In south Seattle, a tiny backyard garden needed a makeover to add usability and create a sitting area for entertaining. Raised garden beds for edible plants provide the transition between the existing deck and new patio below, eliminating the need for a railing. A firepit provides the focal point for the new patio. Angles create drama and direct flow to the steel stairs and gate. Installed June, 2014. Photography: Mark S. Garff ASLA, LLA

An outdoor fireplace and cooking area provide spaces for socializing. A full range blue stone path leads away from the main patio to the pool, spa and outdoor shower tucked away behind the pines.

View to entry at sunset. Dining to the right of the entry. Photography by Stephen Brousseau.
Example of a mid-sized minimalist brown one-story mixed siding house exterior design in Seattle with a shed roof and a metal roof

The upper deck includes Ipe flooring, an outdoor kitchen with concrete countertops, and panoramic doors that provide instant indoor/outdoor living. Waterfall steps lead to the lower deck's artificial turf area. The ground level features custom concrete pavers, fire pit, open framed pergola with day bed and under decking system.

The space under the stairs is designed to provide an extra 25sf of storage for clothing, winter gear, shoes, and misc. items. The heater is a propane unit.

Costas Picadas Photography
Example of a trendy home design design in New York

Transitional concrete and rectangular hot tub photo in San Francisco

Photo: Margot Hartford © 2015 Houzz http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/44876872/list/my-houzz-architectural-elegance-with-the-addition-of-built-ins

Gillian Jackson
Tuscan master black tile black floor freestanding bathtub photo in Toronto with black walls

Inspiration for a rustic l-shaped dark wood floor kitchen remodel in Denver with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, white backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Transitional l-shaped kitchen photo in New York with a farmhouse sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash and an island

One of two built-in seating areas provides a comfortable space to enjoy cocktails and conversation. Please ignore the varying heights of the pendant lighting, the electrician was unable to finish before the photographer arrived. Copyright -©Teri Fotheringham Photography 2013

Erin Lau
Design ideas for a traditional landscaping in Seattle.

The homeowners enjoy a wonderful view from the front porch. The front yard is heavily shaded by large trees, eliminating turf as an option. Instead, we situated a pergola in the center of the space, with a flagstone path providing easy access. This encourages movement through the space and helps to bring the landscape into scale with the property. Photo by www.crewsphotography.com

Madera Custom Kitchen- Berkeley Residence project. Cherry wood doors and Sliding Glass Shoji Screens for storage and laundry room. Photographer: Tiago Pinto

The Kiguchi family moved into their Austin, Texas home in 1994. Built in the 1980’s as part of a neighborhood development, they happily raised their family here but longed for something more contemporary. Once they became empty nesters, they decided it was time for a major remodel. After spending many years visiting Austin AIA Home Tours that highlight contemporary residential architecture, they had a lot of ideas and in 2013 were ready to interview architects and get their renovation underway. The project turned into a major remodel due to an unstable foundation. Architects Ben Arbib and Ed Hughey, of Arbib Hughey Design were hired to solve the structural issue and look for inspiration in the bones of the house, which sat on top of a hillside and was surrounded by great views. Unfortunately, with the old floor plan, the beautiful views were hidden by small windows that were poorly placed. In order to bring more natural light into the house the window sizes and configurations had to be addressed, all while keeping in mind the homeowners desire for a modern look and feel. To achieve a more contemporary and sophisticated front of house, a new entry was designed that included removing a two-story bay window and porch. The entrance of the home also became more integrated with the landscape creating a template for new foliage to be planted. Older exterior materials were updated to incorporate a more muted palette of colors with a metal roof, dark grey siding in the back and white stucco in the front. Deep eaves were added over many of the new large windows for clean lines and sun protection. “Inside it was about opening up the floor plan, expanding the views throughout the house, and updating the material palette to get a modern look that was also warm and inviting,” said Ben from Arbib Hughey Design. “Prior to the remodel, the house had the typical separation of rooms. We removed the walls between them and changed all of the windows to Milgard Thermally Improved Aluminum to connect the inside with the outside. No matter where you are you get nice views and natural light.” The architects wanted to create some drama, which they accomplished with the window placement and opening up the interior floor plan to an open concept approach. Cabinetry was used to help delineate intimate spaces. To add warmth to an all-white living room, white-washed oak wood floors were installed and pine planks were used around the fireplace. The large windows served as artwork bringing the color of nature into the space. An octagon shaped, elevated dining room, (named “the turret”), had a big impact on the design of the house. They architects rounded the corners and added larger window openings overlooking a new sunken garden. The great room was also softened by rounding out the corners and that circular theme continued throughout the house, being picked up in skylight wells and kitchen cabinetry. A staircase leading to a catwalk was added and the result was a two-story window wall that flooded the home with natural light. When asked why Milgard® Thermally Improved Aluminum windows were selected, the architectural team listed many reasons: 1) Aesthetics: “We liked the slim profiles and narrow sightlines. The window frames never get in the way of the view and that was important to us. They also have a very contemporary look that went well with our design.” 2) Options: “We liked that we could get large sliding doors that matched the windows, giving us a very cohesive look and feel throughout the project.” 3) Cost Effective: “Milgard windows are affordable. You get a good product at a good price.” 4) Custom Sizes: “Milgard windows are customizable, which allowed us to get the right window for each location.” Ready to take on your own traditional to modern home remodeling project? Arbib Hughey Design advises, “Work with a good architect. That means picking a team that is creative, communicative, listens well and is responsive. We think it’s important for an architect to listen to their clients and give them something they want, not something the architect thinks they should have. At the same time you want an architect who is willing and able to think outside the box and offer up design options that you may not have considered. Design is about a lot of back and forth, trying out ideas, getting feedback and trying again.” The home was completely transformed into a unique, contemporary house perfectly integrated with its site. Internally the home has a natural flow for the occupants and externally it is integrated with the surroundings taking advantage of great natural light. As a side note, it was highly praised as part of the Austin AIA homes tour.

The chance to build a lakeside weekend home in rural NC provided this Chapel Hill family with an opportunity to ditch convention and think outside the box. For instance, we traded the traditional boat dock with what's become known as the "party dock"… a floating lounge of sorts, complete with wet bar, TV, swimmer's platform, and plenty of spots for watching the water fun. Inside, we turned one bedroom into a gym with climbing wall - and dropped the idea of a dining room, in favor of a deep upholstered niche and shuffleboard table. Outdoor drapery helped blur the lines between indoor spaces and exterior porches filled with upholstery, swings, and places for lazy napping. And after the sun goes down....smores, anyone? John Bessler

2013 CHRYSALIS AWARD SOUTH REGION WINNER, RESIDENTIAL EXTERIOR This 1970’s split-level single-family home in an upscale Arlington neighborhood had been neglected for years. With his surrounding neighbors all doing major exterior and interior remodeling, however, the owner decided it was time to renovate his property as well. After several consultation meetings with the design team at Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, he settled on an exterior layout to create an Art & Craft design for the home. It all got started by excavating the front and left side of the house and attaching a wrap-around stone porch. Key design attributes include a black metal roof, large tapered columns, blue and grey random style flag stone, beaded stain ceiling paneling and an octagonal seating area on the left side of this porch. The front porch has a wide stairway and another set of stairs leads to the back yard. All exterior walls of homes were modified with new headers to allow much larger custom-made windows, new front doors garage doors, and French side and back doors. A custom-designed mahogany front door with leaded glass provides more light and offers a wider entrance into the home’s living area. Design challenges included removing the entire face of the home and then adding new insulation, Tyvek and Hardiplank siding. The use of high-efficiency low-e windows makes the home air tight. The Arts & Crafts design touches include the front gable over the front porch, the prairie-style grill pattern on the windows and doors, the use of tapered columns sitting over stone columns and the leaded glass front door. Decorative exterior lighting provides the finishing touches to this look.

In September of 2015, Boston magazine opened its eleventh Design Home project at Turner Hill, a residential, luxury golf community in Ipswich, MA. The featured unit is a three story residence with an eclectic, sophisticated style. Situated just miles from the ocean, this idyllic residence has top of the line appliances, exquisite millwork, and lush furnishings. Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting consulted with lead designer Chelsi Christensen and provided over a dozen rugs for this project. For more information about the Design Home, please visit: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/designhome2015/ Designer: Chelsi Christensen, Design East Interiors, Photographer: Michael J. Lee