Along the teak-paneled kitchen wall, sliding and pocketing doors open to reveal additional work and storage space, a coffee station and wine bar. Architecture and interior design by Pierre Hoppenot, Studio PHH Architects.

Trendy turquoise tile light wood floor and beige floor freestanding bathtub photo in Austin with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, white walls, an integrated sink, concrete countertops and gray countertops

Adrian Gregorutti
Mountain style built-in desk medium tone wood floor home office library photo in San Francisco with white 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

Beach style kids' bedroom photo in Austin

Inspiration for a small rustic guest bedroom remodel in San Francisco

Example of a farmhouse drop-in bathtub design in New York with a drop-in sink, medium tone wood cabinets, wood countertops, multicolored walls, brown countertops and flat-panel cabinets

Large trendy master white tile ceramic tile corner shower photo in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets and white walls

Remodel of a 1960's condominium to modernize and open up the space to the view. Ambrose Construction. Michael Dickter photography.
Inspiration for a contemporary concrete floor and gray floor kitchen/dining room combo remodel in Seattle with brown walls and no fireplace

photography by Thomas Shelby
Example of a classic kitchen design in Louisville with glass-front cabinets, white cabinets and paneled appliances

The design of this home was driven by the owners’ desire for a three-bedroom waterfront home that showcased the spectacular views and park-like setting. As nature lovers, they wanted their home to be organic, minimize any environmental impact on the sensitive site and embrace nature. This unique home is sited on a high ridge with a 45° slope to the water on the right and a deep ravine on the left. The five-acre site is completely wooded and tree preservation was a major emphasis. Very few trees were removed and special care was taken to protect the trees and environment throughout the project. To further minimize disturbance, grades were not changed and the home was designed to take full advantage of the site’s natural topography. Oak from the home site was re-purposed for the mantle, powder room counter and select furniture. The visually powerful twin pavilions were born from the need for level ground and parking on an otherwise challenging site. Fill dirt excavated from the main home provided the foundation. All structures are anchored with a natural stone base and exterior materials include timber framing, fir ceilings, shingle siding, a partial metal roof and corten steel walls. Stone, wood, metal and glass transition the exterior to the interior and large wood windows flood the home with light and showcase the setting. Interior finishes include reclaimed heart pine floors, Douglas fir trim, dry-stacked stone, rustic cherry cabinets and soapstone counters. Exterior spaces include a timber-framed porch, stone patio with fire pit and commanding views of the Occoquan reservoir. A second porch overlooks the ravine and a breezeway connects the garage to the home. Numerous energy-saving features have been incorporated, including LED lighting, on-demand gas water heating and special insulation. Smart technology helps manage and control the entire house. Greg Hadley Photography

Rustic Modern Sedona Kitchen featuring an exotic green quartzite island slab and natural grain-matched walnut custom cabinetry. A custom dining bench creates versatile dining options, while a copper toned custom vent hood and hardware punctuates the simple yet dramatic palette.

Located at the front of the house, the kitchen/diner benefits from ample afternoon light. The flat-panel cabinetry features polished materials that reflect light and give the room its modern industrial edge. The elevator toward the back of the space was added in Spring of 2014. As the center of all daily activity, abundant storage is a must, as are easy-to-clean surfaces. Sticky fingers are bound to rush through the room countless times each day, and by selecting kid-friendly materials, there is freedom in knowing that all messes can be wiped away at the end of the day. Cabinetry: Boffi Photo: Adrienne DeRosa Photography © 2014 Houzz Design: Cortney and Robert Novogratz

Fitch’s kitchen backsplash features Polycor’s 1 cm Ultra-Thin White Cherokee marble slabs as the main focal point. Fitch worked with the architects at Bercy Chen Studio and Austin-based Empire Fabricators to design and install a bookmatched backsplash and thin profile countertop using that ultra thin stone in a honed finish. The project was also completed in large part with Latera Architectural Surfaces who were instrumental in making it a great success. Photo credits: Andrea Calo.

Martin Tessler
Example of a farmhouse medium tone wood floor bedroom design in Calgary with white walls

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Sydney

To open up space and make the kitchen feel larger without knocking down walls, Blackline Renovations made the hall entry from the kitchen to the dining room wider. We also relocated the refrigerator and oven and minimized the depth of the full-height cabinets near the range to give the couple enough space for a beautiful new functional narrow island.

©2014 Kyle Born
Inspiration for a 1960s bathroom remodel in Philadelphia with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets and white walls

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography