This modern beach house in Jacksonville Beach features a large, open entertainment area consisting of great room, kitchen, dining area and lanai. A unique second-story bridge over looks both foyer and great room. Polished concrete floors and horizontal aluminum stair railing bring a contemporary feel. The kitchen shines with European-style cabinetry and GE Profile appliances. The private upstairs master suite is situated away from other bedrooms and features a luxury master shower and floating double vanity. Two roomy secondary bedrooms share an additional bath. Photo credit: Deremer Studios

Located in the heart of Highland Park, this dramatic two-story great room renovation maximizes vertical volume and seamless indoor-outdoor living. The grand living space is defined by an expansive grid of floor-to-ceiling black-framed windows that look out into a lush private backyard and pool patio. Rich, polished hardwood floors ground the bright space, catching geometric sun rays during peak afternoon hours. A symmetrical furniture layout utilizes two plush off-white custom sofas and matching low-profile armchairs arranged around a central minimalist black coffee table and a neutral-toned area rug. The minimalist accent wall includes an integrated low-profile modern gas fireplace with a smooth stone hearth and a large-scale abstract monochromatic art piece hung directly above, making this open-concept layout perfect for upscale entertaining

Francis Dzikowski
Great room - mid-sized modern light wood floor great room idea in New York with gray walls and a wood stove

Two 13′ x 13′ dovetailed timber frame DIY pergola kits installed featuring custom knee braces, Roosevelt beam end profiles and finished in the premium Rich Sequoia high-grade UV protective timer stain to accentuate the home complete with a built-in barbecue and outdoor kitchen set up. The drop down patio creates a very private area with plenty of sunshine and light. The left timber frame pergola has a cantilevered radius roof that gives several more feet of shade.

Conceived of as a C-shaped house with a small private courtyard and a large private rear yard, this new house maximizes the floor area available to build on this smaller Palo Alto lot. An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) integrated into the main structure gave a floor area bonus. For now, it will be used for visiting relatives. One challenge of this design was keeping a low profile and proportional design while still meeting the FEMA flood plain requirement that the finished floor start about 3′ above grade. The new house has four bedrooms (including the attached ADU), a separate family room with a window seat, a music room, a prayer room, and a large living space that opens to the private small courtyard as well as a large covered patio at the rear. Mature trees around the perimeter of the lot were preserved, and new ones planted, for private indoor-outdoor living. C-shaped house, New home, ADU, Palo Alto, CA, courtyard, KA Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Angela Todorova, Lucie Danigo
Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers
Landscape Architect: Outer Space Landscape Architects
Contractor: Coast to Coast Development
Photography: ©2023 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2022 Location: Palo Alto, CA

This couple moved from Chicago’s Wicker Park to a rural setting but wanted to maintain their modern aesthetic. Scott Dresner of Dresner Design created a modern spa oasis for the couple’s master bathroom. The second project completed by Scott in the couple’s home. On the client’s, wish list…a luxurious space to relax, a new window to replace the dated looking glass block, great storage for towels and larger items as well as smaller toiletries. Scott accomplished a variety of storage with deep vanity drawers with push hardware, medicine cabinets with storage on the entire wall, and a large linen closet. Finishes are modern with a hint of warmth created by the floating walnut vanity and trim work. LED light along the vanity and medicine cabinets create a soft ambience perfect for a relaxing bath. Floors are radiant heat, window treatment is motorized, and panel controls a speaker and LED lighting in the rain showerhead. Sources: -Lighting, Lucy Slivinski -Artwork, Linc Thelen -Gray Porcelain Tile, Renaissance Tile + Bath -White Porcelain Tile, Porcelainosa -Black Porcelain tile, The Tile Outlet -Mosaic Shower Floor, Porcelainosa -Bath Tub, Victoria + Albert -Tub Tray, Victoria + Albert -Bath Filler, Phylich -Regulators, Graff -Shower Head, Jaclo -Accessories, Colonial Bronze + Dezi -Rain Shower (LED lighting + music), Thermasol -Toilet, TOTO -Hand spray, Graff -Stone, Calia Stone Boutique -Stone Fabrication, Euro Marble Supply -Vanity, Mirrors, and Linen Closet, The Dresner Design Private Label Collection by De Angelis Italia -Radiant Flooring, Warmup -Linerar Drain, Infinity -Sinks, Lacava -Sink Plumbing, Graff -Window Treatment, The Shade Store -Chair, CB2

The open space plan on the main level of the Prairie Style home is deceiving of the actual separation of spaces. This home packs a punch with a private hot tub, craft room, library, and even a theater. The interior of the home features the same attention to place, as the natural world is evident in the use of granite, basalt, walnut, poplar, and natural river rock throughout. Floor to ceiling windows in strategic locations eliminates the sense of compression on the interior, while the overall window design promotes natural daylighting and cross-ventilation in nearly every space of the home. Glo’s A5 Series in double pane was selected for the high performance values and clean, minimal frame profiles. High performance spacers, double pane glass, multiple air seals, and a larger continuous thermal break combine to reduce convection and eliminate condensation, ultimately providing energy efficiency and thermal performance unheard of in traditional aluminum windows. The A5 Series provides smooth operation and long-lasting durability without sacrificing style for this Prairie Style home.

This Seattle waterfront home received a design overhaul. The revamped home earns its minimalist design with Nordic profiles and Japanese allure, nestled on the banks of the Lake Washington shoreline. The Laurelhurst neighborhood is charming as well as highly desired for the region. The home is conveniently situated just north of downtown Seattle, filled with commerce, arts and culture. However, its discreet location begs for a slower pace of life with water recreation at the ready. The quiet refuge boasts a private dock and boat house for days full of lakeside enjoyment. The remodel kept the existing building perimeter intact, observing the tight bounds of the neighborhood. To optimize the location, a minimalist design with awe-inspiring materials was selected. Keeping the exterior simple, the thin white brick base of the home contrasts the Sho Sugi Ban second-story exterior. Furthermore, the gable roof mimics the traditional Scandinavian home profile that is notorious for simplicity.

Serdaneli Paris Gold & crystal Princess set for a private client. #serdaneli #luxurybathroom #bathroomfittings #hardware

The owners requested that their home harmonize with the spirit of the surrounding Colorado mountain setting and enhance their outdoor recreational lifestyle - while reflecting their contemporary architectural tastes. The site was burdened with a myriad of strict design criteria enforced by the neighborhood covenants and architectural review board. Creating a distinct design challenge, the covenants included a narrow interpretation of a “mountain style” home which established predetermined roof pitches, glazing percentages and material palettes - at direct odds with the client‘s vision of a flat-roofed, glass, “contemporary” home. Our solution finds inspiration and opportunities within the site covenant’s strict definitions. It promotes and celebrates the client’s outdoor lifestyle and resolves the definition of a contemporary “mountain style” home by reducing the architecture to its most basic vernacular forms and relying upon local materials. The home utilizes a simple base, middle and top that echoes the surrounding mountains and vegetation. The massing takes its cues from the prevalent lodgepole pine trees that grow at the mountain’s high altitudes. These pine trees have a distinct growth pattern, highlighted by a single vertical trunk and a peaked, densely foliated growth zone above a sparse base. This growth pattern is referenced by placing the wood-clad body of the home at the second story above an open base composed of wood posts and glass. A simple peaked roof rests lightly atop the home - visually floating above a triangular glass transom. The home itself is neatly inserted amongst an existing grove of lodgepole pines and oriented to take advantage of panoramic views of the adjacent meadow and Continental Divide beyond. The main functions of the house are arranged into public and private areas and this division is made apparent on the home’s exterior. Two large roof forms, clad in pre-patinated zinc, are separated by a sheltering central deck - which signals the main entry to the home. At this connection, the roof deck is opened to allow a cluster of aspen trees to grow – further reinforcing nature as an integral part of arrival. Outdoor living spaces are provided on all levels of the house and are positioned to take advantage of sunrise and sunset moments. The distinction between interior and exterior space is blurred via the use of large expanses of glass. The dry stacked stone base and natural cedar cladding both reappear within the home’s interior spaces. This home offers a unique solution to the client’s requests while satisfying the design requirements of the neighborhood covenants. The house provides a variety of indoor and outdoor living spaces that can be utilized in all seasons. Most importantly, the house takes its cues directly from its natural surroundings and local building traditions to become a prototype solution for the “modern mountain house”. Overview Ranch Creek Ranch Winter Park, Colorado Completion Date October, 2007 Services Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture

This modern beach house in Jacksonville Beach features a large, open entertainment area consisting of great room, kitchen, dining area and lanai. A unique second-story bridge over looks both foyer and great room. Polished concrete floors and horizontal aluminum stair railing bring a contemporary feel. The kitchen shines with European-style cabinetry and GE Profile appliances. The private upstairs master suite is situated away from other bedrooms and features a luxury master shower and floating double vanity. Two roomy secondary bedrooms share an additional bath. Photo credit: Deremer Studios

The Book Club uses a variety of materials and creatively utilizes space to transform a small backyard into an urban oasis. A low concrete wall forms a lounge space with a cantilevered IPE bench and fire pit. Large-format concrete pavers connect the lounge area to a dining and BBQ space, protected from the elements by an overhead louvered roof. The use of synthetic turf, along with native and adapted plant materials, makes this space the low-maintenance, private getaway our client was seeking.

This modern beach house in Jacksonville Beach features a large, open entertainment area consisting of great room, kitchen, dining area and lanai. A unique second-story bridge over looks both foyer and great room. Polished concrete floors and horizontal aluminum stair railing bring a contemporary feel. The kitchen shines with European-style cabinetry and GE Profile appliances. The private upstairs master suite is situated away from other bedrooms and features a luxury master shower and floating double vanity. Two roomy secondary bedrooms share an additional bath. Photo credit: Deremer Studios

The Book Club uses a variety of materials and creatively utilizes space to transform a small backyard into an urban oasis. A low concrete wall forms a lounge space with a cantilevered IPE bench and fire pit. Large-format concrete pavers connect the lounge area to a dining and BBQ space, protected from the elements by an overhead louvered roof. The use of synthetic turf, along with native and adapted plant materials, makes this space the low-maintenance, private getaway our client was seeking.

Reclaimed red and white oak flooring, posts, and beam wraps by Longleaf Lumber for a private residence in Maine. John Cole architecture and Brian Vanden Brink photography.

The Book Club uses a variety of materials and creatively utilizes space to transform a small backyard into an urban oasis. A low concrete wall forms a lounge space with a cantilevered IPE bench and fire pit. Large-format concrete pavers connect the lounge area to a dining and BBQ space, protected from the elements by an overhead louvered roof. The use of synthetic turf, along with native and adapted plant materials, makes this space the low-maintenance, private getaway our client was seeking.

The Book Club uses a variety of materials and creatively utilizes space to transform a small backyard into an urban oasis. A low concrete wall forms a lounge space with a cantilevered IPE bench and fire pit. Large-format concrete pavers connect the lounge area to a dining and BBQ space, protected from the elements by an overhead louvered roof. The use of synthetic turf, along with native and adapted plant materials, makes this space the low-maintenance, private getaway our client was seeking.

The Book Club uses a variety of materials and creatively utilizes space to transform a small backyard into an urban oasis. A low concrete wall forms a lounge space with a cantilevered IPE bench and fire pit. Large-format concrete pavers connect the lounge area to a dining and BBQ space, protected from the elements by an overhead louvered roof. The use of synthetic turf, along with native and adapted plant materials, makes this space the low-maintenance, private getaway our client was seeking.

Trail Top is nestled in a secluded, thickly-wooded neighborhood, and its wood and brick facade and low profile blend into the natural surroundings. The home was built as a private respite from the outside world, as evidenced by the solid wood, windowless doors that grace the entrance.