A young family with a wooded, triangular lot in Ipswich, Massachusetts wanted to take on a highly creative, organic, and unrushed process in designing their new home. The parents of three boys had contemporary ideas for living, including phasing the construction of different structures over time as the kids grew so they could maximize the options for use on their land. They hoped to build a net zero energy home that would be cozy on the very coldest days of winter, using cost-efficient methods of home building. The house needed to be sited to minimize impact on the land and trees, and it was critical to respect a conservation easement on the south border of the lot. Finally, the design would be contemporary in form and feel, but it would also need to fit into a classic New England context, both in terms of materials used and durability. We were asked to honor the notions of “surprise and delight,” and that inspired everything we designed for the family. The highly unique home consists of a three-story form, composed mostly of bedrooms and baths on the top two floors and a cross axis of shared living spaces on the first level. This axis extends out to an oversized covered porch, open to the south and west. The porch connects to a two-story garage with flex space above, used as a guest house, play room, and yoga studio depending on the day. A floor-to-ceiling ribbon of glass wraps the south and west walls of the lower level, bringing in an abundance of natural light and linking the entire open plan to the yard beyond. The master suite takes up the entire top floor, and includes an outdoor deck with a shower. The middle floor has extra height to accommodate a variety of multi-level play scenarios in the kids’ rooms. Many of the materials used in this house are made from recycled or environmentally friendly content, or they come from local sources. The high performance home has triple glazed windows and all materials, adhesives, and sealants are low toxicity and safe for growing kids. Photographer credit: Irvin Serrano

We introduce to you one of our newer services we are providing here at Kitchen Design Concepts: spaces that just need a little reviving! As of recent, we are taking on projects that are in need of minimal updating, as in, spaces that don’t need a full-on remodel. Yes, you heard right! If your space has good bones, you like the layout of your kitchen, and you just need a few cosmetic changes, then today’s feature is for you! Recently, we updated a space where we did just this! The kitchen was in need of a little love, some fresh paint, and new finishes. And if we’re being honest here, the result looks almost as if the kitchen had a full-on remodel! To learn more about this space and how we did our magic, continue reading below: The Before and After First, see what an impact new finishes can make! The “before” image shows a kitchen with outdated finishes such as the tile countertops, backsplash, and cabinetry finish. The “after” image, is a kitchen that looks almost as if its brand new, the image speaks for itself! Cabinetry With the wooden cabinetry in this kitchen already having great bones, all we needed to do was our refinishing process that involved removing door and drawer fronts, sanding, priming, and painting. The main color of the cabinetry is white (Sherwin Williams Pure White 7005) and as an accent, we applied a deep navy blue that really pops in this space (Sherwin Willaims Naval 6244). As a special design element, we incorporated a natural wooden band across the hood which is subtle but adds an element of surprise. Countertops The original countertops in this space were a 12×12 tile with cracks and discolored grout from all the wear and tear. To replace the countertops, we installed a clean and crisp quartz that is not only durable but easy to maintain (no grout here!). The 3cm countertops are a Cambria quartz in a grey-tone color (Carrick). Backsplash Keeping things simple, yet classic, we installed a 3×6 subway tile from Interceramic. The crisp white pairs well with all the other finishes of the space and really brighten the space up! To spice things up, we paired the white tile with a contrasting grout color (Cape Grey) that matches the countertop. This is a simple method to add interest to your white backsplash! Fixtures and Fittings For the fixtures and fittings of the kitchen, we wanted pieces that made a statement. That’s why we selected this industrial style faucet from Brizo! The faucet is a Brizo LITZE™ PULL-DOWN FAUCET WITH ARC SPOUT AND INDUSTRIAL HANDLE (63044LF-BLGL). The matte black paired with the luxe gold elements really make a statement! To match the gold elements of the faucet, we installed cabinetry hardware from Topknobs in the same gold finish. The hardware is a Channing pull TK743HB. Lastly, the large single bowl sink (who doesn’t want a large sink?!) is a great functional touch to the kitchen. The sink is a Blanco Precision 16″ R10 super single with 16″ Drainer in stainless steel (516216).

Old World European, Country Cottage. Three separate cottages make up this secluded village over looking a private lake in an old German, English, and French stone villa style. Hand scraped arched trusses, wide width random walnut plank flooring, distressed dark stained raised panel cabinetry, and hand carved moldings make these traditional farmhouse cottage buildings look like they have been here for 100s of years. Newly built of old materials, and old traditional building methods, including arched planked doors, leathered stone counter tops, stone entry, wrought iron straps, and metal beam straps. The Lake House is the first, a Tudor style cottage with a slate roof, 2 bedrooms, view filled living room open to the dining area, all overlooking the lake. The Carriage Home fills in when the kids come home to visit, and holds the garage for the whole idyllic village. This cottage features 2 bedrooms with on suite baths, a large open kitchen, and an warm, comfortable and inviting great room. All overlooking the lake. The third structure is the Wheel House, running a real wonderful old water wheel, and features a private suite upstairs, and a work space downstairs. All homes are slightly different in materials and color, including a few with old terra cotta roofing. Project Location: Ojai, California. Project designed by Maraya Interior Design. From their beautiful resort town of Ojai, they serve clients in Montecito, Hope Ranch, Malibu and Calabasas, across the tri-county area of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles, south to Hidden Hills.

Old World European, Country Cottage. Three separate cottages make up this secluded village over looking a private lake in an old German, English, and French stone villa style. Hand scraped arched trusses, wide width random walnut plank flooring, distressed dark stained raised panel cabinetry, and hand carved moldings make these traditional farmhouse cottage buildings look like they have been here for 100s of years. Newly built of old materials, and old traditional building methods, including arched planked doors, leathered stone counter tops, stone entry, wrought iron straps, and metal beam straps. The Lake House is the first, a Tudor style cottage with a slate roof, 2 bedrooms, view filled living room open to the dining area, all overlooking the lake. The Carriage Home fills in when the kids come home to visit, and holds the garage for the whole idyllic village. This cottage features 2 bedrooms with on suite baths, a large open kitchen, and an warm, comfortable and inviting great room. All overlooking the lake. The third structure is the Wheel House, running a real wonderful old water wheel, and features a private suite upstairs, and a work space downstairs. All homes are slightly different in materials and color, including a few with old terra cotta roofing. Project Location: Ojai, California. Project designed by Maraya Interior Design. From their beautiful resort town of Ojai, they serve clients in Montecito, Hope Ranch, Malibu and Calabasas, across the tri-county area of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles, south to Hidden Hills. Patrick Price Photo

Old World European, Country Cottage. Three separate cottages make up this secluded village over looking a private lake in an old German, English, and French stone villa style. Hand scraped arched trusses, wide width random walnut plank flooring, distressed dark stained raised panel cabinetry, and hand carved moldings make these traditional farmhouse cottage buildings look like they have been here for 100s of years. Newly built of old materials, and old traditional building methods, including arched planked doors, leathered stone counter tops, stone entry, wrought iron straps, and metal beam straps. The Lake House is the first, a Tudor style cottage with a slate roof, 2 bedrooms, view filled living room open to the dining area, all overlooking the lake. The Carriage Home fills in when the kids come home to visit, and holds the garage for the whole idyllic village. This cottage features 2 bedrooms with on suite baths, a large open kitchen, and an warm, comfortable and inviting great room. All overlooking the lake. The third structure is the Wheel House, running a real wonderful old water wheel, and features a private suite upstairs, and a work space downstairs. All homes are slightly different in materials and color, including a few with old terra cotta roofing. Project Location: Ojai, California. Project designed by Maraya Interior Design. From their beautiful resort town of Ojai, they serve clients in Montecito, Hope Ranch, Malibu and Calabasas, across the tri-county area of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles, south to Hidden Hills. Patrick Price Photo

Studio 1501
Example of a mid-sized tuscan master multicolored tile and ceramic tile terra-cotta tile and brown floor bathroom design in Los Angeles with raised-panel cabinets, an undermount tub, beige walls, an undermount sink, tile countertops and green countertops

A tea pot, being a vessel, is defined by the space it contains, it is not the tea pot that is important, but the space. Crispin Sartwell Located on a lake outside of Milwaukee, the Vessel House is the culmination of an intense 5 year collaboration with our client and multiple local craftsmen focused on the creation of a modern analogue to the Usonian Home. As with most residential work, this home is a direct reflection of it’s owner, a highly educated art collector with a passion for music, fine furniture, and architecture. His interest in authenticity drove the material selections such as masonry, copper, and white oak, as well as the need for traditional methods of construction. The initial diagram of the house involved a collection of embedded walls that emerge from the site and create spaces between them, which are covered with a series of floating rooves. The windows provide natural light on three sides of the house as a band of clerestories, transforming to a floor to ceiling ribbon of glass on the lakeside. The Vessel House functions as a gallery for the owner’s art, motorcycles, Tiffany lamps, and vintage musical instruments – offering spaces to exhibit, store, and listen. These gallery nodes overlap with the typical house program of kitchen, dining, living, and bedroom, creating dynamic zones of transition and rooms that serve dual purposes allowing guests to relax in a museum setting. Through it’s materiality, connection to nature, and open planning, the Vessel House continues many of the Usonian principles Wright advocated for. Overview Oconomowoc, WI Completion Date August 2015 Services Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture

Old World European, Country Cottage. Three separate cottages make up this secluded village over looking a private lake in an old German, English, and French stone villa style. Hand scraped arched trusses, wide width random walnut plank flooring, distressed dark stained raised panel cabinetry, and hand carved moldings make these traditional buildings look like they have been here for 100s of years. Newly built of old materials, and old traditional building methods, including arched planked doors, leathered stone counter tops, stone entry, wrought iron straps, and metal beam straps. The Lake House is the first, a Tudor style cottage with a slate roof, 2 bedrooms, view filled living room open to the dining area, all overlooking the lake. European fantasy cottage with hand hewn beams, exposed curved trusses and scraped walnut floors, carved moldings, steel straps, wrought iron lighting and real stone arched fireplace. Dining area next to kitchen in the English Country Cottage. Handscraped walnut random width floors, curved exposed trusses. Wrought iron hardware. The Carriage Home fills in when the kids come home to visit, and holds the garage for the whole idyllic village. This cottage features 2 bedrooms with on suite baths, a large open kitchen, and an warm, comfortable and inviting great room. All overlooking the lake. The third structure is the Wheel House, running a real wonderful old water wheel, and features a private suite upstairs, and a work space downstairs. All homes are slightly different in materials and color, including a few with old terra cotta roofing. Project Location: Ojai, California. Project designed by Maraya Interior Design. From their beautiful resort town of Ojai, they serve clients in Montecito, Hope Ranch, Malibu and Calabasas, across the tri-county area of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles, south to Hidden Hills. Christopher Painter, contractor

Old World European, Country Cottage. Three separate cottages make up this secluded village over looking a private lake in an old German, English, and French stone villa style. Hand scraped arched trusses, wide width random walnut plank flooring, distressed dark stained raised panel cabinetry, and hand carved moldings make these traditional farmhouse cottage buildings look like they have been here for 100s of years. Newly built of old materials, and old traditional building methods, including arched planked doors, leathered stone counter tops, stone entry, wrought iron straps, and metal beam straps. The Lake House is the first, a Tudor style cottage with a slate roof, 2 bedrooms, view filled living room open to the dining area, all overlooking the lake. The Carriage Home fills in when the kids come home to visit, and holds the garage for the whole idyllic village. This cottage features 2 bedrooms with on suite baths, a large open kitchen, and an warm, comfortable and inviting great room. All overlooking the lake. The third structure is the Wheel House, running a real wonderful old water wheel, and features a private suite upstairs, and a work space downstairs. All homes are slightly different in materials and color, including a few with old terra cotta roofing. Project Location: Ojai, California. Project designed by Maraya Interior Design. From their beautiful resort town of Ojai, they serve clients in Montecito, Hope Ranch, Malibu and Calabasas, across the tri-county area of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles, south to Hidden Hills. Patrick Price Photo

PAEIZ 6 project is located in Tehran, at the intersection of 3 streets. There is a small green space in the northern part of the project. For this reason, the entrance of the complex was defined in this section to ensure easier access, and to be able to enjoy the desired view of the greenery from the lobby. The facade shell with its positive and negative horizontal levels is inspired from NAHAZ O NAKHIR (a kind of bricklaying method in Iranian historical architecture) so that the viewer can see different lights and shadows at each hour of the day. Among these shapes, Using plants also helps to avoid routine. choosing the combination of brick and stone, while having harmony with each other, has been done in order to respect the city and in order to accompany the surrounding buildings as much as possible. By designing windows like puzzles with different and various dimensions, in addition to being different from the common forms, has formed an integrated shape. Vertical access is placed in the middle of the eastern side so that the units can use as much natural light as possible, so that the division and common spaces are reduced to minimum. Stairs, elevators and corridors which are dividing the units with its transparent material led to maintaining the visual connection of the spaces and as a result, it appears larger. As our design mainstream, use of plants in the facade, lobby, basements, the lobby between units and interior design can be seen. The yard did not have enough space for landscaping as a result of having two ramps. In order to solve this challenge, The roof of the ramp is prepared to grow plants. The ground floor consists of two parts, the southern part is parking and the northern part is lobby. The lobby, while having seating and waiting areas, includes a guard post and security equipment, which is decorated with Fountain and plants. -1 and -2 levels are consisted of parking and storages, a gathering hall and a caretaker. The residential project with 5 floors, totally includes 15 three-bedroom residential units with 125 to 150 square meters. - The roof has various facilities such as bathroom, kitchen, barbeque, Jacuzzi, sunbathing area and seating and walking areas. Numerous seating spaces are located at scattered points due to the number of units and the possibility of simultaneous use. Walking paths through the gardens have defined a suitable space for walking. Due to the desirable view to the north (mountains in north of Tehran) and south (QEITARIEH Park), the walls of these two sides have been shortened with gaps, while the western wall overlooking the neighbor is surrounded by higher walls.

These empty nesters decided to downsize when their last child left for college. Having lived in a very tarditional home for years, the homeowners saw this as an opportunity to live a totally new lifestyle. Clean, contemporary, and less fussy was the overall theme of this remodel.

The owners of this kitchen had spent the money to upgrade the finishes in their kitchen upon building the home 12 years ago, but after living in the space for several years they realized how nonfunctional the layout really was. The (then) two preschool aged children had grown into busy, hungry teenagers with many friends who also liked to hang out at the house. So the family needed a more functional kitchen with better traffic flow, space for daily activities revolving around the kitchen at different times of day, and a kitchen that could accommodate cooking for and serving large groups. Furthermore, the dark, traditional finishes no longer reflected the homeowners’ style. They requested a brighter, more relaxed, coastal style that reflected their love of the seaside cities they like to visit. Originally, the kitchen was U-shaped with a narrow island in the middle. The island created narrow aisles that bottle-necked at the dishwasher, refrigerator, and cooktop areas. There was a pass-through from the foyer into the kitchen, but the owners never liked that the pass-through was also located so close to the powder room. The awkward proximity was unappealing and made guests feel uncomfortable. The kitchen’s storage was made up of lots of narrow cabinets, apothecary drawers, clipped corner units, and very few drawers. It lacked useful storage for the larger items the family used on a daily basis. And the kitchen’s only pantry was small closet that had only builder-grade, narrow shelving with no illumination to be able to see the contents inside. Overall, the kitchen’s lighting plan was poorly executed. Only six recessed cans illuminated the entire kitchen and nook areas. The under cabinet lighting was not evenly distributed either. In fact, the builder had mis-placed the under cabinet lighting around the decorative pilasters which made for choppy, dark cubbies. Further, the builder didn’t include any lighting over the sink or the bar area, which meant whoever was doing the dishes was always in their own shadow. That, coupled with the steep overhang of the game room above made the bar area feel like a dim, cavernous space that wasn’t inviting or task oriented. The kitchen looked out into the main living space, but the raised bar and a narrow wall (which held the only large cabinet in the kitchen) created more of a barrier than a relationship to the living room or breakfast nook. In fact, one couldn’t even see the breakfast nook from the cooktop or sink areas due to its orientation. The raised bar top was too narrow to comfortably sit to either dine at or chat from due to the lack of knee space. The the homeowners confided that the kitchen felt more like a dark, dirty prison than place where the family, or their guests, wanted to gather and commune. The clients' needs and desires were: ➢ to create a kitchen that would be a space the family loved to be in; to relate to the adjacent spaces all around, and to have better flow for entertaining large groups ➢ to remove the walls between the breakfast nook and living area and to be able to utilize the natural light from the windows in both those areas ➢ to incorporate a functional chopping block for prepping fresh food for home cooked meals, an island with a large sink and drain board, 2 pull out trash cans, and seating for at least the 2 teens to eat or do homework ➢ to design a kitchen and breakfast nook with an airy, coastal, relaxed vibe that blended with the rest of the house's coastal theme ➢ to integrate a layered lighting plan which would include ample general illumination, specific task lighting, decorative lighting, and lots of illuminated storage ➢ to design a kitchen with not only more storage for all the husband’s kitchen gadgets and collection of oils and spices, but smart storage, including a coffee/breakfast bar and a place to store and conceal the toaster oven and microwave ➢ to find a way to utilize the large open space between the kitchen, pantry area, and breakfast nook Twelve Stones Designs achieved the owner's goals by: ➢ removing the walls between the kitchen and living room to allow the natural light to filter in from the adjacent rooms and to create a connection between the kitchen, nook, and living spaces for a sense of unity and communion ➢ removing the existing pantry and designing 3 large pantry style cabinets with LED tape lights and rollout drawers to house lots of kitchen appliances, gadgets, and tons of groceries. We also took the cabinets all the way up to the 9’ ceiling for additional storage for seasonal items and bulk storage. ➢ designing 2 islands - 1 with a gorgeous black walnut chopping block that houses a drawer for chopping and carving knives and a custom double pull out trash unit for point of use utilization - and 1 that houses the dishwasher, a large Blanco Gourmet sink with integrated drain board, woven baskets for fresh root vegetables and kitchen towels, plenty of drawer storage for kitchen items, and bar seating for up to 4 diners. ➢ closing off the space between the kitchen and the powder room to create a beautiful new private alcove for the powder room as well as adding some decorative storage. This also gave us space to include more tall storage near the new range for precision placement of the husband’s extensive oil and spice collection as well as a location for a combo-steam oven the wife wanted for baking and cooking healthy meals. The project is enhanced functionally by: ➢ incorporated USB and standard receptacles for the kids’ laptops and phone charging in the large island ➢ designing the small island to include additional open shelving for items used on a daily basis such as a variety of bowls, plates, and colanders. This set up also works well for the husband who prefers to “plate” his dinners in restaurant-style fashion before presenting them to the table. ➢ the integration of specific storage units, such as double stacked cutlery drawers, a custom spice pull-out, a Kuerig coffee and tea pod drawer, and custom double stacked utensil drawers ➢ moving the refrigerator to the old oven location - this eliminated the bottle neck as well as created a better relationship to the eating table. It also utilizes the floor space between the pantry, nook, and kitchen ➢ creating a banquet style breakfast nook - this banquette seating not only doubles the amount of seating for large gatherings but it better utilizes the odd space between the kitchen and the previous nook area. It also helps to create a distinct pathway from the mudroom room through the pantry area, kitchen, nook, and living room. ➢ the coffee/breakfast bar area which includes the perfect location for the concealed microwave and toaster oven, convenient storage for the coffee pods and tea accoutrements. Roll-out drawers below also house the smoothie maker, hot water kettle, and a plethora of smoothie-making ingredients such as protein powders, smoothie additives, etc. Furthermore, the drawers below the Keurig house measuring utensil, cutlery, baking supplies and tupperware storage. ➢ incorporating lots of wide drawers and pullouts to accommodate large cookware. ➢ utilizing as much vertical space as possible by building storage to the ceiling which accommodates the family’s abundant amount of serving platters, baking sheets, bakeware, casserole dishes, and additional cutting boards. The project is enhanced aesthetically by: ➢ new 5-piece Versailles pattern porcelain tile that now seamlessly joins the entire down stairs area together creating a bright, cohesiveness feeling instead of choppy separated spaces - it also adds a coastal feeling ➢ designing a cabinet to conceal the microwave and toaster oven ➢ the coastal influenced light fixtures over the nook table and island ➢ the sandy colors of the Langdon Cambria countertops. The swirling pattern and sparkling quartz pieces remind the homeowner of black-and-tan sandy beaches ➢ the striped banquet seating whose creamy white background and blue-green stripes were the inspiration for the cabinet and wall colors. ➢ All the interior doors were painted black to coordinate with the blacks and grays in the backsplash tile and countertop. This also adds a hint of tailored formality to an otherwise casual space. ➢ the use of WAC's Oculux small aperture LED units for the overhead lighting complimented with Diode LED strips for task lighting under the cabinets and inside the pantry and glass wall cabinets. All of the lighting applications are on separate dimmer switches. Innovative uses of materials or construction methods by Realty Restoration LLC: ➢ Each 1-1/2” x 3” block of reclaimed end-grain black walnut that makes up the center island chopping block was hand milled and built in the shop. It was designed to look substantial and proportional to the surrounding elements, executed by creating the 4 inch tall top with a solid wood chamfered edge band. ➢ The metal doors on either side of the vent hood were also custom designed for this project and built in the Realty Restoration LLC shop. They are made 1x2, 11-gauge mild steel with ribbed glass. Weighing 60 lbs a piece, heavy duty cabinet hinges were added to support the weight of the door and keep them from sagging. ➢ Under-cabinet receptacles were added along the range wall in order to have a clean, uninterrupted backsplash. Design obstacles to overcome: ➢ Because we were removing the demising walls between the kitchen and living room, we had to find a way to plumb and vent the new island. We did this by tunneling through the slab (the slab had post tension cables which prevented us from just trenching) to run a new wet vent through a nearby structural wall. We pulled the existing hot and cold lines between upper floor joists and ran them down the structural wall as well and up through a conduit in the tunnel. ➢ Since we were converting from wall overs to a gas range it allowed us to utilize the 220 feed for the wall ovens to provide a new sub panel for all the new kitchen circuits ➢ Due to framing deficiencies inherited from the original build there was a 1-1/2” differential in the floor-to-ceiling height over a 20 foot span; by utilizing the process of cutting and furring coupled with the crown moulding details on the cabinet elevations we were able to mask the problem and provide seamless transitions between the cabinet components. Evidence of superior craftsmanship: ➢ uniquely designed, one-of-a-kind metal “X” end panels on the large island. The end panels were custom made in the Realty Restoration LLC shop and fitted to the exact dimensions of the island. The welding seams are completely indistinguishable - the posts look like they are cut from a single sheet of metal ➢ square metal posts on the small island were also custom made and designed to compliment and carry through the metal element s throughout the kitchen ➢ the beautiful, oversized end panels on the pantry cabinets which give the breakfast nook a tailored look ➢ integrating a large format 5 piece Versailles tile pattern to seamlessly flow from the existing spaces into the new kitchen space ➢ By constructing a custom cabinet that jogged around a corner we could not remodel (housing the entry way coat closet) we were able to camouflage the adjacent wall offset within the upper and lower cabinets. By designing around the existing jog in the structural walls we accomplished a few things: we were able to find the space to house, and hide, the microwave and toaster oven yet still have a clean cohesive appearance from the kitchen side. Additionally, the owners were able to keep their much needed coat closet and we didn’t have to increase the budget with unnecessary structural work.

Old World European, Country Cottage. Three separate cottages make up this secluded village over looking a private lake in an old German, English, and French stone villa style. Hand scraped arched trusses, wide width random walnut plank flooring, distressed dark stained raised panel cabinetry, and hand carved moldings make these traditional farmhouse cottage buildings look like they have been here for 100s of years. Newly built of old materials, and old traditional building methods, including arched planked doors, leathered stone counter tops, stone entry, wrought iron straps, and metal beam straps. The Lake House is the first, a Tudor style cottage with a slate roof, 2 bedrooms, view filled living room open to the dining area, all overlooking the lake. The Carriage Home fills in when the kids come home to visit, and holds the garage for the whole idyllic village. This cottage features 2 bedrooms with on suite baths, a large open kitchen, and an warm, comfortable and inviting great room. All overlooking the lake. The third structure is the Wheel House, running a real wonderful old water wheel, and features a private suite upstairs, and a work space downstairs. All homes are slightly different in materials and color, including a few with old terra cotta roofing. Project Location: Ojai, California. Project designed by Maraya Interior Design. From their beautiful resort town of Ojai, they serve clients in Montecito, Hope Ranch, Malibu and Calabasas, across the tri-county area of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles, south to Hidden Hills.

Tony Colangelo
Bedroom - craftsman bedroom idea in Vancouver

Old World European, Country Cottage. Three separate cottages make up this secluded village over looking a private lake in an old German, English, and French stone villa style. Hand scraped arched trusses, wide width random walnut plank flooring, distressed dark stained raised panel cabinetry, and hand carved moldings make these traditional farmhouse cottage buildings look like they have been here for 100s of years. Newly built of old materials, and old traditional building methods, including arched planked doors, leathered stone counter tops, stone entry, wrought iron straps, and metal beam straps. The Lake House is the first, a Tudor style cottage with a slate roof, 2 bedrooms, view filled living room open to the dining area, all overlooking the lake. The Carriage Home fills in when the kids come home to visit, and holds the garage for the whole idyllic village. This cottage features 2 bedrooms with on suite baths, a large open kitchen, and an warm, comfortable and inviting great room. All overlooking the lake. The third structure is the Wheel House, running a real wonderful old water wheel, and features a private suite upstairs, and a work space downstairs. All homes are slightly different in materials and color, including a few with old terra cotta roofing. Project Location: Ojai, California. Project designed by Maraya Interior Design. From their beautiful resort town of Ojai, they serve clients in Montecito, Hope Ranch, Malibu and Calabasas, across the tri-county area of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles, south to Hidden Hills.

Our design for the expansion and gut renovation of a small 1200 square foot house in a residential neighborhood triples is size, and reworks the living arrangement. The rear addition takes advantage of southern exposure with a "greenhouse" room that provides solar heat gain in winter, shading in summer, and a vast connection to the rear yard. Architecturally, we used an approach we call "willful practicality." The new soaring ceiling ties together first and second floors in a dramatic volumetric expansion of space, while providing increased ventilation and daylighting from greenhouse to operable windows and skylights at the peak. Exterior pockets of space are created from curved forces pushing in from outside to form cedar clad porch and stoop. Sustainable design is employed throughout all materials, energy systems and insulation. Masonry exterior walls and concrete floors provide thermal mass for the interior by insulating the exterior. An ERV system facilitates increased air changes and minimizes changes to the interior air temperature. Energy and water saving features and renewable, non-toxic materal selections are important aspects of the house design. Environmental community issues are addressed with a drywell in the side yard to mitigate rain runoff into the town sewer system. The long sloping south facing roof is in anticipation of future solar panels, with the standing seam metal roof providing anchoring opportunities for the panels. The exterior walls are clad in stucco, cedar, and cement-fiber panels defining different areas of the house. Closed cell spray insulation is applied to exterior walls and roof, giving the house an "air-tight" seal against air infiltration and a high R-value. The ERV system provides the ventilation needed with this tight envelope. The interior comfort level and economizing are the beneficial results of the building methods and systems employed in the house. Photographer: Peter Kubilus

Old World European, Country Cottage. Three separate cottages make up this secluded village over looking a private lake in an old German, English, and French stone villa style. Hand scraped arched trusses, wide width random walnut plank flooring, distressed dark stained raised panel cabinetry, and hand carved moldings make these traditional farmhouse cottage buildings look like they have been here for 100s of years. Newly built of old materials, and old traditional building methods, including arched planked doors, leathered stone counter tops, stone entry, wrought iron straps, and metal beam straps. The Lake House is the first, a Tudor style cottage with a slate roof, 2 bedrooms, view filled living room open to the dining area, all overlooking the lake. The Carriage Home fills in when the kids come home to visit, and holds the garage for the whole idyllic village. This cottage features 2 bedrooms with on suite baths, a large open kitchen, and an warm, comfortable and inviting great room. All overlooking the lake. The third structure is the Wheel House, running a real wonderful old water wheel, and features a private suite upstairs, and a work space downstairs. All homes are slightly different in materials and color, including a few with old terra cotta roofing. Project Location: Ojai, California. Project designed by Maraya Interior Design. From their beautiful resort town of Ojai, they serve clients in Montecito, Hope Ranch, Malibu and Calabasas, across the tri-county area of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles, south to Hidden Hills.

PAEIZ 6 project is located in Tehran, at the intersection of 3 streets. There is a small green space in the northern part of the project. For this reason, the entrance of the complex was defined in this section to ensure easier access, and to be able to enjoy the desired view of the greenery from the lobby. The facade shell with its positive and negative horizontal levels is inspired from NAHAZ O NAKHIR (a kind of bricklaying method in Iranian historical architecture) so that the viewer can see different lights and shadows at each hour of the day. Among these shapes, Using plants also helps to avoid routine. choosing the combination of brick and stone, while having harmony with each other, has been done in order to respect the city and in order to accompany the surrounding buildings as much as possible. By designing windows like puzzles with different and various dimensions, in addition to being different from the common forms, has formed an integrated shape. Vertical access is placed in the middle of the eastern side so that the units can use as much natural light as possible, so that the division and common spaces are reduced to minimum. Stairs, elevators and corridors which are dividing the units with its transparent material led to maintaining the visual connection of the spaces and as a result, it appears larger. As our design mainstream, use of plants in the facade, lobby, basements, the lobby between units and interior design can be seen. The yard did not have enough space for landscaping as a result of having two ramps. In order to solve this challenge, The roof of the ramp is prepared to grow plants. The ground floor consists of two parts, the southern part is parking and the northern part is lobby. The lobby, while having seating and waiting areas, includes a guard post and security equipment, which is decorated with Fountain and plants. -1 and -2 levels are consisted of parking and storages, a gathering hall and a caretaker. The residential project with 5 floors, totally includes 15 three-bedroom residential units with 125 to 150 square meters. - The roof has various facilities such as bathroom, kitchen, barbeque, Jacuzzi, sunbathing area and seating and walking areas. Numerous seating spaces are located at scattered points due to the number of units and the possibility of simultaneous use. Walking paths through the gardens have defined a suitable space for walking. Due to the desirable view to the north (mountains in north of Tehran) and south (QEITARIEH Park), the walls of these two sides have been shortened with gaps, while the western wall overlooking the neighbor is surrounded by higher walls.

A young family with a wooded, triangular lot in Ipswich, Massachusetts wanted to take on a highly creative, organic, and unrushed process in designing their new home. The parents of three boys had contemporary ideas for living, including phasing the construction of different structures over time as the kids grew so they could maximize the options for use on their land. They hoped to build a net zero energy home that would be cozy on the very coldest days of winter, using cost-efficient methods of home building. The house needed to be sited to minimize impact on the land and trees, and it was critical to respect a conservation easement on the south border of the lot. Finally, the design would be contemporary in form and feel, but it would also need to fit into a classic New England context, both in terms of materials used and durability. We were asked to honor the notions of “surprise and delight,” and that inspired everything we designed for the family. The highly unique home consists of a three-story form, composed mostly of bedrooms and baths on the top two floors and a cross axis of shared living spaces on the first level. This axis extends out to an oversized covered porch, open to the south and west. The porch connects to a two-story garage with flex space above, used as a guest house, play room, and yoga studio depending on the day. A floor-to-ceiling ribbon of glass wraps the south and west walls of the lower level, bringing in an abundance of natural light and linking the entire open plan to the yard beyond. The master suite takes up the entire top floor, and includes an outdoor deck with a shower. The middle floor has extra height to accommodate a variety of multi-level play scenarios in the kids’ rooms. Many of the materials used in this house are made from recycled or environmentally friendly content, or they come from local sources. The high performance home has triple glazed windows and all materials, adhesives, and sealants are low toxicity and safe for growing kids. Photographer credit: Irvin Serrano