Search results for "Optimise" in Home Design Ideas

Whether you're preparing a Thanksgiving feast or grabbing breakfast on the go as you whirl out the door to work, having a highly functional kitchen requires an upfront attention to design detail that borders on fanatical. That's why Colorado Fine Woodworks' kitchen cabinet projects include an in-depth discussion about how you actually use your kitchen. Left-handed or right-handed? Doors or drawers? Concealing or revealing? We ask all the questions, listen to your answers, take our own measurements onsite, create 3D drawings, manage installation, and collaborate with you to ensure even the smallest elements are carefully considered. And, of course, we also make it beautiful, whether your tastes tend toward traditional or contemporary, incorporating influences from elegant to rustic to reclaimed.
Our work is:
- exclusively custom, built EXACTLY to the specifications of your kitchen
- designed to optimize every square inch, with no fillers or dead spaces
- crafted to highlight or hide any feature you wish - including your appliances
- thoughtfully and thoroughly plotted, from hinges to hardware

Really fun project featuring:
Drystack retaining walls using 14 tons of Cabinet Gorge wall block
Juniper raised beds, stained
Pergola, stain
Irregular Flagstone Patio 165 sq foot Bluestone featuring many extra large pieces
Cut bluestone risers for main stair case
Raspberry Trellis
Cucumber/squash trellis
Galvanized Horse Trough Planters, both oblong and circular, including a double stacked one in lower area.
200+ foot long fence extension + gate.
Wetland buffer planting of both ornamental and edible varieties of plants
4 zone, complete automatic drip system with micro valve (manual) controls on all beds

This beautiful North Vancouver home belongs to a nature-loving and health-conscious couple, Emma and Vince (names changed), their two young children, and their dog, Jasper. When they contacted us about renovating and furnishing their kitchen and family room, we walked in and saw a world of potential waiting to be uncovered.
Before: Larkhall Crescent Home:
Like many original North Vancouver homes, the interior was definitely dated. We encountered late ‘80s finishes in powder pink and teal green, old carpet, and a kitchen that wasn’t maximized to suit this family’s modern-day lifestyle. However, the size of the rooms offered us a ton of space with which to get creative.
Knowing our clients’ love of cooking, need for work spaces (Emma and Vince both work remotely), and growing family, we developed a design concept that would increase usable space, optimize storage, and create intimacy in this large area. As for the style, we were inspired by their European roots, inventing a new and modern take on “Belgian Farmhouse” style. Now, the home is truly one-of-a-kind.
After: Warm & Cozy Family Room:
Fresh, bright, and comfortable, this living area has been transformed! We started with the fireplace as a focal point, selecting aged brick tiles for added texture and a crisp wood mantle. The taupe-coloured sectional infuses the room with visual warmth and serves the added purpose of separating the family room from the kitchen.
Emma and Vince were also keen on using non-toxic materials in their home, and we were happy to oblige. To meet their needs, we sourced natural wood elements and sought out Canadian-made products - that adhere to high health standards - whenever possible.
Look closer at the elements of this space, and you will find this stunning, honeycomb-patterned rug in earthy gold, beige, and charcoal tones. It’s plush to the touch and full of visual texture that brings this room’s colour palette together. We sourced these two-tone chairs with caning, petrified wood side table, black sconces, and botanical prints in greyscale from local artist, Heather Johnston.
We topped off the space with this dark wood and rattan console that offers storage facing the kitchen and presents an opportunity to display cherished items. The result is a cozy lounging space brimming with comfort and functionality. It’s perfect for enjoying quality family time, or Emma can simply slide the coffee table away to make room for her morning yoga practice.
Now, let’s turn around and give some attention to the kitchen. Do you remember what the original kitchen looked like? If not, scroll back up, because the transformation is shocking…
Moody & Welcoming Kitchen for Healthy Living:
This kitchen looks very different from how it started, right? Though we didn’t touch any walls, the kitchen has almost doubled in usable space! We created a long, extended island with storage, an outlet for small appliances, and seating for comfortable prep, after-school snacking, or mingling among friends.
On the other side of the island, the family has even more storage and an integrated dishwasher within easy reach of the sink, perfect for quick clean-up. From this angle, you can also see the expansive custom Shaker cabinetry in white and the integrated double ovens. These facilitate their cooking experience and gave us the opportunity to add an additional surprise…
A coffee garage station and more hidden storage! Keeping these items located along the perimeter allows them to be accessed by the family or their guests without someone getting under the cook’s feet. These are the little details that make everyday life easier and more enjoyable.
Moving deeper into the kitchen, the seamless induction cooktop topped with a freestanding concealed hood fan commands attention in a soft yet prominent way. The natural wood accent mirrors the fireplace mantle, and the choice of off-black wood-grain cabinets not only continues our black-and-white colour palette but adds a sense of depth and contrast. The corner sink is located to the right and perfectly positioned with a view of their thriving backyard.
To invite more of this family’s character into the space, we mixed metals for interest — matte black, dark pewter, and warm brass — and created open shelves in white oak for their plants and decor. You can also glimpse the tumbled edge of the backsplash tile, which echoes the rustic brick of the fireplace. It adds that farmhouse charm while still feeling timeless and sophisticated.
Last but not least, we designed this dining banquette in the bay window (with integrated bench storage, of course), where the family can share a meal together, the kids can do homework, or Emma and Vince can work and enjoy a change of scenery from their offices. Like the other spaces in the home, it was designed to be beautiful, multi-functional, and long-lasting.
Praise from Our Clients:
It is clear that we love this home, but what did our clients have to say?
“Lori is a visionary and masters execution to the finest detail all at the same time. When she first met us to know more about who we are and how we live, she could right away envision how we could use the space in our kitchen and living room…The results exceeded our expectations.
Lori and her team were also a delight to work with — coordination with all the trades, fast problem-solving, regular updates, professional and friendly attitude of her entire team — made it the dream team. Thank you SHD for making our space so beautiful!”
In turn, we are so grateful for this family’s trust, their open communication, and for being wonderful people with whom to work. (So, thank you!)
Find the right local pro for your project

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 client’s brief was to create a space reminiscent of their beloved downtown Chicago industrial loft, in a rural farm setting, while incorporating their unique collection of vintage and architectural salvage. The result is a custom designed space that blends life on the farm with an industrial sensibility.
The new house is located on approximately the same footprint as the original farm house on the property. Barely visible from the road due to the protection of conifer trees and a long driveway, the house sits on the edge of a field with views of the neighbouring 60 acre farm and creek that runs along the length of the property.
The main level open living space is conceived as a transparent social hub for viewing the landscape. Large sliding glass doors create strong visual connections with an adjacent barn on one end and a mature black walnut tree on the other.
The house is situated to optimize views, while at the same time protecting occupants from blazing summer sun and stiff winter winds. The wall to wall sliding doors on the south side of the main living space provide expansive views to the creek, and allow for breezes to flow throughout. The wrap around aluminum louvered sun shade tempers the sun.
The subdued exterior material palette is defined by horizontal wood siding, standing seam metal roofing and large format polished concrete blocks.
The interiors were driven by the owners’ desire to have a home that would properly feature their unique vintage collection, and yet have a modern open layout. Polished concrete floors and steel beams on the main level set the industrial tone and are paired with a stainless steel island counter top, backsplash and industrial range hood in the kitchen. An old drinking fountain is built-in to the mudroom millwork, carefully restored bi-parting doors frame the library entrance, and a vibrant antique stained glass panel is set into the foyer wall allowing diffused coloured light to spill into the hallway. Upstairs, refurbished claw foot tubs are situated to view the landscape.
The double height library with mezzanine serves as a prominent feature and quiet retreat for the residents. The white oak millwork exquisitely displays the homeowners’ vast collection of books and manuscripts. The material palette is complemented by steel counter tops, stainless steel ladder hardware and matte black metal mezzanine guards. The stairs carry the same language, with white oak open risers and stainless steel woven wire mesh panels set into a matte black steel frame.
The overall effect is a truly sublime blend of an industrial modern aesthetic punctuated by personal elements of the owners’ storied life.
Photography: James Brittain

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

You can go over some of our award winner Interior Design pictures and see all different projects created with most exclusive products available today.
Modern Interior Designs in Miami FL. by J Design Group in Miami.
Home is an incredible or lovely place where most of the people feel comfortable. Yes..! After a long and hectic day, house is the one place where you can relax. Gone are the days, when a “home” meant just a ceiling with four walls. Yes..! That's true, but nowadays a “house” is something beyond your expectation. Therefore, most of the people hire “premises decoration” services.
Nowadays, unlike old-age properties, various new apartments and homes are built to optimize the comfort of modern housing. Yes...! Everyone knows that “Home Decoration” is considered to be one of the most important and hottest trends all over the world. This is an amazing process of using creativity, imaginations and skills. Through this, you can make your house and any other building interesting and amazing. However, if you are looking for these kinds of services for your premises, then “J Design Group” is here just for you.
We are the one that provides renovation services to you so that you can make a building actually look like a house. Yes..! Other ordinary organizations who actually focus on the colors and other decorative items of any space, but we provide all these solutions efficiently. Creative and talented Contemporary Interior Designer under each and every requirement of our precious clients and provide different solutions accordingly. We provide all these services in commercial, residential and industrial sector like homes, restaurants, hotels, corporate facilities and financial institutions remodeling service.
Everyone knows that renovation is the one that makes a building actually look like a house. That's true “design” is the one that complement each and every section of a particular space. So, if you want to change the look of your interior within your budget, then Miami Interior Designers are here just for you. Our experts carefully understand your needs and design an outline plan before rendering outstanding solutions to you.
Interior design decorators of our firm have the potential and appropriate knowledge to decorate any kind of building. We render various reliable and credible solutions to our esteemed customers so that they can easily change the entire ambiance of their premises.
J Design Group – Miami Interior Designers Firm – Modern – Contemporary
Contact us: 305-444-4611
www.JDesignGroup.com
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225 Malaga Ave.
Coral Gable, FL 33134
http://www.JDesignGroup.com
Call us at: 305.444.4611
Your friendly professional Interior design firm in Miami Florida.

This photo: An oyster-stone porcelain-tile floor from Facings of America grounds the master bathroom, which features a custom floating vanity showcasing a Duravit sink minimally adorned with Graff fixtures and flanked by Tech Lighting's Manette Grande pendants. Overhead, clerestory windows ensure privacy while allowing in natural light.
Positioned near the base of iconic Camelback Mountain, “Outside In” is a modernist home celebrating the love of outdoor living Arizonans crave. The design inspiration was honoring early territorial architecture while applying modernist design principles.
Dressed with undulating negra cantera stone, the massing elements of “Outside In” bring an artistic stature to the project’s design hierarchy. This home boasts a first (never seen before feature) — a re-entrant pocketing door which unveils virtually the entire home’s living space to the exterior pool and view terrace.
A timeless chocolate and white palette makes this home both elegant and refined. Oriented south, the spectacular interior natural light illuminates what promises to become another timeless piece of architecture for the Paradise Valley landscape.
Project Details | Outside In
Architect: CP Drewett, AIA, NCARB, Drewett Works
Builder: Bedbrock Developers
Interior Designer: Ownby Design
Photographer: Werner Segarra
Publications:
Luxe Interiors & Design, Jan/Feb 2018, "Outside In: Optimized for Entertaining, a Paradise Valley Home Connects with its Desert Surrounds"
Awards:
Gold Nugget Awards - 2018
Award of Merit – Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home – Custom
The Nationals - 2017
Silver Award -- Best Architectural Design of a One of a Kind Home - Custom or Spec
http://www.drewettworks.com/outside-in/

Small footprint, big impact. Taking down a wall opened this space. We also used a hood which lies flat to the ceiling for minimal intrusion, optimizing the view. Cabinets were customized for improving storage and keeping counter free of clutter. A place for everything and a place to entertain with friends. Photo: DeMane Design

Downstairs the entertainment continues with a wine room, full bar, theatre, and golf simulator. Sound-proofing and Control-4 automation ease comfort and operation, so the media room can be optimized to allow multi-generation entertaining or optimal sports/event venue enjoyment. A bathroom off the social space ensures rambunctious entertainment is contained to the basement… and to top it all off, the room opens onto a landscaped putting green.
photography: Paul Grdina

The client’s brief was to create a space reminiscent of their beloved downtown Chicago industrial loft, in a rural farm setting, while incorporating their unique collection of vintage and architectural salvage. The result is a custom designed space that blends life on the farm with an industrial sensibility.
The new house is located on approximately the same footprint as the original farm house on the property. Barely visible from the road due to the protection of conifer trees and a long driveway, the house sits on the edge of a field with views of the neighbouring 60 acre farm and creek that runs along the length of the property.
The main level open living space is conceived as a transparent social hub for viewing the landscape. Large sliding glass doors create strong visual connections with an adjacent barn on one end and a mature black walnut tree on the other.
The house is situated to optimize views, while at the same time protecting occupants from blazing summer sun and stiff winter winds. The wall to wall sliding doors on the south side of the main living space provide expansive views to the creek, and allow for breezes to flow throughout. The wrap around aluminum louvered sun shade tempers the sun.
The subdued exterior material palette is defined by horizontal wood siding, standing seam metal roofing and large format polished concrete blocks.
The interiors were driven by the owners’ desire to have a home that would properly feature their unique vintage collection, and yet have a modern open layout. Polished concrete floors and steel beams on the main level set the industrial tone and are paired with a stainless steel island counter top, backsplash and industrial range hood in the kitchen. An old drinking fountain is built-in to the mudroom millwork, carefully restored bi-parting doors frame the library entrance, and a vibrant antique stained glass panel is set into the foyer wall allowing diffused coloured light to spill into the hallway. Upstairs, refurbished claw foot tubs are situated to view the landscape.
The double height library with mezzanine serves as a prominent feature and quiet retreat for the residents. The white oak millwork exquisitely displays the homeowners’ vast collection of books and manuscripts. The material palette is complemented by steel counter tops, stainless steel ladder hardware and matte black metal mezzanine guards. The stairs carry the same language, with white oak open risers and stainless steel woven wire mesh panels set into a matte black steel frame.
The overall effect is a truly sublime blend of an industrial modern aesthetic punctuated by personal elements of the owners’ storied life.
Photography: James Brittain

An open main floor optimizes the use of your space and allows for easy transitions. This open-concept kitchen, dining and sun room provides the perfect scene for guests to move from dinner to a cozy conversation by the fireplace.

Our clients, a couple with four children, wanted to update their 1952 home with a mid-century feel, focusing on the main floor. The renovation emphasized enhancing finishes, optimizing storage, and maximizing seating in the dining and living areas. The entryway was designed to be inviting and practical, while the living room featured a statement sectional and a stunning terrazzo fireplace. The kitchen and dining area were transformed to be both functional and elegant, with playful touches like “Drunk Monkeys” wallpaper in the powder room.

Positioned near the base of iconic Camelback Mountain, “Outside In” is a modernist home celebrating the love of outdoor living Arizonans crave. The design inspiration was honoring early territorial architecture while applying modernist design principles.
Dressed with undulating negra cantera stone, the massing elements of “Outside In” bring an artistic stature to the project’s design hierarchy. This home boasts a first (never seen before feature) — a re-entrant pocketing door which unveils virtually the entire home’s living space to the exterior pool and view terrace.
A timeless chocolate and white palette makes this home both elegant and refined. Oriented south, the spectacular interior natural light illuminates what promises to become another timeless piece of architecture for the Paradise Valley landscape.
Project Details | Outside In
Architect: CP Drewett, AIA, NCARB, Drewett Works
Builder: Bedbrock Developers
Interior Designer: Ownby Design
Photographer: Werner Segarra
Publications:
Luxe Interiors & Design, Jan/Feb 2018, "Outside In: Optimized for Entertaining, a Paradise Valley Home Connects with its Desert Surrounds"
Awards:
Gold Nugget Awards - 2018
Award of Merit – Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home – Custom
The Nationals - 2017
Silver Award -- Best Architectural Design of a One of a Kind Home - Custom or Spec
http://www.drewettworks.com/outside-in/

Most MTI drop-in and freestanding baths can be equipped with our thoughtfully engineered air bath systems. Designer and Boutique Collection air baths feature air jets that are appropriately called "illusion” jets because they are barely visible and absolutely flush with the bottom of the bathing well. This design allows for optimized placement of the air jets for maximum performance and therapeutic effectiveness, without sacrificing bather comfort or compromising the aesthetic beauty of the bath. The Air Massage and Air Massage Elite systems caress the body with millions of relaxing air bubbles provided by a quiet blower with a ceramic heating element which pre-warms the air to body temperature. As the air bubbles rise from the bottom, they cling to the skin and open the pores, drawing the capillaries to the surface and thereby increasing blood circulation and detoxifying the bather.

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

Example of an eclectic medium tone wood floor kitchen design in Other with a drop-in sink, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

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

When you upgrade to today's luxury mattress standards, you'll want a bed that's 100% natural, chemical free, luxuriously comfortable, and long-lasting.
Plushbeds is proud to offer 100% Natural Sri Lankan Botanical Latex with no synthetic blends or petroleum based products. With a more dense, supportive 100% natural dunlop core to prevent sagging and a less-dense top layer of 100% natural talalay latex for maximum pressure relief, you receive a mattress that offers optimized pressure relief and uncompromising support, resulting in deeper, restorative sleep.
Our Botanical Bliss covers are created with soft Joma New Zealand 100% natural wool. The Botanical Bliss mattress is ideal for those who suffer from feather, down, or synthetic bedding products allergies. Our quilted mattress covers are naturally fire-resistant, ensure natural temperature regulation, are hypoallergenic, antimicrobial, and are dust mite resistant.
Plushbeds Botanical Bliss 100% Organic Natural Latex Mattress comes in 9", 10" and 12" and in soft (19-21 ILD); medium (24-26 ILD); medium-firm (29-31 ILD) and extra-firm (34-36 ILD), in the following sizes:
Twin (38" x 75")
Twin XL (38" x 80")
Full (54" x 75")
Queen (60" x 80")
King (76" x 80")
Cal King (72" x 84")
Split King (2) Twin XL
PlushBeds is not just a mattress retailer, but also the manufacturer. This gives us a broad range of options in the comfort levels we can offer. Each mattress is custom made and we can accommodate virtually any request.
The PlushBeds comfort exchange program offers an affordable and convenient solution to adjusting your mattress firmness without the hassle of having to return the whole mattress. PlushBeds offers removable, adjustable layers so you can simply unzip your cover and rotate your layers of latex to adjust the firmness of your mattress.
If you decide that your Plushbeds latex mattress is not for you within 100 nights of receiving your mattress, just call us and we'll pick up the mattress for a full refund of your purchase price, minus a flat $99 return shipping fee.
The latex mattresses we deliver to our customers are the same latex mattresses we sleep on ourselves, which is why we are proud to offer the strongest 25 year manufacturer's warranty in the industry.
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