Photo: Sarah Greenman © 2014 Houzz
Eclectic home office photo in Dallas

The brand new reception/lobby area for Health Source Chiropractic.
Entryway - rustic entryway idea in Minneapolis

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Small urban concrete side porch photo in New York

Master Bedroom with Red Bed Frame and custom drapery and bedding.
Bedroom - traditional master light wood floor bedroom idea in Charlotte

Photo Credit: Warren Patterson
Mid-sized trendy freestanding desk gray floor and concrete floor home studio photo in Boston with white walls, a wood stove and a metal fireplace

Atherton has many large substantial homes - our clients purchased an existing home on a one acre flag-shaped lot and asked us to design a new dream home for them. The result is a new 7,000 square foot four-building complex consisting of the main house, six-car garage with two car lifts, pool house with a full one bedroom residence inside, and a separate home office /work out gym studio building. A fifty-foot swimming pool was also created with fully landscaped yards. Given the rectangular shape of the lot, it was decided to angle the house to incoming visitors slightly so as to more dramatically present itself. The house became a classic u-shaped home but Feng Shui design principals were employed directing the placement of the pool house to better contain the energy flow on the site. The main house entry door is then aligned with a special Japanese red maple at the end of a long visual axis at the rear of the site. These angles and alignments set up everything else about the house design and layout, and views from various rooms allow you to see into virtually every space tracking movements of others in the home. The residence is simply divided into two wings of public use, kitchen and family room, and the other wing of bedrooms, connected by the living and dining great room. Function drove the exterior form of windows and solid walls with a line of clerestory windows which bring light into the middle of the large home. Extensive sun shadow studies with 3D tree modeling led to the unorthodox placement of the pool to the north of the home, but tree shadow tracking showed this to be the sunniest area during the entire year. Sustainable measures included a full 7.1kW solar photovoltaic array technically making the house off the grid, and arranged so that no panels are visible from the property. A large 16,000 gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of tanks buried below grade was installed. The home is California GreenPoint rated and also features sealed roof soffits and a sealed crawlspace without the usual venting. A whole house computer automation system with server room was installed as well. Heating and cooling utilize hot water radiant heated concrete and wood floors supplemented by heat pump generated heating and cooling. A compound of buildings created to form balanced relationships between each other, this home is about circulation, light and a balance of form and function. Photo by Philip Liang Photography.

A pair of world travelers with a deep love of Japan asked JMMDS to design a Japanese-inspired landscape that would complement the contemporary renovation of their home in Edinburgh, Scotland. JMMDS created a plan that included a handsome cut-stone patio, meandering stepping stone paths, sweeping bed lines, stony mounds, a grassy pool of space, and swaths of elegant plantings. JMMDS was on site during the installation to craft the mounds and place the plants and stones. Julie Moir Messervy set out the ancient pieces of gneiss from Scotland’s Isle of Lewis. With the planting design, JMMDS sought to evoke the feeling of a traditional Japanese garden using locally suitable plants. The designers and clients visited nurseries in search of distinctive plant specimens, including cloud-pruned hollies, craggy pines, Japanese maples of varied color and habit, and a particularly notable Japanese snowbell tree. Beneath these, they laid drifts of sedges, hellebores, European gingers, ferns, and Solomon’s Seal. Evergreen azaleas, juniper, rhododendrons, and hebe were clustered around the lawn. JMMDS placed bamboos within root-controlled patio beds and planted mondo grass, sedums, and mosses among the stepping stones. Project designers: Julie Moir Messervy, Principal; Erica Bowman, Senior Landscape Architect Collaborators: Helen Lucas Architects, Steven Ogilvie (garden installers) Photography: Angus Bremner

A Distinctive Bay Area Architecture Firm Best of Houzz Architects & Building Designers Contact: Rob Stiles, AIA Location: 3906 Cerrito Avenue Oakland, CA 94611

Small elegant gray one-story mixed siding gable roof photo in Charleston

Photography by David O. Marlow
Inspiration for a huge contemporary l-shaped porcelain tile and gray floor open concept kitchen remodel in Seattle with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and gray countertops

Customer's of mine bought their three year old son a race car toddler bed to support his current interests for Christmas. Before that his room was themed for nursery, designed with tree and monkey which is great for infants, but would no longer fit their new ideas. The homeowners also requested a time effective solution so we collaborated with one another and came up with the following Plan: I used the remaining paint from the original application to cover over the old work. This was the largest time savor in that the crib would be the only piece of furniture required to be moved. Prior to we agreed that subtlety was something we wanted to hold onto as much as possible. So I painted a running checker border, using only the accent color to the car and the original wall color rather than introducing an additional color which would have resulted in a louder feel. I designed the drag light as a teaching friendly tool. Building it with triangles at its base, rectangles within and circle silhouettes so that the toddler can easily identify with it's shapes. Using his current age I assigned him his first racing number and closed out this one day transformation with the finish line flag.

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in New York

A line of Sweet Bay give privacy while blueberry shrubs add a different color and texture along with edible fruit. The sculpture sits by a Raised Vegetable bed for family grown produce. A small lawn is a great place for children to play while adults lounge on a new patio. Installed by Lifescape Custom Design

Warren Patterson Photography
Inspiration for a transitional u-shaped kitchen remodel in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

We used: Custom cherry cabinetry in Arts & Crafts Shaker style by Kabinart in Boulder and Espresso stains. Liberty Hardware Venetian bronze 1-1/2" cabinet knobs. KitchenAid Architect II Series 22 CF counter-depth French door refrigerator. KitchenAid Architect Series II 27" convection single wall oven. KitchenAid 36" 6-burner dual fuel freestanding commercial-style range. KitchenAid Architect II Series 24" dishwasher. Sharp Insight Pro Series 24" built-in microwave drawer (Model #KB6524PS). Crystorama Solaris 12" wide pendant lights in English bronze. Granite countertops in Brown Fantasy. 3"x6" polished marble backsplash. Paint colors: Walls: Glidden Silver Cloud 30YY 63/024 Ceilings/Trims/Doors: Glidden Swan White GLC23 Robert B. Narod Photography

Contemporary kitchens are characterized by minimalist details, sleek surfaces, and clean lines. They come in different designs and range from simple to complex. If you are looking for a kitchen with modern design details, look no further than the Majestic Kitchen by L’Ottocento. It has a fresh style that redesigns spaces to create continuity between the kitchen and living area. Its continuous and seamless surfaces create a streamlined look you will simply love. The contemporary kitchen comes in neutral hues which add plenty of warmth and interest. Perfect for every taste and preference, the Majestic Kitchen by L’Ottocento is what modern design is all about. It showcases new ways of using materials such as wood and stainless steel. It can be fitted both indoors and outdoors and looks spectacular anywhere. If you have ample outdoor space, install the kitchen there and entertain your friends in style. Majestic comes with open shelves to keep your daily dishes neat and on hand. It will help you to make the most of your time in the kitchen. If you are tired of your traditional kitchen and longing for a change, get the Majestic Kitchen by L’Ottocento. It will take the chill out of your space and create a perfect setting for cooking. While it is simple in appearance, it is far from stark and boring. It is the perfect spot to create new recipes, make heartwarming soups, or teach your young ones how to cook. Does the Majestic Kitchen appeal to your taste?

Inspiration for a timeless kitchen remodel in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink

RedHanded Photography
Example of a transitional home office design in Vancouver