Kenneth M. Wyner
Inspiration for an eclectic enclosed family room remodel in DC Metro with brown walls

Allison Bitter Photography
Large transitional medium tone wood floor living room photo in New York with gray walls and a wall-mounted tv

The historic restoration of this First Period Ipswich, Massachusetts home (c. 1686) was an eighteen-month project that combined exterior and interior architectural work to preserve and revitalize this beautiful home. Structurally, work included restoring the summer beam, straightening the timber frame, and adding a lean-to section. The living space was expanded with the addition of a spacious gourmet kitchen featuring countertops made of reclaimed barn wood. As is always the case with our historic renovations, we took special care to maintain the beauty and integrity of the historic elements while bringing in the comfort and convenience of modern amenities. We were even able to uncover and restore much of the original fabric of the house (the chimney, fireplaces, paneling, trim, doors, hinges, etc.), which had been hidden for years under a renovation dating back to 1746. Winner, 2012 Mary P. Conley Award for historic home restoration and preservation You can read more about this restoration in the Boston Globe article by Regina Cole, “A First Period home gets a second life.” http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2013/10/26/couple-rebuild-their-century-home-ipswich/r2yXE5yiKWYcamoFGmKVyL/story.html Photo Credit: Eric Roth

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Comfort and warmth are key to this Old Town, Alexandria townhouse project. The designer has successfully combined American antiques including period seating with modern upholstered pieces. The selection of art combines 18th and 19th century paintings and engravings with larger contemporary canvases to add energy to the classic rooms. John Cole Photography

Jason Schmidt
Inspiration for a contemporary master bedroom remodel in New York with white walls and a standard fireplace

A retro 1950’s kitchen featuring green custom colored cabinets with glass door mounts, under cabinet lighting, pullout drawers, and Lazy Susans. To contrast with the green we added in red window treatments, a toaster oven, and other small red polka dot accessories. A few final touches we made include a retro fridge, retro oven, retro dishwasher, an apron sink, light quartz countertops, a white subway tile backsplash, and retro tile flooring. Home located in Humboldt Park Chicago. Designed by Chi Renovation & Design who also serve the Chicagoland area and it's surrounding suburbs, with an emphasis on the North Side and North Shore. You'll find their work from the Loop through Lincoln Park, Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette, and all of the way up to Lake Forest. For more about Chi Renovation & Design, click here: https://www.chirenovation.com/ To learn more about this project, click here: https://www.chirenovation.com/portfolio/1950s-retro-humboldt-park-kitchen/

What can beat a beautifully painted accent wall? We would have to answer an amazingly textured wall of stone. This stone accent wall idea is covered in Oyster Shell Natural Quartzite Ledge stone. The wall is highlighted with lighting above which captures the natural quartzite adding a sparkle to the finish. Yes, it will cost you more to put stone veneer but it will be worth it. This entire stone panel wall becomes the focal point of the room. This is something that you can do yourself if you have the time and the know how. Create this wall in your home as a weekend project. You really can add stone to your interior wall and make a big impact to any room.

Angle Eye Photography
Example of a large farmhouse l-shaped light wood floor and beige floor open concept kitchen design in Philadelphia with an undermount sink, white cabinets, marble countertops, an island, gray countertops, shaker cabinets, white backsplash and wood backsplash

Angle Eye Photography, Period Architecture, Ltd.
Elegant enclosed medium tone wood floor living room photo in Philadelphia with a tile fireplace, beige walls, a standard fireplace and no tv

Bathroom - contemporary bathroom idea in New York

This is an example of a country porch design in New York.

Angle Eye Photography
Example of a country two-story stucco white patio design in Philadelphia with a shingle roof and no cover

Family room - mediterranean formal and enclosed family room idea in Houston

Dan Cutrona
Inspiration for a coastal light wood floor sunroom remodel in Boston

Ball & Albanese
Inspiration for a large coastal dark wood floor hallway remodel in New York with white walls

Our client, with whom we had worked on a number of projects over the years, enlisted our help in transforming her family’s beloved but deteriorating rustic summer retreat, built by her grandparents in the mid-1920’s, into a house that would be livable year-‘round. It had served the family well but needed to be renewed for the decades to come without losing the flavor and patina they were attached to. The house was designed by Ruth Adams, a rare female architect of the day, who also designed in a similar vein a nearby summer colony of Vassar faculty and alumnae. To make Treetop habitable throughout the year, the whole house had to be gutted and insulated. The raw homosote interior wall finishes were replaced with plaster, but all the wood trim was retained and reused, as were all old doors and hardware. The old single-glazed casement windows were restored, and removable storm panels fitted into the existing in-swinging screen frames. New windows were made to match the old ones where new windows were added. This approach was inherently sustainable, making the house energy-efficient while preserving most of the original fabric. Changes to the original design were as seamless as possible, compatible with and enhancing the old character. Some plan modifications were made, and some windows moved around. The existing cave-like recessed entry porch was enclosed as a new book-lined entry hall and a new entry porch added, using posts made from an oak tree on the site. The kitchen and bathrooms are entirely new but in the spirit of the place. All the bookshelves are new. A thoroughly ramshackle garage couldn’t be saved, and we replaced it with a new one built in a compatible style, with a studio above for our client, who is a writer.

custom potting bench
Photo of a small contemporary partial sun backyard brick landscaping in Orange County.