A multiple remodel client, we were able to open up a once dark kitchen and compartmentalized dining room and family room into a light, bright floor plan which takes every advantage of views of White Bear Lake. The palette of whites, blues with warm dark floors reinforces the “beachy feel” that is reflected from the outside scenery while maintaining an an elegant and inviting interior.

A residence designed for informal gathering and relaxation on a quiet cove near Acadia National Park. Conceived of as a compound of connected gathering spaces with adjacent private retreat spaces. The "village" of structures is designed to open and close seasonally with large sliding barn doors. These also modulate light, air and views into and out of the cottages. Carefully positioned to take advantage of the rich variety of views and sloping topography, the cottages have integral terraces and retaining walls to negotiate the undulating land-form. One arrives at the high point of the site and the long barn axis and navigates between the cottages to the main entrance. Once inside, the home deliberately reveals unique views to the ocean, mountains and surrounding spruce forest.

The compact floor plan sits on a small, irregularly-shaped lot. To take advantage of the views to the ocean, the main living area is on the second floor. The main bedroom is above the living area, in a third floor loft. The guest suites are in the basement. This configuration allows the main level to open up to the Pacific with unobstructed views over the adjacent houses and highway.

This simple and clean contemporary home was designed on a steeply sloping lot with a magnificent view of the Hill country. The main floor is designed to take advantage of the view and the very little level ground, while a partial lower floor steps down with the natural terrain mitigating costs and integrating into the hillside.

Restricted by a compact but spectacular waterfront site, this home was designed to accommodate a large family and take full advantage of summer living on Cape Cod. The open, first floor living space connects to a series of decks and patios leading to the pool, spa, dock and fire pit beyond. The name of the home was inspired by the family’s love of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series. The black pearl resides on the cap of the main stair newel post.

This was a unique build in that it was once a meetinghouse in New Haven. We moved the main structure from its original location and set it on a new foundation. We designed and built an addition to give this grand home even more living space. Completely gutted, we overhauled this former meetinghouse which including new heating, electrical, plumbing and insulation. A wall of windows was then added to the back wall to take advantage of spectacular views as was a covered screened in porch and majestic deck. As this building was falling into disrepair, it was satisfying to give this grand structure a new purpose and a new life.

Designed to look like it’s always been there, this 4 bedroom shingle style farm house sits on a beautiful private parcel in West Falmouth. The biggest challenge for this project was to take advantage of the primary water views which in this case were in the front of the home. To accomplish this, the main entrance to the house and the outdoor entertainment spaces were all on the front of the house. A screen room resides at the intersection of the wings of the wraparound porch for evening relaxation overlooking the water. The stair to the third floor roof deck provides sweeping views of the Elizabethan Island chain and Buzzards Bay.

The overall design objective was to take advantage of every opportunity to experience the beauty of the lake, while providing all the comforts and conveniences of a modern luxury home. The steep, narrow site and its proximity to the lake presented many challenges during construction. The main living area focuses on entertaining family & guests, and includes a dining area with wet bar, study/guest room with guest bath and a gourmet kitchen. Custom cabinetry and built-ins throughout the house add a traditional touch and fill a practical storage need. The master bedroom has its own balcony view of the lake, while the lake level features a sauna, wine cellar and the soothing sounds of the lake lapping at the edge of a stone patio.

The design of this home was driven by the owners’ desire for a three-bedroom waterfront home that showcased the spectacular views and park-like setting. As nature lovers, they wanted their home to be organic, minimize any environmental impact on the sensitive site and embrace nature. This unique home is sited on a high ridge with a 45° slope to the water on the right and a deep ravine on the left. The five-acre site is completely wooded and tree preservation was a major emphasis. Very few trees were removed and special care was taken to protect the trees and environment throughout the project. To further minimize disturbance, grades were not changed and the home was designed to take full advantage of the site’s natural topography. Oak from the home site was re-purposed for the mantle, powder room counter and select furniture. The visually powerful twin pavilions were born from the need for level ground and parking on an otherwise challenging site. Fill dirt excavated from the main home provided the foundation. All structures are anchored with a natural stone base and exterior materials include timber framing, fir ceilings, shingle siding, a partial metal roof and corten steel walls. Stone, wood, metal and glass transition the exterior to the interior and large wood windows flood the home with light and showcase the setting. Interior finishes include reclaimed heart pine floors, Douglas fir trim, dry-stacked stone, rustic cherry cabinets and soapstone counters. Exterior spaces include a timber-framed porch, stone patio with fire pit and commanding views of the Occoquan reservoir. A second porch overlooks the ravine and a breezeway connects the garage to the home. Numerous energy-saving features have been incorporated, including LED lighting, on-demand gas water heating and special insulation. Smart technology helps manage and control the entire house. Greg Hadley Photography

View of the Transformed Home Exterior. For this home, we added an all new upper level containing the Master Suite and two additional bedrooms. We also added a new kitchen to the main level and reconfigured the entry to take advantage of an existing porch. This allowed us to add French doors to the front of the living room that open onto a new exterior terrace. Photography by Fredrik Brauer.

What began as a renovation project morphed into a new house, driven by the natural beauty of the site. The new structures are perfectly aligned with the coastline, and take full advantage of the views of ocean, islands, and shoals. The location is within walking distance of town and its amenities, yet miles away in the privacy it affords. The house is nestled on a nicely wooded lot, giving the residence screening from the street, with an open meadow leading to the ocean on the rear of the lot. The design concept was driven by the serenity of the site, enhanced by textures of trees, plantings, sand and shoreline. The newly constructed house sits quietly in a location advantageously positioned to take full advantage of natural light and solar orientations. The visual calm is enhanced by the natural material: stone, wood, and metal throughout the home. The main structures are comprised of traditional New England forms, with modern connectors serving to unify the structures. Each building is equally suited for single floor living, if that future needs is ever necessary. Unique too is an underground connection between main house and an outbuilding. With their flowing connections, no room is isolated or ignored; instead each reflects a different level of privacy and social interaction. Just as there are layers to the exterior in beach, field, forest and oceans, the inside has a layered approach. Textures in wood, stone, and neutral colors combine with the warmth of linens, wools, and metals. Personality and character of the interiors and its furnishings are tailored to the client’s lifestyle. Rooms are arranged and organized in an intersection of public and private spaces. The quiet palette within reflects the nature outside, enhanced with artwork and accessories.

Situated on the sixth floor of the Gorlin Tower in Miami, this two-bedroom apartment takes full advantage of its commanding views of the waterway below and the city of Miami beyond. The interior, loft-like space is arranged in an open plan configuration. Centered around a main living room, the dining and kitchen areas extends seamlessly through floor-to-ceiling windows onto the wraparound terrace outside. Pastel blue walls reference the color of the striking Miami waterway and sky.

A residence designed for informal gathering and relaxation on a quiet cove near Acadia National Park. Conceived of as a compound of connected gathering spaces with adjacent private retreat spaces. The "village" of structures is designed to open and close seasonally with large sliding barn doors. These also modulate light, air and views into and out of the cottages. Carefully positioned to take advantage of the rich variety of views and sloping topography, the cottages have integral terraces and retaining walls to negotiate the undulating land-form. One arrives at the high point of the site and the long barn axis and navigates between the cottages to the main entrance. Once inside, the home deliberately reveals unique views to the ocean, mountains and surrounding spruce forest.

Kitchen Transformation: This family loves to cook & entertain! To tie the transformation into the rest of the home we raised the ceiling to match the adjacent dining & living room spaces, opened up the passageway to the dining room to connect it more to the kitchen, added new wood flooring throughout the main level of this split level home, repainted, and designed a completely new kitchen layout to take better advantage of their space. With a fix on the color blue...the clients loved the unique, 3-dimensional backsplash by Versatile Arc by BT Tile & Stone. The design configurations are endless! Chris Haver Photography

Unlike full showrooms open to the general public, Main Line Kitchen Design works only by appointment. Appointments can be scheduled days, nights, and weekends either in your home or in our office and selection center. During office appointments we display clients kitchens on a flat screen TV and help them look through 100’s of sample doorstyles, almost a thousand sample finish blocks and sample kitchen cabinets. During home visits we can bring samples, take measurements, and make design changes on laptops showing you what your kitchen can look like in the very room being renovated. This is more convenient for our customers and it eliminates the expense of staffing and maintaining a larger space that is open to walk in traffic. We pass the significant savings on to our customers and so we sell cabinetry for less than other dealers, even home centers like Lowes and The Home Depot. We believe that since a web site like Houzz.com has over half a million kitchen photos, any advantage to going to a full kitchen showroom with full kitchen displays has been lost. Almost no customer today will ever get to see a display kitchen in their door style and finish because there are just too many possibilities. And the design of each kitchen is unique anyway. Our design process allows us to spend more time working on our customer’s designs. This is what we enjoy most about our business and it is what makes the difference between an average and a great kitchen design. Among the kitchen cabinet lines we design with and sell are Jim Bishop, 6 Square, Fabuwood, Brighton, and Wellsford Fine Custom Cabinetry.

Our clients were relocating from the upper peninsula to the lower peninsula and wanted to design a retirement home on their Lake Michigan property. The topography of their lot allowed for a walk out basement which is practically unheard of with how close they are to the water. Their view is fantastic, and the goal was of course to take advantage of the view from all three levels. The positioning of the windows on the main and upper levels is such that you feel as if you are on a boat, water as far as the eye can see. They were striving for a Hamptons / Coastal, casual, architectural style. The finished product is just over 6,200 square feet and includes 2 master suites, 2 guest bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, sunroom, home bar, home gym, dedicated seasonal gear / equipment storage, table tennis game room, sauna, and bonus room above the attached garage. All the exterior finishes are low maintenance, vinyl, and composite materials to withstand the blowing sands from the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Cory Rodeheaver
Mid-sized cottage l-shaped cork floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen photo in Chicago with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, green cabinets, quartz countertops, gray backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

The owners requested that their home harmonize with the spirit of the surrounding Colorado mountain setting and enhance their outdoor recreational lifestyle - while reflecting their contemporary architectural tastes. The site was burdened with a myriad of strict design criteria enforced by the neighborhood covenants and architectural review board. Creating a distinct design challenge, the covenants included a narrow interpretation of a “mountain style” home which established predetermined roof pitches, glazing percentages and material palettes - at direct odds with the client‘s vision of a flat-roofed, glass, “contemporary” home. Our solution finds inspiration and opportunities within the site covenant’s strict definitions. It promotes and celebrates the client’s outdoor lifestyle and resolves the definition of a contemporary “mountain style” home by reducing the architecture to its most basic vernacular forms and relying upon local materials. The home utilizes a simple base, middle and top that echoes the surrounding mountains and vegetation. The massing takes its cues from the prevalent lodgepole pine trees that grow at the mountain’s high altitudes. These pine trees have a distinct growth pattern, highlighted by a single vertical trunk and a peaked, densely foliated growth zone above a sparse base. This growth pattern is referenced by placing the wood-clad body of the home at the second story above an open base composed of wood posts and glass. A simple peaked roof rests lightly atop the home - visually floating above a triangular glass transom. The home itself is neatly inserted amongst an existing grove of lodgepole pines and oriented to take advantage of panoramic views of the adjacent meadow and Continental Divide beyond. The main functions of the house are arranged into public and private areas and this division is made apparent on the home’s exterior. Two large roof forms, clad in pre-patinated zinc, are separated by a sheltering central deck - which signals the main entry to the home. At this connection, the roof deck is opened to allow a cluster of aspen trees to grow – further reinforcing nature as an integral part of arrival. Outdoor living spaces are provided on all levels of the house and are positioned to take advantage of sunrise and sunset moments. The distinction between interior and exterior space is blurred via the use of large expanses of glass. The dry stacked stone base and natural cedar cladding both reappear within the home’s interior spaces. This home offers a unique solution to the client’s requests while satisfying the design requirements of the neighborhood covenants. The house provides a variety of indoor and outdoor living spaces that can be utilized in all seasons. Most importantly, the house takes its cues directly from its natural surroundings and local building traditions to become a prototype solution for the “modern mountain house”. Overview Ranch Creek Ranch Winter Park, Colorado Completion Date October, 2007 Services Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture

Daniel Stranahan
Elegant kitchen photo in Chicago