Located in the Houston Heights, the Waverly Residence is a modern home on an established street of two story homes boasting front porch typologies. The family’s desire for privacy resulted in a porch that rotates to internalize most of its function while still addressing the street. For this active family, yard activity and it’s visibility from within the home emerged as a priority for approaching the building’s relationship to the lot. Justifying the building mass to the Northern half of the site reinforces the scale of the design to the surrounding buildings and creates a large southern yard dedicated to play and brisket (is a Texas house a house without a barbeque?). The ground floor is clad in metal panel and a wood rainscreen that peels away from the structure to become both a fence and an entry threshold, blending the registration between the yard's privacy enclosure and the building skin. Variable width fiber-cement siding clads the second floor as a nod to the neighborhood vernacular. The pool and outdoor kitchen sit at the center of the yard, forming an island that divides the open play from private vehicular access at the alley. Shifted volumes delineate private space from the open public areas. The second floor extends over the public entryway to create a covered procession with cascading steps into the southern yard that traverses the length of the living spaces. The public program expands beyond the building enclosure to encompass the yard and living spaces. A horizontal shift in the ground floor volume produces both a private courtyard away from the lively public spaces and exterior delineation between private vehicular access and public entry. Within the open, ground floor plan, a change in elevation indicates the boundary between private and public space. Custom millwork provides ample storage for the young family. Playful patterns of enclosed storage with contrasting display boxes creates a cohesive millwork language throughout the home.

Headed by Anita Kassel, Kassel Interiors is a full service interior design firm active in the greater New York metro area; but the real story is that we put the design cliches aside and get down to what really matters: your goals and aspirations for your space.

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Living room - modern living room idea in Minneapolis

Having two young boys presents its own challenges, and when you have two of their best friends constantly visiting, you end up with four super active action heroes. This family wanted to dedicate a space for the boys to hangout. We took an ordinary basement and converted it into a playground heaven. A basketball hoop, climbing ropes, swinging chairs, rock climbing wall, and climbing bars, provide ample opportunity for the boys to let their energy out, and the built-in window seat is the perfect spot to catch a break. Tall built-in wardrobes and drawers beneath the window seat to provide plenty of storage for all the toys. You can guess where all the neighborhood kids come to hangout now ☺

The Holloway blends the recent revival of mid-century aesthetics with the timelessness of a country farmhouse. Each façade features playfully arranged windows tucked under steeply pitched gables. Natural wood lapped siding emphasizes this homes more modern elements, while classic white board & batten covers the core of this house. A rustic stone water table wraps around the base and contours down into the rear view-out terrace. Inside, a wide hallway connects the foyer to the den and living spaces through smooth case-less openings. Featuring a grey stone fireplace, tall windows, and vaulted wood ceiling, the living room bridges between the kitchen and den. The kitchen picks up some mid-century through the use of flat-faced upper and lower cabinets with chrome pulls. Richly toned wood chairs and table cap off the dining room, which is surrounded by windows on three sides. The grand staircase, to the left, is viewable from the outside through a set of giant casement windows on the upper landing. A spacious master suite is situated off of this upper landing. Featuring separate closets, a tiled bath with tub and shower, this suite has a perfect view out to the rear yard through the bedroom's rear windows. All the way upstairs, and to the right of the staircase, is four separate bedrooms. Downstairs, under the master suite, is a gymnasium. This gymnasium is connected to the outdoors through an overhead door and is perfect for athletic activities or storing a boat during cold months. The lower level also features a living room with a view out windows and a private guest suite. Architect: Visbeen Architects Photographer: Ashley Avila Photography Builder: AVB Inc.

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

This residence is a renovation of a traditional landscape into a contemporary garden. Custom contemporary steel planters complement the steel detailing on the home and offer an opportunity to highlight unique native plant species. A large front yard living space offers easy socialization with this active neighborhood. The spectacular salvaged 15ft Organ Pipe Cactus grabs your eye as you enter the residence and anchors the contemporary garden. The back terrace has been designed to create inviting entertainment areas that overlook the golf course as well as protected private dining areas. A large family gathering spot is nestled between the pool and centered around the concrete fire pit. The relaxing spa has a negative edge that falls as a focal point towards the master bedroom. A secluded private dining area off of the kitchen incorporates a steel louver wall that can be opened and closed providing both privacy from adjacent neighbors and protection from the wind. Masses of succulents and cacti reinforce the structure of the home. Project Details: Architect: PHX Architecture Landscape Contractor: Premier Environments Photography: Art Holeman

A modern home gym in a mountain ranch, featuring sleek equipment, natural finishes, and ample natural light. This energy-efficient and eco-friendly fitness space blends functionality with sustainable design, ideal for active living in Asheville's serene mountain setting.

Mountain style open concept light wood floor and beige floor living room photo in Burlington with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

ChiChi Ubiña
Entryway - mid-sized transitional limestone floor entryway idea in New York with white walls

Mid-sized elegant built-in desk medium tone wood floor home office photo in Other with yellow walls

For this modern master bathroom, we worked extensively with the client to capture his vision of the bathroom and brought our expertise and finishing touches to bear. The master bathroom features floating SOLLiD Cabinetry Frameless Series – Elegante II Satin X cabinets. We added the central stacked cabinet for additional storage since there was minimal space in the bathroom and existing closet. The cabinet pulls are Key West Jeffrey Alexander by Hardware Resources and the countertops are Pental Quartz Misterio. The modern effect is finished off with motion activated under cabinet lighting For the rest of the space, we removed the water closet to open the space and bring in more natural light from the existing window. We also removed the existing glass block and added a larger bathroom window for more natural lighting and a larger feel for the space. We replaced the tub deck and bathtub with a Whitehaus free standing tub and used two framed columns in the shower to add separation without closing off the space for the dual shower heads the client wanted. The clear frameless glass finishes off the shower enclosure while still maintaining sightlines through to the back of the space. Finally, a barn door was added to lend privacy to the space without sacrificing active areas. The finishes are all geared toward a modern aesthetic with Alfi Brand plumbing fixtures (we love the large square rain head!), LED Recessed lights, subway tile and grey wood plank tile. The barn door is a Rustica Hardware 5 Panel door with a stainless steel Industric handle and a stainless steel Bent Strap track painted to match the cabinets. Shane Baker Studios

Hear what our clients, Lisa & Rick, have to say about their project by clicking on the Facebook link and then the Videos tab. Hannah Goering Photography

Photo by Samantha Robison
Small transitional backyard stone patio photo in Other with a pergola

Mid-sized elegant ceramic tile game room photo in Phoenix

Mid-sized transitional carpeted, gray floor and wood wall family room photo in Denver with a bar and gray walls

Beach style medium tone wood floor kitchen/dining room combo photo in Charleston with white walls

How cool is this bonus room - turned - teen tech station & hangout? Our designers custom made the blackboard wall, and designed a computer workstation built-in, creating not only a functional room - but the coolest hangout!