The Laurel was a project that required a rigorous lesson in southern architectural vernacular. The site being located in the hot climate of the Carolina shoreline, the client was eager to capture cross breezes and utilize outdoor entertainment spaces. The home was designed with three covered porches, one partially covered courtyard, and one screened porch, all accessed by way of French doors and extra tall double-hung windows. The open main level floor plan centers on common livings spaces, while still leaving room for a luxurious master suite. The upstairs loft includes two individual bed and bath suites, providing ample room for guests. Native materials were used in construction, including a metal roof and local timber.

Roger Wade Studio
Example of a mountain style brick floor wine cellar design

SRQ Magazine's Home of the Year 2015 Platinum Award for Best Bathroom, Best Kitchen, and Best Overall Renovation Photo: Raif Fluker
Home design - 1960s glass tile and blue tile pebble tile floor home design idea in Tampa with blue walls

Rich Caplan
Trendy gray floor living room photo in San Francisco with no fireplace and no tv

Erin Lau
Design ideas for a traditional landscaping in Seattle.

Serpentine dry stacked granite walls celebrate regional materials while transforming this sloping yard into a multilevel extension of home. It features a secluded fire pit that looks out over a striking view of the stormwater pond below and mountains in the distance, activated by the occasional glimpse of local wildlife populations including bald eagles and deer. Two cedar pergolas act as an outdoor extension of home and provide afternoon shade both inside the house and out. Photography: Louie Jeon Photography

Jared Kuzia Photography
Example of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped slate floor and gray floor enclosed kitchen design in Boston with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

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Photo: Jessica Cain © 2017 Houzz
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Small danish master white tile and subway tile ceramic tile, black floor and double-sink alcove shower photo in Tampa with flat-panel cabinets, brown cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, a vessel sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door, white countertops and a niche

Organize a garage with Organized Living Activity Organizer. Install them three ways: on to slot wall, onto Activity Organizer Grids or directly on to garage walls. Perfect for storing gardening tools, sports equipment and work tools. Learn more about how this garage storage option works at http://youtu.be/_Y-lOrSn2_A This Organized Living activity organizer design was created by The Amandas. Find your local Organized Living dealer at http://organizedliving.com/home/where-to-buy.

Matt Wier
Inspiration for a 1950s home design remodel in Los Angeles

A stunning turret master bedroom with impressive views. The grid pattern of the windows reflect the local historic shingle style architecture.
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Local Manzanita rail, slate tile bench, custom wood windows Photo by Martha Widman
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This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Nestled into the hills of Portola Valley, California the structures open space carefully defines and details outdoor rooms and interior space. While this form naturally echoes its landscape and beauty it was able to maintain and score Gold in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The Windy Hill Heaven residents incorporated sustainable aspects such as: STRUCTURE // Passive-solar design, spray foam insulation, structurally insulated panel called (SIPs), and high efficiency low e windows ELECTRICITY // Photovoltaic solar-panel array tied to the grid allowing this home to be net zero, Energy Star appliances, and energy efficient fans and lighting HEATING AND COOLING // In-floor radiant hot-water and a highly efficient fireplace SUSTAINABLE FEATURE // Native landscaping locally sourced building materials, low-VOC materials, paint and sealers. In all making this a very ECO-logically designed home

A concept design for a modest off-grid home that brings practical, modern design into reach. Intended to be self-built, the structure has a simple floor plan, efficient design, a limited material palette of local materials, and uses common construction methods.

A concept design for a modest off-grid home that brings practical, modern design into reach. Intended to be self-built, the structure has a simple floor plan, efficient design, a limited material palette of local materials, and uses common construction methods.