Composed of 90% stone and 10% resin and polymer adhesives, Quartz is a wonderful choice for many reasons. Unlike granite, Quartz offers a beautiful homogeneous flow of colour and pattern. There is no guessing how your large piece will look once installed. Quartz is actually non-porous therefor antimicrobial and does not need to be sealed. They are heat resistant to about 200 degrees Celsius. If damage happens to occur it can be repaired by sanding down the surface. The main composite is hard quartz mineral. This is a strong durable surface resistant to scratches and can even dull your knives without causing damage to your counter. Quartz does resist impact quite impressively. Due to its composition the polymers and resin offer a flexible elastic type of shock absorber. There are many fabricators to chose from all offering a variety of colours and patterns. Chose Vicostone for surfaces that are inspired by natural granite or HanStone or Zenith Quartz for continuous smooth patterns.

This enclave on 73rd Street is one of Manhattan’s undiscovered gems, with pre-war buildings on each side creating a Romanesque streetscape. The interiors on the other hand have very minimal detailing. Our client purchased a studio and a two bedroom apartment, which we combined into a formal sequence of spaces. We worked closely with them to develop an open axial plan, with ease of flow for elegant entertaining. The intersection of the two apartments occurs at what is now the dining room, the center of the house. We re-centered the asymmetrical beam locations which gave us the opportunity to install dramatic spot lighting. The apartment has views north and courtyard exposures so we bathed it in saturated colors incorporating venetian plaster and combed painted finishes. ‘ALL PHOTOS BY ETHELIND COBLIN ARCHITECT. P.C.’

This expansive residence allocates the majority of its square footage to the outdoors in order to celebrate the best of active California living. The various features of this 15,000 square foot property include a full size basketball court, an extensive herb garden, and distinct dining, bar, and lounge spaces. From the cantilevered extension of the first floor roofline to the adjacent cabana, the best elements of this home occur at the intersection of its indoor and outdoor spaces. Without a doubt, it is a residence designed to optimize well-being and embrace community.

Look closely and you’ll notice the undeniable quality of the Hand-woven Savannah Rug ’s jute fibers, which are not only cultivated by hand but also hand-woven with care. Because of this, every rug has unique characteristics unshared by others—each piece is distinct and unmatched. The Hand-woven Savannah Natural and Bleached Striped Rug is also anti-static, durably made, and rectangular shaped for adaptability and functionality. This trendsetter by Rugs is sure to infuse a touch of natural elegance and charm to your home. Each rug is hand-woven and unique, with a slightly different color and pattern. This is natural due to variations that occur in wool and other fibers, and the handcrafted nature of our products. As such, we cannot guarantee an exact match to the product photo, which is limited in color due to technology and may vary due to screen and printer settings. Rest assured that while your handmade rug from Rugs may look slightly different than the image, this merely means the piece is one-of-a-kind… just like your home.

A slate-tiled infinity edge pool and spa conjoin to a 30 foot overlook with stunning views of the 4.25 acre property and Vancouver Island. Retractable glass doors open the modern living room to the outdoor living space. Porcelain tiled patio has a unique drainage system which prevents any sort of pooling to occur. A covered patio with walk on skylights, heaters, and a fire pit are perfect for cozying up on cold winter nights.

Blue stain pine made a wonderful choice for a cozy basement space in this rustic home. Ponderosa pine blue stain tongue and groove really is a one-of-a-kind selection for paneling and/or ceiling paneling, along with a variety of other uses. Its natural color gives it the appearance of being stained, but of course it really isn’t so no labor or maintenance is necessary to achieve the look. This blue stain is a sort of naturally occurring phenomenon that we get when Pine Beetles burrow into regular pine trees and inhabit the wood for a period of time, until the tree dies and they move on; the blue color of blue stain pine is a byproduct of the Pine Beetles’ presence. This lumber would need to be harvested anyway, so being able to put it to use in beautiful interior applications is a huge bonus to the environment.

This client requested to design with aging in place details Note walk-in curbless shower,, shower benches to sit and place toiletries. Hand held showers in two locations, one at bench and standing shower options. Grab bars are placed vertically to grab onto in shower. Blue Marble shower accentuates the vanity counter top marble. Under-mount sinks allow for easy counter top cleanup. Glass block incorporated rather than clear glass. AS aging occurs clear glass is hard to detect. Also water spray is not as noticeable. Travertine walls and floors.

Two small storage closets were removed and a wet bar installed in this lower level entertainment room. New carpeting and a slate tile floor replaced the worn carpeting that was original to the home. Two of the four walls and the entire fireplace were rebuilt due to extensive deterioration that had occurred over the years. A microwave convection drawer oven provides a convenient feature for entertaining in this walk out level that leads to the Owner's newly installed pool and outdoor kitchen.

John Bedell Photography
Mid-sized trendy open concept living room photo in San Francisco with white walls and no tv

Distributed by Timspec, Accoya was used chosen as the ideal material to clad a show home in Auckland. Accoya was selected for the black coated weatherboards on the front section of the house, due to its durability and stability benefits. Because of Accoya’s modification technique it is the ideal wood for external cladding such as this. Generally, problems can occur with darker coatings on cladding, due to shrink and swell being exasperated by the solar gain. But, Accoya wood’s superior dimensional stability negates this problem and maintenance intervals are dramatically extended. The cladding needed to be aesthetically pleasing as well as highly durable in order to withstand the extreme climates in New Zealand. Accoya was also chosen due to its rot resistant benefits and its ability to deter insects in these types of environments.

For this project, the clients had two existing decks that they wanted to remodel for a fresh new look. The balcony deck received new premium grade wolmanized decking. We also installed new combination western red cedar railing with Deckorator brand round aluminum balusters. The main deck area needed some substantial re-support work, as well as repair to the existing house framing due to rot that had occurred through the years. We also constructed a new landing and staircases to access the deck. The same decking and railing were used as on the balcony deck. The stairs received Dekor brand l.e.d. lights installed in the western red cedar fascia. The clients now have two new fresh looking decks that are much safer to enjoy the outdoors on. Thank you very much Mr. & Mrs. Crosby for allowing us to re-design your outdoor living spaces!

Project by Studio H:T principal in charge Brad Tomecek (now with Tomecek Studio Architecture). This project tests the theory of bringing high quality design to a prefabricated factory setting. Enrolled in the LEED-Home Pilot, this residence completed certification. The modular home was conceived as two boxes that slide above one another to create outdoor living space and a lower covered rear entry. The passive solar design invites large amounts of light from the south while minimizing openings to the east and west. Factory construction saves both time and costs while reducing waste and using a controlled labor force. Built in a factory north of Denver, the home arrived by flatbed truck in two pieces and was craned into place in about 4 hours providing a fast, sustainable, cost effective alternative to traditional homebuilding techniques. Upgraded lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures, doors, door hardware, windows, tile and bamboo flooring were incorporated into the design. 80% of the residence was completed in the factory in less than 3 weeks and other items were finished on site including the exterior stucco, garage, metal railing and stair. Stack-Slide-Stitch describes the conceptual process of how to tie together two distinct modular boxes. Stack refers to setting one modular directly on top of the other. Slide refers to the action that creates an upper southern deck area while simultaneously providing a covered rear entry area. The stitching or interlocking occurs with the upward extension of the lower volume with the front deck walls and with the rear two story vertical.

An Arts & Crafts Bungalow is one of my favorite styles of homes. We have quite a few of them in our Stockton Mid-Town area. And when C&L called us to help them remodel their 1923 American Bungalow, I was beyond thrilled. As per usual, when we get a new inquiry, we quickly Google the project location while we are talking to you on the phone. My excitement escalated when I saw the Google Earth Image of the sweet Sage Green bungalow in Mid-Town Stockton. "Yes, we would be interested in working with you," I said trying to keep my cool. But what made it even better was meeting C&L and touring their home, because they are the nicest young couple, eager to make their home period perfect. Unfortunately, it had been slightly molested by some bad house-flippers, and we needed to bring the bathroom back to it "roots." We knew we had to banish the hideous brown tile and cheap vanity quickly. But C&L complained about the condensation problems and the constant fight with mold. This immediately told me that improper remodeling had occurred and we needed to remedy that right away. The Before: Frustrations with a Botched Remodel The bathroom needed to be brought back to period appropriate design with all the functionality of a modern bathroom. We thought of things like marble countertop, white mosaic floor tiles, white subway tile, board and batten molding, and of course a fabulous wallpaper. This small (and only) bathroom on a tight budget required a little bit of design sleuthing to figure out how we could get the proper look and feel. Our goal was to determine where to splurge and where to economize and how to complete the remodel as quickly as possible because C&L would have to move out while construction was going on. The Process: Hard Work to Remedy Design and Function During our initial design study, (which included 2 hours in the owners’ home), we noticed framed images of William Morris Arts and Crafts textile patterns and knew this would be our design inspiration. We presented C&L with three options and they quickly selected the Pimpernel Design Concept. We had originally selected the Black and Olive colors with a black vanity, mirror, and black and white floor tile. C&L liked it but weren’t quite sure about the black, We went back to the drawing board and decided the William & Co Pimpernel Wallpaper in Bayleaf and Manilla color with a softer gray painted vanity and mirror and white floor tile was more to their liking. After the Design Concept was approved, we went to work securing the building permit, procuring all the elements, and scheduling our trusted tradesmen to perform the work. We did uncover some shoddy work by the flippers such as live electrical wires hidden behind the wall, plumbing venting cut-off and buried in the walls (hence the constant dampness), the tub barely balancing on two fence boards across the floor joist, and no insulation on the exterior wall. All of the previous blunders were fixed and the bathroom put back to its previous glory. We could feel the house thanking us for making it pretty again. The After Reveal: Cohesive Design Decisions We selected a simple white subway tile for the tub/shower. This is always classic and in keeping with the style of the house. We selected a pre-fab vanity and mirror, but they look rich with the quartz countertop. There is much more storage in this small vanity than you would think. The Transformation: A Period Perfect Refresh We began the remodel just as the pandemic reared and stay-in-place orders went into effect. As C&L were already moved out and living with relatives, we got the go-ahead from city officials to get the work done (after all, how can you shelter in place without a bathroom?). All our tradesmen were scheduled to work so that only one crew was on the job site at a time. We stayed on the original schedule with only a one week delay. The end result is the sweetest little bathroom I've ever seen (and I can't wait to start work on C&L's kitchen next). Thank you for joining me in this project transformation. I hope this inspired you to think about being creative with your design projects, determining what works best in keeping with the architecture of your space, and carefully assessing how you can have the best life in your home.

Photography by Corgan.

In this multi-phase renovation of an existing French Country Manor home along the lake, a total reconfiguration of the spatial organization occurred in order to support a growing family. The manor was completely transformed when the exterior materials were upgraded to include a variety of siding and wooden detailing, and beautiful indoor-outdoor living and entertaining spaces were created. Developing a unified program layout for the home not only made the spaces work well together, but it created a complete sense of integrated family living. With the primary living spaces flowing seamlessly together, a stronger connection to the lake and the outdoors was possible. Light colors were chosen for the interior color palette, which complement the light wood accents that were pulled throughout the home, and react with the large natural stone fireplace and chimney located at the heart of the structure. Photographer: MTA

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.

Distributed by Timspec, Accoya was used chosen as the ideal material to clad a show home in Auckland. Accoya was selected for the black coated weatherboards on the front section of the house, due to its durability and stability benefits. Because of Accoya’s modification technique it is the ideal wood for external cladding such as this. Generally, problems can occur with darker coatings on cladding, due to shrink and swell being exasperated by the solar gain. But, Accoya wood’s superior dimensional stability negates this problem and maintenance intervals are dramatically extended. The cladding needed to be aesthetically pleasing as well as highly durable in order to withstand the extreme climates in New Zealand. Accoya was also chosen due to its rot resistant benefits and its ability to deter insects in these types of environments.

Blue stain pine made a wonderful choice for a cozy basement space in this rustic home. Ponderosa pine blue stain tongue and groove really is a one-of-a-kind selection for paneling and/or ceiling paneling, along with a variety of other uses. Its natural color gives it the appearance of being stained, but of course it really isn’t so no labor or maintenance is necessary to achieve the look. This blue stain is a sort of naturally occurring phenomenon that we get when Pine Beetles burrow into regular pine trees and inhabit the wood for a period of time, until the tree dies and they move on; the blue color of blue stain pine is a byproduct of the Pine Beetles’ presence. This lumber would need to be harvested anyway, so being able to put it to use in beautiful interior applications is a huge bonus to the environment.

Blue stain pine made a wonderful choice for a cozy basement space in this rustic home. Ponderosa pine blue stain tongue and groove really is a one-of-a-kind selection for paneling and/or ceiling paneling, along with a variety of other uses. Its natural color gives it the appearance of being stained, but of course it really isn’t so no labor or maintenance is necessary to achieve the look. This blue stain is a sort of naturally occurring phenomenon that we get when Pine Beetles burrow into regular pine trees and inhabit the wood for a period of time, until the tree dies and they move on; the blue color of blue stain pine is a byproduct of the Pine Beetles’ presence. This lumber would need to be harvested anyway, so being able to put it to use in beautiful interior applications is a huge bonus to the environment.