Great Room
Inspiration for a huge industrial living room remodel in Chicago with white walls

Jaime Alvarez jaimephoto.com
Example of an urban black and white tile mosaic tile floor and black floor bathroom design in Philadelphia with a wall-mount sink and white walls

Bryan Jones Jones Pierce Architects This home in Waleska, Georgia feels like a tree house with building projections hanging in space high over the steep lot below. The use of large fixed windows makes the interior spaces feel as if they are part of the outside, and puts the focus on the view. We used a language of materials on the exterior with different finishes on the foundation, house body, and the room projections, and wanted the windows to stand out while fitting into the natural setting. The warm, dark bronze clad color chosen fit into the surrounding wooded setting, while at the same time provided a clean modern look similar to metal windows without looking excessively commercial.

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

Example of a trendy great room design in Boston

Interior and exterior design & partial remodel of a Malibu residence.
Inspiration for a contemporary living room remodel in Los Angeles with gray walls

Our client initially asked us to assist with selecting materials and designing a guest bath for their new Tucson home. Our scope of work progressively expanded into interior architecture and detailing, including the kitchen, baths, fireplaces, stair, custom millwork, doors, guardrails, and lighting for the residence – essentially everything except the furniture. The home is loosely defined by a series of thick, parallel walls supporting planar roof elements floating above the desert floor. Our approach was to not only reinforce the general intentions of the architecture but to more clearly articulate its meaning. We began by adopting a limited palette of desert neutrals, providing continuity to the uniquely differentiated spaces. Much of the detailing shares a common vocabulary, while numerous objects (such as the elements of the master bath – each operating on their own terms) coalesce comfortably in the rich compositional language. Photo Credit: William Lesch

Joel Lassiter
Mid-sized traditional gray two-story mixed siding house exterior idea in Charlotte with a hip roof and a shingle roof

Rather than starting with an outcome in mind, this 1,400 square foot residence began from a polemic place - exploring shared conviction regarding the concentrated power of living with a smaller footprint. From the gabled silhouette to passive ventilation, the home captures the nostalgia for the past with the sustainable practices of the future. While the exterior materials contrast a calm, minimal palette with the sleek lines of the gabled silhouette, the interior spaces embody a playful, artistic spirit. From the hand painted De Gournay wallpaper in the master bath to the rugged texture of the over-grouted limestone and Portuguese cobblestones, the home is an experience that encapsulates the unexpected and the timeless.

Lindsay von Hagel © 2012 Houzz
Eclectic hallway photo in Dallas with white walls

Inspiration for a contemporary bathroom remodel in New York with an integrated sink

Example of a trendy kitchen design in Seattle with stainless steel appliances, stainless steel countertops, recessed-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, white backsplash and stone slab backsplash

Wing Wong/ Memories TTL
Inspiration for a mid-sized craftsman white tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor bathroom remodel in New York with furniture-like cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, granite countertops, a hinged shower door and gray countertops

creative & cheap jewelry displays can be found at the art or hardware store. photo: Rikki Snyder
Bedroom - eclectic bedroom idea in New York

Jeffers Design Group completely remodeled and designed this 10,000-square-foot Presidio Heights grande dame. This circa 1913 residence was designed by noted San Francisco architect Houghton Sawyer; JDG respectfully preserved the soul of the home while injecting it with new life. Photography by Matthew Millman

Our client initially asked us to assist with selecting materials and designing a guest bath for their new Tucson home. Our scope of work progressively expanded into interior architecture and detailing, including the kitchen, baths, fireplaces, stair, custom millwork, doors, guardrails, and lighting for the residence – essentially everything except the furniture. The home is loosely defined by a series of thick, parallel walls supporting planar roof elements floating above the desert floor. Our approach was to not only reinforce the general intentions of the architecture but to more clearly articulate its meaning. We began by adopting a limited palette of desert neutrals, providing continuity to the uniquely differentiated spaces. Much of the detailing shares a common vocabulary, while numerous objects (such as the elements of the master bath – each operating on their own terms) coalesce comfortably in the rich compositional language. Photo Credit: William Lesch

Mountain style l-shaped kitchen photo in Burlington with shaker cabinets, stainless steel appliances, wood countertops and beige cabinets

Troy Thies Photography
Inspiration for a craftsman subway tile powder room remodel in Other with a pedestal sink

Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen idea in Baltimore with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, green backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops