Built from the ground up on 80 acres outside Dallas, Oregon, this new modern ranch house is a balanced blend of natural and industrial elements. The custom home beautifully combines various materials, unique lines and angles, and attractive finishes throughout. The property owners wanted to create a living space with a strong indoor-outdoor connection. We integrated built-in sky lights, floor-to-ceiling windows and vaulted ceilings to attract ample, natural lighting. The master bathroom is spacious and features an open shower room with soaking tub and natural pebble tiling. There is custom-built cabinetry throughout the home, including extensive closet space, library shelving, and floating side tables in the master bedroom. The home flows easily from one room to the next and features a covered walkway between the garage and house. One of our favorite features in the home is the two-sided fireplace – one side facing the living room and the other facing the outdoor space. In addition to the fireplace, the homeowners can enjoy an outdoor living space including a seating area, in-ground fire pit and soaking tub.

This fabulous Spicewood, Texas home was built by Seven Custom Homes with interior design done by Jeannie Balsam, LLC and lighting design done by Cathy Shockey with Legend Lighting. Photography by Twist Tours

Modern Chelsea Pied-à-terre | Renovation & Interior Design by Brett Design as seen in New York Cottages and Gardens. This open floor plan Manhattan apartment features a custom rug from Brett Design and a custom frosted glass sliding wall that separates the living area from the bedroom, providing privacy when desired and allowing light to illuminate both spaces.

Our client for this project has a beautiful home in the suburbs but wanted a second home in NYC. He's a financier and spends 2-4 nights per week in the city, so he came to our New York City design studio to design his new build pied-à-terre in Tribeca. He wanted an upscale, family-friendly apartment as his college-age children might use the apartment, too. Our goal was to create a soothing, moody, textural, comfortable, and contemporary home. The entryway welcomes you with dark gray, deeply textured wallpaper and statement pieces like the angular mirror and black metal table that are an ode to NYC industrial style. The open kitchen and dining are sleek and flaunt statement metal lights, while the living room features textured contemporary furniture and a stylish bar cart. The bedroom is an oasis of calm and relaxation, with the textured wallpaper playing the design focal point. The luxury extends to the powder room with modern brass pendants, warm-toned natural stone, deep-toned walls, and organic-inspired artwork.

Jason Hulet
Example of a classic open concept coffered ceiling living room design in Other with beige walls

Northern Michigan is the ultimate getaway destination with serene views and abundance of outdoor recreation. This remote Up North house offers nothing short of that. With the nearest major town almost 45 minutes away, it was essential this vacation home offered all the amenities for entertainment and relaxation. Spire worked with the client to create the perfect lake house retreat with comfort and convenience during any season or weather. The living room with an attached game room is a versatile space that offers endless entertainment. A 65” TV was installed over the fireplace in the custom stone wall. The adjustable mount allows the TV to lower for comfortable viewing from either the couch or pool table. A pair of Meridian Audio DSP7200 custom color matched speakers equipped with a Meridian Audio 218 digital controller were strategically installed on each side of the fireplace. The floor-standing speakers compliment the natural stone while providing astonishingly life-like sound, perfect for streaming live concerts. The powerful audio extends to the upper level of the home. Spire installed B&W 700 series bookshelf speakers in the executive office and a Triad custom speaker bar in the master bedroom. These speakers are ideal for smaller rooms, while elevating the TV experience. The large living room windows offer beautiful lake views and ample lighting. Lutron Palladiom shades were installed to easily control the natural light in the living room, master bedroom and bathroom. They are custom designed and fully automated to let in the morning sun or achieve partial shading or complete privacy. Whether set on a schedule or controlled from an iPad, the shades operate quietly and seamlessly. The technology was designed to be enjoyed just as much indoors as outdoors. With the whole home audio system, high-quality sound can flow throughout the indoor rooms as well as the outdoor patio. While the location may be remote, Spire ensured the WiFi and network connection is strong both throughout the yard and inside the home. A Lutron HomeWorks QS system integrates the control of all the interior and exterior lighting including motion sensing for the exterior pathway. Since this is not a permanent residence, a control and security system was very important. A personalized Savant system was integrated for full home control of lighting, climate, entertainment and security from anywhere with a smart device . This includes the ability to control the multiple landscape light zones with timed scenes. The Doorbird cameras and chimes with the integration of camera feeds into the Savant Control provides remote communication with visitors at any of the exterior doors. Remote access also allows rebooting of all essential systems from any location.

Courtesy Coastal Living, a division of the Time Inc. Lifestyle Group, photography by Tria Giovan. Coastal Living is a registered trademark of Time Inc. and is used with permission.

Echo Wall By Tech Lighting SKU# 700TDECS Vivid glass shade over white case glass inner cylinder suspended from a round base and highlighted with three satin nickel cylinder details. Provides ambient, up- and down-light.

The formal living area in this Brooklyn brownstone once had an awful marble fireplace surround that didn't properly reflect the home's provenance. Sheetrock was peeled back to reveal the exposed brick chimney, we sourced a new mantel with dental molding from architectural salvage, and completed the surround with green marble tiles in an offset pattern. The chairs are Mid-Century Modern style and the love seat is custom-made in gray leather. Custom bookshelves and lower storage cabinets were also installed, overseen by antiqued-brass picture lights.

A PLACE TO GATHER Location: Eagan, MN, USA This family of five wanted an inviting space to gather with family and friends. Mom, the primary cook, wanted a large island with more organized storage – everything in its place – and a crisp white kitchen with the character of an older home. Challenges: Design an island that could accommodate this family of five for casual weeknight dinners. Create more usable storage within the existing kitchen footprint. Design a better transition between the upper cabinets on the 8-foot sink wall and the adjoining 9-foot cooktop wall. Make room for more counter space around the cooktop. It was poorly lit, cluttered with small appliances and confined by the tall oven cabinet. Solutions: A large island, that seats 5 comfortably, replaced the small island and kitchen table. This allowed for more storage including cookbook shelves, a heavy-duty roll out shelf for the mixer, a 2-bin recycling center and a bread drawer. Tall pantries with decorative grilles were placed between the kitchen and family room. These created ample storage and helped define each room, making each one feel larger, yet more intimate. A space intentionally separates the upper cabinets on the sink wall from those on the cooktop wall. This created symmetry on the sink wall and made room for an appliance garage, which keeps the countertops uncluttered. Moving the double ovens to the former pantry location made way for more usable counter space around the cooktop and a dramatic focal point with the hood, cabinets and marble backsplash. Special Features: Custom designed corbels and island legs lend character. Gilt open lanterns, antiqued nickel grilles on the pantries, and the soft linen shade at the kitchen sink add personality and charm. The unique bronze hardware with a living finish creates the patina of an older home. A walnut island countertop adds the warmth and feel of a kitchen table. This homeowner truly understood the idea of living with the patina of marble. Her grandmother’s marble-topped antique table inspired the Carrara countertops. The result is a highly organized kitchen with a light, open feel that invites you to stay a while. Liz Schupanitz Designs Photographed by: Andrea Rugg

Living room - mid-sized transitional open concept dark wood floor and brown floor living room idea in Nashville with white walls, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

A kitchen remodel for a Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery client in Rockville, MD. Cabinet design provided by Jan Zhuge, Cabinet Designer for Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery.

The owners of this property had been away from the Bay Area for many years, and looked forward to returning to an elegant mid-century modern house. The one they bought was anything but that. Faced with a “remuddled” kitchen from one decade, a haphazard bedroom / family room addition from another, and an otherwise disjointed and generally run-down mid-century modern house, the owners asked Klopf Architecture and Envision Landscape Studio to re-imagine this house and property as a unified, flowing, sophisticated, warm, modern indoor / outdoor living space for a family of five. Opening up the spaces internally and from inside to out was the first order of business. The formerly disjointed eat-in kitchen with 7 foot high ceilings were opened up to the living room, re-oriented, and replaced with a spacious cook's kitchen complete with a row of skylights bringing light into the space. Adjacent the living room wall was completely opened up with La Cantina folding door system, connecting the interior living space to a new wood deck that acts as a continuation of the wood floor. People can flow from kitchen to the living / dining room and the deck seamlessly, making the main entertainment space feel at once unified and complete, and at the same time open and limitless. Klopf opened up the bedroom with a large sliding panel, and turned what was once a large walk-in closet into an office area, again with a large sliding panel. The master bathroom has high windows all along one wall to bring in light, and a large wet room area for the shower and tub. The dark, solid roof structure over the patio was replaced with an open trellis that allows plenty of light, brightening the new deck area as well as the interior of the house. All the materials of the house were replaced, apart from the framing and the ceiling boards. This allowed Klopf to unify the materials from space to space, running the same wood flooring throughout, using the same paint colors, and generally creating a consistent look from room to room. Located in Lafayette, CA this remodeled single-family house is 3,363 square foot, 4 bedroom, and 3.5 bathroom. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Jackie Detamore, and Jeffrey Prose Landscape Design: Envision Landscape Studio Structural Engineer: Brian Dotson Consulting Engineers Contractor: Kasten Builders Photography ©2015 Mariko Reed Staging: The Design Shop Location: Lafayette, CA Year completed: 2014

This new modern house is located in a meadow in Lenox MA. The house is designed as a series of linked pavilions to connect the house to the nature and to provide the maximum daylight in each room. The center focus of the home is the largest pavilion containing the living/dining/kitchen, with the guest pavilion to the south and the master bedroom and screen porch pavilions to the west. While the roof line appears flat from the exterior, the roofs of each pavilion have a pronounced slope inward and to the north, a sort of funnel shape. This design allows rain water to channel via a scupper to cisterns located on the north side of the house. Steel beams, Douglas fir rafters and purlins are exposed in the living/dining/kitchen pavilion. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography

Living room - large transitional open concept and formal carpeted living room idea in Los Angeles with white walls, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Organized Living freedomRail closet in white. This closet adjusts instantly to fit changing storage needs. For instance, change from long hang to double hang simply by adding one shelf and clothing rod to the back uprights. Easy to install and adjust. See more bedroom closet designs at http://organizedliving.com/home/get-inspired/areas-of-the-home/bedroom-closet

This project is a Houzz Kitchen of the Week! Click below to read the full story! https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/116547325/list/kitchen-of-the-week-better-brighter-and-no-longer-basic Our clients came to us wanting an elegant and functional kitchen and brighter living room. Their kitchen was dark and inefficient. The cabinets felt cluttered and the storage was there, but not functional for this family. They wanted all new finishes; especially new cabinets, but the floors were going to stay and be refinished. No wall relocation was needed but adding a door into the dining room to block the view from the front into the kitchen was discussed. They wanted to bring in more light somehow and preferably natural light. There was an unused sink in the butler’s pantry that they wanted capped, giving them more space and organized storage was a must! In their living room, they love their fireplace because it reminds her of her home in Colorado, so that definitely had to stay but everything else was left to the designers. After all decisions were made, this gorgeous kitchen and living space came to life! It is bright, open and airy, just like our clients wanted. Soft White Shiloh cabinetry was installed with a contrasting Cocoa island. Honed Levantina Taj Mahal quartzite was a beautiful countertop for this space. Bedrosians Grace 4”x 12” wall tile in Panna was the backsplash throughout the kitchen. The stove wall is flanked with dark wooden shelves on either side of vent-a-hood creating a feature area to the cook area. A beautiful maple barn door with seeded baroque tempered glass inserts was installed to close off the pantry and giving them more room than a traditional door. The original wainscoting remained in the kitchen and living areas but was modified in the kitchen where the cabinets were slightly extended and painted white throughout. LED tape lighting was installed under the cabinets, LED lighting was also added to the top of the upper glass cabinets, in addition to the grow lights installed for their herbs. All of the light fixtures were updated to a timeless classic look and feel. Imbrie articulating wall sconces were installed over the kitchen window/sink and in the butler’s pantry and aged brass Hood classic globe pendants were hung over the island, really drawing your attention to the kitchen. The Alturas fixture from SeaGull Lighing now hangs in the center of the living room, where there was once an outdated ceiling fan. In the living room, the walls were painted white, while leaving the wood and stone fireplace, as requested, leaving an absolutely amazing contrast! Design/Remodel by Hatfield Builders & Remodelers | Photography by Versatile Imaging

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

Built from the ground up on 80 acres outside Dallas, Oregon, this new modern ranch house is a balanced blend of natural and industrial elements. The custom home beautifully combines various materials, unique lines and angles, and attractive finishes throughout. The property owners wanted to create a living space with a strong indoor-outdoor connection. We integrated built-in sky lights, floor-to-ceiling windows and vaulted ceilings to attract ample, natural lighting. The master bathroom is spacious and features an open shower room with soaking tub and natural pebble tiling. There is custom-built cabinetry throughout the home, including extensive closet space, library shelving, and floating side tables in the master bedroom. The home flows easily from one room to the next and features a covered walkway between the garage and house. One of our favorite features in the home is the two-sided fireplace – one side facing the living room and the other facing the outdoor space. In addition to the fireplace, the homeowners can enjoy an outdoor living space including a seating area, in-ground fire pit and soaking tub.