NSPJ Architects
Photo of a traditional full sun front yard stone garden path in Kansas City for summer.

This wrap-around NYC roof garden design in the West Village features a custom-built planter 15'x30' made of red cedar and filled with a lush mix of evergreens, spiral junipers, and flowers. Read more about this garden on my blog, www.amberfreda.com.

This condo's open living area incorporates the themes of water, earth, and sky, all in sight through expansive windows overlooking an urban riverfront. The setting inspired the design of the rooms, a juxtaposition of natural and industrial shapes and materials. Photos: Susan Gilmore

Transitional living room photo in San Francisco

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary master white tile and stone tile concrete floor and gray floor bathroom remodel in Austin with flat-panel cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, a hinged shower door, medium tone wood cabinets, marble countertops and gray countertops

Request Free QuotePhotographs by Linda Oyama Bryan

Custom cabinetry is handcrafted from responsibly reclaimed Chestnut. A large island is handcrafted from Maple and finished in Blackened, by Farrow & Ball. Photo Credit: Crown Point Cabinetry

Living room - huge transitional living room idea in Los Angeles

Tuscan entryway photo in Phoenix

Example of a trendy family room library design in San Francisco with a concealed tv

Donna Dotan Photography Inc.
Living room - transitional formal medium tone wood floor living room idea in New York with white walls

Kevin Meechan Photography
This is an example of a rustic stone porch design in Other with a fire pit.

Karin Payson A+D, Staprans Design, Matthew Millman Photography
Dining room - transitional brown floor dining room idea in San Francisco

This home is in a rural area. The client was wanting a home reminiscent of those built by the auto barons of Detroit decades before. The home focuses on a nature area enhanced and expanded as part of this property development. The water feature, with its surrounding woodland and wetland areas, supports wild life species and was a significant part of the focus for our design. We orientated all primary living areas to allow for sight lines to the water feature. This included developing an underground pool room where its only windows looked over the water while the room itself was depressed below grade, ensuring that it would not block the views from other areas of the home. The underground room for the pool was constructed of cast-in-place architectural grade concrete arches intended to become the decorative finish inside the room. An elevated exterior patio sits as an entertaining area above this room while the rear yard lawn conceals the remainder of its imposing size. A skylight through the grass is the only hint at what lies below. Great care was taken to locate the home on a small open space on the property overlooking the natural area and anticipated water feature. We nestled the home into the clearing between existing trees and along the edge of a natural slope which enhanced the design potential and functional options needed for the home. The style of the home not only fits the requirements of an owner with a desire for a very traditional mid-western estate house, but also its location amongst other rural estate lots. The development is in an area dotted with large homes amongst small orchards, small farms, and rolling woodlands. Materials for this home are a mixture of clay brick and limestone for the exterior walls. Both materials are readily available and sourced from the local area. We used locally sourced northern oak wood for the interior trim. The black cherry trees that were removed were utilized as hardwood flooring for the home we designed next door. Mechanical systems were carefully designed to obtain a high level of efficiency. The pool room has a separate, and rather unique, heating system. The heat recovered as part of the dehumidification and cooling process is re-directed to maintain the water temperature in the pool. This process allows what would have been wasted heat energy to be re-captured and utilized. We carefully designed this system as a negative pressure room to control both humidity and ensure that odors from the pool would not be detectable in the house. The underground character of the pool room also allowed it to be highly insulated and sealed for high energy efficiency. The disadvantage was a sacrifice on natural day lighting around the entire room. A commercial skylight, with reflective coatings, was added through the lawn-covered roof. The skylight added a lot of natural daylight and was a natural chase to recover warm humid air and supply new cooled and dehumidified air back into the enclosed space below. Landscaping was restored with primarily native plant and tree materials, which required little long term maintenance. The dedicated nature area is thriving with more wildlife than originally on site when the property was undeveloped. It is rare to be on site and to not see numerous wild turkey, white tail deer, waterfowl and small animals native to the area. This home provides a good example of how the needs of a luxury estate style home can nestle comfortably into an existing environment and ensure that the natural setting is not only maintained but protected for future generations.

The pathway terminates just beyond the door to the guest cottage in a small, informal cigar patio.
Photo of a shabby-chic style backyard stone landscaping in Philadelphia for summer.

The entire grounds of this Lake Minnetonka home was renovated as part of a major home remodel. The orientation of the entrance was improved to better align automobile traffic. The new permeable driveway is built of recycled clay bricks placed on gravel. The remainder of the front yard is organized by soft lawn spaces and large Birch trees. The entrance to the home is accentuated by masses of annual flowers that frame the bluestone steps. On the lake side of the home a secluded, private patio offers refuge from the more publicly viewed backyard. This project earned Windsor Companies a Grand Honor award and Judge's Choice by the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association. Photos by Paul Crosby.

Meticulously crafted cabinets, thick slabs of marble and wood, and reflective glass and stainless-steel surfaces create a workspace that functions well for serious cooks—or “cocktails only.” Smart storage—like the floor-to-ceiling wine rack—keeps it clutter-free.

Small space with lots of useful features. Plenty of room to prep, cook and even eat. Two warming drawers to the left of the range. Nook above range to keep cooking essentials handy. Tambour doors keep clutter out of sight. Timothy O'Shea Photography

Entryway - contemporary entryway idea in Other