Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

Photo by Christopher Daniels with Pretty Smart
Inspiration for a small transitional galley medium tone wood floor kitchen remodel in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, marble countertops, beige walls and a stacked washer/dryer

This was our 2016 Parade Home and our model home for our Cantera Cliffs Community. This unique home gets better and better as you pass through the private front patio courtyard and into a gorgeous entry. The study conveniently located off the entry can also be used as a fourth bedroom. A large walk-in closet is located inside the master bathroom with convenient access to the laundry room. The great room, dining and kitchen area is perfect for family gathering. This home is beautiful inside and out. Jeremiah Barber

Trendy laundry room photo in Charlotte

Piston Design
Example of a tuscan medium tone wood floor bedroom design in Houston with pink walls

Photo by Eric Rorer
Deck - huge contemporary deck idea in San Francisco

Tom Harper This home was a renovation of a traditional weekend log home into a modern full time retirement residence. This home was shy of storage, loaded with lots of wood (floors, walls and ceilings were all wood) and was dated and dull. We completely blew out the kitchen and all bathrooms and totally renovated the basement into a cozy entertainment space. The style ended up being "mountain modern" which was sensitive to the modern home style, but fresh with contemporary creature comforts and details.

Laundry room - coastal laundry room idea in Baltimore

Photography by William Psolka, psolka-photo.com
Mid-sized elegant master medium tone wood floor bedroom photo in Newark with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

A redesign of a laundry room that allowed for a new butler's pantry space and a laundry space. Spatial design and decoration by AJ Margulis Interiors. Photos by Paul Bartholomew. Construction by Martin Builders.

Cozy Reading Room
Living room library - eclectic enclosed living room library idea in New York with blue walls and a media wall

Laundry room - transitional laundry room idea in Charlotte

MULTIPLE AWARD WINNING KITCHEN. 2019 Westchester Home Design Awards Best Traditional Kitchen. KBDN magazine Award winner. Houzz Kitchen of the Week January 2019. Kitchen design and cabinetry – Studio Dearborn. This historic colonial in Edgemont NY was home in the 1930s and 40s to the world famous Walter Winchell, gossip commentator. The home underwent a 2 year gut renovation with an addition and relocation of the kitchen, along with other extensive renovations. Cabinetry by Studio Dearborn/Schrocks of Walnut Creek in Rockport Gray; Bluestar range; custom hood; Quartzmaster engineered quartz countertops; Rejuvenation Pendants; Waterstone faucet; Equipe subway tile; Foundryman hardware. Photos, Adam Kane Macchia.

Blue and Gold bathroom with white subway tile and mosaic hex flooring. Claw foot tub with freestanding tub filler. Atlanta bathroom.
Inspiration for a large victorian master white tile and subway tile mosaic tile floor claw-foot bathtub remodel in Atlanta with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, a two-piece toilet, blue walls, an undermount sink and quartzite countertops

Example of a large classic dark wood floor laundry room design with recessed-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, beige walls and a side-by-side washer/dryer

John Magnoski Photography Builder: John Kraemer & Sons
Example of a large arts and crafts beige two-story vinyl exterior home design in Minneapolis with a hip roof

Inspiration for a mid-sized tropical white two-story gable roof remodel in Miami with a metal roof

The Kipling house is a new addition to the Montrose neighborhood. Designed for a family of five, it allows for generous open family zones oriented to large glass walls facing the street and courtyard pool. The courtyard also creates a buffer between the master suite and the children's play and bedroom zones. The master suite echoes the first floor connection to the exterior, with large glass walls facing balconies to the courtyard and street. Fixed wood screens provide privacy on the first floor while a large sliding second floor panel allows the street balcony to exchange privacy control with the study. Material changes on the exterior articulate the zones of the house and negotiate structural loads. Photo by Peter Molick

Example of a mid-sized country gray two-story vinyl gable roof design in Charlotte with a shingle roof