Photo: Ben Benschneider
Living room - modern living room idea in Seattle with a standard fireplace and no tv

The Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C boasts some of the most beautiful and well maintained bungalows of the late 19th century. Residential streets are distinguished by the most significant craftsman icon, the front porch. Porter Street Bungalow was different. The stucco walls on the right and left side elevations were the first indication of an original bungalow form. Yet the swooping roof, so characteristic of the period, was terminated at the front by a first floor enclosure that had almost no penetrations and presented an unwelcoming face. Original timber beams buried within the enclosed mass provided the only fenestration where they nudged through. The house, known affectionately as ‘the bunker’, was in serious need of a significant renovation and restoration. A young couple purchased the house over 10 years ago as a first home. As their family grew and professional lives matured the inadequacies of the small rooms and out of date systems had to be addressed. The program called to significantly enlarge the house with a major new rear addition. The completed house had to fulfill all of the requirements of a modern house: a reconfigured larger living room, new shared kitchen and breakfast room and large family room on the first floor and three modified bedrooms and master suite on the second floor. Front photo by Hoachlander Davis Photography. All other photos by Prakash Patel.

2011 EcoHome Design Award Winner Key to the successful design were the homeowner priorities of family health, energy performance, and optimizing the walk-to-town construction site. To maintain health and air quality, the home features a fresh air ventilation system with energy recovery, a whole house HEPA filtration system, radiant & radiator heating distribution, and low/no VOC materials. The home’s energy performance focuses on passive heating/cooling techniques, natural daylighting, an improved building envelope, and efficient mechanical systems, collectively achieving overall energy performance of 50% better than code. To address the site opportunities, the home utilizes a footprint that maximizes southern exposure in the rear while still capturing the park view in the front. ZeroEnergy Design Green Architecture and Mechanical Design www.ZeroEnergy.com Kauffman Tharp Design Interior Design www.ktharpdesign.com Photos by Eric Roth

Patrick Barta
Trendy single front door photo in Seattle with a medium wood front door

Douglas VanderHorn Architects From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

Urban gray tile pebble tile floor alcove shower photo in San Francisco with gray walls

Large cottage black two-story wood exterior home idea in San Francisco

Modern large master bathroom. Very airy and light. Pure white Caesarstone quartz counter, hansgrohe metris faucet, glass mosaic tile (Daltile - City lights), taupe 12 x 24 porcelain floor (tierra Sol, English bay collection), bamboo cabinet, Georges Kovacs wall sconces, wall mirror Photo credit: Jonathan Solomon - http://www.solomonimages.com/

An open floorplan creatively incorporates space for a bar and seating, pool area, gas fireplace, and theatre room (set off by seating and cabinetry).
Example of a large trendy light wood floor and beige floor basement design in DC Metro with white walls

Renovation of an old barn into a personal office space. This project, located on a 37-acre family farm in Pennsylvania, arose from the need for a personal workspace away from the hustle and bustle of the main house. An old barn used for gardening storage provided the ideal opportunity to convert it into a personal workspace. The small 1250 s.f. building consists of a main work and meeting area as well as the addition of a kitchen and a bathroom with sauna. The architects decided to preserve and restore the original stone construction and highlight it both inside and out in order to gain approval from the local authorities under a strict code for the reuse of historic structures. The poor state of preservation of the original timber structure presented the design team with the opportunity to reconstruct the roof using three large timber frames, produced by craftsmen from the Amish community. Following local craft techniques, the truss joints were achieved using wood dowels without adhesives and the stone walls were laid without the use of apparent mortar. The new roof, covered with cedar shingles, projects beyond the original footprint of the building to create two porches. One frames the main entrance and the other protects a generous outdoor living space on the south side. New wood trusses are left exposed and emphasized with indirect lighting design. The walls of the short facades were opened up to create large windows and bring the expansive views of the forest and neighboring creek into the space. The palette of interior finishes is simple and forceful, limited to the use of wood, stone and glass. The furniture design, including the suspended fireplace, integrates with the architecture and complements it through the judicious use of natural fibers and textiles. The result is a contemporary and timeless architectural work that will coexist harmoniously with the traditional buildings in its surroundings, protected in perpetuity for their historical heritage value.

SDH Studio - Architecture and Design Location: Golden Beach, Florida, USA Overlooking the canal in Golden Beach 96 GB was designed around a 27 foot triple height space that would be the heart of this home. With an emphasis on the natural scenery, the interior architecture of the house opens up towards the water and fills the space with natural light and greenery.

Home bar - traditional brown floor home bar idea in Boston with glass-front cabinets, black cabinets, granite countertops and white countertops

Photography by Richard Mandelkorn
Elegant dark wood floor family room photo in Boston with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

Bedroom - bedroom idea in Atlanta

Inspiration for a mediterranean two-story exterior home remodel in Dallas

Kitchen - traditional kitchen idea in Other with beaded inset cabinets, wood countertops and an undermount sink

Farmhouse living room photo in Atlanta

This beautiful 2 story kitchen remodel was created by removing an unwanted bedroom. The increased ceiling height was conceived by adding some structural columns and a triple barrel arch, creating a usable balcony that connects to the original back stairwell and overlooks the Kitchen as well as the Greatroom. This dramatic renovation took place without disturbing the original 100yr. old stone exterior and maintaining the original french doors above the balcony.

Mid-sized minimalist hallway photo in San Francisco