Light floods this airy space, just enough to show the sheen of some strapping occasional chairs.
Trendy living room photo in Calgary

This mechanical equipment is an eyesore. It is installed on an elevated platform as this area does receive occasional flooding. Customer wanted to hide it but still have access for maintenance tasks.

The design of this home was driven by the owners’ desire for a three-bedroom waterfront home that showcased the spectacular views and park-like setting. As nature lovers, they wanted their home to be organic, minimize any environmental impact on the sensitive site and embrace nature. This unique home is sited on a high ridge with a 45° slope to the water on the right and a deep ravine on the left. The five-acre site is completely wooded and tree preservation was a major emphasis. Very few trees were removed and special care was taken to protect the trees and environment throughout the project. To further minimize disturbance, grades were not changed and the home was designed to take full advantage of the site’s natural topography. Oak from the home site was re-purposed for the mantle, powder room counter and select furniture. The visually powerful twin pavilions were born from the need for level ground and parking on an otherwise challenging site. Fill dirt excavated from the main home provided the foundation. All structures are anchored with a natural stone base and exterior materials include timber framing, fir ceilings, shingle siding, a partial metal roof and corten steel walls. Stone, wood, metal and glass transition the exterior to the interior and large wood windows flood the home with light and showcase the setting. Interior finishes include reclaimed heart pine floors, Douglas fir trim, dry-stacked stone, rustic cherry cabinets and soapstone counters. Exterior spaces include a timber-framed porch, stone patio with fire pit and commanding views of the Occoquan reservoir. A second porch overlooks the ravine and a breezeway connects the garage to the home. Numerous energy-saving features have been incorporated, including LED lighting, on-demand gas water heating and special insulation. Smart technology helps manage and control the entire house. Greg Hadley Photography

Modern white art infused loft space with floods of natural light. Photography by Sian Richards http://sianrichards.ca/#/page/b50f/sian-richards-photography-home/ Art by Art Squared https://art-squared.com

Double height windows allow the entire room to flood with light. Smart layout and rich comfortable fabrics keep it casual and family friendly. Pops of color in the art and occasional chairs keep it fun and modern.

Made for sweet dreams. Layers of neutral tones and mixed textures make for a soothing retreat. We love how the large picture window floods the room with natural light. Blackout linen panels frame the view when open and pull shut for privacy and a good nights sleep. Photo: Kerry Bern www.prepiowa.com

Photo: Faith Towers Media © 2016 Houzz
Living room - transitional living room idea in Boston

Inspiration for a large contemporary drought-tolerant and full sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in Seattle for summer.

Inspiration for a rustic brown one-story wood gable roof remodel in Seattle

Mid-sized transitional open concept light wood floor and white floor living room photo in San Diego with blue walls and a wall-mounted tv

Relatives spending the weekend? Daughter moving back in? Could you use a spare bedroom for surprise visitors? Here’s an idea that can accommodate that occasional guest while maintaining your distance: Add a studio apartment above your garage. Studio apartments are often called mother-in-law apartments, perhaps because they add a degree of privacy. They have their own kitchen, living room and bath. Often they feature a Murphy bed. With appliances designed for micro homes becoming more popular it’s easier than ever to plan for and build a studio apartment. Rick Jacobson began this project with a large garage, capable of parking a truck and SUV, and storing everything from bikes to snowthrowers. Then he added a 500+ square foot apartment above the garage. Guests are welcome to the apartment with a private entrance inside a fence. Once inside, the apartment’s open design floods it with daylight from two large skylights and energy-efficient Marvin double hung windows. A gas fireplace below a 42-inch HD TV creates a great entertainment center. It’s all framed with rough-cut black granite, giving the whole apartment a distinctive look. Notice the ¾ inch thick tongue in grove solid oak flooring – the perfect accent to the grey and white interior design. The kitchen features a gas range with outdoor-vented hood, and a space-saving refrigerator and freezer. The custom kitchen backsplash was built using 3 X 10 inch gray subway glass tile. Black granite countertops can be found in the kitchen and bath, and both featuring under mounted sinks. The full ¾ bath features a glass-enclosed walk-in shower with 4 x 12 inch ceramic subway tiles arranged in a vertical pattern for a unique look. 6 x 24 inch gray porcelain floor tiles were used in the bath. A full-sized murphy bed folds out of the wall cabinet, offering a great view of the fireplace and HD TV. On either side of the bed, 3 built-in closets and 2 cabinets provide ample storage space. And a coffee table easily converts to a laptop computer workspace for traveling professionals or FaceBook check-ins. The result: An addition that has already proved to be a worthy investment, with the ability to host family and friends while appreciating the property’s value.

The Ranch Pass Project consisted of architectural design services for a new home of around 3,400 square feet. The design of the new house includes four bedrooms, one office, a living room, dining room, kitchen, scullery, laundry/mud room, upstairs children’s playroom and a three-car garage, including the design of built-in cabinets throughout. The design style is traditional with Northeast turn-of-the-century architectural elements and a white brick exterior. Design challenges encountered with this project included working with a flood plain encroachment in the property as well as situating the house appropriately in relation to the street and everyday use of the site. The design solution was to site the home to the east of the property, to allow easy vehicle access, views of the site and minimal tree disturbance while accommodating the flood plain accordingly.

Expansive floor to ceiling windows bring the outdoors in to this newly remodeled living room in Huntington Woods. The lofty stepped ceiling is up lit for an indirect light source that defines and heightens the space. A textured dimensional tile wall surrounds the linear fireplace. Natural light floods into the space from the corner window. The thoughtful design of the large, open floor plan balances a sense of expansiveness with cozy intimacy. Proper use of negative space ensures the room feels comfortable without feeling oversized. Large walls are proportioned to perfectly showcase favorite selections from the homeowner's collection of vintage French and Italian art posters by artists Jean d'Ylen and Leonetto Cappiello. A built-in dining buffet with floating cabinets and shelves is recessed into the central support wall. The shelves are backlit with LED track lighting to illuminate a collection of contemporary white pottery pieces, punctuated occasionally with cheerful bursts of bold color. Additional lighting under the cabinets accentuates the ethereal vibe, while the richly stained wood finish complements the walnut floors. A neutral palette provides a blank canvas on which to showcase the rich textures of the striated rug and soft furnishings. Bold strokes of color in the plush pillows and larger than life art posters are the crowning touches that inject a fun sense of personality into this stunning 2018 project.

Peter Margonelli
Coastal three-story stone exterior home idea in New York

photo by Douglas Gibb
Bedroom - bedroom idea in Edinburgh

Photo of a craftsman landscaping in San Francisco.

We first met our clients when a home renovation project was almost complete. The front of the house had undergone a dramatic facelift with the addition of an extension of the façade and a deep covered porch, and the landscape needed major help. A range of disparate issues faced us: post-construction soil on the site, an existing bed of massive boulders near the new entrance walk, and a badly-eroded culvert area on the side of the property on County land. Existing plantings were badly damaged or overgrown. The most serious issue, though, was a massive drainage problem due to the site’s topography; in heavy rainstorms a river literally tumbled downhill past the front of the house, cutting a trench on either side of the walkway. We turned the site’s challenges into its solutions to give the owners the beautiful garden they wanted. Using the line of the existing swale, we created a dry streambed to direct rainwater towards the existing culvert, which we also filled with river jacks and boulders. The streambed area is planted with plants that can withstand periodic flooding as well as occasional drought, and that provide seasonal color. At the end, we had transformed the owners’ front yard experience into the garden of their dreams. ©Melissa Clark Photography. All rights reserved.

Designed by Heidekat Design
Patio - mid-sized transitional side yard stone patio idea in Chicago with no cover

The design brief for this garden was to create an inviting entry with a woodland feel that would complement the home's earthy color scheme and thoughtful architectural details. Majestic Sequoia sempervirens 'Aptos Blue' (Aptos Blue Coastal Redwood), with its pendant deep blue-green branches, shields the expanded porch from the afternoon sun. Selected for its ability to look good in sun or shade, Carex divulsa (Berkeley sedge) makes a lush ground cover, weaving through the trees and along the new slate walk. In fall, muhlenbergia capillaris explodes with feathery pink plumes. Photos by Martin Cox Photography.