Inspiration for a mid-sized cottage metal u-shaped metal railing staircase remodel in Seattle with metal risers

Lynne Damianos
Elegant exterior home photo in Boston

Observation deck on the pond
Inspiration for a contemporary deck remodel in Atlanta

Forms and colors inspired by rural buildings of old Napa Valley were finished to complement the owners urban aesthetic. This collection of shed and gable structures blend simplicity, sophistication and a connection to the land to create a home, gallery and studio. At its heart, is a three-story wine tower for wine storage and a 270-degree observation deck. Pedestal-mounted solar panels track the sun and provide energy for the radiant floor heating system and electrical needs. Low e-glazing, high-efficiency insulation and sun-control shading systems maintain interior temperatures.

This contemporary house was designed on a difficult 50’ wide waterfront lot in Middle River. Because the entire site is located in the 100’ flood plain, the house took advantage of the footprint of an existing house to maintain proximity to the waters edge. The house was designed for a couple and their mother, therefore the house was designed with a central stair / elevator core joining separate living pods for the respective families. The stair tower soars above the roofline to create an observation tower allowing 360 degree views of the spectacular surroundings. The first floor containing sleeping areas is elevated a full story above grade, with the living spaces placed on the second floor to take full advantage of the views. The house is designed with sustainable, yet durable, exterior materials which will withstand the harsh waterfront environment. Mitch Allen Photography

This Atlantic holiday cottage is located in the unique landscape of the creek at Towd Point, in Southampton, one of only 28 Federal Ecological Preserves in the US. Caterina and Bob, a design couple who owns the architecture firm TRA studio in the city, chose the property because of their historic ties to the area and the extraordinary setting and its precise location within it: it is the only house whose site is at the bend of the Towd Point peninsula, right where the views of the protected creek are at the widest and where a little beach naturally occurred. Although the views are open and vast, the property is minimal, way too small to even consider a small pool or spa: the pristine creek is the house water feature, the recreation expansion of the diminutive back yard. We often joke that at TRA we can make small spaces feel big, which is, exactly what we did. As often happened with TRA’s renovation projects, as well as with the most recent art pieces by Robert Traboscia, one of the Studio’s founders, the house is an “object trouve’’, originally a modest fishing outpost, that went through many alterations, to finally find a refreshed life as a modern cottage for a New York family. A vintage busted kayak, repurposed as a planter, completes the process. The cottage is actually a collection of objects: the original Bayman’s cottage now houses two bedrooms, the adjoining deck soon afterwards was enclosed to make space for the kitchen/dining volume and a newer living room addition was later built to complete the compound.’ The compactness of the volumes contributes to the environmental quality of the house, whose simple natural materials have been carefully restored and insulated, while the simplicity of the volumes, which has been respectfully retained, talks about a nostalgia for the past Long Island seaside retreats. The single level recognizable gabled roof silhouette sits comfortably on the private beach, the greyed cedar deck acting as a platform to connect with the landscape. The informal weathered materials and the reductive color palette weave effortlessly from the exterior to the interior, creating a serene environment, echoing the coastal landscape, which emphasizes the line where the water meets the sky, the natural beach, tall breezy grasses and the multitude of happy birds who call the creek home. The restoration process started with the modest goal of cleaning up the walls and replace the worn uneven floor, it soon turned into a forensic research for the original elements, uncovering the historic foam-green siding gabled façade that is now the backdrop of the dining pavilion. The renovation respected the history of the place: everything changed and everything stayed the same. In an area known for vast, affluent, estates, the house is often the place where friends and family gather: the size of the house, the largeness of the creek, the wild life coexisting in harmony with the visitors, the availability of a swim in the bay or kayak adventure, are all interesting and inviting. We often observed that people do not want to leave our interiors, we love the little house because is a place that you never need to leave, this is definitely a house where there is always something to do. In the Hamptons, the question is often “what you are looking at”, usually the pool or landscaped nature, here it is easy to respond: our private beach and protected nature. The landscaping simply aims at enhancing the existing: three sculptural and weathered trees were given new life, the natural arch of the Creek, further outlined by the bulkhead, is amplified and repeated, similarly to rock stratifications, to connect to the house and define the different modes of the landscape: native grasses, private beach, gravel lawn, fence and finally Towd Point Road. Towd Point Little Beach is a habitat meant to be shared with birds and animals.

Nestled into the side of a mountain in the foothills west of Fort Collins CO, this home gives mountain views a whole new meaning. To achieve the homeowners’ desire for floor-to-ceiling windows in just about every room, we started by constructing a steel superstructure anchored to the granite bedrock. And then we basically filled it with wood and windows. Speaking of windows, huge sliding windows open up the kitchen to the covered outdoor kitchen, blurring the lines between indoors and out. Upstairs, the observation deck accesses the same view, only from above the pines. On the practical side, the exterior and interior wood lap and tile siding, with local stone accents, are both Nichiha brand products made from fiber cement. Nichiha siding is both fire resistant and weather resistant to give the homeowners peace of mind in the Colorado Front Range’s dry, sometimes challenging, climate. Similarly, the tongue-and-groove ceiling and soffit woodwork is Pakari, a wood product made by thermally modifying (i.e., baking) wood to make it more durable and fire resistant as well. The ballasted roof, accented by custom metal facia and built to handle the load from wet spring snows, also reduces the opportunity for flying embers to snag should a wildfire erupt near the home. This grand home isn’t without comforts, either. In-floor radiant heat keeps it toasty when it’s chilly out, and an EPA-approved wood-burning fireplace provides warmth and ambiance without nasty emissions. A full home automation system senses motion and turns on the lights as one progresses from room to room. And the two home offices make use of custom built-in desks and storage to frame the view. Who needs artwork?

Lake Murray estate home. Design and collaboration with owner on his partial floor plan design. Project observation on shell construction only.
Inspiration for a huge timeless brown two-story brick house exterior remodel with a hip roof and a shingle roof

Decorative panels are applied to the finished ends of the wall cabinets and base cabinets to give a final touch. Details like this set our company apart from other cabinet builders because we do not leave any stone unturned. Each cabinet is treated as the only cabinet in the kitchen and each detail is observed and changes are made to make each cabinet its own entity. Arched toes and depth changes are details that are also added for subtle breakups in the long rows of cabinets. Items like these are what make custom cabinetry custom.

MARISOL - is the ultimate tip of the hat to the mid-century modern aesthetic. Inspired by the style that emerged strong across the American landscape from the 20’s to 50’s, Patty created a geometric embossing with minimalistic appeal and clean, sleek lines. The design’s abstract texture is enhanced by a palette borrowing hues from the style’s use of chrome, wood, leather and other natural elements. Marisol is available in 17 colors ranging from tangerine and lemon chiffon to bonsai brown, mercurial blue, slate grays and the infamous macrame. Each enhanced by subtle metallic tip-printing, Marisol takes the observer back to a time when design was simpler, the vibe cooler, and the general zeitgeist, well…simply more hip.

Lake Michigan custom deck observation platform & house, designed by Collective Office & Jeff Klymson, with M. Ciurej.
Deck - mid-sized modern backyard deck idea in Chicago with a fire pit and a roof extension

Home design - contemporary home design idea in Albuquerque

Losing large specimen trees is never desirable. But when the unimaginable happens, we are presented with an opportunity to rethink and refresh, even in traditional residential settings. We replaced the lawn area beneath the remaining London plane with a fine fescue seed mix. Our design strategy was to hold space and create immediate impact while reducing maintenance needs as the landscape matured. Into this base, we planted evergreen basal foliage, long bloomers and early spring/late fall color to create an immersive all-season groundcover that will slowly intermingle. Annually, this low mow is cut no lower than 4” (thereby safeguarding habitat) while the tidily trimmed perimeter utilizes remnant turf grass as visible cues to care. Dissecting the rectilinear green space, permeable hardscaping offers a gently curved path towards the front entryway; an invitation to pause and observe the landscape’s diverse textures and activity up close. Within which, a legacy planting of new specimen trees. Traditional shrub heavy foundation plantings are often static and rigid; this perennial rich redesign is structured yet airy to retain design cohesion with the naturalistic stylized meadow and offer vibrant textural all-season interest. This project blends different landscape styles to create a biodiverse habitat that is ecologically beneficial, beautiful and resilient. In high summer, a doe finds refuge for her fawn while the family’s children delight in the buzzing activity of smaller inhabitants, native bees and assorted pollinators, that now call this habitat home.

The goal of this project was to craft clean lines, gentle flows, and seasonal texture within an established woodland setting. Challenges arose from dappled light and deer pressure, along with the need for minimal irrigation. These conditions inspired us to create a woodland meadow enriched with understory birches, flowering shrubs, part-shade perennials, and spring bulbs. The inclusion of woodland ephemerals, stepping-stone paths and strategically-placed boulders enhanced the opportunity for quiet contemplation and wildlife observation. The crisp, curved edges of the tightly-jointed walks invite you into the garden while clearly defining maintenance areas. Angela Kearney, Minglewood, LLC

Meticulous construction details can be observed in this Custom Built Curved Iron Balustrade our clients chose to complement their foyer's fabulous marble floor. CSC 1976-2020 © Century Stair Company ® All rights reserved.

Western Sun
Example of a mid-sized trendy master bedroom design in Sacramento

Here we can observe the lower ceiling height as well as old plumbing, gas lines and framing. We removed and relocated the above so to make the kitchen area larger.

The design strategy included working within the footprint created by the home and backyard, wanting to incorporate a swimming pool “destination” within the backyard that would be large enough to fit the “larger than life” criteria, but without taking away any of the natural beauty or obstructing the view of the horse pastures, barn and nature surrounding the home. Once the design work began, and the pool area was able to incorporate one of every feature the customer could have wanted, Curtis had some steel grates from a former tilt-a-whirl carnival ride that gave him the idea of suspending a stage over the pool. The initial idea was a modest stage with some waterfall/sheer decent features. With the idea of using steel to form the framework, the stage idea grew into something much more that would include a full stage set up, lighting trusses, a “green room” and staging area. Once the stage was designed to be so large, the pool size and scope needed to match including the patio surround, area underneath the stage, and all the additional features. The home architecture is a Ranch with a full finished walkout basement adjacent to the pool area. An existing deck had to be removed to allow for the pool build and new Trex deck, as well as a 3 story tall observation tower that overlooks the pool and surrounding horse pastures. The design strategy was to work within the footprint the house and decks provided to create an extension of the home for outdoor entertaining. Since the exterior of the house was quite long (and dull, the owner equating it to a 1970’s motel), our team needed to incorporate elements to make the space feel more like a backyard resort. The goal was maintaining a cozy at home feel in a grand expanse of space. It takes a team and a unique blend of artistry to build this project. Sandi Maki, co-owner of the company is responsible for the business side of things, and marketing to reach exceptional customers who allow us to build these backyard dreams. The construction side of our company boasts a diverse, multi-geneational family business. Allan Curtis is the designer/builder and comes up with the fantastic pool plans and ideas. His team consists of his daughter Jesse Curtis, who is high right hand and manages the project just as much as Allan does. She is instrumental in everything from dig day, to tying the steel, pouring the concrete, stonework and tile work, forming the waterfall, applying ecoFinish, pouring and stamping patio, and everything in between. Allan’s nephew Mark Curtis installed and plumbed the three pool filtration systems. Allan’s wife Annie has become very good at stonework on walls and waterfalls adding the unique accents our projects have become known for. Allan’s sister-in-law, Karen Olson also does tile and stonework on the jobs and created the rockstar mural on the patio. Frank DiPiazza assists with structural elements and built the new deck, and college student Brendan Schafer assists where needed and maintains the pool and equipment during the summer on a weekly basis. As with many homeowners who reach out to Legendary Escapes, this owner, Dale Walter, knew he wanted a “custom” pool without knowing what that really meant. He was able to show Curtis the space, and his initial ideas, and then allowed Allan and his team the freedom to dream and build. The majority of Legendary Escapes customers make the decision to hire the company after the first meeting with Curtis. As long as the project and design are challenging and interesting, the customer meets the criteria of being easy to work with, and is special in their own unique way Curtis will consider taking on their project. From the beginning it is important to Curtis that the customer understands they need to allow the project to take on a life of it’s own, and for Curtis to create without interference or asking too many questions – working together becomes a reality. The design is typically presented on paper, a hand-colored, hand drawn design that outlines only the large elements, and an accompanying budget which outlines the structural elements and budgets and has a “theme” budget for items to be determined but doesn’t change once it is set. Once that contract is signed, Curtis and his team over-deliver on what the customer could only have dreamed up in their wildest imagination. Projects proceed in an organic way- not every element is planned before the project begins. As the space begins to take shape, so do the details and finishing elements. When the Rockstar project began, there was no plan for the guitars on the fences, or guitar fire features. The VIP seating area wasn’t added until mid way through the patio pours as the space began to take shape. The murals both in the grotto and on the pool floor were planned just moments before each of them was to be installed. It’s this free-flowing combination of the customers and team’s dreams, ideas, elements and the Legendary Escapes team that creates backyard pools that are as much art as they are design and engineering masterpieces.