In the course of our design work, we completely re-worked the kitchen layout, designed new cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas. The new great room layout provides a focal point in the fireplace and creates additional seating without moving walls. On the upper floor, we significantly remodeled all the bathrooms. The color palette was simplified and calmed by using a cool palette of grays, blues, and natural textures. Our aesthetic goal for the project was to assemble a warm, casual, family-friendly palette of materials; linen, leather, natural wood and stone, cozy rugs, and vintage textiles. The reclaimed beam as a mantle and subtle grey walls create a strong graphic element which is balanced and echoed by more delicate textile patterns.

In the course of our design work, we completely re-worked the kitchen layout, designed new cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas. The new great room layout provides a focal point in the fireplace and creates additional seating without moving walls. On the upper floor, we significantly remodeled all the bathrooms. The color palette was simplified and calmed by using a cool palette of grays, blues, and natural textures. Our aesthetic goal for the project was to assemble a warm, casual, family-friendly palette of materials; linen, leather, natural wood and stone, cozy rugs, and vintage textiles. The reclaimed beam as a mantle and subtle grey walls create a strong graphic element which is balanced and echoed by more delicate textile patterns.

This green kitchen remodel makes efficient use of a small space and features reused bamboo flooring that was taken out of another home. Idaho Granite Works produced countertops from boulders that came from a quarry a few miles away. Quatersawn white oak cabinets with shaker style doors and pewter knobs were custom built by Mike Anderson and assembled in place. Old popcorn ceiling was scraped flat and floated smooth by Justin Jensen of Clear Sky Drywall. Kohler porcelain sink was bought used from the Habitat store and needed a few chip repairs. Extra deep upper cabinet above refrigerator has storage for baking sheets and bigger pots. A full side panel keeps refrigerator from getting scratched by traffic through adjacent deck door. Window and door were existing and didn't move. 30/70 Kohler sink fits in a smaller than standard sink base cabinet, which allowed the dishwasher and 30" fridge to fit in a tight space.

In the course of our design work, we completely re-worked the kitchen layout, designed new cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas. The new great room layout provides a focal point in the fireplace and creates additional seating without moving walls. On the upper floor, we significantly remodeled all the bathrooms. The color palette was simplified and calmed by using a cool palette of grays, blues, and natural textures. Our aesthetic goal for the project was to assemble a warm, casual, family-friendly palette of materials; linen, leather, natural wood and stone, cozy rugs, and vintage textiles. The reclaimed beam as a mantle and subtle grey walls create a strong graphic element which is balanced and echoed by more delicate textile patterns.

In the course of our design work, we completely re-worked the kitchen layout, designed new cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas. The new great room layout provides a focal point in the fireplace and creates additional seating without moving walls. On the upper floor, we significantly remodeled all the bathrooms. The color palette was simplified and calmed by using a cool palette of grays, blues, and natural textures. Our aesthetic goal for the project was to assemble a warm, casual, family-friendly palette of materials; linen, leather, natural wood and stone, cozy rugs, and vintage textiles. The reclaimed beam as a mantle and subtle grey walls create a strong graphic element which is balanced and echoed by more delicate textile patterns.

In the course of our design work, we completely re-worked the kitchen layout, designed new cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas. The new great room layout provides a focal point in the fireplace and creates additional seating without moving walls. On the upper floor, we significantly remodeled all the bathrooms. The color palette was simplified and calmed by using a cool palette of grays, blues, and natural textures. Our aesthetic goal for the project was to assemble a warm, casual, family-friendly palette of materials; linen, leather, natural wood and stone, cozy rugs, and vintage textiles. The reclaimed beam as a mantle and subtle grey walls create a strong graphic element which is balanced and echoed by more delicate textile patterns.

In the course of our design work, we completely re-worked the kitchen layout, designed new cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas. The new great room layout provides a focal point in the fireplace and creates additional seating without moving walls. On the upper floor, we significantly remodeled all the bathrooms. The color palette was simplified and calmed by using a cool palette of grays, blues, and natural textures. Our aesthetic goal for the project was to assemble a warm, casual, family-friendly palette of materials; linen, leather, natural wood and stone, cozy rugs, and vintage textiles. The reclaimed beam as a mantle and subtle grey walls create a strong graphic element which is balanced and echoed by more delicate textile patterns.

In the course of our design work, we completely re-worked the kitchen layout, designed new cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas. The new great room layout provides a focal point in the fireplace and creates additional seating without moving walls. On the upper floor, we significantly remodeled all the bathrooms. The color palette was simplified and calmed by using a cool palette of grays, blues, and natural textures. Our aesthetic goal for the project was to assemble a warm, casual, family-friendly palette of materials; linen, leather, natural wood and stone, cozy rugs, and vintage textiles. The reclaimed beam as a mantle and subtle grey walls create a strong graphic element which is balanced and echoed by more delicate textile patterns.

In the course of our design work, we completely re-worked the kitchen layout, designed new cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas. The new great room layout provides a focal point in the fireplace and creates additional seating without moving walls. On the upper floor, we significantly remodeled all the bathrooms. The color palette was simplified and calmed by using a cool palette of grays, blues, and natural textures. Our aesthetic goal for the project was to assemble a warm, casual, family-friendly palette of materials; linen, leather, natural wood and stone, cozy rugs, and vintage textiles. The reclaimed beam as a mantle and subtle grey walls create a strong graphic element which is balanced and echoed by more delicate textile patterns.

In the course of our design work, we completely re-worked the kitchen layout, designed new cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms, and living areas. The new great room layout provides a focal point in the fireplace and creates additional seating without moving walls. On the upper floor, we significantly remodeled all the bathrooms. The color palette was simplified and calmed by using a cool palette of grays, blues, and natural textures. Our aesthetic goal for the project was to assemble a warm, casual, family-friendly palette of materials; linen, leather, natural wood and stone, cozy rugs, and vintage textiles. The reclaimed beam as a mantle and subtle grey walls create a strong graphic element which is balanced and echoed by more delicate textile patterns.

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

“Compelling.” That’s how one of our judges characterized this stair, which manages to embody both reassuring solidity and airy weightlessness. Architect Mahdad Saniee specified beefy maple treads—each laminated from two boards, to resist twisting and cupping—and supported them at the wall with hidden steel hangers. “We wanted to make them look like they are floating,” he says, “so they sit away from the wall by about half an inch.” The stainless steel rods that seem to pierce the treads’ opposite ends are, in fact, joined by threaded couplings hidden within the thickness of the wood. The result is an assembly whose stiffness underfoot defies expectation, Saniee says. “It feels very solid, much more solid than average stairs.” With the rods working in tension from above and compression below, “it’s very hard for those pieces of wood to move.” The interplay of wood and steel makes abstract reference to a Steinway concert grand, Saniee notes. “It’s taking elements of a piano and playing with them.” A gently curved soffit in the ceiling reinforces the visual rhyme. The jury admired the effect but was equally impressed with the technical acumen required to achieve it. “The rhythm established by the vertical rods sets up a rigorous discipline that works with the intricacies of stair dimensions,” observed one judge. “That’s really hard to do.”

Mid-Century Remodel on Tabor Hill This sensitively sited house was designed by Robert Coolidge, a renowned architect and grandson of President Calvin Coolidge. The house features a symmetrical gable roof and beautiful floor to ceiling glass facing due south, smartly oriented for passive solar heating. Situated on a steep lot, the house is primarily a single story that steps down to a family room. This lower level opens to a New England exterior. Our goals for this project were to maintain the integrity of the original design while creating more modern spaces. Our design team worked to envision what Coolidge himself might have designed if he'd had access to modern materials and fixtures. With the aim of creating a signature space that ties together the living, dining, and kitchen areas, we designed a variation on the 1950's "floating kitchen." In this inviting assembly, the kitchen is located away from exterior walls, which allows views from the floor-to-ceiling glass to remain uninterrupted by cabinetry. We updated rooms throughout the house; installing modern features that pay homage to the fine, sleek lines of the original design. Finally, we opened the family room to a terrace featuring a fire pit. Since a hallmark of our design is the diminishment of the hard line between interior and exterior, we were especially pleased for the opportunity to update this classic work.

“Compelling.” That’s how one of our judges characterized this stair, which manages to embody both reassuring solidity and airy weightlessness. Architect Mahdad Saniee specified beefy maple treads—each laminated from two boards, to resist twisting and cupping—and supported them at the wall with hidden steel hangers. “We wanted to make them look like they are floating,” he says, “so they sit away from the wall by about half an inch.” The stainless steel rods that seem to pierce the treads’ opposite ends are, in fact, joined by threaded couplings hidden within the thickness of the wood. The result is an assembly whose stiffness underfoot defies expectation, Saniee says. “It feels very solid, much more solid than average stairs.” With the rods working in tension from above and compression below, “it’s very hard for those pieces of wood to move.” The interplay of wood and steel makes abstract reference to a Steinway concert grand, Saniee notes. “It’s taking elements of a piano and playing with them.” A gently curved soffit in the ceiling reinforces the visual rhyme. The jury admired the effect but was equally impressed with the technical acumen required to achieve it. “The rhythm established by the vertical rods sets up a rigorous discipline that works with the intricacies of stair dimensions,” observed one judge. “That’s really hard to do.”

“Compelling.” That’s how one of our judges characterized this stair, which manages to embody both reassuring solidity and airy weightlessness. Architect Mahdad Saniee specified beefy maple treads—each laminated from two boards, to resist twisting and cupping—and supported them at the wall with hidden steel hangers. “We wanted to make them look like they are floating,” he says, “so they sit away from the wall by about half an inch.” The stainless steel rods that seem to pierce the treads’ opposite ends are, in fact, joined by threaded couplings hidden within the thickness of the wood. The result is an assembly whose stiffness underfoot defies expectation, Saniee says. “It feels very solid, much more solid than average stairs.” With the rods working in tension from above and compression below, “it’s very hard for those pieces of wood to move.” The interplay of wood and steel makes abstract reference to a Steinway concert grand, Saniee notes. “It’s taking elements of a piano and playing with them.” A gently curved soffit in the ceiling reinforces the visual rhyme. The jury admired the effect but was equally impressed with the technical acumen required to achieve it. “The rhythm established by the vertical rods sets up a rigorous discipline that works with the intricacies of stair dimensions,” observed one judge. “That’s really hard to do.”

The Belfast sleeper sofa marries a modern look with traditional flare. The tufted beige linen upholstered back and seat add a classic style. The simple tapered legs with click-clack back offers style and functionality to your space. This sleeper sofa can be utilized for sleeping, sitting up to chat, or simply lounging to watch a move. Sofa converts from a couch to a bed with one simple movement of just click the back into the desired position This convert-a-couch fits great in apartments, dorms, and narrow spaces. This sofa’s compact size is unique and requires no tools to assemble. The small space design allows the sofa to be easily transported. Sleeping dimension 69l x 51w Size: 69w 32.5d 29h

“Compelling.” That’s how one of our judges characterized this stair, which manages to embody both reassuring solidity and airy weightlessness. Architect Mahdad Saniee specified beefy maple treads—each laminated from two boards, to resist twisting and cupping—and supported them at the wall with hidden steel hangers. “We wanted to make them look like they are floating,” he says, “so they sit away from the wall by about half an inch.” The stainless steel rods that seem to pierce the treads’ opposite ends are, in fact, joined by threaded couplings hidden within the thickness of the wood. The result is an assembly whose stiffness underfoot defies expectation, Saniee says. “It feels very solid, much more solid than average stairs.” With the rods working in tension from above and compression below, “it’s very hard for those pieces of wood to move.” The interplay of wood and steel makes abstract reference to a Steinway concert grand, Saniee notes. “It’s taking elements of a piano and playing with them.” A gently curved soffit in the ceiling reinforces the visual rhyme. The jury admired the effect but was equally impressed with the technical acumen required to achieve it. “The rhythm established by the vertical rods sets up a rigorous discipline that works with the intricacies of stair dimensions,” observed one judge. “That’s really hard to do.”

“Compelling.” That’s how one of our judges characterized this stair, which manages to embody both reassuring solidity and airy weightlessness. Architect Mahdad Saniee specified beefy maple treads—each laminated from two boards, to resist twisting and cupping—and supported them at the wall with hidden steel hangers. “We wanted to make them look like they are floating,” he says, “so they sit away from the wall by about half an inch.” The stainless steel rods that seem to pierce the treads’ opposite ends are, in fact, joined by threaded couplings hidden within the thickness of the wood. The result is an assembly whose stiffness underfoot defies expectation, Saniee says. “It feels very solid, much more solid than average stairs.” With the rods working in tension from above and compression below, “it’s very hard for those pieces of wood to move.” The interplay of wood and steel makes abstract reference to a Steinway concert grand, Saniee notes. “It’s taking elements of a piano and playing with them.” A gently curved soffit in the ceiling reinforces the visual rhyme. The jury admired the effect but was equally impressed with the technical acumen required to achieve it. “The rhythm established by the vertical rods sets up a rigorous discipline that works with the intricacies of stair dimensions,” observed one judge. “That’s really hard to do.”

LOFT | Luxury Loft Transformation | FOUR POINT DESIGN BUILD INC This ultra feminine luxury loft was designed for an up-and-coming fashion/travel writer. With 30' soaring ceiling heights, five levels, winding paths of travel and tight stairways, no storage at all, very little usable wall space, a tight timeline, and a very modest budget, we had our work cut out for us. Thrilled to report, the client loves it, and we completed the project on time and on budget. Photography by Riley Jamison