Sheltered from strong southerly winds, the glass breezeway opens to embrace the working fields to the south. The paver patio is bound by a stone wall and arbor and was carefully sited around and under a 50 year old ornamental cherry. This farmstead is located in the Northwest corner of Washington State. Photos by Ian Gleadle

Bluff landscape with Bocce court and Stepstone pavers make for a great outdoor living space. Holly Lepere
Photo of a mid-sized coastal full sun backyard concrete paver outdoor sport court in Santa Barbara.

Photo of a large traditional shade hillside formal garden in Detroit.

This is an example of a traditional stone vegetable garden landscape in Seattle.

The tall window emphasizes the height of the side of this modern home. The permeable pavers allow drainage and combined with the concrete create an interesting texture in the driveway. Photo: Ryan Farnau

Inspiration for a mid-sized mediterranean dark wood floor entryway remodel in Birmingham with white walls

This residence boasts many amazing features, but one that stands out in specific is the dual sided fireplace clad in Eldorado Stone’s Black River Stacked Stone. Adding stone to the fireplace automatically creates a dramatic focal point and compliments the interior decor by mixing natural and artificial elements, contrasting colors, as well as incorporating a variety of textures. By weaving in stone as architectural accents throughout the the home, the interior and the exterior seamlessly flow into one another and the project as a whole becomes an architectural masterpiece. Designer: Contour Interior Design, LLC Website: www.contourinteriordesign.com Builder: Capital Builders Website: www.capitalbuildreshouston.com Eldorado Stone Profile Featured: Black River Stacked Stone installed with a Dry-Stack grout technique

Wonderful outdoor living space, motorized Phantom screens open up to incredible mountain view. Woodburning masonry fireplace with real stacked stone veneer, stone mantle

A perfect addition to your outdoor living is a seating wall surrounding a firepit. Cambridge Maytrx wall, Pyzique Fire Pit, Round table Pavers. Installed by Natural Green Landsacpe & Design in Lincoln, RI

The nearly 10’ island is an ideal place for food prep, a quick bite, buffet set-up, or sharing a glass of wine with friends. 2.5” thick marble countertop on the island gives substance and a professional feel.

Inspiration for a transitional backyard patio remodel in San Diego with a fire pit and a roof extension

Linda Oyama Bryan, photograper Stone and Stucco French Provincial with arch top white oak front door and limestone front entry. Asphalt and brick paver driveway and bluestone front walkway.

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

Fireplace Details: The hearth is a 4" thick cast stone with a rough edge and the stone on the fireplace is Fond du lac - Cambrian Blend from Bruechel Stone Corp. Mantel & Corbels were custom designed

With adjacent neighbors within a fairly dense section of Paradise Valley, Arizona, C.P. Drewett sought to provide a tranquil retreat for a new-to-the-Valley surgeon and his family who were seeking the modernism they loved though had never lived in. With a goal of consuming all possible site lines and views while maintaining autonomy, a portion of the house — including the entry, office, and master bedroom wing — is subterranean. This subterranean nature of the home provides interior grandeur for guests but offers a welcoming and humble approach, fully satisfying the clients requests. While the lot has an east-west orientation, the home was designed to capture mainly north and south light which is more desirable and soothing. The architecture’s interior loftiness is created with overlapping, undulating planes of plaster, glass, and steel. The woven nature of horizontal planes throughout the living spaces provides an uplifting sense, inviting a symphony of light to enter the space. The more voluminous public spaces are comprised of stone-clad massing elements which convert into a desert pavilion embracing the outdoor spaces. Every room opens to exterior spaces providing a dramatic embrace of home to natural environment. Grand Award winner for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home The material palette began with a rich, tonal, large-format Quartzite stone cladding. The stone’s tones gaveforth the rest of the material palette including a champagne-colored metal fascia, a tonal stucco system, and ceilings clad with hemlock, a tight-grained but softer wood that was tonally perfect with the rest of the materials. The interior case goods and wood-wrapped openings further contribute to the tonal harmony of architecture and materials. Grand Award Winner for Best Indoor Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home This award-winning project was recognized at the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards with two Grand Awards, one for Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home, and another for Best Interior Design of a One of a Kind or Custom Home. At the 2020 Design Excellence Awards and Gala presented by ASID AZ North, Ownby Design received five awards for Tonal Harmony. The project was recognized for 1st place – Bathroom; 3rd place – Furniture; 1st place – Kitchen; 1st place – Outdoor Living; and 2nd place – Residence over 6,000 square ft. Congratulations to Claire Ownby, Kalysha Manzo, and the entire Ownby Design team. Tonal Harmony was also featured on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Luxe Interiors + Design and received a 14-page editorial feature entitled “A Place in the Sun” within the magazine.

Stone: Dove Tail - Marquee24 From refined residences to formal public spaces, majestic churches to modern skyscrapers – the versatility of limestone continues to be a key element of style for the ages. Eldorado Stone presents a new interpretation of this architectural powerhouse with Marquee24. Offered in sleek 12″ x 24″ stone veneer with the authentic textures and subtle hues of natural cut limestone, Marquee24 is sure to play an essential role in your memorable designs. Get a Sample of Marquee24: http://shop.eldoradostone.com/products/marquee24-sample

This Master Bathroom remodel removed some framing and drywall above and at the sides of the shower opening to enlarge the shower entry and provide a breathtaking view to the exotic polished porcelain marble tile in a 24 x 48 size used inside. The sliced stone used as vertical accent was hand placed by the tile installer to eliminate the tile outlines sometimes seen in lesser quality installations. The agate design glass tiles used as the backsplash and mirror surround delight the eye. The warm brown griege cabinetry have custom designed drawer interiors to work around the plumbing underneath. Floating vanities add visual space to the room. The dark brown in the herringbone shower floor is repeated in the master bedroom wood flooring coloring so that the entire master suite flows.

Backyard fire pit. Taken by Lara Swimmer. Landscape Design by ModernBackyard
Patio - contemporary backyard concrete paver patio idea in Seattle with a fire pit

With adjacent neighbors within a fairly dense section of Paradise Valley, Arizona, C.P. Drewett sought to provide a tranquil retreat for a new-to-the-Valley surgeon and his family who were seeking the modernism they loved though had never lived in. With a goal of consuming all possible site lines and views while maintaining autonomy, a portion of the house — including the entry, office, and master bedroom wing — is subterranean. This subterranean nature of the home provides interior grandeur for guests but offers a welcoming and humble approach, fully satisfying the clients requests. While the lot has an east-west orientation, the home was designed to capture mainly north and south light which is more desirable and soothing. The architecture’s interior loftiness is created with overlapping, undulating planes of plaster, glass, and steel. The woven nature of horizontal planes throughout the living spaces provides an uplifting sense, inviting a symphony of light to enter the space. The more voluminous public spaces are comprised of stone-clad massing elements which convert into a desert pavilion embracing the outdoor spaces. Every room opens to exterior spaces providing a dramatic embrace of home to natural environment. Grand Award winner for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home The material palette began with a rich, tonal, large-format Quartzite stone cladding. The stone’s tones gaveforth the rest of the material palette including a champagne-colored metal fascia, a tonal stucco system, and ceilings clad with hemlock, a tight-grained but softer wood that was tonally perfect with the rest of the materials. The interior case goods and wood-wrapped openings further contribute to the tonal harmony of architecture and materials. Grand Award Winner for Best Indoor Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home This award-winning project was recognized at the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards with two Grand Awards, one for Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home, and another for Best Interior Design of a One of a Kind or Custom Home. At the 2020 Design Excellence Awards and Gala presented by ASID AZ North, Ownby Design received five awards for Tonal Harmony. The project was recognized for 1st place – Bathroom; 3rd place – Furniture; 1st place – Kitchen; 1st place – Outdoor Living; and 2nd place – Residence over 6,000 square ft. Congratulations to Claire Ownby, Kalysha Manzo, and the entire Ownby Design team. Tonal Harmony was also featured on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Luxe Interiors + Design and received a 14-page editorial feature entitled “A Place in the Sun” within the magazine.