Ace and Whim Photography
Small elegant ceramic tile entryway photo in Phoenix with gray walls

This home is built by Robert Thomas Homes located in Minnesota. Our showcase models are professionally staged. FOR STAGING PRODUCT QUESTIONS please contact Ambiance at Home for information on furniture - 952.440.6757.

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

This playroom features multiple distinct zones for a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, including a Lego area where the 6-year-old enjoys building Lego creations while sharpening his problem-solving skills, a glam dress up station where the 4-year-old can fully express herself, and a gross motor area with a foam pit, monkey bars, a cargo net tunnel, and a climbing wall. The layout keeps things open for free play while offering much-needed storage and organization. A custom window seat with built-in cabinetry adds both function and style. It’s no surprise that this playroom quickly became the family’s favorite spot, offering a kids indoor play zone that supports all kinds of developmental play and fun.

15 speakers in 6 zones in combination with a Miniserver and the CasaTunes Multiroom Audio System enable everyone in the house to enjoy music of the highest sound quality, and more importantly, to their exact taste. For each of the 6 zones the choice of music and the volume can be set completely independently.

This playroom features multiple distinct zones for a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, including a Lego area where the 6-year-old enjoys building Lego creations while sharpening his problem-solving skills, a glam dress up station where the 4-year-old can fully express herself, and a gross motor area with a foam pit, monkey bars, a cargo net tunnel, and a climbing wall. The layout keeps things open for free play while offering much-needed storage and organization. A custom window seat with built-in cabinetry adds both function and style. It’s no surprise that this playroom quickly became the family’s favorite spot, offering a kids indoor play zone that supports all kinds of developmental play and fun.

This playroom features multiple distinct zones for a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, including a Lego area where the 6-year-old enjoys building Lego creations while sharpening his problem-solving skills, a glam dress up station where the 4-year-old can fully express herself, and a gross motor area with a foam pit, monkey bars, a cargo net tunnel, and a climbing wall. The layout keeps things open for free play while offering much-needed storage and organization. A custom window seat with built-in cabinetry adds both function and style. It’s no surprise that this playroom quickly became the family’s favorite spot, offering a kids indoor play zone that supports all kinds of developmental play and fun.

This playroom features multiple distinct zones for a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, including a Lego area where the 6-year-old enjoys building Lego creations while sharpening his problem-solving skills, a glam dress up station where the 4-year-old can fully express herself, and a gross motor area with a foam pit, monkey bars, a cargo net tunnel, and a climbing wall. The layout keeps things open for free play while offering much-needed storage and organization. A custom window seat with built-in cabinetry adds both function and style. It’s no surprise that this playroom quickly became the family’s favorite spot, offering a kids indoor play zone that supports all kinds of developmental play and fun.

This playroom features multiple distinct zones for a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, including a Lego area where the 6-year-old enjoys building Lego creations while sharpening his problem-solving skills, a glam dress up station where the 4-year-old can fully express herself, and a gross motor area with a foam pit, monkey bars, a cargo net tunnel, and a climbing wall. The layout keeps things open for free play while offering much-needed storage and organization. A custom window seat with built-in cabinetry adds both function and style. It’s no surprise that this playroom quickly became the family’s favorite spot, offering a kids indoor play zone that supports all kinds of developmental play and fun.

15 speakers in 6 zones in combination with a Miniserver and the CasaTunes Multiroom Audio System enable everyone in the house to enjoy music of the highest sound quality, and more importantly, to their exact taste. For each of the 6 zones the choice of music and the volume can be set completely independently.

This playroom features multiple distinct zones for a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, including a Lego area where the 6-year-old enjoys building Lego creations while sharpening his problem-solving skills, a glam dress up station where the 4-year-old can fully express herself, and a gross motor area with a foam pit, monkey bars, a cargo net tunnel, and a climbing wall. The layout keeps things open for free play while offering much-needed storage and organization. A custom window seat with built-in cabinetry adds both function and style. It’s no surprise that this playroom quickly became the family’s favorite spot, offering a kids indoor play zone that supports all kinds of developmental play and fun.

Inquire About Our Design Services A shot of an living room made for entertaining. This room is split into many zones, perfect for cocktail patios. A pair of chairs by Room and board with throw pillows. Cool Gray hues throughout. Styled coffee table. Marcel Page Photography

A 1927 colonial home in Shaker Heights, Ohio, received a breathtaking renovation that required extensive work, transforming it from a tucked away, utilitarian space, to an all-purpose gathering room, a role that most kitchens embrace in a home today. The scope of work changed over the course of the project, starting more minimalistically and then quickly becoming the main focus of the house's remodeling, resulting in a staircase being relocated and walls being torn down to create an inviting focal point to the home where family and friends could connect. The focus of the functionality was to allow for multiple prep areas with the inclusion of two islands and sinks, two eating areas (one for impromptu snacking and small meals of younger family members and friends on island no. two and a built-in bench seat for everyday meals in the immediate family). The kitchen was equipped with all Subzero and Wolf appliances, including a 48" range top with a 12" griddle, two double ovens, a 42" built-in side by side refrigerator and freezer, a microwave drawer on island no. one and a beverage center and icemaker in island no. two. The aesthetic feeling embraces the architectural feel of the home while adding a modern sensibility with the revamped layout and graphic elements that tie the color palette of whites, chocolate and charcoal. The cabinets were custom made and outfitted with beaded inset doors with a Shaker panel frame and finished in Benjamin Moore's OC-17 White Dove, a soft white that allowed for the kitchen to feel warm while still maintaining its brightness. Accents of walnut were added to create a sense of warmth, including a custom premium grade walnut countertop on island no. one from Brooks Custom and a TV cabinet with a doggie feeding station beneath. Bringing the cabinet line to the 8'6" ceiling height helps the room feel taller and bold light fixtures at the islands and eating area add detail to an otherwise simpler ceiling detail. The 1 1/4" countertops feature Calacatta Gold Marble with an ogee edge detail. Special touches on the interiors include secret storage panels, an appliance garage, breadbox, pull-out drawers behind the cabinet doors and all soft-close hinges and drawer glides. A kneading area was made as a part of island no. one for the homeowners' love of baking, complete with a stone top allowing for dough to stay cool. Baskets beneath store kitchen essentials that need air circulation. The room adjacent to the kitchen was converted to a hearth room (from a formal dining room) to extend the kitchen's living space and allow for a natural spillover for family and guests to spill into. Jason Miller, Pixelate

 All gas range.  Available in 48" and 60" width sizes.  Features new 25,000 BTU PrimaNova™ burners plus 22,000 BTU UltraNova™, 18,000 SuperNova™, 15,000 BTU Nova™ and 130° degree simmer burners.  Cast iron interchangeable griddle charbroiler system allows for dual zone cooking with up to 40,000 BTUs of heat on four unique surfaces.  New PowR Oven™ provides 40% faster preheating and 30% increase in oven efficiency.  Accommodates full-size commercial 18" x 26" baking sheet.  Convection fan system for most complete exchange of air possible.  1850˚ infrared broiler.  Full motion grates.  5 position rack slide.  Available in 750+ color and finish combinations.  More streamlined and functional design including smoother front edges, easier to clean rangetop burner system, and larger glass oven door.  24" depth for compatibility with standard kitchen cabinetry.  Removable, dishwasher-friendly stainless steel drip trays.  48" small oven dimensions: 13¼"W x 20"D x 15"H.

Ivory’s creamy white, fully double peony-like flower with ruffled petals will become your new favorite white-bloom camellia. Expect profuse blooms on a more manageable, vigorous, upright habit. FEATURES Bloom/Feature The clear choice for an upright, white-flowered Camellia sasanqua Plant Type Shrubs Evergreen or Deciduous Evergreen USDA Zones 7,8,9 Zone Detail Hardy to 0°F Key Features White carnation-like blooms September to October Use Small spaces, large containers, specimen Exposure Full sun to part shade Bloom Season September to October Dimension 6-8' H x 5-7' W Growth Rate Moderate CARE Water Regular water Soil Type Rich, acidic, moist, well-drained Fertilizer Late spring Pruning Shape in early spring PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS water before planting plant in full sun to part shade dig hole 3X the width of pot, backfill and plant 1”-2” above soil level water and add more soil if needed mulch plants

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

  Download our free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Lakefront property in the northwest suburbs of Chicago is hard to come by, so when we were hired by this young family with exactly that, we were immediately inspired by not just the unusually large footprint of this 1950’s colonial revival but also the lovely views of the manmade lake it was sited on. The large 5-bedroom home was solidly stuck in the 1980’s, but we saw tons of potential. We started out by updating the existing staircase with a fresh coat of paint and adding new herringbone slate to the entry hall. The powder room off the entryway also got a refresh - new flooring, new cabinets and fixtures. We ran the new slate right through into this space for some consistency. A fun wallpaper and shiplap trim add a welcoming feel and set the tone for the home. Next, we tackled the kitchen. Located away from the rest of the first floor, the kitchen felt a little isolated, so we immediately began planning for how to better connect it to the rest of the first floor. We landed on removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room and designed a modified galley style space with separate cooking and clean up zones. The cooking zone consists of the refrigerator, prep sink and cooktop, along with a nice long run of prep space at the island. The cleanup side of the kitchen consists of the main sink and dishwasher. Both areas are situated so that the user can view the lake during prep work and cleanup! One of the home’s main puzzles was how to incorporate the mudroom and area in front of the patio doors at the back of the house. We already had a breakfast table area, so the space by the patio doors was a bit of a no man’s land. We decided to separate the kitchen proper from what became the new mudroom with a large set of barn doors. That way you can quickly hide any mudroom messes but have easy access to the light coming in through the patio doors as well as the outdoor grilling station. We also love the impact the barn doors add to the overall space. The homeowners’ first words to us were “it’s time to ditch the brown,” so we did! We chose a lovely blue pallet that reflects the home’s location on the lake which is also vibrant yet easy on the eye. Countertops are white quartz, and the natural oak floor works well with the other honey accents. The breakfast table was given a refresh with new chairs, chandelier and window treatments that frame the gorgeous views of the lake out the back. We coordinated the slate mudroom flooring with that used in the home’s main entrance for a consistent feel. The storage area consists of open and closed storage to allow for some clutter control as needed. Next on our “to do” list was revamping the dated brown bar area in the neighboring dining room. We eliminated the clutter by adding some closed cabinets and did some easy updates to help the space feel more current. One snag we ran into here was the discovery of a beam above the existing open shelving that had to be modified with a smaller structural beam to allow for our new design to work. This was an unexpected surprise, but in the end we think it was well worth it! We kept the colors here a bit more muted to blend with the homeowner’s existing furnishings. Open shelving and polished nickel hardware add some simple detail to the new entertainment zone which also looks out onto the lake! Next we tackled the upstairs starting with the homeowner’s son’s bath. The bath originally had both a tub shower and a separate shower, so we decided to swap out the shower for a new laundry area. This freed up some space downstairs in what used to be the mudroom/laundry room and is much more convenient for daily laundry needs. We continued the blue palette here with navy cabinetry and the navy tile in the shower. Porcelain floor tile and chrome fixtures keep maintenance to a minimum while matte black mirrors and lighting add some depth the design. A low maintenance runner adds some warmth underfoot and ties the whole space together. We added a pocket door to the bathroom to minimize interference with the door swings. The left door of the laundry closet is on a 180 degree hinge to allow for easy full access to the machines. Next we tackled the master bath which is an en suite arrangement. The original was typical of the 1980’s with the vanity outside of the bathroom, situated near the master closet. And the brown theme continued here with multiple shades of brown. Our first move was to segment off the bath and the closet from the master bedroom. We created a short hall from the bedroom to the bathroom with his and hers walk-in closets on the left and right as well as a separate toilet closet outside of the main bathroom for privacy and flexibility. The original bathroom had a giant soaking tub with steps (dangerous!) as well as a small shower that did not work well for our homeowner who is 6’3”. With other bathtubs in the home, they decided to eliminate the tub and create an oversized shower which takes up the space where the old tub was located. The double vanity is on the opposite wall and a bench is located under the window for morning conversations and a place to set a couple of towels. The pallet in here is light and airy with a mix of blond wood, creamy porcelain and marble tile, and brass accents. A simple roman shade adds some texture and it’s top-down mechanism allows for light and privacy. This large whole house remodel gave our homeowners not only the ability to maximize the potential of their home but also created a lovely new frame from which to view their fabulous lake views. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

The kitchen offers 2 different seating areas. The counter comfortably seats 6 while the more formal 8-seat table is located closer to the barn door coffee/wine cupboard that can be opened or closed based on preference.

© Deborah Scannell Photography
Small transitional u-shaped eat-in kitchen photo in Charlotte with a single-bowl sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, brown backsplash, ceramic backsplash and stainless steel appliances