Mark Tessier Landscape Architecture designed this textural, drought tolerant, warm modern garden to complement the mid-century design of the home. The use of various materials including gravel, wood, and concrete mixed with a lush drought resistant planting palette offer a homeowners and visitors a multi sensory environment. Photos by Art Gray

Looking for a nice clean crown molding, but what something different? These homeowners did just that with a simple clean flat molding applied to the wall and ceiling to create this look.

Tamara Alvarez
Pool - mid-sized tropical side yard brick and rectangular full sun pool idea in Miami

aZürastone is an environmentally responsible, artistic marble wall cladding that is produced from over 80% reclaimed drops from the production of our other product lines and manufactured in easy to install interlocking mesh sheets. The Vanadeco Collection is a 45/45 percent blend of polished and honed pieces, and 10% decorative pieces. aZürastone is very competitively priced compared to other natural and imitation stone products. Stocked at our USA distribution center in Atlanta, Georgia. ABOUT OUR MARBLES: Crema is a classic consistent cream marble with little variation. Grigio is a stunning dense warm grey marble. Savali is a subtle light warm grey marble. Please visit http://azurastoneworks.com to view more commercial and residential installation images or to find a showroom near you. If there is not a showroom near you, please contact us at sales@azurastoneworks.com

Drought tolerant plants can offer a full spectrum of color for this drip irrigated, sunny yard.
Inspiration for a mediterranean drought-tolerant backyard stone landscaping in San Francisco.

ZeroEnergy Design (ZED) created this modern home for a progressive family in the desirable community of Lexington. Thoughtful Land Connection. The residence is carefully sited on the infill lot so as to create privacy from the road and neighbors, while cultivating a side yard that captures the southern sun. The terraced grade rises to meet the house, allowing for it to maintain a structured connection with the ground while also sitting above the high water table. The elevated outdoor living space maintains a strong connection with the indoor living space, while the stepped edge ties it back to the true ground plane. Siting and outdoor connections were completed by ZED in collaboration with landscape designer Soren Deniord Design Studio. Exterior Finishes and Solar. The exterior finish materials include a palette of shiplapped wood siding, through-colored fiber cement panels and stucco. A rooftop parapet hides the solar panels above, while a gutter and site drainage system directs rainwater into an irrigation cistern and dry wells that recharge the groundwater. Cooking, Dining, Living. Inside, the kitchen, fabricated by Henrybuilt, is located between the indoor and outdoor dining areas. The expansive south-facing sliding door opens to seamlessly connect the spaces, using a retractable awning to provide shade during the summer while still admitting the warming winter sun. The indoor living space continues from the dining areas across to the sunken living area, with a view that returns again to the outside through the corner wall of glass. Accessible Guest Suite. The design of the first level guest suite provides for both aging in place and guests who regularly visit for extended stays. The patio off the north side of the house affords guests their own private outdoor space, and privacy from the neighbor. Similarly, the second level master suite opens to an outdoor private roof deck. Light and Access. The wide open interior stair with a glass panel rail leads from the top level down to the well insulated basement. The design of the basement, used as an away/play space, addresses the need for both natural light and easy access. In addition to the open stairwell, light is admitted to the north side of the area with a high performance, Passive House (PHI) certified skylight, covering a six by sixteen foot area. On the south side, a unique roof hatch set flush with the deck opens to reveal a glass door at the base of the stairwell which provides additional light and access from the deck above down to the play space. Energy. Energy consumption is reduced by the high performance building envelope, high efficiency mechanical systems, and then offset with renewable energy. All windows and doors are made of high performance triple paned glass with thermally broken aluminum frames. The exterior wall assembly employs dense pack cellulose in the stud cavity, a continuous air barrier, and four inches exterior rigid foam insulation. The 10kW rooftop solar electric system provides clean energy production. The final air leakage testing yielded 0.6 ACH 50 - an extremely air tight house, a testament to the well-designed details, progress testing and quality construction. When compared to a new house built to code requirements, this home consumes only 19% of the energy. Architecture & Energy Consulting: ZeroEnergy Design Landscape Design: Soren Deniord Design Paintings: Bernd Haussmann Studio Photos: Eric Roth Photography

Unlimited Style Photography
Example of a small trendy backyard deck design in Los Angeles with a fire pit and a pergola

Photographer - Ralph Barnie Contractor - Capital Pacific Homes
Inspiration for a mid-sized southwestern beige two-story stucco flat roof remodel in Santa Barbara

Trendy backyard patio photo in San Francisco with a gazebo

Classic Limestone Combed is quarried in Finike, Turkey which is a city on the coast of the Mediterranean in South Turkey. It is very dense, making it suitable for interior and exterior applications. This is a sedimentary stone that is formed in shallow seas and is composed mainly of calcite calcium carbonate. One of the unique characteristics of this limestone is the existence of some small shells and fossils that may appear throughout the tile.

Ostrich fern with blue dune lyme grass. Photo by Jay Sifford.
Photo of an eclectic landscaping in Charlotte.

Ping pong table/art piece called “Slice” by Snarkitecture: Slice, is made from a single thin sheet of Richlite, an incredibly dense and durable eco friendly material. Slice can also be used as a conference or dining table.

Steven Evans Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern brown two-story wood exterior home remodel in Toronto with a hip roof

Photo by Pete Cadieux
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional shade side yard stone landscaping in Boston.

This is an example of a mid-sized southwestern full sun and desert front yard gravel landscaping in San Diego.

With adjacent neighbors within a fairly dense section of Paradise Valley, Arizona, C.P. Drewett sought to provide a tranquil retreat for a new-to-the-Valley surgeon and his family who were seeking the modernism they loved though had never lived in. With a goal of consuming all possible site lines and views while maintaining autonomy, a portion of the house — including the entry, office, and master bedroom wing — is subterranean. This subterranean nature of the home provides interior grandeur for guests but offers a welcoming and humble approach, fully satisfying the clients requests. While the lot has an east-west orientation, the home was designed to capture mainly north and south light which is more desirable and soothing. The architecture’s interior loftiness is created with overlapping, undulating planes of plaster, glass, and steel. The woven nature of horizontal planes throughout the living spaces provides an uplifting sense, inviting a symphony of light to enter the space. The more voluminous public spaces are comprised of stone-clad massing elements which convert into a desert pavilion embracing the outdoor spaces. Every room opens to exterior spaces providing a dramatic embrace of home to natural environment. Grand Award winner for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home The material palette began with a rich, tonal, large-format Quartzite stone cladding. The stone’s tones gaveforth the rest of the material palette including a champagne-colored metal fascia, a tonal stucco system, and ceilings clad with hemlock, a tight-grained but softer wood that was tonally perfect with the rest of the materials. The interior case goods and wood-wrapped openings further contribute to the tonal harmony of architecture and materials. Grand Award Winner for Best Indoor Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home This award-winning project was recognized at the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards with two Grand Awards, one for Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home, and another for Best Interior Design of a One of a Kind or Custom Home. At the 2020 Design Excellence Awards and Gala presented by ASID AZ North, Ownby Design received five awards for Tonal Harmony. The project was recognized for 1st place – Bathroom; 3rd place – Furniture; 1st place – Kitchen; 1st place – Outdoor Living; and 2nd place – Residence over 6,000 square ft. Congratulations to Claire Ownby, Kalysha Manzo, and the entire Ownby Design team. Tonal Harmony was also featured on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Luxe Interiors + Design and received a 14-page editorial feature entitled “A Place in the Sun” within the magazine.

Karen Tropea
Inspiration for a timeless rectangular pool fountain remodel in Philadelphia

John Kane / Silver Sun Studio
Inspiration for a transitional open staircase remodel in Bridgeport

Inspiration for a mediterranean dining room remodel in Portland