Elegant patio photo in DC Metro

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.

Type-Variant is an award winning home from multi-award winning Minneapolis architect Vincent James, built by Yerigan Construction around 1996. The popular assumption is that it is a shipping container home, but it is actually wood-framed, copper clad volumes, all varying in size, proportion, and natural light. This house includes interior and exterior stairs, ramps, and bridges for travel throughout. Check out its book on Amazon: Type/Variant House: Vincent James

Inspiration for a mediterranean second story metal railing deck remodel in Los Angeles with a pergola

Walk in closet unit featuring opaque cabinets finishing for a modern look.
Example of a small trendy gender-neutral carpeted walk-in closet design in Los Angeles with white cabinets

Inspiration for a modern two-story wood flat roof remodel in Kansas City

Mark Lohman Robert Sinclair Architect
Large beach style white three-story wood house exterior photo in Orange County with a shingle roof

Example of a large cottage master bedroom design with blue walls and a standard fireplace

Kim Sargent
Large formal and open concept carpeted and beige floor living room photo in Wichita with beige walls and no tv

Inspiration for a contemporary bathroom remodel in Minneapolis

Example of a cottage chic backyard patio design in Seattle with a gazebo

Large island style one-story stone exterior home photo in San Francisco

©Edward Butera / ibi designs / Boca Raton, Florida
Inspiration for a large 1950s open concept porcelain tile living room remodel in Miami with gray walls, a ribbon fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

The fireplace in this airy sunroom features Buechel Stone's Fond du Lac Tailored Blend in coursed heights with Fond du Lac Cut Stone details. Click on the tags to see more at www.buechelstone.com/shoppingcart/products/Fond-du-Lac-Ta... & www.buechelstone.com/shoppingcart/products/Fond-du-Lac-Cu...

Inspiration for a coastal gray two-story wood exterior home remodel in Boston

Attractive living as an architectural experiment: a 136-year-old water tower, a listed building with a spectacular 360-degree panorama view over the City of London. The task, to transform it into a superior residence, initially seemed an absolute impossibility. But when the owners came across architect Mike Collier, they had found a partner who was to make the impossible possible. The tower, which had been empty for decades, underwent radical renovation work and was extended by a four-storey cube containing kitchen, dining and living room - connected by glazed tunnels and a lift shaft. The kitchen, realised by Enclosure Interiors in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with furniture from LEICHT is the very heart of living in this new building. Shiny white matt-lacquered kitchen fronts (AVANCE-LR), tone-on-tone with the worktops, reflect the light in the room and thus create expanse and openness. The surface of the handle-less kitchen fronts has a horizontal relief embossing; depending on the light incidence, this results in a vitally structured surface. The free-standing preparation isle with its vertical side panels with a seamlessly integrated sink represents the transition between kitchen and living room. The fronts of the floor units facing the dining table were extended to the floor to do away with the plinth typical of most kitchens. Ceiling-high tall units on the wall provide plenty of storage space; the electrical appliances are integrated here invisible to the eye. Floor units on a high plinth which thus appear to be floating form the actual cooking centre within the kitchen, attached to the wall. A range of handle-less wall units concludes the glazed niche at the top. LEICHT international: “Architecture and kitchen” in the centre of London. www.LeichtUSA.com

Women's Closet and Glam Room.
Large minimalist women's walk-in closet photo in Chicago

A seating area in the master suite has an intimate, salon-like feel. The space features cowhide chairs, a sleek glass coffee table, playful glazed ceramic stools, a striped hide rug, and a brass C. Jeré raindrops wall sculpture from Jonathan Adler.

Example of a mountain style powder room design with a vessel sink