Zachary Tyson
Farmhouse bedroom photo in New Orleans

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern master ceramic tile, multicolored floor and single-sink bathroom remodel in Grand Rapids with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, solid surface countertops, white countertops and a freestanding vanity

Beth Skogen Photography
Mid-sized transitional indoor tile and rectangular lap pool house photo in Other

Material Design Build recently completed this ground-up high-performance house in New York's Catskill Mountains. Designed by Barry Price Architecture, the building sits along the East Branch of the Delaware River, a renowned destination for fly fishing and bird watching. The house is a combination of parallel shed roofs that intersect to create a dramatic double-height living room and second floor with a library and study overlooking a tranquil pond. We wrapped the house in a rhythm of varying width cypress boards that give texture to the simple form. A steel staircase and a double-hearth woodstove complement the white walls and oak floors of the minimalist interior. The building uses principles of "passive house" construction, with thick layers of insulation (triple the building code minimum), a tightly sealed building envelope (.4ACH for the building science geeks), and triple-pane windows and doors to maximize energy efficiency. An all-electric ducted mini-split system heats and cools the house without the use of oil or gas, and a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) keep the interior air quality healthy and comfortable. The owners look forward to watching the seasons change through the massive living room windows of their new home.

Beth Skogen Photography
Mid-sized transitional indoor tile and rectangular lap pool house photo in Other

North Admiral 4 is four townhomes located in the heart of the North Admiral neighborhood of West Seattle. Enjoy a modern aesthetic and a quiet street in this community with a real sense of place. Open concept living is highlighted by sophisticated designer finishes, a cook’s kitchen, spa inspired bathrooms and a fantastic, entertaining sized roof deck with stunning views. 4 Star Built Green means a responsibly built, healthy and energy efficient home that saves you money. Included features like mini split heating and cooling, low VOC paints, Green Label+ certified carpeting, WaterSense fixtures, and Energy Star fixtures gives you peace of mind without sacrificing the style or luxury you deserve.

Mid-sized eclectic walk-out laminate floor and gray floor basement photo in Other with gray walls

Nestled in the hills of Orinda, California, this 1951 residence is one of only seven extant homes, now known as “The Magnificent Seven”, designed by architect Olof Dahlstrand, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. With its low-slung rooflines, natural materials, and deep integration with the sloping landscape, the home is a pristine example of mid-century modern design inspired by Wright’s organic principles. Over the years, prior homeowners have emphasized preservation, ensuring that the house remained relatively untouched. Each owner has respected the original architecture and stayed true to Dahlstrand’s intent. When a family of five—two college-aged sons and a middle school-aged daughter—acquired the property, they were captivated by its history, legacy of care, and architectural significance. While they appreciated Dahlstrand’s original vision, they also recognized the need to adapt the home for contemporary living while preserving its design integrity. The remodel was conceived as a thoughtful response to the past—an effort to bring the house into the 21st century without compromising its soul. The primary mandate was to maintain architectural continuity while improving the functionality, comfort, and livability for a modern family. The design team—architects and contractor alike—worked with a shared reverence for the original architecture, allowing that mindset to guide even the most technical or pragmatic decisions. A key objective was to increase natural light in the kitchen—a departure from Wrightian principles of enclosed, intimate cooking spaces—while maintaining the home’s architectural language. The kitchen was reconfigured to foster a stronger connection to adjacent living spaces while retaining the underlying concept of spatial separation. One of the most transformative architectural changes was the removal of a ridge beam that was originally planned to remain visible through the kitchen. During construction, the team collaborated on a better solution: a wide-flanged steel beam concealed within the roof envelope. This subtle move preserved the clean lines and ceiling continuity, a modern update carried out with utmost respect for the existing framework. The home’s original powder room, previously accessible only through the kitchen, was relocated for better flow and privacy. A new powder room was carved out of former kitchen cabinetry—a narrow, interior space that could have felt dark and enclosed. To avoid this, the design extended the line of original transom windows into the new powder room and added a skylight above the vanity. The result is a bright and airy space that feels consistent with the rest of the home. Other updates included the installation of new solid-core interior doors with veneers carefully matched to the original mahogany, enhancing the continuity of the interiors. Even smaller decisions, such as placing the door knobs at 42 inches high, mirrored the original proportions. Every choice reflected a shared belief between the architect, contractor, and client: that new work should serve the integrity of the old. The home’s extensive interior redwood millwork and paneling was meticulously restored. Where new materials were introduced—such as the replacement redwood soffit paneling—the contractor took pains to find finish nails that matched the original, rather than using modern equivalents. This level of craftsmanship and collaboration defined the project. It extended even to the detailing of a blind door to the new powder room, which had to disappear into the existing redwood board-and-batten wall. It was a team effort: the owner found a suitable handle, the architects devised the custom in-swing mechanism, and the contractor executed it so the door aligned precisely with the battens. Throughout, the homeowners were deeply engaged in the design process. One, a meticulous design enthusiast, focused on aesthetic integrity and historic detail. The other brought a practical and function-driven perspective, ensuring that new fixtures and materials would be durable and require minimal maintenance. While the home’s location posed no major site challenges, sustainability was a key concern. The team upgraded the roof insulation, installed solar panels with battery storage, and added ductless mini-split cooling systems. Lighting was another area where modern technology was woven into a historic framework: new square LED fixtures echo the original custom perimeter soffit lights, maintaining the design language while offering advanced performance. A planned expansion of a bedroom into suite with a bathroom had to be shelved due to budget constraints and the high cost of below-grade foundation work. Still, the team focused their efforts on making the most of the existing footprint, resolving constraints through design ingenuity rather than adding square footage. This renovation represents a collaborative achievement in preserving and evolving a historically significant home. Every decision was shaped by a shared ethos among clients, architects, and contractor: to maintain the home’s architectural soul while updating it for contemporary life. The result is a timeless modernist residence that continues Olof Dahlstrand’s legacy, remaining grounded in nature, craftsmanship, and human-scale design. Klopf Architecture Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane, Fernanda Bernardes
Interior Architectural Design: Klopf Architecture
Structural Engineer: Daniel Bastiao
Contractor: Don Larwood, Larwood Construction Photography: Mariko Reed Year Completed: 2022

Living room - mid-sized transitional enclosed bamboo floor living room idea in DC Metro with a music area and green walls

Imagine living in a house where you have everything: three bedrooms and two bathrooms with plenty of closet space for all your stuff. This Three-Bedroom layout can provide just that! The windows are beautifully laid out so that the sun's warmth will be maximized through them. The living room design is ideal for lovers of the great outdoors. These frontier house plans feature a large living area bordered by floor-to-ceiling windows and an open kitchen, so you can enjoy nature's reverie without being distracted by bugs or humidity! Features: • Area: 1580 sqft • Dimension: 77’-4” L X 25’ W X 20' H • Living room: 17'L X 15' W • Dinning room: 12'L X 15' W • Bedroom 01: 13'L X 13' W • Bedroom 02: 15'L X 12' W • Bedroom 03: 12'-5" L X 10'-10" W • Windows: 4 Large glass sliding doors • Deck: 2 Coved decks • 2 Bathrooms: One includes a bathtub • Kitchen: Eat-in Kitchen with Pantry room • Accommodates 6 to 8 people • Laundry: Laundry closet in the hallway • Heating: Mini-split/ radiant floor heat/ Air sourced heat pump • Foundation: Stem wall / Slab

The Twin Peaks Passive House + ADU was designed and built to remain resilient in the face of natural disasters. Fortunately, the same great building strategies and design that provide resilience also provide a home that is incredibly comfortable and healthy while also visually stunning. This home’s journey began with a desire to design and build a house that meets the rigorous standards of Passive House. Before beginning the design/ construction process, the homeowners had already spent countless hours researching ways to minimize their global climate change footprint. As with any Passive House, a large portion of this research was focused on building envelope design and construction. The wall assembly is combination of six inch Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) and 2x6 stick frame construction filled with blown in insulation. The roof assembly is a combination of twelve inch SIPs and 2x12 stick frame construction filled with batt insulation. The pairing of SIPs and traditional stick framing allowed for easy air sealing details and a continuous thermal break between the panels and the wall framing. Beyond the building envelope, a number of other high performance strategies were used in constructing this home and ADU such as: battery storage of solar energy, ground source heat pump technology, Heat Recovery Ventilation, LED lighting, and heat pump water heating technology. In addition to the time and energy spent on reaching Passivhaus Standards, thoughtful design and carefully chosen interior finishes coalesce at the Twin Peaks Passive House + ADU into stunning interiors with modern farmhouse appeal. The result is a graceful combination of innovation, durability, and aesthetics that will last for a century to come. Despite the requirements of adhering to some of the most rigorous environmental standards in construction today, the homeowners chose to certify both their main home and their ADU to Passive House Standards. From a meticulously designed building envelope that tested at 0.62 ACH50, to the extensive solar array/ battery bank combination that allows designated circuits to function, uninterrupted for at least 48 hours, the Twin Peaks Passive House has a long list of high performance features that contributed to the completion of this arduous certification process. The ADU was also designed and built with these high standards in mind. Both homes have the same wall and roof assembly ,an HRV, and a Passive House Certified window and doors package. While the main home includes a ground source heat pump that warms both the radiant floors and domestic hot water tank, the more compact ADU is heated with a mini-split ductless heat pump. The end result is a home and ADU built to last, both of which are a testament to owners’ commitment to lessen their impact on the environment.

The custom banquette creates a cozy dining area. It was the perfect use of space since the room is long and narrow. Decorative pillows make it a comfortable place to lounge, do homework, or play board games. Simply Elegant Interiors, Tampa.

The home was dark and narrow masking this Victorian brownstone's natural elegance and so with the guidance of the home-owner we embarked on a multi-step transformation in which we widened the walls exposing the natural brick lining the living-room and dining-room space, removed and reinforced the rear wall installing floor to ceiling thermally broken steel windows, extra tall custom inset kitchen cabinets, 3-level mini-split AC/Heating system, and several other improvements to the home owner's delight.

Office that can also be used as bedroom with egress window.
Inspiration for a contemporary bedroom remodel in DC Metro

The challenge: to design and build a sunroom that blends in with the 1920s bungalow and satisfies the homeowners' love for all things Southwestern. Wood Wise took the challenge and came up big with this sunroom that meets all the criteria. The adobe kiva fireplace is the focal point with the cedar shake walls, exposed beams, and shiplap ceiling adding to the authentic look.

Window seat next to floor to ceiling fireplace. The window seat is designed with custom rift white oak cabinetry to match the kitchen. The floors are polished concrete. + Architecture: H2D Architecture + Design + Interior Design: H2D Architecture + Design www.h2darchitects.com + Built by: Carlisle Classic Homes + Photography: Christopher Nelson Photography #h2darchitects #h2d #kirklandbuiltgreen #kirklandarchitect #kirklandcustomhome www.h2darchitects.com

-Shiplap cathedral ceiling -Trim work and wrap posts, interior and exterior -Install 4 can lights 1 Ceiling fan 4 Outlets -Mini-split unit -Paint interior and exterior -Victorian East Storm Door -Pella custom fiberglass windows Transom, slider and lower window

Dale Lang
Arts and crafts exterior home photo in Portland

Example of a mid-sized eclectic loft-style exposed beam bedroom design in Other with white walls