This challenging site near Wolf Trap had an existing swimming pool at the end of the property. With twelve feet of grade change across the backyard, our landscape design dilemma was; how to connect the new pool with the house, create lots of living space, and still get people to the landscape below. The entire rear of the house was renovated, giving us an opportunity to build a new composite multi-level deck. We crafted a covered living space under the deck and sunroom. Techo-Bloc pavers, a stone dive rock at the deep end and the natural stream bed with waterfalls that cascades into the pool. Photography by Mike Bonomo

VanBrouck & Associates: Inspired by the classical architecture of Palladio, this Italian villa was designed with a procession of beautifully proportioned, ordered spaces, with strong axial sightlines, to draw the eye through the spaces and beckon the individual to explore. Beautifully sited on acreage, the interior and exterior spaces are thoughtfully orchestrated to interact together, and to connect to the land. Stone loggias, at the entry, rear, and side of the residence, visually and literally extend the interior living spaces. View-lines extend through the house from the open courtyard and infinite landscape vistas of the front to the wooded terrain of the rear. Gentle cross-breezes flow and natural light streams into the rooms from a series of French doors lyrically arranged throughout the spaces.

Bailey Construction & Landscape Group, Inc.
Inspiration for a large traditional full sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in Atlanta with a fire pit.

Here’s a close-up of the smaller pond’s waterfall (looking left from the hot tub). www.deckandpatio.com

Zen bathroom photo in Denver

Pool and spa were designed to be “organic” with natural surroundings; they capture very essence of clients’ desire for harmonious body of water in keeping with residence, patio, outdoor kitchen, and new waterfall, stream and pond. www.deckandpatio.com

Powder room - transitional powder room idea in Charleston

The spa on this Westlake Vaquero area project is separated from the deep blue pebble finish surface of the tanning ledge by four sets of travertine capped steps. Three laminar jets rifle perfect streams of water from the Stamped concrete decking to the swimming pool, at night the color changing pool lights located in the travertine veneered drop-beam will create their own show.

Situated on a 3.5 acre, oak-studded ridge atop Santa Barbara's Riviera, the Greene Compound is a 6,500 square foot custom residence with guest house and pool capturing spectacular views of the City, Coastal Islands to the south, and La Cumbre peak to the north. Carefully sited to kiss the tips of many existing large oaks, the home is rustic Mediterranean in style which blends integral color plaster walls with Santa Barbara sandstone and cedar board and batt. Landscape Architect Lane Goodkind restored the native grass meadow and added a stream bio-swale which complements the rural setting. 20' mahogany, pocketing sliding doors maximize the indoor / outdoor Santa Barbara lifestyle by opening the living spaces to the pool and island view beyond. A monumental exterior fireplace and camp-style margarita bar add to this romantic living. Discreetly buried in the mission tile roof, solar panels help to offset the home's overall energy consumption. Truly an amazing and unique property, the Greene Residence blends in beautifully with the pastoral setting of the ridge while complementing and enhancing this Riviera neighborhood.

The main goals of this project was to make it more usable and enjoyable for the owner, to reduce maintenance and to created a covered area for enjoyment year-round. This design also kept the family's new puppy in mind - fencing it in for safety and planting with careful consideration of plants that are safe for dogs. The winding pathway for humans is reminiscent of a stream bed and there is also a narrow perimeter fence specifically for the pup! Ben Park

Container water gardens are beautiful and require less frequent watering than their soil counterparts. To keep mosquitoes away, add a small fountain (they won't lay eggs in moving water), add a small fish or two like rosy reds (they eat the larvae), or simply toss in a mosquito dunk.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

Situated on a 3.5 acre, oak-studded ridge atop Santa Barbara's Riviera, the Greene Compound is a 6,500 square foot custom residence with guest house and pool capturing spectacular views of the City, Coastal Islands to the south, and La Cumbre peak to the north. Carefully sited to kiss the tips of many existing large oaks, the home is rustic Mediterranean in style which blends integral color plaster walls with Santa Barbara sandstone and cedar board and batt. Landscape Architect Lane Goodkind restored the native grass meadow and added a stream bio-swale which complements the rural setting. 20' mahogany, pocketing sliding doors maximize the indoor / outdoor Santa Barbara lifestyle by opening the living spaces to the pool and island view beyond. A monumental exterior fireplace and camp-style margarita bar add to this romantic living. Discreetly buried in the mission tile roof, solar panels help to offset the home's overall energy consumption. Truly an amazing and unique property, the Greene Residence blends in beautifully with the pastoral setting of the ridge while complementing and enhancing this Riviera neighborhood.

Natural light streams in everywhere through abundant glass, giving a 270 degree view of the lake. Reflecting straight angles of mahogany wood broken by zinc waves, this home blends efficiency with artistry.

Container water gardens are beautiful and require less frequent watering than their soil counterparts. To keep mosquitoes away, add a small fountain (they won't lay eggs in moving water), add a small fish or two like rosy reds (they eat the larvae), or simply toss in a mosquito dunk.

Installing a multi-faceted water feature that includes stream, waterfalls and pond, nestled in between multi-level patios, creates a restful and functional backyard oasis. www.deckandpatio.com

This very contemporary living room design has an unusual story. The clients worked with another design firm prior to hiring Mussman Design Associates. The former designers demoed the fireplace, but stopped mid-stream when they were unable to permit their design-installing concrete slabs up to the ceiling. This would have obviously rendered the space structurally unstable. We submitted 3 designs for the fireplace design, and this is the design the clients chose. This transformation is really quite dramatic. Be sure to see the before/after on Mussman Design's website in the portfolio section. Photo: Stan Mussman

Multifunctional space combines a sitting area, dining space and office niche. The vaulted ceiling adds to the spaciousness and the wall of windows streams in natural light. The natural wood materials adds warmth to the room and cozy atmosphere. Photography by Norman Sizemore

Container water gardens are beautiful and require less frequent watering than their soil counterparts. To keep mosquitoes away, add a small fountain (they won't lay eggs in moving water), add a small fish or two like rosy reds (they eat the larvae), or simply toss in a mosquito dunk.