The client’s request was quite common - a typical 2800 sf builder home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living space, and den. However, their desire was for this to be “anything but common.” The result is an innovative update on the production home for the modern era, and serves as a direct counterpoint to the neighborhood and its more conventional suburban housing stock, which focus views to the backyard and seeks to nullify the unique qualities and challenges of topography and the natural environment. The Terraced House cautiously steps down the site’s steep topography, resulting in a more nuanced approach to site development than cutting and filling that is so common in the builder homes of the area. The compact house opens up in very focused views that capture the natural wooded setting, while masking the sounds and views of the directly adjacent roadway. The main living spaces face this major roadway, effectively flipping the typical orientation of a suburban home, and the main entrance pulls visitors up to the second floor and halfway through the site, providing a sense of procession and privacy absent in the typical suburban home. Clad in a custom rain screen that reflects the wood of the surrounding landscape - while providing a glimpse into the interior tones that are used. The stepping “wood boxes” rest on a series of concrete walls that organize the site, retain the earth, and - in conjunction with the wood veneer panels - provide a subtle organic texture to the composition. The interior spaces wrap around an interior knuckle that houses public zones and vertical circulation - allowing more private spaces to exist at the edges of the building. The windows get larger and more frequent as they ascend the building, culminating in the upstairs bedrooms that occupy the site like a tree house - giving views in all directions. The Terraced House imports urban qualities to the suburban neighborhood and seeks to elevate the typical approach to production home construction, while being more in tune with modern family living patterns. Overview: Elm Grove Size: 2,800 sf, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Completion Date: September 2014 Services: Architecture, Landscape Architecture Interior Consultants: Amy Carman Design

Powder room - mid-sized transitional beige tile and stone slab medium tone wood floor powder room idea in Denver with raised-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, beige walls, an undermount sink, granite countertops and white countertops

Exotic Master Bathroom - Bathrooms can offer luxury and efficiency even in the smallest of spaces. Designing bathrooms – in even the most challenging spaces – is our specialty. We focus on improving the function and appearance of the bathroom, which adds to the overall aesthetics of a home while maximizing available space.

This custom master bathroom was build specifically for a client with limited mobility. The focus was accessible storage and function completed with quality craftsmanship and design.

The main focus of this contemporary monochromatic bathroom is the spacious frameless shower with an extended shower bench. It is complemented by other minimalist features such as the modern and angular tub and the beautiful textured and heated tile flooring. The elegant white wavy tiles and the metal-glass glazed hexagon deco strip add to the sophisticated look of the bathroom. Finally, the stylish LED lights, modern floating cabinets, and premium quality brushed nickel faucets and drawer pulls tie the whole spa look together.

Bathroom Remodeling in Sherman Oaks
Mid-sized minimalist master beige tile, brown tile and travertine tile travertine floor and brown floor freestanding bathtub photo in Los Angeles with a one-piece toilet, a drop-in sink, solid surface countertops, open cabinets, brown cabinets and brown walls

Bill Taylor Photography
Bedroom - huge contemporary master carpeted bedroom idea in Philadelphia with gray walls

On our new series for ellentube, we are focused on creating affordable spaces in a short time ($1,000 budget & 24 hrs). This small Master bedroom needed stage for the owners plants and a feature wall that put them on display. We custom built this headboard to the ceiling for only $50! You can see the full episode at: www.ellentube.com/GrandDesign

Reservoir House is a custom home with 12-foot-high ceilings and overhangs specially designed to protect the house from direct sun during summer. The entire home enjoys spectacular views—even from all the bedrooms. As a central hub for the family, the L-shaped great room is designed to focus on the views, and sits under Douglas-fir laminated beams. The main level includes a full suite for future single-level living or for guests to use, a den for movie nights, and a screened porch that sits just off the dining room, with direct access to the pool patio. With relaxation and retreat being the main driving factors of this project, the upper floor features a generous master suite with a roof deck for taking in views from an even more private setting.

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

Traditional master bathroom in need of both form and function update. Aging in place was a primary focus for the project. We changed out a large jacuzzi tub shower combination for large walk-in shower. The shower bench, handheld shower and grab bar make shower use universal. Lighted mirrors and an articulating shaving mirror boost visibility in the vanity area. Marble tile, both Carrara and Bardiglio, in various shapes add to the overall luxurious feel in the bathroom. Photos by Richard Leo Johnson of Atlantic Archives.

Winner of the 2018 Tour of Homes Best Remodel, this whole house re-design of a 1963 Bennet & Johnson mid-century raised ranch home is a beautiful example of the magic we can weave through the application of more sustainable modern design principles to existing spaces. We worked closely with our client on extensive updates to create a modernized MCM gem. Extensive alterations include: - a completely redesigned floor plan to promote a more intuitive flow throughout - vaulted the ceilings over the great room to create an amazing entrance and feeling of inspired openness - redesigned entry and driveway to be more inviting and welcoming as well as to experientially set the mid-century modern stage - the removal of a visually disruptive load bearing central wall and chimney system that formerly partitioned the homes’ entry, dining, kitchen and living rooms from each other - added clerestory windows above the new kitchen to accentuate the new vaulted ceiling line and create a greater visual continuation of indoor to outdoor space - drastically increased the access to natural light by increasing window sizes and opening up the floor plan - placed natural wood elements throughout to provide a calming palette and cohesive Pacific Northwest feel - incorporated Universal Design principles to make the home Aging In Place ready with wide hallways and accessible spaces, including single-floor living if needed - moved and completely redesigned the stairway to work for the home’s occupants and be a part of the cohesive design aesthetic - mixed custom tile layouts with more traditional tiling to create fun and playful visual experiences - custom designed and sourced MCM specific elements such as the entry screen, cabinetry and lighting - development of the downstairs for potential future use by an assisted living caretaker - energy efficiency upgrades seamlessly woven in with much improved insulation, ductless mini splits and solar gain

Relocating to Portland, Oregon from California, this young family immediately hired Amy to redesign their newly purchased home to better fit their needs. The project included updating the kitchen, hall bath, and adding an en suite to their master bedroom. Removing a wall between the kitchen and dining allowed for additional counter space and storage along with improved traffic flow and increased natural light to the heart of the home. This galley style kitchen is focused on efficiency and functionality through custom cabinets with a pantry boasting drawer storage topped with quartz slab for durability, pull-out storage accessories throughout, deep drawers, and a quartz topped coffee bar/ buffet facing the dining area. The master bath and hall bath were born out of a single bath and a closet. While modest in size, the bathrooms are filled with functionality and colorful design elements. Durable hex shaped porcelain tiles compliment the blue vanities topped with white quartz countertops. The shower and tub are both tiled in handmade ceramic tiles, bringing much needed texture and movement of light to the space. The hall bath is outfitted with a toe-kick pull-out step for the family’s youngest member!

MICHAEL HUNTER
Bedroom - large transitional master carpeted bedroom idea in Dallas with pink walls and no fireplace

The open-concept kitchen, living area boasts a spacious island, hardwood flooring, a stunning fireplace that really becomes the focus point and a large pantry space.

The vanities feature beautiful polished granite called Brown Fantasy/Ocean Beige. The tops are 1 1/4" thick and have beautiful movement. The faucets are "Focus S" from Hansgrohe. Photo by Chrissy Racho.

The clients wanted a bedroom that felt like they were on vacation and visiting a resort. The client's painting offered a starting point for this soft-toned room with a nod to the islands. Tre Dunham with Fine Focus Photography

We started with a blank slate on this basement project where our only obstacles were exposed steel support columns, existing plumbing risers from the concrete slab, and dropped soffits concealing ductwork on the ceiling. It had the advantage of tall ceilings, an existing egress window, and a sliding door leading to a newly constructed patio. This family of five loves the beach and frequents summer beach resorts in the Northeast. Bringing that aesthetic home to enjoy all year long was the inspiration for the décor, as well as creating a family-friendly space for entertaining. Wish list items included room for a billiard table, wet bar, game table, family room, guest bedroom, full bathroom, space for a treadmill and closed storage. The existing structural elements helped to define how best to organize the basement. For instance, we knew we wanted to connect the bar area and billiards table with the patio in order to create an indoor/outdoor entertaining space. It made sense to use the egress window for the guest bedroom for both safety and natural light. The bedroom also would be adjacent to the plumbing risers for easy access to the new bathroom. Since the primary focus of the family room would be for TV viewing, natural light did not need to filter into that space. We made sure to hide the columns inside of newly constructed walls and dropped additional soffits where needed to make the ceiling mechanicals feel less random. In addition to the beach vibe, the homeowner has valuable sports memorabilia that was to be prominently displayed including two seats from the original Yankee stadium. For a coastal feel, shiplap is used on two walls of the family room area. In the bathroom shiplap is used again in a more creative way using wood grain white porcelain tile as the horizontal shiplap “wood”. We connected the tile horizontally with vertical white grout joints and mimicked the horizontal shadow line with dark grey grout. At first glance it looks like we wrapped the shower with real wood shiplap. Materials including a blue and white patterned floor, blue penny tiles and a natural wood vanity checked the list for that seaside feel. A large reclaimed wood door on an exposed sliding barn track separates the family room from the game room where reclaimed beams are punctuated with cable lighting. Cabinetry and a beverage refrigerator are tucked behind the rolling bar cabinet (that doubles as a Blackjack table!). A TV and upright video arcade machine round-out the entertainment in the room. Bar stools, two rotating club chairs, and large square poufs along with the Yankee Stadium seats provide fun places to sit while having a drink, watching billiards or a game on the TV. Signed baseballs can be found behind the bar, adjacent to the billiard table, and on specially designed display shelves next to the poker table in the family room. Thoughtful touches like the surfboards, signage, photographs and accessories make a visitor feel like they are on vacation at a well-appointed beach resort without being cliché.

This modern custom home is a beautiful blend of thoughtful design and comfortable living. No detail was left untouched during the design and build process. Taking inspiration from the Pacific Northwest, this home in the Washington D.C suburbs features a black exterior with warm natural woods. The home combines natural elements with modern architecture and features clean lines, open floor plans with a focus on functional living.