Martha O'Hara Interiors, Interior Design | Charles Cudd De Novo, Architect + Builder | Troy Thies, Photography | Shannon Gale, Photo Styling
Transitional staircase photo in Minneapolis with gray walls

Matthew Millman
Elegant patio photo in San Francisco with no cover

Example of a transitional medium tone wood floor kitchen design in Chicago with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, gray backsplash, subway tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Siberian Floors - Russian White Oak, Fumed, Prime Grade, Hardwax Oil White Tint Please visit our website for more information and floor treatments!
Example of a beach style light wood floor kitchen design in Boston with subway tile backsplash and an island

The project is a single-family home designed to amplify the awareness of nature through the manipulation of key viewpoints. Photo credit: Ben Hill
Trendy wood exterior home photo in Houston

Farmhouse dark wood floor and brown floor mudroom photo in Chicago with white walls

Plastic benches held up by concrete block make a simple benching system. Wire closet shelving adds extra room for plants. 3/8" pea stone floor with drainage pipe beneath keeps the floor dry. Photo by Bob Trainor

Kids' bedroom - bedroom transitional girl carpeted and beige floor kids' bedroom idea in San Francisco with multicolored walls

Living room - transitional living room idea in Los Angeles

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

A custom home builder in Chicago's western suburbs, Summit Signature Homes, ushers in a new era of residential construction. With an eye on superb design and value, industry-leading practices and superior customer service, Summit stands alone. Custom-built homes in Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, Western Springs, and other western suburbs.

Frontyard - AFTER
Inspiration for a 1950s gray one-story flat roof remodel in San Francisco

Playroom - transitional playroom idea in Boston

Photo: Curtis Lew
Inspiration for a coastal kitchen remodel in New York with an integrated sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, wood countertops and paneled appliances

Inspiration for a timeless two-story wood exterior home remodel in Minneapolis

Blue tiger’s eye, white oak, steel and a golden back splash create a rich and luxurious tone. Kitchen Design: Mikal Otten Photography: Emily Minton Redfield

Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in San Diego with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island, solid surface countertops, beige backsplash and stone tile backsplash

Landscaping In Long Beach, CA Photo by A-List Builders Fresh lain lawn, concrete pavers, botanical plants, stone boulders.
This is an example of a contemporary backyard concrete paver formal garden in Los Angeles.

Randall Perry Photography
Example of a mid-sized country claw-foot bathtub design in New York with an undermount sink, medium tone wood cabinets and beige walls