The ever increasing screen size of today’s modern sleek TV’s offer very exciting visual opportunities. When choosing an entertainment system for it, functionality should be a key ingredient. Functionality becomes the issue as soon as you start to connect the TV to the cable box, DVD player, amplifier, surround sound speakers and subwoofers…and any of the other numerous components, including computers and gaming devices. Beyond the initial hook up, there will likely be future needs for components to be upgraded or replaced. A properly designed media entertainment center can make this not only easier but also make a statement as an artful furniture addition to the living room, man Cave or bedroom.

When we drove out to Mukilteo for our initial consultation, we immediately fell in love with this house. With its tall ceilings, eclectic mix of wood, glass and steel, and gorgeous view of the Puget Sound, we quickly nicknamed this project "The Mukilteo Gem". Our client, a cook and baker, did not like her existing kitchen. The main points of issue were short runs of available counter tops, lack of storage and shortage of light. So, we were called in to implement some big, bold ideas into a small footprint kitchen with big potential. We completely changed the layout of the room by creating a tall, built-in storage wall and a continuous u-shape counter top. Early in the project, we took inventory of every item our clients wanted to store in the kitchen and ensured that every spoon, gadget, or bowl would have a dedicated "home" in their new kitchen. The finishes were meticulously selected to ensure continuity throughout the house. We also played with the color scheme to achieve a bold yet natural feel.This kitchen is a prime example of how color can be used to both make a statement and project peace and balance simultaneously. While busy at work on our client's kitchen improvement, we also updated the entry and gave the homeowner a modern laundry room with triple the storage space they originally had. End result: ecstatic clients and a very happy design team. That's what we call a big success! John Granen.

The ever increasing screen size of today’s modern sleek TV’s offer very exciting visual opportunities. When choosing an entertainment system for it, functionality should be a key ingredient. Functionality becomes the issue as soon as you start to connect the TV to the cable box, DVD player, amplifier, surround sound speakers and subwoofers…and any of the other numerous components, including computers and gaming devices. Beyond the initial hook up, there will likely be future needs for components to be upgraded or replaced. A properly designed media entertainment center can make this not only easier but also make a statement as an artful furniture addition to the living room, man Cave or bedroom.

The ever increasing screen size of today’s modern sleek TV’s offer very exciting visual opportunities. When choosing an entertainment system for it, functionality should be a key ingredient. Functionality becomes the issue as soon as you start to connect the TV to the cable box, DVD player, amplifier, surround sound speakers and subwoofers…and any of the other numerous components, including computers and gaming devices. Beyond the initial hook up, there will likely be future needs for components to be upgraded or replaced. A properly designed media entertainment center can make this not only easier but also make a statement as an artful furniture addition to the living room, man Cave or bedroom.

The site and sound of the pond-less fountain helps cool off this extremely hot property. The owners had been battling gophers, deer, drainage issues, drought, and hard, rocky soil for years. They decided to eliminate their entire front lawn & add a pond-less water fountain as a focal point. I strove to provide year-round interest by adding evergreen trees and shrubs to their mostly deciduous & perennial existing plants & a variety of plants that flower at different times of the year. We terraced the yard to address the drainage issues and separated the levels with a dry-stacked fieldstone wall. Low-water, erosion control plants at the top of the hill & plants that tolerate more water at the bottom will help with the longevity of their landscape. A cool palette of purple, blue, and pink helps sooth and unify the design. The spiral of gravel & Dymondia ground-cover (will fill in the area in a couple of months) draws the eye towards the fountain & provides a large area to rest the eyes that won’t need to be watered. It was a challenge to choose plants that the deer & gophers would be less likely to destroy, that can grow under a large Oak tree, and that attract beneficial insects to help the garden last!

Built in 1948 on a hill high above Compo Cove and Sherwood Millpond, the original bungalow underwent a major renovation in 2000 during which a second story was added in a contemporized Nantucket style vocabulary. In 2015, Scott Springer Architect was hired to design an expansion of the second floor. The directive of the clients was to closely match the massing and details of the existing structure and allow the addition to appear as if it had always been a part of the house. The addition is comprised of a new bathroom and corridor over the vaulted entrance hall—which remained undisturbed during construction—and two bedrooms and a laundry room over the existing garage. Windows at the east side of the addition allow for spectacular views of Long Island Sound while the windows on the other side overlook a patio and garden. The house is featured in the April 2016 issue of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens ( http://www.cottages-gardens.com/Connecticut-Cottages-Gardens/April-2016/Westport-Real-Estate-Long-Island-Sound/).

This project is especially unique! This homeowner just bought a home in So Cal and were moving from Nor Cal very shortly. They had an issue that needed solving. Not only did they need a Koi pond built for their new home in So Cal, but needed some help transporting their beloved family Koi fish too! We took this challenge on by building them an oasis both their Koi and their family will enjoy, but also driving up ourselves and ensuring their Koi made it here safe and sound.

Located on a 5 acre site in south Boulder, this project illustrates the transformative nature of remodeling a dated older home into a contemporary dwelling. The original house was a 1980's two story cedar sided ranch, complete with a shallow, non-functioning wrap-around porch and large moss-rock and brass fireplace. These stylistic issues aside, the bones and general layout of the house were sound. We started by stripping away all of the non-structural flourishes. We then proceeded by adding the north and south porches to extend the base and large expansive windows to capture the views to the foothills. The project is rounded off with an entirely new material palette inside and out to complement the stately nature of its position on the property and provide a lightness, warmth and sophistication to the interior.

The ever increasing screen size of today’s modern sleek TV’s offer very exciting visual opportunities. When choosing an entertainment system for it, functionality should be a key ingredient. Functionality becomes the issue as soon as you start to connect the TV to the cable box, DVD player, amplifier, surround sound speakers and subwoofers…and any of the other numerous components, including computers and gaming devices. Beyond the initial hook up, there will likely be future needs for components to be upgraded or replaced. A properly designed media entertainment center can make this not only easier but also make a statement as an artful furniture addition to the living room, man Cave or bedroom.

Utility room - contemporary utility room idea in DC Metro with flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, wood countertops, a side-by-side washer/dryer and beige walls

Music studio with soft glow from translucent polycarbonate exterior skin - photo: Ben Benschneider
Trendy dark wood floor family room photo in Seattle with a music area and white walls

The client’s request was quite common - a typical 2800 sf builder home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living space, and den. However, their desire was for this to be “anything but common.” The result is an innovative update on the production home for the modern era, and serves as a direct counterpoint to the neighborhood and its more conventional suburban housing stock, which focus views to the backyard and seeks to nullify the unique qualities and challenges of topography and the natural environment. The Terraced House cautiously steps down the site’s steep topography, resulting in a more nuanced approach to site development than cutting and filling that is so common in the builder homes of the area. The compact house opens up in very focused views that capture the natural wooded setting, while masking the sounds and views of the directly adjacent roadway. The main living spaces face this major roadway, effectively flipping the typical orientation of a suburban home, and the main entrance pulls visitors up to the second floor and halfway through the site, providing a sense of procession and privacy absent in the typical suburban home. Clad in a custom rain screen that reflects the wood of the surrounding landscape - while providing a glimpse into the interior tones that are used. The stepping “wood boxes” rest on a series of concrete walls that organize the site, retain the earth, and - in conjunction with the wood veneer panels - provide a subtle organic texture to the composition. The interior spaces wrap around an interior knuckle that houses public zones and vertical circulation - allowing more private spaces to exist at the edges of the building. The windows get larger and more frequent as they ascend the building, culminating in the upstairs bedrooms that occupy the site like a tree house - giving views in all directions. The Terraced House imports urban qualities to the suburban neighborhood and seeks to elevate the typical approach to production home construction, while being more in tune with modern family living patterns. Overview: Elm Grove Size: 2,800 sf, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Completion Date: September 2014 Services: Architecture, Landscape Architecture Interior Consultants: Amy Carman Design

Built in 1948 on a hill high above Compo Cove and Sherwood Millpond, the original bungalow underwent a major renovation in 2000 during which a second story was added in a contemporized Nantucket style vocabulary. In 2015, Scott Springer Architect was hired to design an expansion of the second floor. The directive of the clients was to closely match the massing and details of the existing structure and allow the addition to appear as if it had always been a part of the house. The addition is comprised of a new bathroom and corridor over the vaulted entrance hall—which remained undisturbed during construction—and two bedrooms and a laundry room over the existing garage. Windows at the east side of the addition allow for spectacular views of Long Island Sound while the windows on the other side overlook a patio and garden. The house is featured in the April 2016 issue of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens ( http://www.cottages-gardens.com/Connecticut-Cottages-Gardens/April-2016/Westport-Real-Estate-Long-Island-Sound/).

Example of a mid-sized trendy medium tone wood floor and brown floor front door design in Denver with white walls and a glass front door

Mid-sized trendy single-wall and look-out medium tone wood floor and brown floor basement photo in Milwaukee with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, no island, gray walls and no fireplace

Built in 1948 on a hill high above Compo Cove and Sherwood Millpond, the original bungalow underwent a major renovation in 2000 during which a second story was added in a contemporized Nantucket style vocabulary. In 2015, Scott Springer Architect was hired to design an expansion of the second floor. The directive of the clients was to closely match the massing and details of the existing structure and allow the addition to appear as if it had always been a part of the house. The addition is comprised of a new bathroom and corridor over the vaulted entrance hall—which remained undisturbed during construction—and two bedrooms and a laundry room over the existing garage. Windows at the east side of the addition allow for spectacular views of Long Island Sound while the windows on the other side overlook a patio and garden. The house is featured in the April 2016 issue of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens ( http://www.cottages-gardens.com/Connecticut-Cottages-Gardens/April-2016/Westport-Real-Estate-Long-Island-Sound/).

This organic modern design is built in an area known for having notable issues with ground movement. After speaking with the developer and reviewing the soil report with our Structural Engineer, we made our recommendations to the client. Since the budget for a full-blown pier and beam structure with void boxes under the pool was well beyond the comfort level of our client, they elected to have us utilize a float shell construction method. For this, we over-excavated the hole and placed a 12" layer of gravel beneath the shell of the pool. Drain lines lead from the deepest point under the pool down into a culvert, placed off to the side of the pool. A sump pump removes any excess water from the culvert as it accumulates. For the shell of the pool, we utilized a double matt of steel and increased the wall thickness to a minimum of 12". This gave added strength to withstand the volatile soil. The elements of fire, water, wood and stone were very important in creating the organic modern feel of this design. The layered effect along the back wall creates a visual stimulation across the length of the yard, without overwhelming the senses. Rather than creating walls only of hard materials, we used Ipe wood to create horizontal screen walls of a more organic nature. At either end, the raised wall and the fire feature are finished in a large-scale porcelain tile, with the look of stained concrete. Custom stainless steel scuppers, made by a local fabricator, create a soothing sound of falling water. The low wall at the center of the project is faced in natural ledgestone, and carries a color palette that set the tone for the entire project. Behind this wall and in front of one of the Ipe screens are three Desert Steel Giant Agave sculptures. The unique fire feature isn't quite a fire place, nor is it a fire pit. It is a linear fire burner, surrounded by a 4" thick cantilevered Leuder limestone hearth, with a backdrop wall of blue glazed clay tile. Although the pool was initially planned as a plaster pool, as the project began to take shape, the client elected to go all the way and finish it in a beautiful blue glass mosaic. Custom fabricated stainless steel cannon jets send a delicate arch of water over this deep blue, and draw attention to the three square wok planters on the far side of the yard. For the decking on this project, we elected to work with Mother Nature rather than against her. Two and a half inch thick concrete pavers, set on a bed of compacted, decomposed granite allow for movement around the pool that is easily fixed. If an area of deck moves around, we can simply lift the affected areas, re-level with DG bed, and re-set the pavers.

This project is especially unique! This homeowner just bought a home in So Cal and were moving from Nor Cal very shortly. They had an issue that needed solving. Not only did they need a Koi pond built for their new home in So Cal, but needed some help transporting their beloved family Koi fish too! We took this challenge on by building them an oasis both their Koi and their family will enjoy, but also driving up ourselves and ensuring their Koi made it here safe and sound.