groove creating a cozy sleeping nook. In the bathroom, subway tiles and lightly stained wood are the background to a livelier tile accent in the shower and around the vanity. The family room features floor to ceiling millwork piece that has several storage cubbies; some with doors to conceal and others open for display. The screened porch is located at the back of the house overlooking a new stone patio at the lower level yard. The new porch takes cues from the existing sun room by matching materials, colors, and proportion. The new porch off the living room allows the clients to sit and relax while staying close to their children when inside or playing in the yard. The garage was built using the same material palette and style of the house but set back so as to not to detract from the main house. With large sliding barn doors on the back, it opens up to a manicured lawn allowing the garage to double as a pavilion for outdoor entertaining and yard parties. Alloy worked with Water Street Studio, a local architectural landscaping firm, to create more inviting and usable spaces for the children and adults to enjoy. Andrea Hubbel Photography

Joe Dodd
Example of a mountain style home design design in Santa Barbara

photo: pieter esterson
Example of a trendy living room design in Seattle with a metal fireplace

This home had a small covered patio and the homeowners wanted to create a new space that included an outdoor kitchen and living room complete with a fireplace. They were having a pool built as well and really wanted to have a nice space to enjoy their backyard. We did demo work to remove an existing patio, planters and a pond. Their new space consists of 900 SF of patio area covered with a Versailles pattern travertine. The new freestanding covered patio with a breezeway is 650 SF with brick columns and arches to match the home. A small covered area was built alongside the outdoor kitchen. The ceiling is painted tongue and groove with beautiful reclaimed beams. The fireplace is a custom masonry wood burning fireplace with a cast stone mantle. The knee walls built to the side of the fireplace are complemented with two cast stone benches. The outdoor kitchen is 12 linear feet with a granite counter and back splash and brick fascia. The grill is a 42” RCS grill is complete with a fridge, ice maker and storage drawers. The vent hood is a Vent-a-hood with a custom cast stone cover. TK Images

The Owners approached me to redesign their existing home and transform it from what they considered a “4” to an “8 or 9” on a scale of 1 to 10 in terms of the quality of design. This transformation included the spatial volumes, the natural light, the views, the details, the finishes & materials, the fixtures & equipment and the basic layout. The entrance to the home has a new covered porch with articulated steel columns and a wood beamed ceiling and a new oak and bronze front door. An interior entry hall links the Family Room, Kitchen and a new glass enclosed Dining Room on one end and the Master Bedroom suite at the other end. Behind the wall of the Entry Hallis a Living Room and a glass walled Wine Room that has a common wall with Entry Hall. A new dormer window over the Entry Hall providesa tall ceiling and natural light to this entry. The existing stair that extended down into an awkward central living room was reoriented to serve the house better. The new stair is a switch back stair that does not impact the area of the living room. This stair has a new dormer window above the landing to bring natural light into the stair hall. The kitchen, pantry and Family Room were completely redesignedwith new cabinets, appliances, and finishes. A new steel moment frame was installed in the end wall of the Family Room allowing this wall to open up to a new glass enclosed Dining Room. This room has large four panel bi-parting sliding glass doors that open up to an existing pool and views the vineyards beyond Part of this redesign included moving the master bedroom from the second floor down to the ground floor. The master bedroom was relocated at the end of the house along with a new master bathroom and master closet. A new outdoor spa with a shaded trellis above is accessed from the bathroom. Sliding panels can provide privacy for this spa when desired. A covered outdoor shower is accessed from the indoor shower. The outdoor shower also connects to the spa area. A new stone walled sitting area links directly to the Master Bedroom and is covered with a new trellis with woven willow panels. The second floor consists of two bedrooms each with their own bathroom. One bedroom has a small kitchenette and an exterior entry stair that can serve as a separate unit for a housekeeper or visitor. A large terrace that serves both bedrooms has a trellis with woven willow above. This terrace is located above the Dining Room. The existing stone veneer had its mortar set way back that emphasized each individual stone and not the whole stone wall as one entity. To make it more wall like the mortar was pulled out to be face flush with the stone. This change transformed the overall look of the house. The existing house had been renovated house in several stages over the years. First a one story with flat roofs, later new sloped roofs built directly on top of the flat roof without removing the old roof. A second story addition was later added with sloping roofs. During the renovation, all of the roofs over the one story portion were removed to create all new volumes within the major rooms. Skylights were added over the Living Room, the laundry Room and the Master Bathroom. A new dormer was added over the entry hall to bring in natural light and create more dramatic Entry Hall. All interior walls removed, exterior doors and windows were removed leaving only openings. Precast door and window surrounds and quoins at the corners were removed and replaced with stone corners and precast concrete lintels. A new rectilinear opening into the second floor bathroom was added in place of a round window. All plumbing, fixtures, lighting fixtures, HVAC units were replaced. A new audio/visual system and a new central vacuum system were installed throughout the house. Schmitt + Company, General Contractors Eric Martinez, Photographer

Photography by John Gibbons This 28 unit project consists of four seven unit multi-family homes just two blocks away from Sloan’s Lake. The design takes advantage of city and mountain views while gathering around a private urban park and garden. The genesis of the project creates a community within the neighborhood. This project is designed for LEED Gold certification, is solar ready, and utilizes a district geothermal (ground source) heat-pump system for mechanical heating and cooling .

Cherry tomatoes ripe for the picking. photo: Eustacia Marsales
Inspiration for a farmhouse landscaping in New York.

It is not uncommon for down2earth interior design to be tasked with the challenge of combining an existing kitchen and dining room into one open space that is great for communal cooking and entertaining. But what happens when that request is only the beginning? In this kitchen, our clients had big dreams for their space that went well beyond opening up the plan and included flow, organization, a timeless aesthetic, and partnering with local vendors. Although the family wanted all the modern conveniences afforded them by a total kitchen renovation, they also wanted it to look timeless and fit in with the aesthetic of their 100 year old home. So all design decisions were made with an eye towards timelessness, from the profile of the cabinet doors, to the handmade backsplash tiles, to the choice of soapstone for countertops, which is a beautiful material that is naturally heat resistant. The soapstone was strategically positioned so that the most stunning veins would be on display across the island top and on the wall behind the cooktop. Even the green color of the cabinet, and the subtle green-greys of the trim were specifically chosen for their softness so they will not look stark or trendy in this classic home. To address issues of flow, the clients really analyzed how they cook, entertain, and eat. We went well beyond the typical “kitchen triangle” to make sure all the hot spots of the kitchen were in the most functional locations within the space. Once we located the “big moves” we really dug down into the details. Some noteworthy ones include a whole wall of deep pantries with pull outs so all food storage is in one place, knives stored in a drawer right over the cutting boards, trash located right behind the sink, and pots, pans, cookie sheets located right by the oven, and a pullout for the Kitchenaid mixer. There are also pullouts that serve as dedicated storage next to the oven for oils, spices, and utensils, and a microwave located in the island which will facilitate aging in place if that becomes an objective in the future. A broom and cleaning supply storage closet at the top of the basement stairs coordinates with the kitchen cabinets so it will look nice if on view, or it can be hidden behind barn doors that tuck just a bit behind the oven. Storage for platters and a bar are located near the dining room so they will be on hand for entertaining. As a couple deeply invested in their local community, it was important to the homeowners to work with as many local vendors as possible. From flooring to woodwork to tile to countertops, choosing the right materials to make this project come together was a real collaborative effort. Their close community connections also inspired these empty nesters to stay in their home and update it to their needs, rather than relocating. The space can now accommodate their growing family that might consist of children’s spouses, grandkids, and furry friends alike.