The Magnolia Renovation has been primarily concerned with the design of a new, highly crafted modern kitchen in a traditional home located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle. The kitchen design relies on the creation of a very simple continuous space that is occupied by highly crafted pieces of furniture, cabinets and fittings. Materials such as steel, bronze, bamboo, stained elm, woven cattail, and sea grass are used in juxtaposition, allowing each material to benefit from adjacent contrasts in texture and color. The existing kitchen and dining room consisted of separate rooms with a dividing wall. This wall was removed to create a long, continuous, east-west space, approximately 34 feet long, with cabinets and counters along each wall. The west end of the space has glass doors and views to the Puget Sound. The east end also has glass doors, leading to a small garden space. In the center of the new kitchen/dining space, we designed two long, custom tables from reclaimed elm planks (20" wide, 2" thick). The first table is a working kitchen island, the second table is the dining table. Both tables have custom blued-steel bases with laser-cut bronze overlay. We also designed custom stools with blued-steel bases and woven cattail rush seats. The lighting of the kitchen consists of 15 small, candle-like fixtures arranged in a random array with custom steel brackets. The cabinets are custom designed, with bleached Alaskan yellow cedar frames and bamboo panels. The counters are a dark limestone with a beautiful stone mosaic backsplash with a bamboo-like pattern. Adjacent to the backsplash is a long horizontal window with a “beargrass” resin panel placed on the interior side of the window. The “beargrass” panel contains actual sea grasses, which are backlit by the window behind the panel. Photo: Benjamin Benschneider

A new Seattle modern house designed by chadbourne + doss architects houses a couple and their 18 bicycles. 3 floors connect indoors and out and provide panoramic views of Lake Washington. The stair uses reclaimed wood and steel. The stair winds around an interior wall of backlit translucent fiberglass. photo by Benjamin Benschneider

With porches on every side, the “Georgetown” is designed for enjoying the natural surroundings. The main level of the home is characterized by wide open spaces, with connected kitchen, dining, and living areas, all leading onto the various outdoor patios. The main floor master bedroom occupies one entire wing of the home, along with an additional bedroom suite. The upper level features two bedroom suites and a bunk room, with space over the detached garage providing a private guest suite.

Photo: Ten Ten Creative
Wet bar - transitional single-wall dark wood floor and brown floor wet bar idea in Dallas with shaker cabinets, black cabinets, black backsplash, subway tile backsplash and gray countertops

Stream lined kitchen. While living, dining and kitchen occupies the public barn, the private barn consists of office, master bed room, bath room and closets.

The Rock Cottage sits atop a rocky lakeside cleft in the eastern Ontario township of Rideau Lakes. Six small cabins previously occupied the site which was largely preserved in its naturalized state and used as a recreational fishing retreat. The concept of a ‘grouping of cabins’ became a guiding principal for the design of the cottage. The use of natural materials was a response to a desire to make the cottage feel like it was an extension of the surrounding natural elements while keeping true to the essence of place. The palette consists of wood, stone, polished concrete, metal and glass.

Texas French Bread Garden occupies a space between the public and private - an appropriate gesture for a site that buffers a neighborhood from a local eatery. The garden consists of a seating area arranged behind layers of native plantings, low walls, and rain gardens. These devices create a space that at once opens and closes itself to views and accessibility.

Built in 1860, this historic home is located next to Phillips Academy in Andover MA and has served as a home to the academy’s administrators. The kitchen was a utilitarian, dark and cramped space. The goal of the remodel was to create a brighter and more elegant kitchen. Two new windows on either side of the cooking area, bring in light and views of the backyard. A wood paneled raised ceiling with drop soffit was added, giving new depth and warmth to the room. A glass display cabinet with interior lighting lines one wall adding to the airy, bright ambiance. Elegant styling includes hand painted custom cabinetry from Jewett Farms with decorative furniture feet and a hand-hammered copper range hood.Cosmic black granite replaced the outdated Formica countertops. A custom designed backsplash tile consists of a traditional 3 x 6 subway tile with custom selected square mosaics which tie the dark counters in with the white cabinets. Coppery accents within the mosaics reflect the copper range hood and beautiful wood floors. The flooring throughout the first floor was replaced with antique reclaimed oak.

This project consisted of getting the house ready for a holiday party. We used the owners collections of Christmas decorations as well as their every day treasures. The end result was a party with no pressure. The owners enjoyed the night and all their guests telling them how great the house looked, as they smiled and said, "thank you." If you would like help with your holidat party call us today @ 203.525.5398

This Distillery condo is an ideal example of a “minimalist living” concept. The 600 square feet one-bedroom apartment was once a dark and unmemorable condo. It consisted of three separate rooms (living room, kitchen and bedroom) and an excessive amount of circulation area. In order to maximize living space it was essential to eliminate corridors and open up common spaces. The bedroom was pushed back which allowed the perimeter to be occupied by kitchen/dining and living spaces.

The Lakota Residence occupies a spectacular 10-acre site in the hills above northwest Portland, Oregon. The residence consists of a main house of nearly 10,000 sf and a caretakers cottage/guest house of 1,200 sf over a shop/garage. Both have been sited to capture the four mountain Cascade panorama plus views to the city and the Columbia River gorge while maintaining an internal privacy. The buildings are set in a highly manicured and refined immediate site set within a largely forested environment complete with a variety of wildlife. Successful business people, the owners desired an elegant but "edgey" retreat that would accommodate an active social life while still functional as "mission control" for their construction materials business. There are days at a time when business is conducted from Lakota. The three-level main house has been benched into an edge of the site. Entry to the middle or main floor occurs from the south with the entry framing distant views to Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. Conceived as a ruin upon which a modernist house has been built, the radiused and largely opaque stone wall anchors a transparent steel and glass north elevation that consumes the view. Recreational spaces and garage occupy the lower floor while the upper houses sleeping areas at the west end and office functions to the east. Obsessive with their concern for detail, the owners were involved daily on site during the construction process. Much of the interiors were sketched on site and mocked up at full scale to test formal concepts. Eight years from site selection to move in, the Lakota Residence is a project of the old school process.

The custom designed painted winding stair with teak handrail rises ton a furnished stair landing, a comfortable gathering area for house guests occupying the four guest bedroom suites. Carved and sandblasted glass inset panels within doors, sidelights, transoms and skylight well lenses adds a decorative detail at strategic locations. All molding profiles are architect-designed to be consistent with the scale of the residence. Hedrich Blessing Photography

The Lakota Residence occupies a spectacular 10-acre site in the hills above northwest Portland, Oregon. The residence consists of a main house of nearly 10,000 sf and a caretakers cottage/guest house of 1,200 sf over a shop/garage. Both have been sited to capture the four mountain Cascade panorama plus views to the city and the Columbia River gorge while maintaining an internal privacy. The buildings are set in a highly manicured and refined immediate site set within a largely forested environment complete with a variety of wildlife. Successful business people, the owners desired an elegant but "edgey" retreat that would accommodate an active social life while still functional as "mission control" for their construction materials business. There are days at a time when business is conducted from Lakota. The three-level main house has been benched into an edge of the site. Entry to the middle or main floor occurs from the south with the entry framing distant views to Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. Conceived as a ruin upon which a modernist house has been built, the radiused and largely opaque stone wall anchors a transparent steel and glass north elevation that consumes the view. Recreational spaces and garage occupy the lower floor while the upper houses sleeping areas at the west end and office functions to the east. Obsessive with their concern for detail, the owners were involved daily on site during the construction process. Much of the interiors were sketched on site and mocked up at full scale to test formal concepts. Eight years from site selection to move in, the Lakota Residence is a project of the old school process.

A beverage bar occupies the corner by the open wall. To the left of this frame is the homeowner's office space, open to the room and the views of Puget Sound.

Inspiration for a contemporary light wood floor family room remodel in New York with multicolored walls

The Lakota Residence occupies a spectacular 10-acre site in the hills above northwest Portland, Oregon. The residence consists of a main house of nearly 10,000 sf and a caretakers cottage/guest house of 1,200 sf over a shop/garage. Both have been sited to capture the four mountain Cascade panorama plus views to the city and the Columbia River gorge while maintaining an internal privacy. The buildings are set in a highly manicured and refined immediate site set within a largely forested environment complete with a variety of wildlife. Successful business people, the owners desired an elegant but "edgey" retreat that would accommodate an active social life while still functional as "mission control" for their construction materials business. There are days at a time when business is conducted from Lakota. The three-level main house has been benched into an edge of the site. Entry to the middle or main floor occurs from the south with the entry framing distant views to Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. Conceived as a ruin upon which a modernist house has been built, the radiused and largely opaque stone wall anchors a transparent steel and glass north elevation that consumes the view. Recreational spaces and garage occupy the lower floor while the upper houses sleeping areas at the west end and office functions to the east. Obsessive with their concern for detail, the owners were involved daily on site during the construction process. Much of the interiors were sketched on site and mocked up at full scale to test formal concepts. Eight years from site selection to move in, the Lakota Residence is a project of the old school process.

The finished product is a beautiful, modern bathroom, with a show-stopping shower! From the outside, you can see the strategically placed can lighting, floor-to-ceiling tile, and matching tiled pony walls specifically sized to fit the chrome towel warmer. Heated flooring is also a great feature to include in a luxury bathroom remodel, as it warms the room consistently at a controlled temperature – perfect for those chilly evenings when walking across tile flooring can send a chill up your spine! Just as designed, the new shower fills the entirety of the wall space that was previously occupied by the soaking tub. Frameless glass reaches across the room for a more spacious feel and showcases the neat features inside this personal spa. Photography by Todd Ramsey, Impressia

The Lakota Residence occupies a spectacular 10-acre site in the hills above northwest Portland, Oregon. The residence consists of a main house of nearly 10,000 sf and a caretakers cottage/guest house of 1,200 sf over a shop/garage. Both have been sited to capture the four mountain Cascade panorama plus views to the city and the Columbia River gorge while maintaining an internal privacy. The buildings are set in a highly manicured and refined immediate site set within a largely forested environment complete with a variety of wildlife. Successful business people, the owners desired an elegant but "edgey" retreat that would accommodate an active social life while still functional as "mission control" for their construction materials business. There are days at a time when business is conducted from Lakota. The three-level main house has been benched into an edge of the site. Entry to the middle or main floor occurs from the south with the entry framing distant views to Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. Conceived as a ruin upon which a modernist house has been built, the radiused and largely opaque stone wall anchors a transparent steel and glass north elevation that consumes the view. Recreational spaces and garage occupy the lower floor while the upper houses sleeping areas at the west end and office functions to the east. Obsessive with their concern for detail, the owners were involved daily on site during the construction process. Much of the interiors were sketched on site and mocked up at full scale to test formal concepts. Eight years from site selection to move in, the Lakota Residence is a project of the old school process.

Located in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood, the Switchback House is a new construction, ground-up home. The new home consists of two separate residential units arranged over three, split-level floor plates. The primary residential unit occupies the upper two floors while the secondary unit is located on the ground floor with direct access to the rear yard. Designed to be as sensitive as possible to the surrounding neighborhood, the new architecture is unapologetically modern while still referencing the broader Victorian context beyond. Generous amounts of glazing immerse the interior living spaces with natural light. Multi-slide glass doors recess into wall pockets to further erode the barriers between interior and exterior and provide direct access to the outdoor spaces and the views of the city beyond. A simple material pallet of white, gallery-like walls and white oak flooring run continuously throughout the home making a calm and serene interior environment. Photo by Joe Fletcher