Our busy young homeowners were looking to move back to Indianapolis and considered building new, but they fell in love with the great bones of this Coppergate home. The home reflected different times and different lifestyles and had become poorly suited to contemporary living. We worked with Stacy Thompson of Compass Design for the design and finishing touches on this renovation. The makeover included improving the awkwardness of the front entrance into the dining room, lightening up the staircase with new spindles, treads and a brighter color scheme in the hall. New carpet and hardwoods throughout brought an enhanced consistency through the first floor. We were able to take two separate rooms and create one large sunroom with walls of windows and beautiful natural light to abound, with a custom designed fireplace. The downstairs powder received a much-needed makeover incorporating elegant transitional plumbing and lighting fixtures. In addition, we did a complete top-to-bottom makeover of the kitchen, including custom cabinetry, new appliances and plumbing and lighting fixtures. Soft gray tile and modern quartz countertops bring a clean, bright space for this family to enjoy. This delightful home, with its clean spaces and durable surfaces is a textbook example of how to take a solid but dull abode and turn it into a dream home for a young family.

This roof garden design in Manhattan's West Village features a custom-built wood deck with matching planters made out of ipe, a hardwood with a 30-year life expectancy. We used very thin wood planks on the planter facades for a very contemporary effect. We also planted bamboo on one side to provide some much needed privacy from a neighboring terrace. Read more about this garden on my blog, www.amberfreda.com.

This little girls bedroom started out as a playroom before she was born. You can still see remnants of the former room in the carpet tiles and built-in toy storage. We began the transformation with a pink ceiling that runs down the wall about 18", grey walls below to help dilute the brightness a little and provide a backdrop for other pops of color. This antique bed was drug out of her great-grandmothers attic, as well as the dresser and dressing table. They were all given some much needed love with bright paint colors to match the little girls personality. A window seat with toy storage below was fixed with a purple seat cushion, throw pillows, and a glass bird in a pink birdcage. Wrapping paper was glued below the window seat and on the cabinet doors as wall paper to provide a little pattern in the room. Original kids artwork as well as calendar photos are framed throughout the room. A body pillow creates a comfortable headboard and a colorful, butterfly pattern (which is where most of the colors for the room were pulled) adorn the bed with all white bedding.

Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/

Example of a farmhouse exterior home design in New York

Home design - eclectic home design idea in Austin

Updating a recently built town home in culver city for a wonderful family was a very enjoyable project for us. The townhouse bathroom had a basic look and was lacking in both storage and looks. the main part of this project was the custom design and building of the vanity unit and the extra storage with bi-fold doors so not to take up too much space. the floors were done with porcelain tile that mimics the rich look of Calcutta marble. the large format tile gives a sensation of space and minimalize the amount of grout lines on the floor. The shower unit received a much-needed high end plumbing fixture and the shower head was raised to a normal height. the walls were tiled with the same floor tile in a staggered pattern. the bench wall is the center focal point and is boasting a chiseled texture dark gray tile that is been complimented by the slate shower pan tile work. notice the bench top and the step into the shower, it is done with a single piece of quartz stone for a clean and grout-less look.

Our Birch & White elfa décor Reach-In Closet is tailor-made for your wardrobe. There's room for hanging garments, shelves and racks for shoes and accessories plus drawers for folded clothes. The fine weave of the mesh and closed corners of the drawers prevent smaller items from falling through.

Inspiration for a large cottage master ceramic tile and gray floor bathroom remodel in Other with white cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, white countertops and shaker cabinets

Nick Straabe (Landscape Photographer)
Design ideas for a mediterranean water fountain landscape in Orange County.

Townhouse renovation in Brooklyn: We redesigned the rear end of the house as an expanded family kitchen with a back door to the deck. We also added a new connection from the entrance hall to the kitchen and fit a small powder room under the stairs. The old windows and doors were replaced with new, larger ones, and the entire kitchen was gutted and refitted with new cabinetry and a banquette dining area. The space was designed to take advantage of the bright southern exposure, with lots of white materials, grounded by the dark base cabinets. Photos by Maletz Design

Transitional kitchen photo in Portland Maine

A custom home builder in Chicago's western suburbs, Summit Signature Homes, ushers in a new era of residential construction. With an eye on superb design and value, industry-leading practices and superior customer service, Summit stands alone. Custom-built homes in Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, Western Springs, and other western suburbs.

Example of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped porcelain tile utility room design in DC Metro with shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets and white walls

Kitchen with pantry behind screen door
Kitchen - country light wood floor kitchen idea in Los Angeles with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, green cabinets, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

Example of a classic exterior home design in Denver

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional light wood floor mudroom remodel in Chicago with purple walls

Relocating to Portland, Oregon from California, this young family immediately hired Amy to redesign their newly purchased home to better fit their needs. The project included updating the kitchen, hall bath, and adding an en suite to their master bedroom. Removing a wall between the kitchen and dining allowed for additional counter space and storage along with improved traffic flow and increased natural light to the heart of the home. This galley style kitchen is focused on efficiency and functionality through custom cabinets with a pantry boasting drawer storage topped with quartz slab for durability, pull-out storage accessories throughout, deep drawers, and a quartz topped coffee bar/ buffet facing the dining area. The master bath and hall bath were born out of a single bath and a closet. While modest in size, the bathrooms are filled with functionality and colorful design elements. Durable hex shaped porcelain tiles compliment the blue vanities topped with white quartz countertops. The shower and tub are both tiled in handmade ceramic tiles, bringing much needed texture and movement of light to the space. The hall bath is outfitted with a toe-kick pull-out step for the family’s youngest member!

My client contacted me to update the kitchen and main bathroom of her 1912 home in Calgary, located in Elbow Park - one of the oldest communities in the city. The previous owners had done an addition on the back of the house and installed a kitchen that looked more suitable for a 1980’s garage than a home built in 1912. The challenge was to update the look and incorporate modern elements, yet retain the feel and character of a home from that era. Timeless details were added like marble quartz countertops, Shaker style cabinets and a much more symmetrical layout that positioned the sink under the window, instead of the opposite wall. The 9’-0” ceilings allowed us to design the cabinets to the full ceiling height, giving the home owner much needed storage space. Even though the space has been modernized, it beautifully flows from the living spaces and no longer looks like an after thought, like the previous kitchen did. Check out that custom hood we designed! It’s so killer - I die! Photography by Lori Andrews