Jared McKenna Photography
Inspiration for a rustic l-shaped gray floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Boston with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, wood countertops, window backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Photo of a craftsman landscaping in Indianapolis.

Atherton has many large substantial homes - our clients purchased an existing home on a one acre flag-shaped lot and asked us to design a new dream home for them. The result is a new 7,000 square foot four-building complex consisting of the main house, six-car garage with two car lifts, pool house with a full one bedroom residence inside, and a separate home office /work out gym studio building. A fifty-foot swimming pool was also created with fully landscaped yards. Given the rectangular shape of the lot, it was decided to angle the house to incoming visitors slightly so as to more dramatically present itself. The house became a classic u-shaped home but Feng Shui design principals were employed directing the placement of the pool house to better contain the energy flow on the site. The main house entry door is then aligned with a special Japanese red maple at the end of a long visual axis at the rear of the site. These angles and alignments set up everything else about the house design and layout, and views from various rooms allow you to see into virtually every space tracking movements of others in the home. The residence is simply divided into two wings of public use, kitchen and family room, and the other wing of bedrooms, connected by the living and dining great room. Function drove the exterior form of windows and solid walls with a line of clerestory windows which bring light into the middle of the large home. Extensive sun shadow studies with 3D tree modeling led to the unorthodox placement of the pool to the north of the home, but tree shadow tracking showed this to be the sunniest area during the entire year. Sustainable measures included a full 7.1kW solar photovoltaic array technically making the house off the grid, and arranged so that no panels are visible from the property. A large 16,000 gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of tanks buried below grade was installed. The home is California GreenPoint rated and also features sealed roof soffits and a sealed crawlspace without the usual venting. A whole house computer automation system with server room was installed as well. Heating and cooling utilize hot water radiant heated concrete and wood floors supplemented by heat pump generated heating and cooling. A compound of buildings created to form balanced relationships between each other, this home is about circulation, light and a balance of form and function. Photo by John Sutton Photography.

CJ Gershon Photography
Design ideas for a southwestern full sun backyard gravel outdoor basketball/tennis/multi-game court in Phoenix.

Jack Coyier
Design ideas for an asian landscaping in Los Angeles.

Locally quarried sandstone walls, steps, patio and pond. The design reclaimed a steep slope and made for a visually appealing area that becomes very useable. Photo: The Ardent Gardener Landscape

Traditional exterior home idea in Chicago

Flagstone Front Walkway in Herringbone Pattern
Inspiration for a small traditional partial sun front yard stone formal garden in DC Metro.

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional front yard stone retaining wall landscape in Minneapolis.

Rosetta Outcropping walls bring the natural allure of ancient stone walls to your project with this highly accessible and majestically impressive product. Easier to work with than natural stone, you'll be enjoying your newly transformed backyard paradise in no time. Photo: Barkman Concrete Ltd.

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional partial sun backyard formal garden.

This family backyard outdoor living area was designed to showcase the natural greenery of the Pacific Northwest around planned areas for relaxation, outdoor dining and entertainment. The central feature is a patio plaza designed with curving natural shapes and made with Mutual Materials Columbia Slate Patio Stone in the color Summit Blend. Applying a paver sealant coating on top of the Columbia Slate intensifies the colors while providing protection from weather elements and fading. A prominent backyard feature is a large tree, which the patio was built around. Using Mutual Materials Roman Stack® retaining wall blocks, a raised circular garden planter was built around the tree and enhanced with plantings to create a natural foundational feature. The Summit Blend color was also chosen for the RomanStackstone, to color coordinate with the Summit Blend color in the patio stone.

This steel and wood covered patio makes for a great outdoor living and dining area overlooking the pool There is also a pool cabana with a fireplace and a TV for lounging poolside.

Design ideas for a contemporary drought-tolerant and full sun concrete paver landscaping in Orange County.

Large arts and crafts backyard deck photo in Seattle with no cover

Innis Casey Photography
Design ideas for a large modern drought-tolerant and shade backyard mulch landscaping in Los Angeles.

This new construction features clean lines, a sleek metal roof, and modern iron door and windows while also tying in traditional elements like the white brick and gas lantern. Shop the look: Modernist Original Bracket http://ow.ly/3Oht30nCjNC See more photos from John Lively & Associates http://ow.ly/Mf7s30nClOa

Design ideas for a contemporary side yard gravel landscaping in Miami.

Design ideas for a modern landscaping in San Francisco.