The Avignon features breathtaking views of Quail West’s Arthur Hills-designed golf course and coveted southern exposure. Fully furnished by Romanza Interior Design, the open floor plan offers a formal dining room, study, second-floor loft and two guest suites with balconies. The kitchen, casual dining area and great room create a large gathering space, with rooms defined by beamed ceilings and archways. The first-floor owner’s suite features a sitting area framed by a rectangular bay window, a coffered ceiling and two large walk-in closets. Sliding glass doors in the master bath reveal a garden area and outdoor shower. The outdoor living areas offer motorized screens and insect control to enjoy uninhibited views of the golf course as you grill from the outdoor kitchen, or enjoy a relaxing swim in the custom pool, which includes a sun shelf and spa.

Josh Thornton
Inspiration for a large eclectic powder room remodel in Chicago with multicolored walls

Located in Menlo Park, California, this 3,000 sf. remodel was carefully crafted to generate excitement and make maximum use of the owner’s strict budget and comply with the city’s stringent planning code. It was understood that not everything was to be redone from a prior owner’s quirky remodel which included odd inward angled walls, circular windows and cedar shingles. Remedial work to remove and prevent dry rot ate into the budget as well. Studied alterations to the exterior include a new trellis over the garage door, pushing the entry out to create a new soaring stair hall and stripping the exterior down to simplify its appearance. The new steel entry stair leads to a floating bookcase that pivots to the family room. For budget reasons, it was decided to keep the existing cedar shingles. Upstairs, a large oak multi-level staircase was replaced with the new simple run of stairs. The impact of angled bedroom walls and circular window in the bathroom were calmed with new clean white walls and tile. Photo Credit: John Sutton Photography.

Well situated in Mont Royal, this split-level home had many positives apart from its dated interior, and layout of many small and inefficient rooms. This was all at odds with the owners’ lifestyle and aesthetic. The client had architectural plans designed for a third floor addition that were to include a master bedroom and ensuite bathroom. The desired look for the entire house influenced all aspects of construction. Apart from the removal most walls on the main floor, everything was stripped back to the most simple and pure of finishing materials. The existing floors were refinished in a smoked grey matte palette and offset the rich warm walnut accents in the kitchen and soft white walls. With an abundance of white walls throughout, feature walls were essential in both the master bedroom and ensuite. The deep charcoal wall in the bedroom provides dramatic contrast to the teak headboard and hammered silver light fixture. The ensuite’s feature wall is made of pewter ceramic tiles that add texture and elegance to this simple space. Materials and furnishings throughout were selected for their simplicity and form. Photo : Drew Hadley

Inspiration for a rustic freestanding desk dark wood floor home office remodel in Las Vegas with beige walls

Overlooking of the surrounding meadows of the historic C Lazy U Ranch, this single family residence was carefully sited on a sloping site to maximize spectacular views of Willow Creek Resevoir and the Indian Peaks mountain range. The project was designed to fulfill budgetary and time frame constraints while addressing the client’s goal of creating a home that would become the backdrop for a very active and growing family for generations to come. In terms of style, the owners were drawn to more traditional materials and intimate spaces of associated with a cabin scale structure.

Photo: Adrienne DeRosa © 2015 Houzz Quite often, one of the greatest challenges with open-plan living is a matter of how to integrate the kitchen without overwhelming the rest of the living space. By implementing a combination of streamlined fixtures and furniture-like pieces, Weiss and Carpenter have come up with a solution that is chic and sophisticated. While the back side of the island houses the matching cabinetry of the rest of the kitchen, the front is made up of an antique apothecary cabinet that the couple discovered through Weisshouse. The top and sides are clad in Belgian bluestone, giving the overall space contrast and balance. Kitchen: Poliform; Pendant: "Dear Ingo", Moooi

Trendy hallway photo in Tokyo

The Owners of a home that had been consumed by the moving dunes of Lake Michigan wanted a home that would not only stand the test of aesthetic time, but survive the vicissitudes of the environment. With the assistance of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as well as the consulting civil engineer and the City of Grand Haven Zoning Department, a soil stabilization site plan was developed based on raising the new home’s main floor elevation by almost three feet, implementing erosion studies, screen walls and planting indigenous, drought tolerant xeriscaping. The screen walls, as well as the low profile of the home and the use of sand trapping marrum beachgrass all help to create a wind shadow buffer around the home and reduce blowing sand erosion and accretion. The Owners wanted to minimize the stylistic baggage which consumes most “cottage” residences, and with the Architect created a home with simple lines focused on the view and the natural environment. Sustainable energy requirements on a budget directed the design decisions regarding the SIPs panel insulation, energy systems, roof shading, other insulation systems, lighting and detailing. Easily constructed and linear, the home harkens back to mid century modern pavilions with present day environmental sensitivities and harmony with the site. James Yochum

Inspiration for an eclectic bedroom remodel in Philadelphia

Placed within an idyllic beach community, this modern family home is filled with both playful and functional spaces. Natural light reflects throughout and oversized openings allow for movement to the outdoor spaces. Custom millwork completes the kitchen with concealed appliances, and creates a space well suited for entertaining. Accents of concrete add strength and architectural context to the spaces. Livable finishes of white oak and quartz are simple and hardworking. High ceilings in the bedroom level allowed for creativity in children’s spaces, and the addition of colour brings in that sense of playfulness. Art pieces reflect the owner’s time spent abroad, and exude their love of life – which is fitting in a place where the only boundaries to roam are the ocean and railways. KBC Developments Photography by Ema Peter www.emapeter.com

Design Services Provided - Architect was asked to convert this 1950's Split Level Style home into a Traditional Style home with a 2-story height grand entry foyer. The new design includes modern amenities such as a large 'Open Plan' kitchen, a family room, a home office, an oversized garage, spacious bedrooms with large closets, a second floor laundry room and a private master bedroom suite for the owners that includes two walk-in closets and a grand master bathroom with a vaulted ceiling. The Architect presented the new design using Professional 3D Design Software. This approach allowed the Owners to clearly understand the proposed design and secondly, it was beneficial to the Contractors who prepared Preliminary Cost Estimates. The construction duration was nine months and the project was completed in September 2015. The client is thrilled with the end results! We established a wonderful working relationship and a lifetime friendship. I am truly thankful for this opportunity to design this home and work with this client!

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

A new horse barn for a client in Eagle, Idaho. 3 stalls, a wash bay, tack room, and exterior corral. The owner also put in a nearby riding arena with geo-textile for her dressage work with her horses.

In the past this house had been at the heart of a busy farm. The function of the property has long since changed but it yet remains someone’s home. The challenge is to retrofit existing farm buildings, and the surrounding landscape, to better reflect both the different lifestyle and needs of the present owners. At the back of the farmhouse slopes have been modified to accommodate terraces, gardens and pathways linking through them. View sheds have been emphasized to showcase the property and the landscape filled with four seasons of interest. The geometry of the hard-scaping (walls, stairs, and walkways) is softened by the addition of lush plant material selected for both textural and colour qualities (evergreen, flowering and foliage). This view includes Smooth Viburnum (Viburnum nudum ‘Winterthur’), Purple Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’), Mellow Yellow Spiraea (Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’), and Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia).

Open floor plan great room flows seamlessly to the outdoor patio and pool. Builder – GEF Development, Interiors - Ownby Design, Photographer – Thompson Photographic, Sculpture - Guy Dill.

This award-winning and intimate cottage was rebuilt on the site of a deteriorating outbuilding. Doubling as a custom jewelry studio and guest retreat, the cottage’s timeless design was inspired by old National Parks rough-stone shelters that the owners had fallen in love with. A single living space boasts custom built-ins for jewelry work, a Murphy bed for overnight guests, and a stone fireplace for warmth and relaxation. A cozy loft nestles behind rustic timber trusses above. Expansive sliding glass doors open to an outdoor living terrace overlooking a serene wooded meadow. Photos by: Emily Minton Redfield

This couple came to us as newly transplanted homeowners in Sterling, MA, uprooted from Rochester, MA so they could be closer to their growing family and granddaughter. The former kitchen was a bit of a “Plain Jane”, but we transformed it into a charming, modern country farmhouse kitchen. The custom paint color on the cabinets came from a Wood-Mode sample called “Agate.” This lovely paint color is a chameleon, ranging from gray/green, to a beautiful blue hue depending on the lighting conditions. The uniqueness of this color is what caught the homeowner’s eye and it has become a customer favorite. This Sterling home is the perfect setting for such a beautiful color! As a trained chef and former restaurant owner, the husband does all the cooking in the house. Ample room was needed for prepping and serving, so he loves the long, wide peninsula. A full-height quartz backsplash behind the range and sink make for easy clean up. Very deep drawers flank both sides of the range, and the top drawer has special storage for spices. The cabinet over the refrigerator has vertical partitions for both cookie sheets, trays and pans. A tall pantry to the right of the refrigerator is equipped with heavy duty wood rollouts perfect for storing dry goods. Conveniently located to the right of the sink is a double trash cabinet. The end of the peninsula also has a 27” wide cabinet with dual rollouts storing small appliances, casserole dishes & Tupperware. The new space has plenty of room for prepping, cooking and entertaining family and guests in the adjacent dining room. Stepping outside the “white & gray” of common paints into this beautiful custom color has delighted these customers and their friends. We find it both inviting and soothing, a cool color that will be stylish for years to come! BRAND: Brighton Cabinetry DOOR STYLE: Thompson FINISH: Custom Paint Match - Wood-Mode “Agate” COUNTERTOP: “Matterhorn” Hanstone Quartz HARDWARE: Top Knobs TK824HB Pulls, TK832HB Knobs DESIGNER: Ruth Bergstrom PHOTOS: Baumgart Creative Media

Photos by Andrew Giammarco Photography.
Inspiration for a small contemporary ceramic tile and gray floor family room remodel in Seattle