Butterfly Milkweed / Asclepias tuberosa

Left condo has gorgeous Hunter Douglas Nantucket sheer shades in the upper and lower windows facing the street. Condo on the right has typical 2" blinds. Their blinds must be closed for privacy. The Nantuckets still offer daytime privacy even with the vanes completely open! And look how much nicer they look from the street.

Topsider patio houses, like this one, are ideal for one-level retirement homes, guest houses, vacation homes and much more. Typically built slab-on-grade or on a crawl-space foundation, Topsider offers dozens of online patio home plan ideas - from small houses with 475 sq. ft. to luxury homes exceeding 8,000 sq. ft. See more of this house - http://www.topsiderhomes.com/phototour-interim-page-11.php

Castillo Remodeling are professional general contractors in Palo Alto with more than a decade of experience in the industry. We are one of the few companies to offer specialized services for home addition and home remodeling in Palo Alto. If you are looking for reliable home remodeling services in Palo Alto, then you can always count on us. Home Remodeling in Palo Alto, CA - http://www.castilloremodeling.com/

Moroccan Fish Scales are a stunning way to add character and beauty to a space in a unique way. This blue-green color has a gorgeous range of variation with just one glaze. Large Moroccan Fish Scales - 1017E Sea Mist

A typical Parisian apartment kitchen is small but stylish, often featuring a vintage aesthetic and well-equipped with high-quality cookware and appliances. Despite their compact size, Parisian kitchens prioritize fresh ingredients and offer a charming and functional space to cook and enjoy food.

Castillo Remodeling are professional general contractors in Palo Alto with more than a decade of experience in the industry. We are one of the few companies to offer specialized services for home addition and home remodeling in Palo Alto. If you are looking for reliable home remodeling services in Palo Alto, then you can always count on us. Home Remodeling in Palo Alto, CA - http://www.castilloremodeling.com/

Castillo Remodeling are professional general contractors in Palo Alto with more than a decade of experience in the industry. We are one of the few companies to offer specialized services for home addition and home remodeling in Palo Alto. If you are looking for reliable home remodeling services in Palo Alto, then you can always count on us. Home Remodeling in Palo Alto, CA - http://www.castilloremodeling.com/

A down-to-the-studs remodel and second floor addition, we converted this former ranch house into a light-filled home designed and built to suit contemporary family life, with no more or less than needed. Craftsman details distinguish the new interior and exterior, and douglas fir wood trim offers warmth and character on the inside. Photography by Takashi Fukuda. https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/contemporary-craftsman/

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects and Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Designed and built a new warm, modern, Eichler-inspired, open, indoor-outdoor home on a deeper-than-usual San Mateo Highlands property where an original Eichler house had burned to the ground. The owners wanted multi-generational living and larger spaces than the original home offered, but all parties agreed that the house should respect the neighborhood and blend in stylistically with the other Eichlers. At first the Klopf team considered re-using what little was left of the original home and expanding on it. But after discussions with the owner and builder, all parties agreed that the last few remaining elements of the house were not practical to re-use, so Klopf Architecture designed a new home that pushes the Eichler approach in new directions. One disadvantage of Eichler production homes is that the house designs were not optimized for each specific lot. A new custom home offered the team a chance to start over. In this case, a longer house that opens up sideways to the south fit the lot better than the original square-ish house that used to open to the rear (west). Accordingly, the Klopf team designed an L-shaped “bar” house with a large glass wall with large sliding glass doors that faces sideways instead of to the rear like a typical Eichler. This glass wall opens to a pool and landscaped yard designed by Arterra Landscape Architects. Driving by the house, one might assume at first glance it is an Eichler because of the horizontality, the overhanging flat roof eaves, the dark gray vertical siding, and orange solid panel front door, but the house is designed for the 21st Century and is not meant to be a “Likeler.” You won't see any posts and beams in this home. Instead, the ceiling decking is a western red cedar that covers over all the beams. Like Eichlers, this cedar runs continuously from inside to out, enhancing the indoor / outdoor feeling of the house, but unlike Eichlers it conceals a cavity for lighting, wiring, and insulation. Ceilings are higher, rooms are larger and more open, the master bathroom is light-filled and more generous, with a separate tub and shower and a separate toilet compartment, and there is plenty of storage. The garage even easily fits two of today's vehicles with room to spare. A massive 49-foot by 12-foot wall of glass and the continuity of materials from inside to outside enhance the inside-outside living concept, so the owners and their guests can flow freely from house to pool deck to BBQ to pool and back. During construction in the rough framing stage, Klopf thought the front of the house appeared too tall even though the house had looked right in the design renderings (probably because the house is uphill from the street). So Klopf Architecture paid the framer to change the roofline from how we had designed it to be lower along the front, allowing the home to blend in better with the neighborhood. One project goal was for people driving up the street to pass the home without immediately noticing there is an "imposter" on this lot, and making that change was essential to achieve that goal. This 2,606 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom Eichler-inspired new house is located in San Mateo in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Contractor: Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Photography ©2016 Mariko Reed Location: San Mateo, CA Year completed: 2016

The living room in a typical Parisian apartment is often characterized by its elegant and sophisticated design. The room is usually spacious, with high ceilings, large windows, and ornate moldings. The decor is typically chic and stylish, with a mix of antique and modern furnishings, and a color palette that ranges from muted neutrals to bold jewel tones. A central fireplace or chandelier may add a touch of luxury to the space. French doors may open onto a balcony or terrace, offering views of the cityscape. Overall, the living room in a Parisian apartment is a space that embodies the city's reputation for beauty and refinement.

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

The living room in a typical Parisian apartment is often characterized by its elegant and sophisticated design. The room is usually spacious, with high ceilings, large windows, and ornate moldings. The decor is typically chic and stylish, with a mix of antique and modern furnishings, and a color palette that ranges from muted neutrals to bold jewel tones. A central fireplace or chandelier may add a touch of luxury to the space. French doors may open onto a balcony or terrace, offering views of the cityscape. Overall, the living room in a Parisian apartment is a space that embodies the city's reputation for beauty and refinement.

SeaThru is a new, waterfront, modern home. SeaThru was inspired by the mid-century modern homes from our area, known as the Sarasota School of Architecture. This homes designed to offer more than the standard, ubiquitous rear-yard waterfront outdoor space. A central courtyard offer the residents a respite from the heat that accompanies west sun, and creates a gorgeous intermediate view fro guest staying in the semi-attached guest suite, who can actually SEE THROUGH the main living space and enjoy the bay views. Noble materials such as stone cladding, oak floors, composite wood louver screens and generous amounts of glass lend to a relaxed, warm-contemporary feeling not typically common to these types of homes. Photos by Ryan Gamma Photography

This dreamy master bath remodel in East Cobb offers generous space without going overboard in square footage. The homeowner chose to go with a large double vanity with a custom seated space as well as a nice shower with custom features and decided to forgo the typical big soaking tub. The vanity area shown in the photos has plenty of storage within the wall cabinets and the large drawers below. The countertop is Cedar Brown slab marble with undermount sinks. The brushed nickel metal details were done to work with the theme through out the home. The floor is a 12x24 honed Crema Marfil. The stunning crystal chandelier draws the eye up and adds to the simplistic glamour of the bath. The shower was done with an elegant combination of tumbled and polished Crema Marfil, two rows of Emperador Light inlay and Mirage Glass Tiles, Flower Series, Polished.

This tiny condo had this space available for the clients existing dining table & seating...set for an intimate meal for two with custom blinds for the back drop. These blinds were made of a beautifully textured, sheer fabric that offered a contemporary soft touch that is much more interesting than typical metal white blinds typically found as generic window coverings. The gorgeous, plush carpet freshly laid throughout complemented the custom window covering amazingly!

The master bedroom in a Parisian apartment is often a luxurious and functional space that is carefully designed to provide residents with a comfortable retreat. With attention paid to every detail, these rooms are typically spacious and airy, featuring a blend of classic and contemporary decor. One of the defining features of master bedrooms in Paris apartments is their emphasis on functionality, with ample storage space and often an en-suite bathroom with modern fixtures and luxurious amenities. The decor is typically elegant and sophisticated, with plush bedding, ornate molding, and tasteful artwork. Overall, the master bedroom in a Parisian apartment is the ultimate in luxury and comfort, offering a welcoming retreat for residents to unwind and recharge in style.

A David Hyun designed Santa Monica classic from late 50’s. ML-Designs carefully reinterpreted the kitchen in the spirit of architect, Hyun’s Japanese inspired creation. Simple European cabinets offer clean lines and light-weight architecture. The functional layout of this kitchen make it a chef's dream. There is plenty of storage for all the necessary kitchen gadgets. High-end Gaggenau cooktops offer excellent functionality with a sleek, modern style. Separating the individual burners offers plenty of space for cooking in multiple larger pans. A large appliance garage hides all the typical kitchen clutter to keep the open kitchen clean & organized.

A David Hyun designed Santa Monica classic from late 50’s. ML-Designs carefully reinterpreted the kitchen in the spirit of architect, Hyun’s Japanese inspired creation. Simple European cabinets offer clean lines and light-weight architecture. The functional layout of this kitchen make it a chef's dream. There is plenty of storage for all the necessary kitchen gadgets. High-end Gaggenau cooktops offer excellent functionality with a sleek, modern style. Separating the individual burners offers plenty of space for cooking in multiple larger pans. A large appliance garage hides all the typical kitchen clutter to keep the open kitchen clean & organized.