In this multi-phase renovation of an existing French Country Manor home along the lake, a total reconfiguration of the spatial organization occurred in order to support a growing family. The manor was completely transformed when the exterior materials were upgraded to include a variety of siding and wooden detailing, and beautiful indoor-outdoor living and entertaining spaces were created. Developing a unified program layout for the home not only made the spaces work well together, but it created a complete sense of integrated family living. With the primary living spaces flowing seamlessly together, a stronger connection to the lake and the outdoors was possible. Light colors were chosen for the interior color palette, which complement the light wood accents that were pulled throughout the home, and react with the large natural stone fireplace and chimney located at the heart of the structure. Photographer: MTA

Architectural Resource is extremely excited to share with you the 'River View' house. This very special remodeling project was the first remodeling project in S.E. Michigan to achieve Emerald Certification (the highest level possible) in the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) National Green Building Certification Program. This home combines smart, sustainable design; advanced construction techniques; and integrated solar panels for renewable energy capture. The result… our clients received a Credit for net excess electrical production in July of 2014, the hottest July on record to date! This state of the art remodel and addition project includes a new two-story addition, master suite and kitchen remodel, and a view of the Huron River valley that one reporter exclaimed was "the most beautiful view in Ann Arbor!" -Beth Singer Photography

Nestled amidst a neighborhood of single story bungalows in Venice, California, the Solar Umbrella Residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41’ wide x 100’-0” long through lot, the Solar Umbrella addition transforms the architects’ existing 650 square foot bungalow into a 1900 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century. Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella provides a contemporary reinvention of the solar canopy—a strategy that provides thermal protection in climates with intense exposures. In establishing the program for their residence, which accommodates the couple and their one child chose to integrate into the design, principles of sustainability that they strive to achieve in their own practice. The architects carefully considered the entire site, taking advantage of as many opportunities for sustainable living as possible. Passive and active solar design strategies render the residence 100% energy neutral. Recycled, renewable, and high performance materials and products are specified throughout. Hardscape and landscape treatments are considered for their aesthetic and actual impact on the land. The Brooks Scarpa Residence elegantly crafts each of these strategies and materials, exploiting the potential for performance and sensibility while achieving a rich and interesting sensory and aesthetic experience.

Mark Fertitta. Solid Apollo LED. In this awesome game room, Color Changing RGB LED Lights have been placed around the entire cove of the basement ceiling for incredible lighting effects showing either a single custom color, or mulitple colors when the RGB LED Controller is used with the built in color changing programs. The RGB LED Strip Lights were easy to add as the thin low profile design and easy stick double sided tape on the back of the strip light make installation quick. The lights are controlled using Solid Apollo's LED Wizard Smartphone & Tablet LED Controller for easy lighting control using any smartphone or tablet. The incredible range of colors possible compliment any game room or man cave and like here, where the brightness fills the entire room, the controllers have full brightness settings which can also be turned down to as low as 10% for soft accent lighting. So when playing pool or enjoying drinks at the bar, the color changing lights can br turned to full brightness to create an incredible energized atmosphere, or when stopping to watch your favorite game, the lights can be turned down for subtle background accent lighting.

Mark Fertitta. Solid Apollo LED. In this awesome game room, Color Changing RGB LED Lights have been placed around the entire cove of the basement ceiling for incredible lighting effects showing either a single custom color, or mulitple colors when the RGB LED Controller is used with the built in color changing programs. The RGB LED Strip Lights were easy to add as the thin low profile design and easy stick double sided tape on the back of the strip light make installation quick. The lights are controlled using Solid Apollo's LED Wizard Smartphone & Tablet LED Controller for easy lighting control using any smartphone or tablet. The incredible range of colors possible compliment any game room or man cave and like here, where the brightness fills the entire room, the controllers have full brightness settings which can also be turned down to as low as 10% for soft accent lighting. So when playing pool or enjoying drinks at the bar, the color changing lights can br turned to full brightness to create an incredible energized atmosphere, or when stopping to watch your favorite game, the lights can be turned down for subtle background accent lighting.

Nestled amidst a neighborhood of single story bungalows in Venice, California, the Solar Umbrella Residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41’ wide x 100’-0” long through lot, the Solar Umbrella addition transforms the architects’ existing 650 square foot bungalow into a 1900 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century. Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella provides a contemporary reinvention of the solar canopy—a strategy that provides thermal protection in climates with intense exposures. In establishing the program for their residence, which accommodates the couple and their one child chose to integrate into the design, principles of sustainability that they strive to achieve in their own practice. The architects carefully considered the entire site, taking advantage of as many opportunities for sustainable living as possible. Passive and active solar design strategies render the residence 100% energy neutral. Recycled, renewable, and high performance materials and products are specified throughout. Hardscape and landscape treatments are considered for their aesthetic and actual impact on the land. The Brooks Scarpa Residence elegantly crafts each of these strategies and materials, exploiting the potential for performance and sensibility while achieving a rich and interesting sensory and aesthetic experience.

Serving as a winter retreat for a family of world travelers, a thoughtfully composed program of calm, comforting spaces imbuing casual elegance is presented effortlessly in the landscape. Oriented around a central grand oak and its adjacent loblolly pine, the home wraps around them, celebrating the engagement of nature while maintaining privacy from neighboring homes. Working within height restrictions intended to keep massing as low to the ground as possible, we moved the ground plane up and the expression down to present an appearance of a home that lives low. Calculated plays on scale and proportion intentionally have different effects from different vantage points, ensuring the viewer perceives the architecture as humanly scaled from each important introduction to the home. Ascending a landscape stair that winds around the central oak and extends into the entry vitrine sitting at base flood, the entry foyer operates at two scales as limestone stairs matching the exterior ascend between walls passing portals that reveal limited views of activity within. 2022 Design + Service Awards Jury Citation for Residential New Construction, AIA Charleston

Serving as a winter retreat for a family of world travelers, a thoughtfully composed program of calm, comforting spaces imbuing casual elegance is presented effortlessly in the landscape. Oriented around a central grand oak and its adjacent loblolly pine, the home wraps around them, celebrating the engagement of nature while maintaining privacy from neighboring homes. Working within height restrictions intended to keep massing as low to the ground as possible, we moved the ground plane up and the expression down to present an appearance of a home that lives low. Calculated plays on scale and proportion intentionally have different effects from different vantage points, ensuring the viewer perceives the architecture as humanly scaled from each important introduction to the home. Ascending a landscape stair that winds around the central oak and extends into the entry vitrine sitting at base flood, the entry foyer operates at two scales as limestone stairs matching the exterior ascend between walls passing portals that reveal limited views of activity within. 2022 Design + Service Awards Jury Citation for Residential New Construction, AIA Charleston

Mark Fertitta. Solid Apollo LED. In this awesome game room, Color Changing RGB LED Lights have been placed around the entire cove of the basement ceiling for incredible lighting effects showing either a single custom color, or mulitple colors when the RGB LED Controller is used with the built in color changing programs. The RGB LED Strip Lights were easy to add as the thin low profile design and easy stick double sided tape on the back of the strip light make installation quick. The lights are controlled using Solid Apollo's LED Wizard Smartphone & Tablet LED Controller for easy lighting control using any smartphone or tablet. The incredible range of colors possible compliment any game room or man cave and like here, where the brightness fills the entire room, the controllers have full brightness settings which can also be turned down to as low as 10% for soft accent lighting. So when playing pool or enjoying drinks at the bar, the color changing lights can br turned to full brightness to create an incredible energized atmosphere, or when stopping to watch your favorite game, the lights can be turned down for subtle background accent lighting.

Serving as a winter retreat for a family of world travelers, a thoughtfully composed program of calm, comforting spaces imbuing casual elegance is presented effortlessly in the landscape. Oriented around a central grand oak and its adjacent loblolly pine, the home wraps around them, celebrating the engagement of nature while maintaining privacy from neighboring homes. Working within height restrictions intended to keep massing as low to the ground as possible, we moved the ground plane up and the expression down to present an appearance of a home that lives low. Calculated plays on scale and proportion intentionally have different effects from different vantage points, ensuring the viewer perceives the architecture as humanly scaled from each important introduction to the home. Ascending a landscape stair that winds around the central oak and extends into the entry vitrine sitting at base flood, the entry foyer operates at two scales as limestone stairs matching the exterior ascend between walls passing portals that reveal limited views of activity within. 2022 Design + Service Awards Jury Citation for Residential New Construction, AIA Charleston

With impressive size and in combination with high-quality materials, such as exquisite real wood and dark ceramics, this planning scenario sets new standards. The complete cladding of the handle-less kitchen run and the adjoining units with the new BOSSA program in walnut is an an architectural statement that makes no compromises in terms of function or aesthetics. All equipment as well as storage space solutions are concealed behind the BOSSA front clad with fine walnut, which makes it possible for LEICHT to style large areas in a completely homogeneous manner. Together with the BOSSA surface, the carcass, available for the first time at a height of 86 cm and features the new color carbon grey creates a uniform, perfect look throughout the entire living space.

With impressive size and in combination with high-quality materials, such as exquisite real wood and dark ceramics, this planning scenario sets new standards. The complete cladding of the handle-less kitchen run and the adjoining units with the new BOSSA program in walnut is an an architectural statement that makes no compromises in terms of function or aesthetics. All equipment as well as storage space solutions are concealed behind the BOSSA front clad with fine walnut, which makes it possible for LEICHT to style large areas in a completely homogeneous manner. Together with the BOSSA surface, the carcass, available for the first time at the height of 34" base and features the new color carbon grey creates a uniform, perfect look throughout the entire living space. The second material in this kitchen scenario, mitered ceramic is shown to its best the advantage in combination with the dark walnut. The free-standing island block in front of the kitchen run as well as the worktops are also made of this high-quality ceramic –- they underline the sophisticated, the luxurious look of this exceptional kitchen.

THE SHADOW HOUSE IS A PRODUCT OF THE CONTEXT IT SITS WITHIN, YET IT SUBVERTS IT AT THE SAME TIME. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE IT UP CLOSE, YET FROM AFAR IT DISAPPEARS INTO THE ETHER. A TINY LOT, A LARGE PROGRAM, RESTRICTIVE ZONING REGULATIONS AND AN INVOLVED NEIGHBORHOOD INTEREST GROUP WERE THE CONSTANT AND UNRELENTING PRESSURES THAT CREATED THIS HOUSE — AND THE RESULT IS BETTER OFF FOR IT. THE SCALLOPED SHINGLES ARE A COMMON ELEMENT ACROSS THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT ARE OFTEN RESERVED FOR DETAIL AREAS UNDER EAVES, AS THE MATERIAL WAS VERY EXPENSIVE ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. WE TOOK THAT HIGHLY-SPECIALIZED, VERY EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL AND APPLIED IT AS A BROAD, MASS-PRODUCED TEXTURE ACROSS THE ENTIRE RESIDENCE — TAKING SOMETHING FROM HIGHLIGHT TO BACKGROUND TEXTURE. THE SILHOUETTE DIRECTLY ECHOES THE ITALIANATE HOMES IN THE LARGER NEIGHBORHOOD — BUT WE STRIPPED THE TYPICAL ORNATE, DECORATED FAÇADE BACK TO UTTER MINIMALISM. WE ENLARGED THE TYPICAL WINDOW SIZE TO EXAGGERATE THE RIGID SYMMETRY OF THE STYLE, AND BROUGHT THEM TO THE FLOOR AND THE CEILING TO PROVIDE AS MUCH LIGHT AS POSSIBLE — AND THEN RECESSED THEM DEEP INTO THE FAÇADE TO MIMIC THE HEAVY BRICK AND STONE LINTELS OF THE PAST. THE HOUSE IS BLACK — THE ONLY COLOR IT COULD BE. IF WE’D PAINTED IT UP LIKE ITS VICTORIAN SISTERS, IT WOULD’VE COMPETED FOR ATTENTION. BLACK CAUSES THE HOUSE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DISAPPEAR AND STAND OUT — IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE WHILE YOU’RE WALKING PAST, BUT A FEW BLOCKS AWAY IT BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE TO DISCERN AGAINST THE BACKGROUND. TWO BEDROOMS WITH EN-SUITE BATHS, FLOOR-TO-CEILING WINDOWS, AN AIRY AND OPEN STAIRCASE AND A MASSIVE GLASS ROOF DOOR MAKE THE SHADOW HOUSE IMPOSSIBLY LIGHT AND OPEN — YET IT’S ONLY 1,400 SQUARE FEET ON A 30’ X 50’ LOT.

Architectural Designs House Plan 24355TW ("Frank Lloyd Wright Inspired House Plan") was was designed for a business executivbe in the Atlanta area who had a gorgeous sloping lot with water views. Interested in having the home as efficient as possible, it was designed and built to meet Georgia's EarthCents program. To achieve this, the home had to be on average 15% more energy efficient when compared to standard homes built to the minimum state and local codes. It passed with flying colors and saves the homeowner up to $400 annually on energy bills. What's even better, this plan is available for you to build here... http://www.architecturaldesigns.com/house-plan-24355TW.asp

From the Ease program, Nest is a collection of interchangeable ottomans, bumpers, floating pillows and arms that can be mixed and mingled to create infinite configurations. Like arranging a set of blocks, there’s no limit to the possible combinations—and that’s the fun part. You can assemble these bumpers and floating pillows any way you want and change them to fit your mood. Nest pushes the boundaries of design with a new approach to seating that can be customized to the space and led by your imagination.

LAD DC HOUSE TYPE: APARTMENT, INTERIOR DESIGN AND FURNITURES LOCATION: ROME, LARGO ELVEZIA PROGRAM: 300 m² INTERIOR DESIGN: Simone Lanaro DESIGN: 2014 COMPLETED: 2014 CLIENT: CONFIDENTIAL The task only regarded the interior furnishing: the customer bought the house after renovation in classic style and contacted us “in media res” to complete the flat. Only two architectural changes were possible: a bathroom and the entrance, which we had the chance to open and connect with the living room. The project theme is the use of brass in several furniture’s details. Appliques, abat-jour, mirrors and candle sticks are by Selezioni Domus http://www.selezionidomus.it/ Black coffee table and black consolle are by Mario Consolo http://www.consolomario.it/ Table, chairs, sofas, armchairs, coffee table and all the other furnitures were designed by LAD. The lithograph in the living room is by Hans Hartung; The photographs in the library are courtesy of Simone Bergantini.

From the Ease program, Nest is a collection of interchangeable ottomans, bumpers, floating pillows and arms that can be mixed and mingled to create infinite configurations. Like arranging a set of blocks, there’s no limit to the possible combinations—and that’s the fun part. You can assemble these bumpers and floating pillows any way you want and change them to fit your mood. Nest pushes the boundaries of design with a new approach to seating that can be customized to the space and led by your imagination.

LAD DC HOUSE TYPE: APARTMENT, INTERIOR DESIGN AND FURNITURES LOCATION: ROME, LARGO ELVEZIA PROGRAM: 300 m² INTERIOR DESIGN: Simone Lanaro DESIGN: 2014 COMPLETED: 2014 CLIENT: CONFIDENTIAL The task only regarded the interior furnishing: the customer bought the house after renovation in classic style and contacted us “in media res” to complete the flat. Only two architectural changes were possible: a bathroom and the entrance, which we had the chance to open and connect with the living room. The project theme is the use of brass in several furniture’s details. Appliques, abat-jour, mirrors and candlesticks are by Selezioni Domus http://www.selezionidomus.it/ Black coffee table and black consolle are by Mario Consolo http://www.consolomario.it/ Table, chairs, sofas, armchairs, coffee table and all the other furnitures were designed by LAD. The lithograph in the living room is by Hans Hartung; The photographs in the library are courtesy of Simone Bergantini.

The photographs below are of a Polished limestone floor that had been installed in the Kitchen of a house in Cheltenham approximately eight years prior. The polish and sealer had worn off over that time allowing dirt to become ingrained into the pores of the stone making it difficult to clean. This is a common problem with all types of porous stone and tile which need to be sealed to maintain their appearance. Sealers do wear down over time with use however and need to be maintained, this is why Tile Doctor have created a maintenance program whereby we pop by every 12 months to give the floor a light clean and top-up the sealer, it only takes a few hours, but it keeps your sealer in good condition. Cheltenham by the way is a lovely town situated on the edge of the Cotswolds which is an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It has a racecourse and is well known for the mineral springs which were discovered here in 1716. My first job was to protect the wooden kitchen units from any splashes by covering them some cotton sheets. Next, I set about restoring the Limestone’s appearance using a set of Burnishing Pads which is a form of polishing which involves the sequential application of four diamond encrusted pads of different grit levels. The first pad applied is a Coarse 400 grit pad which is applied to the floor with a buffing machine and lubricated with water. This process grinds away the top layer of dirt and staining from the stone, along with any old sealer, the floor is then rinsed to remove the soil that is generated. I then move through the system, applying the Medium and then Fine pads using less and less water as you go but rinsing in-between and extracting the water with a wet-vac machine. Once I was happy with the stone I scrubbed the grout lines to remove any soiling that the pads had failed to pick up. The floor was then given a final rinse and the wet vacuum used to extract as much moisture as possible. The floor was then left to dry out completely overnight. The next day I gave the floor a polish with the Very Fine 3,000 grit diamond burnishing pad, this is applied using a technique we call a “spray burnish” due to the fact that very little water is used during its application. The next step was to seal the stone using for which I used Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that protects the stone from within by occupying its pores. Colour Grow also has the added benefit of intensifying the natural colours in the stone. The floor was then left to dry for an hour before I gave it one final dry polish using the Very Fine burnishing pad. My customer was very happy with the final result and made the comment that they thought the floor looked brand new. Malcolm Crowther Gloucester Tile Doctor