This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

The Pastel colors are selected for the home because we had to fulfill the brief we were told; to give luxurious, soft, and peaceful yet not boring space. So we created a color palette with pastels and we’re loving it!! The curves are a signature element used to create a language.

The Pastel colors are selected for the home because we had to fulfill the brief we were told; to give luxurious, soft, and peaceful yet not boring space. So we created a color palette with pastels and we’re loving it!! The curves are a signature element used to create a language.

The Pastel colors are selected for the home because we had to fulfill the brief we were told; to give luxurious, soft and peaceful yet not boring space. So we created color palette with pastels and we’re loving it!! The curves are a signature element used to create a language.

The Pastel colors are selected for the home because we had to fulfill the brief we were told; to give luxurious, soft, and peaceful yet not boring space. So we created a color palette with pastels and we’re loving it!! The curves are a signature element used to create a language.

Example of a mid-sized transitional freestanding desk dark wood floor and brown floor study room design in New York with beige walls and no fireplace

The Pastel colors are selected for the home because we had to fulfill the brief we were told; to give luxurious, soft, and peaceful yet not boring space. So we created a color palette with pastels and we’re loving it!! The curves are a signature element used to create a language.

The Pastel colors are selected for the home because we had to fulfill the brief we were told; to give luxurious, soft and peaceful yet not boring space. So we created color palette with pastels and we’re loving it!! The curves are a signature element used to create a language.

The Pastel colors are selected for the home because we had to fulfill the brief we were told; to give luxurious, soft and peaceful yet not boring space. So we created color palette with pastels and we’re loving it!! The curves are a signature element used to create a language.

The Back Bay House is comprised of two main structures, a nocturnal wing and a daytime wing, joined by a glass gallery space. The daytime wing maintains an informal living arrangement that includes the dining space placed in an intimate alcove, a large country kitchen and relaxing seating area which opens to a classic covered porch and on to the water’s edge. The nocturnal wing houses three bedrooms. The master at the water side enjoys views and sounds of the wildlife and the shore while the two subordinate bedrooms soak in views of the garden and neighboring meadow. To bookend the scale and mass of the house, a whimsical tower was included to the nocturnal wing. The tower accommodates flex space for a bunk room, office or studio space. Materials and detailing of this house are based on a classic cottage vernacular language found in these sorts of buildings constructed in pre-war north america and harken back to a simpler time and scale. Eastern white cedar shingles, white painted trim and moulding collectively add a layer of texture and richness not found in today’s lexicon of detail. The house is 1,628 sf plus a 228 sf tower and a detached, two car garage which employs massing, detail and scale to allow the main house to read as dominant but not overbearing. Designed by BC&J Architecture.

Josh Thornton
Large eclectic multicolored floor hallway photo in Chicago with pink walls

The Pastel colors are selected for the home because we had to fulfill the brief we were told; to give luxurious, soft and peaceful yet not boring space. So we created color palette with pastels and we’re loving it!! The curves are a signature element used to create a language.

Our Indiana design studio gave this Centerville Farmhouse an urban-modern design language with a clean, streamlined look that exudes timeless, casual sophistication with industrial elements and a monochromatic palette. Photographer: Sarah Shields http://www.sarahshieldsphotography.com/ Project completed by Wendy Langston's Everything Home interior design firm, which serves Carmel, Zionsville, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville, and Indianapolis. For more about Everything Home, click here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/ To learn more about this project, click here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/portfolio/urban-modern-farmhouse/

Master Closet – Precision Flooring in a Space Made for Luxury Even the walk-in closet in this estate reflects the high standards of the entire home. We installed the flooring with the same care and attention to detail used throughout the master suite. The layout is seamless, clean, and perfectly aligned — enhancing a space designed not just for storage, but for style and sophistication. In a home where excellence is expected in every corner, this closet floor speaks the same language: luxury, comfort, and craftsmanship.

The exterior is clad in white brick, chosen to complement the architectural language of the neighbourhood while reading as distinct from the home's existing painted blue brick below. A curved wall defines the massing of the addition — softening the facade, providing privacy from neighbouring properties, and establishing a gesture that travels without interruption from the street into the interior. The same curve reappears in the custom bed frame, which integrates storage and sideboards into a single piece of millwork. Black metal railings complete the exterior, tying the addition to the floors below with material precision.

Photo by William Hess Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary multicolored tile and cement tile beige floor bathroom remodel in Omaha with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, gray walls, an undermount sink and black countertops

The master bathroom was thoughtfully renovated to complement the open, contemporary aesthetic of the loft living space while enhancing the overall sense of light, openness, and luxury. The result is a seamless extension of the loft's design language, creating a cohesive and inviting retreat.

A recessed wall niche adds convenient storage within the water closet while introducing another thoughtful design detail. Lined with the custom blue-and-white micro-hex mosaic used throughout the bathroom, the niche reinforces the project's cohesive design language while maximizing function without adding visual clutter.

Designed for a prominent interior designer, classical principals of form and space were employed in this Chevy Chase home expansion. The solution establishes two symmetrical wings flanking the central classical revival structure adding much needed space while remaining loyal to the existing architectural language.