Photo: Jessica Cain © 2018 Houzz
Living room - large transitional living room idea in Kansas City

The juxtaposition of raw, weathered and finished woods with sleek whites, mixed metals and soft textured elements strike a fabulous balance between industrial, rustic and glamorous – exactly what the designers envisioned for this dream retreat. This unique home’s design combines recycled shipping containers with traditional stick-building methods and resulted in a luxury hybrid home, inside and out. The design team was particularly challenged with overcoming various preconceived notions about containers to truly create something new, luxurious and sustainable.

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

This re-conceived rambler for a family of 4 sits comfortably within its original footprint yet meets contemporary living needs through StudioMB's addition of a new second floor, covered and uncovered rear courts, and a lower terrace. These elements, along with a new front court that brings views of the outdoors into the new living and kitchen, overcomes the original layout’s small, dark spaces while the added wood and glass boxes bring natural light deep into the home.

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

This client sought to update their recently purchased home in Alexandria. A gourmet kitchen that complemented the size of the home and property was a top priority. They wanted more light-filled and connected living spaces for their growing family. Updating the finishes throughout the home was also a necessity. Design challenges included an existing utility space that occupied a large portion of the kitchen footprint, making the kitchen cramped and narrow. In addition, the foyer was dark, confined and uninviting as a result of its organization and enclosed nature of the main stair. To overcome the challenges, we relocated the utilities, creating a more usable footprint for the kitchen. The aging furnace was replaced with a high efficiency furnace located in a newly insulated and conditioned crawl space. A new hot water heater was placed in the finished attic, and the electrical panel was also relocated. Then, we designed a portion of the kitchen to mask the need for dropped structural headers: the refrigerator, freezer and pantry were placed under the area that necessitated a drop bulkhead, creating a sleek built-in area for the appliances. Once the utilities were moved, the kitchen could be opened up to a large family room and designed with a much-improved layout. Two new four-panel exterior doors replaced small doors at the family room to connect the main living space with the beautiful yard. In addition, white bead board was added to the family room ceiling, creating more visual continuity with the adjacent white kitchen. To transform the foyer into a grand and welcoming entry, a small amount of space was taken from a large second floor bedroom, and the entire second floor structure was supported with a series of flush beams to allow the stair to be opened and expose the rail. New glass doors to the den, relocated at an angle from the main stair provide the foyer with more natural light and a wider, more inviting path to the kitchen. In the master suite, the bedroom and bathroom entry doors were relocated to improve the room’s layout and offer more bathroom privacy and space for a walk-in closet. A room forgotten by the previous owner was turned into a family mudroom with built-ins and wainscoting to keep the family organized in style. Photography by Greg Hadley

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

Example of a trendy galley gray floor kitchen design in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Inspiration for a traditional backyard stone retaining wall landscape in New York for summer.

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

The homeowner was looking for a lot more space in a very small bathroom. In order to overcome the room’s lack of any kind of storage the oversized tub was replaced with a shower bench and multiple niches for shampoos. Additional cabinetry storage was created by wrapping the vanity cabinets around a wall and creating tall linen cabinets in an area that had not been used before. Floating vanity under cabinet lights and a special wall lit mirror helped to open up the small space. Large format Porcelenosa Ston-ker Ferroker floor tiles and field tiles in the color Aluminio were used on the floors and vanity wall. Special attention was paid to the geometric layout of the horizontal lines of the entire layout – walnut vertical grained cabinetry, wall and floor tiles to create visual space to the room. A Nu-heat heated floor added to the comfort of the room.

A client who had seen our stunning installation at Spring Hill Suites in Oceanside, California wanted to surprise his wife for her birthday and give her a 112 square foot living wall at the front entry of their house. He was set on the style of the wall being succulents in a tight pattern. This raised two huge challenges: 1) How to overcome his three week lead time: First, the manufacturer's lead time to get us the wall materials is four weeks. The plants in this type of system usually require three months to get rooted. 2) How to attach a system meant for flat surfaces onto his CURVED front wall. Square peg, meet curved hole. Operations Manager Kerry Bauer made drawings and a mock up for a system created from the green ROOF components GreenScaped Buildings has used on certain projects. She chose parts she knew shipped within one week to eliminate the lead time issue. A landscape edging element, specifically designed to handle curves, could also overcome the challenge of the curved wall. But what about the time needed for growing the plants? By using an advanced soil replacement media block, the wall installation could allow the plants to root while installed vertically. GreenScaped Buildings collaborated with the client and supplier Green Meadow Growers to choose appropriate sedums and succulents for the east-facing coastal climate of Encinitas and lay out a pattern of organic wave shapes. Katelyn Hutchings tackled the procurement aspects of the project while construction foreman John Rodenbo prepared the site and installation logistics. Installation took three days. How do you think it turned out? The final product exceeded the client's expectations, and he has already invited GreenScaped Buildings to collaborate on his upcoming commercial hotel project with the goal of integrating a living wall there to enhance his hotel as much as it has enhanced his home.

Inspiration for a contemporary galley medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and white countertops

Photography by Caryn B. Davis Located in the Cornfield Point area of Old Saybrook along Long Island Sound, this project brought a classic, yet forgotten beach house back to life. Through a little detective work and some creative ingenuity, we restored and enhanced the exterior to it’s former glory and transformed the interior to a highly efficient and functional home all the while uplifting its quaint cottage charm. On the exterior, we recreated a wonderful, airy front porch with cozy bench seats that look out to the water. The white cedar shingle siding is pre-bleached with a subtle flair at the bottom and a delicate break at mid-elevation. The asphalt shingles are not only beautifully matched with the siding, but offer superior reflective qualities to dissipate the heat of the summer sun. On the interior, we joined the front seasonal porch with the family room to form a larger, open living and dining space with paneled walls and ceilings anchored by the original round stone fireplace. In the rear, we carefully crafted a galley kitchen and laundry space with an adjacent first floor master suite. The diminutive house and property posed multiple practical and regulatory challenges which were overcome by a strong team effort, due diligence, and a commitment to the process. John R. Schroeder, AIA is a professional design firm specializing in architecture, interiors, and planning. We have over 30 years experience with projects of all types, sizes, and levels of complexity. Because we love what we do, we approach our work with enthusiasm and dedication. We are committed to the highest level of design and service on each and every project. We engage our clients in positive and rewarding collaborations. We strive to exceed expectations through our attention to detail, our understanding of the “big picture”, and our ability to effectively manage a team of design professionals, industry representatives, and building contractors. We carefully analyze budgets and project objectives to assist clients with wise fund allocation. We continually monitor and research advances in technology, materials, and construction methods, both sustainable and otherwise, to provide a responsible, well-suited, and cost effective product. Our design solutions are highly functional using both innovative and traditional approaches. Our aesthetic style is flexible and open, blending cues from client desires, building function, site context, and material properties, making each project unique, personalized, and enduring.

Photography by Caryn B. Davis Located in the Cornfield Point area of Old Saybrook along Long Island Sound, this project brought a classic, yet forgotten beach house back to life. Through a little detective work and some creative ingenuity, we restored and enhanced the exterior to it’s former glory and transformed the interior to a highly efficient and functional home all the while uplifting its quaint cottage charm. On the exterior, we recreated a wonderful, airy front porch with cozy bench seats that look out to the water. The white cedar shingle siding is pre-bleached with a subtle flair at the bottom and a delicate break at mid-elevation. The asphalt shingles are not only beautifully matched with the siding, but offer superior reflective qualities to dissipate the heat of the summer sun. On the interior, we joined the front seasonal porch with the family room to form a larger, open living and dining space with paneled walls and ceilings anchored by the original round stone fireplace. In the rear, we carefully crafted a galley kitchen and laundry space with an adjacent first floor master suite. The diminutive house and property posed multiple practical and regulatory challenges which were overcome by a strong team effort, due diligence, and a commitment to the process. John R. Schroeder, AIA is a professional design firm specializing in architecture, interiors, and planning. We have over 30 years experience with projects of all types, sizes, and levels of complexity. Because we love what we do, we approach our work with enthusiasm and dedication. We are committed to the highest level of design and service on each and every project. We engage our clients in positive and rewarding collaborations. We strive to exceed expectations through our attention to detail, our understanding of the “big picture”, and our ability to effectively manage a team of design professionals, industry representatives, and building contractors. We carefully analyze budgets and project objectives to assist clients with wise fund allocation. We continually monitor and research advances in technology, materials, and construction methods, both sustainable and otherwise, to provide a responsible, well-suited, and cost effective product. Our design solutions are highly functional using both innovative and traditional approaches. Our aesthetic style is flexible and open, blending cues from client desires, building function, site context, and material properties, making each project unique, personalized, and enduring.