Search results for "Modern human" in Home Design Ideas

Recessed panel runs the length of the counter to create a finished look and to hide the dog den from guests.
Photo Credit: Betsy Bassett
Example of a mid-sized transitional u-shaped light wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen design in Boston with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an undermount sink, matchstick tile backsplash, a peninsula, gray countertops and soapstone countertops
Example of a mid-sized transitional u-shaped light wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen design in Boston with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an undermount sink, matchstick tile backsplash, a peninsula, gray countertops and soapstone countertops

Modern family loft renovation. A young couple starting a family in the city purchased this two story loft in Boston's South End. Built in the 1990's, the loft was ready for updates. ZED transformed the space, creating a fresh new look and greatly increasing its functionality to accommodate an expanding family within an urban setting. Improvement were made to the aesthetics, scale, and functionality for the growing family to enjoy.
Photos by Eric Roth.
Construction by Ralph S. Osmond Company.
Green architecture by ZeroEnergy Design.

Discover a sleek, modern kitchen design featuring crisp white cabinetry, warm natural wood accents, and a luxurious marble slab backsplash. This contemporary space boasts a functional kitchen island with integrated cooktop and stylish bar stools, creating an inviting hub for cooking and entertaining, perfect for a chic penthouse or upscale home.
Find the right local pro for your project

Capture the essence of modern elegance with this stylish bathroom featuring crisp white subway tiles, a sophisticated marble-top vanity, and luxurious brushed gold fixtures. This design blends timeless elements with contemporary aesthetics, perfect for a chic and inviting space.

Step into a contemporary luxury bathroom featuring a spacious walk-in shower with an innovative indoor-outdoor design, complete with a natural wood slat accent wall and a luxurious rain showerhead. This tranquil space boasts minimalist aesthetics, a floating vanity with a sleek white countertop and undermount sink, and stylish gray tile flooring, perfect for modern living and serene retreats.

Powder room - contemporary gray tile and mosaic tile powder room idea in New York with gray walls

Small scandinavian multicolored two-story wood house exterior idea in Other with a clipped gable roof and a shingle roof

Sponsored
Fredericksburg, OH
High Point Cabinets
Columbus' Experienced Custom Cabinet Builder | 4x Best of Houzz Winner

This balcony is designed to take advantage of the limited space available. The chair is a modern silhouette made out of a classic product, wicker.
Balcony - small contemporary apartment and glass railing balcony idea in Tampa
Balcony - small contemporary apartment and glass railing balcony idea in Tampa

sonneman
serena and lily
This weekend luxury summer home designed for a hip family from New York combines modern and eclectic design. Dark and light textures and materials gave the spaces drama and uniqueness. Organic materials were mixed with trendy, high end furnishings. The result was unique and fabulous.
Another magnificent Interior Design in Miami by DiMare Design…
”Miami modern"
New York and New Jersey Interior Designers
Cruelty free interior design
Vegan interior design
animal friendly interior design
humane interior design
Autism
Sensory interior design
“Contemporary Interior Designers”
“Modern Interior Designers”
“Coco Plum Interior Designers”
“Sunny Isles Interior Designers”
“Pinecrest Interior Designers”
"South Florida designers"
“Best Miami Designers”
"Miami interiors"
"Miami decor"
“Miami Beach Designers”
“Best Miami Interior Designers”
“Miami Beach Interiors”
“Luxurious Design in Miami”
"Top designers"
"Deco Miami"
"Luxury interiors"
“Miami Beach Luxury Interiors”
“Miami Interior Design”
“Miami Interior Design Firms”
"Beach front"
“Top Interior Designers”
"top decor"
“Top Miami Decorators”
"Miami luxury condos"
"modern interiors"
"Modern”
"Pent house design"
"white interiors"
“Top Miami Interior Decorators”
“Top Miami Interior Designers”
“Modern Designers in Miami”
DiMare Design
Deborah Rosenberg
786-629-9581

On a quiet street just steps from San Francisco’s beloved Dolores Park, a formerly modest urban structure has been transformed into a luminous vertical residence that quietly redefines contemporary city living. Through a comprehensive remodel and both vertical and horizontal expansion, the project turns a constrained urban footprint into a sequence of serene, art-forward living spaces that unfold upward toward expansive city views.
The architecture balances restraint and warmth: crisp contemporary geometry softened by natural materials, artful lighting, and carefully curated interiors. The result is a home that feels simultaneously grounded and elevated—deeply connected to its neighborhood yet remarkably private.
Reimagining the Urban Envelope
The original building has been almost entirely reconceived. The facade now reads as a disciplined composition of plaster volumes and precisely detailed window openings framed by subtle projecting bands. The geometry references San Francisco’s classic rhythm of bayed facades while stripping the language down to a refined modern expression.
Behind this quiet exterior lies a dramatically expanded interior volume. The redesign adds both additional floor area and new vertical circulation, transforming what was once a conventional city house into a multi-level architectural sequence organized around light, art, and views.
At the roofline, planted terraces soften the building’s silhouette and create a green crown visible from surrounding hillsides.
Interiors as a Sequence of Galleries
Inside, the home unfolds as a series of spatial moments connected by a sculptural stair and gallery-like corridors.
Wide plank oak floors run throughout, providing continuity and warmth against a palette of plaster walls, dark steel detailing, and natural stone. The hallways function almost as curated galleries, with layered artworks suspended in front of mesh panels that create depth and subtle shadow.
Light filters through carefully placed windows and stair openings, transforming circulation spaces into contemplative transitions rather than mere passageways.
A Living Room Anchored by Stone and Light
The primary living room occupies one of the home’s central floors, where a quiet interplay of texture and geometry defines the space.
A monumental fireplace wrapped in dark stone forms the room’s anchor, its mass contrasting with a recessed ceiling plane that seems to float above the seating area. Integrated perimeter lighting creates a soft architectural glow that washes the ceiling and walls.
Furniture is sculptural yet understated—rounded lounge chairs in warm ochre velvet, tailored sofas, and a striking marble cocktail table whose expressive veining becomes a focal artwork in itself. Deep blue carpeting grounds the seating arrangement and subtly absorbs light, enhancing the calm atmosphere.
Above the fireplace, a delicate projection artwork introduces a moment of visual poetry—an unexpected cinematic gesture that transforms the wall into a quietly animated canvas.
Kitchen as Architectural Furniture
The kitchen expresses a different register: crisp, tactile, and materially rich.
Custom walnut cabinetry spans the wall in a continuous plane, punctuated only by the sculpted hood and integrated appliances. The wood’s depth and warmth are balanced by expanses of pale marble that flow seamlessly from countertop to backsplash.
Three dome pendants hover above the island like industrial sculptures, casting pools of warm light onto the stone surface.
A row of vivid red stools introduces a controlled burst of color, a small but confident departure from the otherwise restrained palette.
Dining With a Living Backdrop
Adjacent to the kitchen, the dining room opens toward a glass wall overlooking a vertical garden of climbing ivy. The greenery becomes a constantly changing backdrop—lush and shadowy during the day, atmospheric and cinematic after sunset.
A dark wood table anchors the room, surrounded by pale oak chairs whose understated forms echo Scandinavian design traditions. The simplicity of the furniture allows the view and natural light to become the dominant experience.
Intimate Spaces and Material Contrast
Throughout the home, smaller rooms offer moments of intimacy and material experimentation.
The powder room pairs textured wall coverings with a dramatic black marble vanity whose bold veining feels almost geological. A suspended mirror and slender pendant create a sculptural composition against the tactile backdrop.
The primary bedroom, by contrast, feels serene and expansive. Floor-to-ceiling glazing frames sweeping views of the city, while soft textiles and warm wood paneling create a cocooning effect. Slender black columns subtly define a sitting area without interrupting the openness of the space.
Bathing Above the City
In the primary bathroom, a sculptural freestanding tub sits beside a panoramic window overlooking San Francisco’s hills and rooftops.
The room’s palette—light oak, grey stone, and matte metals—reinforces the spa-like atmosphere. Floating cabinetry and integrated lighting maintain a sense of visual lightness despite the richness of the materials.
Entertaining Above the Park
Higher in the house, a lounge and bar area becomes the social heart of the home. Here, dark stone slabs with dramatic veining wrap the bar wall like a piece of monumental art.
Open shelving displays glassware and spirits, while integrated wine storage hints at the home’s entertaining ambitions. A soft leather sectional and low glass table create a relaxed setting for conversation, framed by expansive views of the city skyline.
Cinema and Retreat
The lower level introduces yet another atmosphere: a dedicated media room designed for immersive viewing.
Dark walls, plush seating, and soft lighting create a cinematic environment that contrasts intentionally with the airy upper floors. It’s a retreat within the home—intimate, quiet, and removed from the brightness above.
Architecture That Balances Discipline and Warmth
What makes the project particularly compelling is its balance between architectural discipline and lived warmth.
Every element—from the carefully framed views to the restrained material palette—contributes to a cohesive spatial narrative. Yet the home never feels austere. Natural materials, curated art, and layered lighting create a sense of comfort and depth.
The result is a house that feels both architecturally rigorous and deeply human.
A Contemporary Interpretation of San Francisco Living
In a neighborhood defined by historic homes and iconic park views, this transformation offers a contemporary interpretation of San Francisco living.
It respects the city’s urban density while embracing openness, light, and vertical living. The home rises quietly above its surroundings, culminating in panoramic vistas that stretch across rooftops, hills, and sky.
What began as a conventional structure has become something far more nuanced: a modern urban sanctuary—part gallery, part retreat, and wholly connected to the vibrant city just beyond its walls.

Ty Poland Photography
michael aram
jonathan adler
restoration hardware
This weekend luxury summer home designed for a hip family from New York combines modern and eclectic design. Dark and light textures and materials gave the spaces drama and uniqueness. Organic materials were mixed with trendy, high end furnishings. The result was unique and fabulous.
Another magnificent Interior Design in Miami by DiMare Design…
”Miami modern"
New York and New Jersey Interior Designers
Cruelty free interior design
Vegan interior design
animal friendly interior design
humane interior design
Autism
Sensory interior design
“Contemporary Interior Designers”
“Modern Interior Designers”
“Coco Plum Interior Designers”
“Sunny Isles Interior Designers”
“Pinecrest Interior Designers”
"South Florida designers"
“Best Miami Designers”
"Miami interiors"
"Miami decor"
“Miami Beach Designers”
“Best Miami Interior Designers”
“Miami Beach Interiors”
“Luxurious Design in Miami”
"Top designers"
"Deco Miami"
"Luxury interiors"
“Miami Beach Luxury Interiors”
“Miami Interior Design”
“Miami Interior Design Firms”
"Beach front"
“Top Interior Designers”
"top decor"
“Top Miami Decorators”
"Miami luxury condos"
"modern interiors"
"Modern”
"Pent house design"
"white interiors"
“Top Miami Interior Decorators”
“Top Miami Interior Designers”
“Modern Designers in Miami”
DiMare Design
Deborah Rosenberg
786-629-9581

Great room - mid-sized coastal great room idea in Nashville with white walls and no fireplace

Designing the best modern garage doors is just the beginning. Dynamic Garage Door takes fine garage door design to the next level by providing exceptional door quality that will last a lifetime.
Contact our Design & Manufacturing Center: (855) 343-3667
When we approach a new project for our garage doors and/or gates we like to spend time with our clients to understand their current envisioned style and to collaborate on improving on their ideal or producing what others can't seem to accomplish.
This garage door and gate were designed to parallel the home's horizontal linear siding which was an accent wall the owner wrapped to add interest, depth and contrast to the once Mid Century ranch style house. He envisioned a modern home that stayed true to its unique style without throwing an out of balance project that would otherwise have turned outrageously huge. Dynamic Garage Door was commissioned to handcraft the garage door and gates around the property out of composite materials to incorporate the owner's ideal of building green.
The challenge with composite materials is that it is human nature to rely on the natural beauty of wood to soften modern materials such as steel, rock and harsher surfaces. Dynamic Garage Door has in-house artists that use high quality painting products and trade secret techniques to give our clients the best of both worlds.
Our modern garage doors offer modern design and usability while radiating that warm energy that radiates throughout a home in absence of real solid wood.
Dynamic Garage Door has design and manufacturing options that make our garage doors different to the rest!

Sponsored
Columbus, OH
HomeCraft Remodeling
Custom Craftsmanship & Build Solutions in Franklin County, Ohio

Mid-sized trendy medium tone wood floor and exposed beam great room photo in Seattle with white walls, a standard fireplace and a stacked stone fireplace

On a quiet street just steps from San Francisco’s beloved Dolores Park, a formerly modest urban structure has been transformed into a luminous vertical residence that quietly redefines contemporary city living. Through a comprehensive remodel and both vertical and horizontal expansion, the project turns a constrained urban footprint into a sequence of serene, art-forward living spaces that unfold upward toward expansive city views.
The architecture balances restraint and warmth: crisp contemporary geometry softened by natural materials, artful lighting, and carefully curated interiors. The result is a home that feels simultaneously grounded and elevated—deeply connected to its neighborhood yet remarkably private.
Reimagining the Urban Envelope
The original building has been almost entirely reconceived. The facade now reads as a disciplined composition of plaster volumes and precisely detailed window openings framed by subtle projecting bands. The geometry references San Francisco’s classic rhythm of bayed facades while stripping the language down to a refined modern expression.
Behind this quiet exterior lies a dramatically expanded interior volume. The redesign adds both additional floor area and new vertical circulation, transforming what was once a conventional city house into a multi-level architectural sequence organized around light, art, and views.
At the roofline, planted terraces soften the building’s silhouette and create a green crown visible from surrounding hillsides.
Interiors as a Sequence of Galleries
Inside, the home unfolds as a series of spatial moments connected by a sculptural stair and gallery-like corridors.
Wide plank oak floors run throughout, providing continuity and warmth against a palette of plaster walls, dark steel detailing, and natural stone. The hallways function almost as curated galleries, with layered artworks suspended in front of mesh panels that create depth and subtle shadow.
Light filters through carefully placed windows and stair openings, transforming circulation spaces into contemplative transitions rather than mere passageways.
A Living Room Anchored by Stone and Light
The primary living room occupies one of the home’s central floors, where a quiet interplay of texture and geometry defines the space.
A monumental fireplace wrapped in dark stone forms the room’s anchor, its mass contrasting with a recessed ceiling plane that seems to float above the seating area. Integrated perimeter lighting creates a soft architectural glow that washes the ceiling and walls.
Furniture is sculptural yet understated—rounded lounge chairs in warm ochre velvet, tailored sofas, and a striking marble cocktail table whose expressive veining becomes a focal artwork in itself. Deep blue carpeting grounds the seating arrangement and subtly absorbs light, enhancing the calm atmosphere.
Above the fireplace, a delicate projection artwork introduces a moment of visual poetry—an unexpected cinematic gesture that transforms the wall into a quietly animated canvas.
Kitchen as Architectural Furniture
The kitchen expresses a different register: crisp, tactile, and materially rich.
Custom walnut cabinetry spans the wall in a continuous plane, punctuated only by the sculpted hood and integrated appliances. The wood’s depth and warmth are balanced by expanses of pale marble that flow seamlessly from countertop to backsplash.
Three dome pendants hover above the island like industrial sculptures, casting pools of warm light onto the stone surface.
A row of vivid red stools introduces a controlled burst of color, a small but confident departure from the otherwise restrained palette.
Dining With a Living Backdrop
Adjacent to the kitchen, the dining room opens toward a glass wall overlooking a vertical garden of climbing ivy. The greenery becomes a constantly changing backdrop—lush and shadowy during the day, atmospheric and cinematic after sunset.
A dark wood table anchors the room, surrounded by pale oak chairs whose understated forms echo Scandinavian design traditions. The simplicity of the furniture allows the view and natural light to become the dominant experience.
Intimate Spaces and Material Contrast
Throughout the home, smaller rooms offer moments of intimacy and material experimentation.
The powder room pairs textured wall coverings with a dramatic black marble vanity whose bold veining feels almost geological. A suspended mirror and slender pendant create a sculptural composition against the tactile backdrop.
The primary bedroom, by contrast, feels serene and expansive. Floor-to-ceiling glazing frames sweeping views of the city, while soft textiles and warm wood paneling create a cocooning effect. Slender black columns subtly define a sitting area without interrupting the openness of the space.
Bathing Above the City
In the primary bathroom, a sculptural freestanding tub sits beside a panoramic window overlooking San Francisco’s hills and rooftops.
The room’s palette—light oak, grey stone, and matte metals—reinforces the spa-like atmosphere. Floating cabinetry and integrated lighting maintain a sense of visual lightness despite the richness of the materials.
Entertaining Above the Park
Higher in the house, a lounge and bar area becomes the social heart of the home. Here, dark stone slabs with dramatic veining wrap the bar wall like a piece of monumental art.
Open shelving displays glassware and spirits, while integrated wine storage hints at the home’s entertaining ambitions. A soft leather sectional and low glass table create a relaxed setting for conversation, framed by expansive views of the city skyline.
Cinema and Retreat
The lower level introduces yet another atmosphere: a dedicated media room designed for immersive viewing.
Dark walls, plush seating, and soft lighting create a cinematic environment that contrasts intentionally with the airy upper floors. It’s a retreat within the home—intimate, quiet, and removed from the brightness above.
Architecture That Balances Discipline and Warmth
What makes the project particularly compelling is its balance between architectural discipline and lived warmth.
Every element—from the carefully framed views to the restrained material palette—contributes to a cohesive spatial narrative. Yet the home never feels austere. Natural materials, curated art, and layered lighting create a sense of comfort and depth.
The result is a house that feels both architecturally rigorous and deeply human.
A Contemporary Interpretation of San Francisco Living
In a neighborhood defined by historic homes and iconic park views, this transformation offers a contemporary interpretation of San Francisco living.
It respects the city’s urban density while embracing openness, light, and vertical living. The home rises quietly above its surroundings, culminating in panoramic vistas that stretch across rooftops, hills, and sky.
What began as a conventional structure has become something far more nuanced: a modern urban sanctuary—part gallery, part retreat, and wholly connected to the vibrant city just beyond its walls.

On a quiet street just steps from San Francisco’s beloved Dolores Park, a formerly modest urban structure has been transformed into a luminous vertical residence that quietly redefines contemporary city living. Through a comprehensive remodel and both vertical and horizontal expansion, the project turns a constrained urban footprint into a sequence of serene, art-forward living spaces that unfold upward toward expansive city views.
The architecture balances restraint and warmth: crisp contemporary geometry softened by natural materials, artful lighting, and carefully curated interiors. The result is a home that feels simultaneously grounded and elevated—deeply connected to its neighborhood yet remarkably private.
Reimagining the Urban Envelope
The original building has been almost entirely reconceived. The facade now reads as a disciplined composition of plaster volumes and precisely detailed window openings framed by subtle projecting bands. The geometry references San Francisco’s classic rhythm of bayed facades while stripping the language down to a refined modern expression.
Behind this quiet exterior lies a dramatically expanded interior volume. The redesign adds both additional floor area and new vertical circulation, transforming what was once a conventional city house into a multi-level architectural sequence organized around light, art, and views.
At the roofline, planted terraces soften the building’s silhouette and create a green crown visible from surrounding hillsides.
Interiors as a Sequence of Galleries
Inside, the home unfolds as a series of spatial moments connected by a sculptural stair and gallery-like corridors.
Wide plank oak floors run throughout, providing continuity and warmth against a palette of plaster walls, dark steel detailing, and natural stone. The hallways function almost as curated galleries, with layered artworks suspended in front of mesh panels that create depth and subtle shadow.
Light filters through carefully placed windows and stair openings, transforming circulation spaces into contemplative transitions rather than mere passageways.
A Living Room Anchored by Stone and Light
The primary living room occupies one of the home’s central floors, where a quiet interplay of texture and geometry defines the space.
A monumental fireplace wrapped in dark stone forms the room’s anchor, its mass contrasting with a recessed ceiling plane that seems to float above the seating area. Integrated perimeter lighting creates a soft architectural glow that washes the ceiling and walls.
Furniture is sculptural yet understated—rounded lounge chairs in warm ochre velvet, tailored sofas, and a striking marble cocktail table whose expressive veining becomes a focal artwork in itself. Deep blue carpeting grounds the seating arrangement and subtly absorbs light, enhancing the calm atmosphere.
Above the fireplace, a delicate projection artwork introduces a moment of visual poetry—an unexpected cinematic gesture that transforms the wall into a quietly animated canvas.
Kitchen as Architectural Furniture
The kitchen expresses a different register: crisp, tactile, and materially rich.
Custom walnut cabinetry spans the wall in a continuous plane, punctuated only by the sculpted hood and integrated appliances. The wood’s depth and warmth are balanced by expanses of pale marble that flow seamlessly from countertop to backsplash.
Three dome pendants hover above the island like industrial sculptures, casting pools of warm light onto the stone surface.
A row of vivid red stools introduces a controlled burst of color, a small but confident departure from the otherwise restrained palette.
Dining With a Living Backdrop
Adjacent to the kitchen, the dining room opens toward a glass wall overlooking a vertical garden of climbing ivy. The greenery becomes a constantly changing backdrop—lush and shadowy during the day, atmospheric and cinematic after sunset.
A dark wood table anchors the room, surrounded by pale oak chairs whose understated forms echo Scandinavian design traditions. The simplicity of the furniture allows the view and natural light to become the dominant experience.
Intimate Spaces and Material Contrast
Throughout the home, smaller rooms offer moments of intimacy and material experimentation.
The powder room pairs textured wall coverings with a dramatic black marble vanity whose bold veining feels almost geological. A suspended mirror and slender pendant create a sculptural composition against the tactile backdrop.
The primary bedroom, by contrast, feels serene and expansive. Floor-to-ceiling glazing frames sweeping views of the city, while soft textiles and warm wood paneling create a cocooning effect. Slender black columns subtly define a sitting area without interrupting the openness of the space.
Bathing Above the City
In the primary bathroom, a sculptural freestanding tub sits beside a panoramic window overlooking San Francisco’s hills and rooftops.
The room’s palette—light oak, grey stone, and matte metals—reinforces the spa-like atmosphere. Floating cabinetry and integrated lighting maintain a sense of visual lightness despite the richness of the materials.
Entertaining Above the Park
Higher in the house, a lounge and bar area becomes the social heart of the home. Here, dark stone slabs with dramatic veining wrap the bar wall like a piece of monumental art.
Open shelving displays glassware and spirits, while integrated wine storage hints at the home’s entertaining ambitions. A soft leather sectional and low glass table create a relaxed setting for conversation, framed by expansive views of the city skyline.
Cinema and Retreat
The lower level introduces yet another atmosphere: a dedicated media room designed for immersive viewing.
Dark walls, plush seating, and soft lighting create a cinematic environment that contrasts intentionally with the airy upper floors. It’s a retreat within the home—intimate, quiet, and removed from the brightness above.
Architecture That Balances Discipline and Warmth
What makes the project particularly compelling is its balance between architectural discipline and lived warmth.
Every element—from the carefully framed views to the restrained material palette—contributes to a cohesive spatial narrative. Yet the home never feels austere. Natural materials, curated art, and layered lighting create a sense of comfort and depth.
The result is a house that feels both architecturally rigorous and deeply human.
A Contemporary Interpretation of San Francisco Living
In a neighborhood defined by historic homes and iconic park views, this transformation offers a contemporary interpretation of San Francisco living.
It respects the city’s urban density while embracing openness, light, and vertical living. The home rises quietly above its surroundings, culminating in panoramic vistas that stretch across rooftops, hills, and sky.
What began as a conventional structure has become something far more nuanced: a modern urban sanctuary—part gallery, part retreat, and wholly connected to the vibrant city just beyond its walls.

Sponsored
Westerville, OH
Custom Home Works
Franklin County's Award-Winning Design, Build and Remodeling Expert

moris moreno
Example of a large trendy gender-neutral playroom design in Miami with white walls
Example of a large trendy gender-neutral playroom design in Miami with white walls

Kitchen, bathroom and partial renovation of a residence. Design intent was to create a design complimentary to the existing mid century house while introducing hints and love of Japanese lifestyle.
Photographed by: Bo Sundius

As written in Northern Home & Cottage by Elizabeth Edwards
Sara and Paul Matthews call their head-turning home, located in a sweet neighborhood just up the hill from downtown Petoskey, “a very human story.” Indeed it is. Sara and her husband, Paul, have a special-needs son as well as an energetic middle-school daughter. This home has an answer for everyone. Located down the street from the school, it is ideally situated for their daughter and a self-contained apartment off the great room accommodates all their son’s needs while giving his caretakers privacy—and the family theirs. The Matthews began the building process by taking their thoughts and
needs to Stephanie Baldwin and her team at Edgewater Design Group. Beyond the above considerations, they wanted their new home to be low maintenance and to stand out architecturally, “But not so much that anyone would complain that it didn’t work in our neighborhood,” says Sara. “We
were thrilled that Edgewater listened to us and were able to give us a unique-looking house that is meeting all our needs.” Lombardy LLC built this handsome home with Paul working alongside the construction crew throughout the project. The low maintenance exterior is a cutting-edge blend of stacked stone, black corrugated steel, black framed windows and Douglas fir soffits—elements that add up to an organic contemporary look. The use of black steel, including interior beams and the staircase system, lend an industrial vibe that is courtesy of the Matthews’ friend Dan Mello of Trimet Industries in Traverse City. The couple first met Dan, a metal fabricator, a number of years ago, right around the time they found out that their then two-year-old son would never be able to walk. After the couple explained to Dan that they couldn’t find a solution for a child who wasn’t big enough for a wheelchair, he designed a comfortable, rolling chair that was just perfect. They still use it. The couple’s gratitude for the chair resulted in a trusting relationship with Dan, so it was natural for them to welcome his talents into their home-building process. A maple floor finished to bring out all of its color-tones envelops the room in warmth. Alder doors and trim and a Doug fir ceiling reflect that warmth. Clearstory windows and floor-to-ceiling window banks fill the space with light—and with views of the spacious grounds that will
become a canvas for Paul, a retired landscaper. The couple’s vibrant art pieces play off against modernist furniture and lighting that is due to an inspired collaboration between Sara and interior designer Kelly Paulsen. “She was absolutely instrumental to the project,” Sara says. “I went through
two designers before I finally found Kelly.” The open clean-lined kitchen, butler’s pantry outfitted with a beverage center and Miele coffee machine (that allows guests to wait on themselves when Sara is cooking), and an outdoor room that centers around a wood-burning fireplace, all make for easy,
fabulous entertaining. A den just off the great room houses the big-screen television and Sara’s loom—
making for relaxing evenings of weaving, game watching and togetherness. Tourgoers will leave understanding that this house is everything great design should be. Form following function—and solving very human issues with soul-soothing style.
2
