Mid-sized eclectic u-shaped concrete floor and red floor enclosed kitchen photo in Toronto with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, solid surface countertops, gray backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances, no island and white countertops

The owners requested that their home harmonize with the spirit of the surrounding Colorado mountain setting and enhance their outdoor recreational lifestyle - while reflecting their contemporary architectural tastes. The site was burdened with a myriad of strict design criteria enforced by the neighborhood covenants and architectural review board. Creating a distinct design challenge, the covenants included a narrow interpretation of a “mountain style” home which established predetermined roof pitches, glazing percentages and material palettes - at direct odds with the client‘s vision of a flat-roofed, glass, “contemporary” home. Our solution finds inspiration and opportunities within the site covenant’s strict definitions. It promotes and celebrates the client’s outdoor lifestyle and resolves the definition of a contemporary “mountain style” home by reducing the architecture to its most basic vernacular forms and relying upon local materials. The home utilizes a simple base, middle and top that echoes the surrounding mountains and vegetation. The massing takes its cues from the prevalent lodgepole pine trees that grow at the mountain’s high altitudes. These pine trees have a distinct growth pattern, highlighted by a single vertical trunk and a peaked, densely foliated growth zone above a sparse base. This growth pattern is referenced by placing the wood-clad body of the home at the second story above an open base composed of wood posts and glass. A simple peaked roof rests lightly atop the home - visually floating above a triangular glass transom. The home itself is neatly inserted amongst an existing grove of lodgepole pines and oriented to take advantage of panoramic views of the adjacent meadow and Continental Divide beyond. The main functions of the house are arranged into public and private areas and this division is made apparent on the home’s exterior. Two large roof forms, clad in pre-patinated zinc, are separated by a sheltering central deck - which signals the main entry to the home. At this connection, the roof deck is opened to allow a cluster of aspen trees to grow – further reinforcing nature as an integral part of arrival. Outdoor living spaces are provided on all levels of the house and are positioned to take advantage of sunrise and sunset moments. The distinction between interior and exterior space is blurred via the use of large expanses of glass. The dry stacked stone base and natural cedar cladding both reappear within the home’s interior spaces. This home offers a unique solution to the client’s requests while satisfying the design requirements of the neighborhood covenants. The house provides a variety of indoor and outdoor living spaces that can be utilized in all seasons. Most importantly, the house takes its cues directly from its natural surroundings and local building traditions to become a prototype solution for the “modern mountain house”. Overview Ranch Creek Ranch Winter Park, Colorado Completion Date October, 2007 Services Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture

Photography by Jim Tetro This house, built in the 1960s, sits southfacing on a terrific wooded lot in Bethesda, Maryland. The owners desire a whole-house renovation which would improve the general building fabric and systems, and extend the sense of living out of doors in all seasons. The original sixties-modern character is preserved and the renovation extends the design forward into a contemporary, modern approach. Connections to and through the site are enhanced through the creation of new larger window and door openings. Screened porches and decks perch above the sloped and wooded site. The new kitchen and bathrooms allow for opportunities to feel out-of -doors while preparing, cooking, dining, and bathing. Smart passive strategies guide the environmental choices for this project, including envelope improvements, updated mechanical systems, and on-site stormwater management.

The best way to dry out your shower stall is to blow it dry. The only truly foolproof way to make certain your shower stall is completely dry after every shower is to blow it dry with Airmada, the built-in shower drying system that blasts forced air through a series of Air-jet nozzles integrated into the ceiling of your shower stall. Airmada blows powerful jets of air directly down into the shower stall from above. This jet airstream blows water off of all of the shower walls and also the shower floor and down into the drain. The result is a completely dry shower with virtually no opportunity for mold growth and no wet, humid after-smell. And all you do is flip a switch, which can even be on a timer. Airmada is designed to be built directly into the ceiling of your shower. six to twelve (depending on size of your shower) Air-jet brass nozzles set flush to the ceiling surface. A hidden-behind-the -walls plumbing system is hooked to Airmada's quiet AirMax blower with 2" plumbing. The AirMax blower can be located virtually anywhere. Airmada is clean and simple. it uses just air to solve a problem-wet and moldy showers-that has required ongoing diligence with a squeegee and/or the laundering of wet towels in the past. Finally there is an opportunity to break the mold and stave off the repercussions of wet showers with jet powered air and Airmada! The Airmada pocket door/steam shower Airmada Air-Jet technology also allows for the revolutionary new Airmada Pocket Door, a slide-in door that replaces the traditional swinging shower door thereby freeing up space in your bathroom. it also allows you to turn your shower into a combination walk-in shower/steam shower as the door can create a full shower seal. This walk-in/steam shower can be accompanied by either a flush or raised threshold Contact ron@tuckercline.com for pricing and more details.

The Tanglewood is a Donald A. Gardner plan with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. This 2,500 square foot home is near completion and custom built in Grey Fox Forest in Shelby, NC. Like the Smart Construction, Inc. Facebook page or follow us on Instagram at scihomes.dream.build.live to follow the progress of other Craftsman Style homes. DREAM. BUILD. LIVE. www.smartconstructionhomes.com

Photo: Mary Prince © 2015 Houzz
Bathroom - coastal bathroom idea in Boston

Mountain style staircase photo in San Diego

We had the opportunity to come alongside this homeowner and demo an old cottage and rebuild this new year-round home for them. We worked hard to keep an authentic feel to the lake and fit the home nicely to the space. ​ We focused on a small footprint and, through specific design choices, achieved a layout the homeowner loved. A major goal was to have the kitchen, dining, and living all walk out at the lake level. We also managed to sneak a master suite into this level (check out that ceiling!).

Masland Tristan stair runner fabricated in New Rochelle
Example of a classic staircase design in New York

Kirk Bianchi created this resort like setting for a couple from Mexico City. They were looking for a contemporary twist on traditional themes, and Luis Barragán was the inspiration. The outer walls were painted a darker color to recede, while floating panels of color and varying heights provided sculptural interest and opportunities for lighting and shadow.

We swapped the location of the slider and the 3 windows seen on the left of the deck. A slider used to be in place of those windows but was unsafe with no exit and not up to current codes. We saw an opportunity to swap the location of the window and slider. The sink now sits in front of those windows and the slider offers great indoor/outdoor access from the main living area, onto the new deck.

This project was a wonderful opportunity to work with a client whose vision was clear! She used furnishings from Ethan Allen as the foundation for the project, but went on to use her creativity to complete a wonderfully unique Nautical/Coastal living area.

When designing this beautiful kitchen, we knew that our client’s favorite color was blue. Upon entering the home, it was easy to see that great care had been taken to incorporate the color blue throughout. So, when our Designer Sherry knew that our client wanted an island, she jumped at the opportunity to add a pop of color to their kitchen. Having a kitchen island can be a great opportunity to showcase an accent color that you love or serve as a way to showcase your style and personality. Our client chose a bold saturated blue which draws the eye into the kitchen. Shadow Storm Marble countertops, 3x6 Bianco Polished Marble backsplash and Waypoint Painted Linen floor to ceiling cabinets brighten up the space and add contrast. Arabescato Carrara Herringbone Marble was used to add a design element above the range. The major renovations performed on this kitchen included: A peninsula work top and a small island in the middle of the room for the range was removed. A set of double ovens were also removed in order for the range to be moved against the wall to allow the middle of the kitchen to open up for the installment of the large island. Placing the island parallel to the sink, opened up the kitchen to the family room and made it more inviting.

When we arrived at this kitchen in Solebury it was dated and closed in. A center peninsula divided the space and a wall at the end separated a tiny dining room. We completely redesigned the layout by removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room and adding a window to gain some natural light. The homeowners loved the rich cranberry color but struggled to integrate it without overwhelming the space with red. The window treatments and floor to ceiling pantry gave us the perfect opportunity to accent the color palette throughout the room. Some open shelving and a chair rail along the top of the backsplash allow for decoration and keep the counters clutter free. This quickly became one of our favorite kitchen renovations simply because of the dramatic changes we were able to make

Cottage home design photo in St Louis

Exterior forms are emphasized with glass and fiber-cement panels at the top level, soaring over and sheltering containers clad in tougher, leathery Corten Steel at the ground level. Exposed concrete walls and rock-filled gabion retaining was selected to anchor the partially day-lighted basement level and garages to the land. Materials were chosen to be low-maintenance, relatively inexpensive, and to contrast the volumes that express the interior spaces.

Single family homes in Los Gatos, CA. Sorellas: a limited opportunity of 17 luxury single family homes with 3-5 bedrooms, 3.5-5 bathrooms in approximately 3,600-4,900 square feet in the coveted hills of Los Gatos

Everything we use to build your home is made of quality materials. Right down to the first thing you touch. The front entry handleset. We would love the opportunity to work with you to build a home we can all be proud of. It's what we have been doing for years and we have a long list of happy customers. Choose DesBuild Construction.