Old Growth Douglas Fir trees are among the largest trees on the world. Though they still tower over parts of Vancouver Island they are becoming ever more scarce. Fortunately there are many old buildings on the Island whose structure is built of these hundreds of years old giants. Reclaimed floor joists of old growth fir make up the tight grained top of this table, while wider grained, faster growing second growth fir provides a contrasting leg. The supporting pieces under the table are Western Red Cedar that was salvaged from an old cedar hot tub. Photos: Breanna Thompson

Randy Colwell
Inspiration for a rustic dark wood floor great room remodel with white walls

Old Growth Douglas Fir trees are among the largest trees on the world. Though they still tower over parts of Vancouver Island they are becoming ever more scarce. Fortunately there are many old buildings on the Island whose structure is built of these hundreds of years old giants. Reclaimed floor joists of old growth fir make up the tight grained top of this table, while wider grained, faster growing second growth fir provides a contrasting leg. The supporting pieces under the table are Western Red Cedar that was salvaged from an old cedar hot tub. Photos: Breanna Thompson

David Matero
Example of a small trendy concrete floor open concept kitchen design in Portland Maine with shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, wood countertops, a single-bowl sink, stainless steel appliances and an island

Old Growth Douglas Fir trees are among the largest trees on the world. Though they still tower over parts of Vancouver Island they are becoming ever more scarce. Fortunately there are many old buildings on the Island whose structure is built of these hundreds of years old giants. Reclaimed floor joists of old growth fir make up the tight grained top of this table, while wider grained, faster growing second growth fir provides a contrasting leg. The supporting pieces under the table are Western Red Cedar that was salvaged from an old cedar hot tub. Photos: Breanna Thompson

ZeroEnergy Design (ZED) created this modern home for a progressive family in the desirable community of Lexington. Thoughtful Land Connection. The residence is carefully sited on the infill lot so as to create privacy from the road and neighbors, while cultivating a side yard that captures the southern sun. The terraced grade rises to meet the house, allowing for it to maintain a structured connection with the ground while also sitting above the high water table. The elevated outdoor living space maintains a strong connection with the indoor living space, while the stepped edge ties it back to the true ground plane. Siting and outdoor connections were completed by ZED in collaboration with landscape designer Soren Deniord Design Studio. Exterior Finishes and Solar. The exterior finish materials include a palette of shiplapped wood siding, through-colored fiber cement panels and stucco. A rooftop parapet hides the solar panels above, while a gutter and site drainage system directs rainwater into an irrigation cistern and dry wells that recharge the groundwater. Cooking, Dining, Living. Inside, the kitchen, fabricated by Henrybuilt, is located between the indoor and outdoor dining areas. The expansive south-facing sliding door opens to seamlessly connect the spaces, using a retractable awning to provide shade during the summer while still admitting the warming winter sun. The indoor living space continues from the dining areas across to the sunken living area, with a view that returns again to the outside through the corner wall of glass. Accessible Guest Suite. The design of the first level guest suite provides for both aging in place and guests who regularly visit for extended stays. The patio off the north side of the house affords guests their own private outdoor space, and privacy from the neighbor. Similarly, the second level master suite opens to an outdoor private roof deck. Light and Access. The wide open interior stair with a glass panel rail leads from the top level down to the well insulated basement. The design of the basement, used as an away/play space, addresses the need for both natural light and easy access. In addition to the open stairwell, light is admitted to the north side of the area with a high performance, Passive House (PHI) certified skylight, covering a six by sixteen foot area. On the south side, a unique roof hatch set flush with the deck opens to reveal a glass door at the base of the stairwell which provides additional light and access from the deck above down to the play space. Energy. Energy consumption is reduced by the high performance building envelope, high efficiency mechanical systems, and then offset with renewable energy. All windows and doors are made of high performance triple paned glass with thermally broken aluminum frames. The exterior wall assembly employs dense pack cellulose in the stud cavity, a continuous air barrier, and four inches exterior rigid foam insulation. The 10kW rooftop solar electric system provides clean energy production. The final air leakage testing yielded 0.6 ACH 50 - an extremely air tight house, a testament to the well-designed details, progress testing and quality construction. When compared to a new house built to code requirements, this home consumes only 19% of the energy. Architecture & Energy Consulting: ZeroEnergy Design Landscape Design: Soren Deniord Design Paintings: Bernd Haussmann Studio Photos: Eric Roth Photography

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours The second-largest and most developed of Georgia's barrier islands, St. Simons is approximately twelve miles long and nearly three miles wide at its widest stretch (roughly the size of Manhattan Island in New York). The island is located in Glynn County on Georgia's coast and lies east of Brunswick (the seat of Glynn County), south of Little St. Simons Island and the Hampton River, and north of Jekyll Island. The resort community of Sea Island is separated from St. Simons on the east by the Black Banks River. Known for its oak tree canopies and historic landmarks, St. Simons is both a tourist destination and, according to the 2010 U.S. census, home to 12,743 residents. Early History The earliest St. Simons Island Village record of human habitation on the island dates to the Late Archaic Period, about 5,000 to 3,000 years ago. Remnants of shell rings left behind by Native Americans from this era survive on many of the barrier islands, including St. Simons. Centuries later, during the period known by historians as the chiefdom era, the Guale Indians established a chiefdom centered on St. Catherines Island and used St. Simons as their hunting and fishing grounds. By 1500 the Guale had established a permanent village of about 200 people on St. Simons, which they called Guadalquini. Beginning in 1568, the Spanish attempted to create missions along the Georgia coast. Catholic missions were the primary means by which Georgia's indigenous Native American chiefdoms were assimilated into the Spanish colonial system along the northern frontier of greater Spanish Florida. In the 1600s St. Simons became home to two Spanish missions: San Buenaventura de Guadalquini, on the southern tip of the island, and Santo Domingo de Asao (or Asajo), on the northern tip. Located on the inland side of the island were the pagan refugee villages of San Simón, the island's namesake, and Ocotonico. In 1684 pirate raids left the missions and villages largely abandoned. Colonial History As Fort Frederica early as 1670, with Great Britain's establishment of the colony of Carolina and its expansion into Georgia territory, Spanish rule was threatened by the English. The Georgia coast was considered "debatable land" by England and Spain, even though Spain had fully retreated from St. Simons by 1702. Thirty-one years later General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the English settlement of Savannah. In 1736 he established Fort Frederica, named after the heir to the British throne, Frederick Louis, prince of Wales, on the west side of St. Simons Island to protect Savannah and the Carolinas from the Spanish threat. Between 1736 and 1749 Fort Frederica was the hub of British military operations along the Georgia frontier. A town of the same name grew up around the fort and was of great importance to the new colony. By 1740 Frederica's population was 1,000. In 1736 the congregation of what would become Christ Church was organized within Fort Frederica as a mission of the Church of England. Charles Wesley led the first services. In 1742 Britain's decisive victory over Spain in the Battle of Bloody Marsh, during the War of Jenkins' Ear, ended the Spanish threat to the Georgia coast. When the British regimen disbanded in 1749, most of the townspeople relocated to the mainland. Fort Frederica went into decline and, except for a short time of prosperity during the 1760s and 1770s under the leadership of merchant James Spalding, never fully recovered. Today the historic citadel's tabby ruins are maintained by the National Park Service. Plantation Era By the start of the American Revolution (1775-83), Fort Frederica was obsolete, and St. Simons was left largely uninhabited as most of its residents joined the patriot army. Besides hosting a small Georgia naval victory on the Fort Frederica River, providing guns from its famous fort for use at Fort Morris in Sunbury, and serving as an arena for pillaging by privateers and British soldiers, the island played almost no role in the war. Following the war, many of the townspeople, their businesses destroyed, turned to agriculture. The island was transformed into fourteen cotton plantations after acres of live oak trees were cleared for farm land and used for building American warships, including the famous USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides." Although rice was the predominant crop along the neighboring Altamaha River, St. Simons was known for its production of long-staple cotton, which soon came to be known as Sea Island cotton. Between Ebos Landing the 1780s and the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65), St. Simons's plantation culture flourished. The saline atmosphere and the availability of cheap slave labor proved an ideal combination for the cultivation of Sea Island cotton. In 1803 a group of Ebo slaves who survived the Middle Passage and arrived on the west side of St. Simons staged a rebellion and drowned themselves. The sacred site is known today as Ebos Landing. One of the largest owners of land and slaves on St. Simons was Pierce Butler, master of Hampton Point Plantation, located on the northern end of the island. By 1793 Butler owned more than 500 slaves, who cultivated 800 acres of cotton on St. Simons and 300 acres of rice on Butler's Island in the Altamaha River delta. Butler's grandson, Pierce Mease Butler, who at the age of sixteen inherited a share of his grandfather's estate in 1826, was responsible for the largest sale of human beings in the history of the United States: in 1859, to restore his squandered fortune, he sold 429 slaves in Savannah for more than $300,000. The British actress and writer Fanny Kemble, whose tumultuous marriage to Pierce ended in divorce in 1849, published an eyewitness account of the evils of slavery on St. Simons in her book Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 (1863). Another Retreat Plantation large owner of land and slaves on St. Simons was Major William Page, a friend and employee of Pierce Butler Sr. Before purchasing Retreat Plantation on the southwestern tip of the island in 1804, Page managed the Hampton plantation and Butler's Island. Upon Page's death in 1827, Thomas Butler King inherited the land together with his wife, Page's daughter, Anna Matilda Page King. King expanded his father-in-law's planting empire on St. Simons as well as on the mainland, and by 1835 Retreat Plantation alone was home to as many as 355 slaves. The center of life during the island's plantation era was Christ Church, Frederica. Organized in 1807 by a group of island planters, the Episcopal church is the second oldest in the Diocese of Georgia. Embargoes imposed by the War of 1812 (1812-15) prevented the parishioners from building a church structure, so they worshiped in the home of John Beck, which stood on the site of Oglethorpe's only St. Simons residence, Orange Hall. The first Christ Church building, finished on the present site in 1820, was ruined by occupying Union troops during the Civil War. In 1884 the Reverend Anson Dodge Jr. rebuilt the church as a memorial to his first wife, Ellen. The cruciform building with a trussed gothic roof and stained-glass windows remains active today as Christ Church. Civil War and Beyond The St. Simons Island Lighthouse outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 put a sudden end to St. Simons's lucrative plantation era. In January of that year, Confederate troops were stationed at the south end of the island to guard the entrance to Brunswick Harbor. Slaves from Retreat Plantation, owned by Thomas Butler King, built earthworks and batteries. Plantation residents were scattered—the men joined the Confederate army and their families moved to the mainland. Cannon fire was heard on the island in December 1861, and Confederate troops retreated in February 1862, after dynamiting the lighthouse to keep its beacon from aiding Union troops. Soon thereafter, Union troops occupied the island, which was used as a camp for freed slaves. By August 1862 more than 500 former slaves lived on St. Simons, including Susie King Taylor, who organized a school for freed slave children. But in November the ex-slaves were taken to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Fernandina, Florida, leaving the island abandoned. After the Civil War the island never returned to its status as an agricultural community. The plantations lay dormant because there were no slaves to work the fields. After Union general William T. Sherman's January 1865 Special Field Order No. 15 —a demand that former plantations be divided and distributed to former slaves—was overturned by U.S. president Andrew Johnson less than a year later, freedmen and women were forced to work as sharecroppers on the small farms that dotted the land previously occupied by the sprawling plantations. By St. Simons Lumber Mills 1870 real economic recovery began with the reestablishment of the timber industry. Norman Dodge and Titus G. Meigs of New York set up lumber mill operations at Gascoigne Bluff, formerly Hamilton Plantation. The lumber mills provided welcome employment for both blacks and whites and also provided mail and passenger boats to the mainland. Such water traffic, together with the construction of a new lighthouse in 1872, designed by architect Charles B. Cluskey, marked the beginning of St. Simons's tourism industry. The keeper of the lighthouse created a small amusement park, which drew many visitors, as did the seemingly miraculous light that traveled from the top of the lighthouse tower to the bottom. The island became a summer retreat for families from the mainland, particularly from Baxley, Brunswick, and Waycross. The island's resort industry was thriving by the 1880s. Beachfront structures, such as a new pier and grand hotel, were built on the southeastern end of the island and could be accessed by ferry. Around this time wealthy northerners began vacationing on the island. Twentieth Century The St. Simons Island Pier and Village opening in 1924 of the Brunswick–St. Simons Highway, today known as the Torras Causeway, was a milestone in the development of resorts in the area. St. Simons's beaches were now easily accessible to locals and tourists alike. More than 5,000 automobiles took the short drive from Brunswick to St. Simons via the causeway on its opening day, paving the way for convenient residential and resort development. In 1926 automotive pioneer Howard Coffin of Detroit, Michigan, bought large tracts of land on St. Simons, including the former Retreat Plantation, and constructed a golf course, yacht club, paved roads, and a residential subdivision. Although the causeway had brought large numbers of summer people to the island, St. Simons remained a small community with only a few hundred permanent residents until the 1940s. The St. Simons Island outbreak of World War II (1941-45) brought more visitors and residents to St. Simons. Troops stationed at Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah; and nearby Camp Stewart took weekend vacations on the island, and a new naval air base and radar school became home to even more officers and soldiers. The increased wartime population brought the island its first public school. With a major shipyard for the production of Liberty ships in nearby Brunswick, the waters of St. Simons became active with German U-boats. In April 1942, just off the coast, the Texas Company oil tanker S. S. Oklahoma and the S. S. Esso Baton Rouge were torpedoed by the Germans, bringing the war very close to home for island residents. Due in large part to the military's improvement of the island's infrastructure during the war, development on the island boomed in the 1950s and 1960s. More permanent homes and subdivisions were built, and the island was no longer just a summer resort but also a thriving community. In 1950 the Methodist conference and retreat center Epworth by the Sea opened on Gascoigne Bluff. In 1961 novelist Eugenia Price visited St. Simons and began work on her first works of fiction, known as the St. Simons Trilogy. Inspired by real events on the island, Price's trilogy renewed interest in the history of Georgia's coast, and the novelist herself relocated to the island in 1965 and lived there for thirty-one years. St. Simons is also home to contemporary Georgia writer Tina McElroy Ansa. Since Epworth by the Sea 1980 St. Simons's population has doubled. The island's continued status as a vacation destination and its ongoing development boom have put historic landmarks and natural areas at risk. While such landmarks as the Fort Frederica ruins and the Battle of Bloody Marsh site are preserved and maintained by the National Park Service, and while the historic lighthouse is maintained by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, historic Ebos Landing has been taken over by a sewage treatment plant. Several coastal organizations have formed in recent years to save natural areas on the island. The St. Simons Land Trust, for example, has received donations of large tracts of land and plans to protect property in the island's three traditional African American neighborhoods. Despite its rapid growth and development, St. Simons remains one of the most beautiful and important islands on the Georgia coast.

Overhead, cedar beams contrast against the painted ceiling that matches the existing paint colors on the home. Cedar beams support the patio cover addition and lead to a cedar sunburst in the peak above the kitchen. A ceiling fan helps to circulate the air beneath the patio cover and recessed lighting adds just the right glow for evening festivities.

«Modern elegance» at the intersection of Art Nouveau style and Art Deco metered elements. Plus of the apartments – French windows, filling the space with air. This feeling was supported and strengthened to the maximum using light color gamut and elegant, «floating» furniture. Minus of the room – low ceilings, which was compensated by light walls, thanks to which the boundary between the wall and the ceiling is erased. Color gamut – light pearl shades + «salted» tones of natural wood + «marine» tones in the range from blue to cold green. Coswick Grey Cashmere hardwood flooring use in the project. Design by Chernykh Elena & Evgenia Mazaitis. Studio: D-vision. Photography by Vitaly Ivanov.

Guests can access the deck from outside the house, a suitable gesture during Covid-19. The side walkway introduces the unique decking composed of various width Ipe boards. This leads to the main deck area. Special detailing in the deck railing allows for the graceful interruption of the trunk of an Oak tree.

We engineered Newport Chaise to stand the test of time - and comfort. First, we considered proportion, making this chaise a roomy 33"W x 81"L. Then, we used only the best-quality components that would withstand weather and use. The sleek, powdercoated frame is made of 100% aluminum, which is both strong and substantial while being lightweight and corrosion resistant. The seamless, premium-quality mesh sling is supportive yet giving, and allows air to circulate to keep you cool.

This elegant Craftsman style house plan features plenty of space for the whole family to do their own thing with no interruptions … but there’s space where everyone can get together for movie night or other family activities. The downstairs features a well-designed open floor plan highlighted by a vaulted gathering room, gourmet kitchen with breakfast area, formal dining space and a home office. The downstairs master suite opens onto a covered loggia, and also features a large dressing room/walk-in closet area. Upstairs you’ll find three suites, each opening onto a bathroom, making any of them a perfect mother-in-law suite. Oh, there’s also one of the largest bonus rooms you’ll find anywhere. The garage with 3-car dimensions is perfect for adding workshop space — or the ultimate man cave. First Floor Heated: 2,976 Master Suite: Down Second Floor Heated: 2,376 Baths: 6.5 Third Floor Heated: Main Floor Ceiling: 10' Total Heated Area: 5,352 Specialty Rooms: Outdoor Living, Office/Media Room, Exercise, Game Room Garages: Three Garage: 1,126 Bedrooms: Five Footprint: 90'-8" x 93'-1" www.edgplancollection.com

This mixer stand slides in and out of its cabinet making baking time easy to start and complete. Pocket door comes down to cover any baking tools. Classic white kitchen designed and built by Jewett Farms + Co. Functional for family life with a design that will stand the test of time. White cabinetry, soapstone perimeter counters and marble island top. Hand scraped walnut floors. Walnut drawer interiors and walnut trim on the range hood. Many interior details, check out the rest of the project photos to see them all.

«Modern elegance» at the intersection of Art Nouveau style and Art Deco metered elements. Plus of the apartments – French windows, filling the space with air. This feeling was supported and strengthened to the maximum using light color gamut and elegant, «floating» furniture. Minus of the room – low ceilings, which was compensated by light walls, thanks to which the boundary between the wall and the ceiling is erased. Color gamut – light pearl shades + «salted» tones of natural wood + «marine» tones in the range from blue to cold green. Coswick Grey Cashmere hardwood flooring use in the project. Design by Chernykh Elena & Evgenia Mazaitis. Studio: D-vision. Photography by Vitaly Ivanov.

«Modern elegance» at the intersection of Art Nouveau style and Art Deco metered elements. Plus of the apartments – French windows, filling the space with air. This feeling was supported and strengthened to the maximum using light color gamut and elegant, «floating» furniture. Minus of the room – low ceilings, which was compensated by light walls, thanks to which the boundary between the wall and the ceiling is erased. Color gamut – light pearl shades + «salted» tones of natural wood + «marine» tones in the range from blue to cold green. Coswick Grey Cashmere hardwood flooring use in the project. Design by Chernykh Elena & Evgenia Mazaitis. Studio: D-vision. Photography by Vitaly Ivanov.

«Modern elegance» at the intersection of Art Nouveau style and Art Deco metered elements. Plus of the apartments – French windows, filling the space with air. This feeling was supported and strengthened to the maximum using light color gamut and elegant, «floating» furniture. Minus of the room – low ceilings, which was compensated by light walls, thanks to which the boundary between the wall and the ceiling is erased. Color gamut – light pearl shades + «salted» tones of natural wood + «marine» tones in the range from blue to cold green. Coswick Grey Cashmere hardwood flooring use in the project. Design by Chernykh Elena & Evgenia Mazaitis. Studio: D-vision. Photography by Vitaly Ivanov.

This outdoor living space in Portland features everything you need to enjoy indoor activities while still enjoying the fresh air of the outdoors. An outdoor kitchen, living room, and dining room is the perfect trifecta for entertaining.

«Modern elegance» at the intersection of Art Nouveau style and Art Deco metered elements. Plus of the apartments – French windows, filling the space with air. This feeling was supported and strengthened to the maximum using light color gamut and elegant, «floating» furniture. Minus of the room – low ceilings, which was compensated by light walls, thanks to which the boundary between the wall and the ceiling is erased. Color gamut – light pearl shades + «salted» tones of natural wood + «marine» tones in the range from blue to cold green. Coswick Grey Cashmere hardwood flooring use in the project. Design by Chernykh Elena & Evgenia Mazaitis. Studio: D-vision. Photography by Vitaly Ivanov.