Rising amidst the grand homes of North Howe Street, this stately house has more than 6,600 SF. In total, the home has seven bedrooms, six full bathrooms and three powder rooms. Designed with an extra-wide floor plan (21'-2"), achieved through side-yard relief, and an attached garage achieved through rear-yard relief, it is a truly unique home in a truly stunning environment. The centerpiece of the home is its dramatic, 11-foot-diameter circular stair that ascends four floors from the lower level to the roof decks where panoramic windows (and views) infuse the staircase and lower levels with natural light. Public areas include classically-proportioned living and dining rooms, designed in an open-plan concept with architectural distinction enabling them to function individually. A gourmet, eat-in kitchen opens to the home's great room and rear gardens and is connected via its own staircase to the lower level family room, mud room and attached 2-1/2 car, heated garage. The second floor is a dedicated master floor, accessed by the main stair or the home's elevator. Features include a groin-vaulted ceiling; attached sun-room; private balcony; lavishly appointed master bath; tremendous closet space, including a 120 SF walk-in closet, and; an en-suite office. Four family bedrooms and three bathrooms are located on the third floor. This home was sold early in its construction process. Nathan Kirkman

Cas Holman Bird Mill
Kitchen - modern kitchen idea in Los Angeles

Bathroom - traditional bathroom idea in Toronto

Photo of a traditional landscaping in Los Angeles.

Traditional exterior home idea in Los Angeles

Emma Jeffs PVC-Free Window Film - Fishy Fish
Nursery - modern nursery idea in Los Angeles

Photos by Francis and Francis Photography The Anderson Residence is ‘practically’ a new home in one of Las Vegas midcentury modern neighborhoods McNeil. The house is the current home of Ian Anderson the local Herman Miller dealer and Shanna Anderson of Leeland furniture family. When Ian first introduced CSPA studio to the project it was burned down house. Turns out that the house is a 1960 midcentury modern sister of two homes that was destroyed by arson in a dispute between landlord and tenant. Once inside the burned walls it was quite clear what a wonderful house it once was. Great care was taken to try and restore the house to a similar splendor. The reality is the remodel didn’t involve much of the original house, by the time the fire damage was remediated there wasn’t much left. The renovation includes an additional 1000 SF of office, guest bedroom, laundry, mudroom, guest toilet outdoor shower and a garage. The roof line was raised in order to accommodate a forced air mechanical system, but care was taken to keep the lines long and low (appearing) to match the midcentury modern style. The House is an H-shape. Typically houses of this time period would have small rooms with long narrow hallways. However in this case with the walls burned out one can see from one side of the house to other creating a huge feeling space. It was decided to totally open the East side of the house and make the kitchen which gently spills into the living room and wood burning fireplace the public side. New windows and a huge 16’ sliding door were added all the way around the courtyard so that one can see out and across into the private side. On the west side of the house the long thin hallway is opened up by the windows to the courtyard and the long wall offers an opportunity for a gallery style art display. The long hallway opens to two bedrooms, shared bathroom and master bedroom. The end of the hallway opens to a casual living room and the swimming pool area. The house has no formal dining room but a 15’ custom crafted table by Ian’s sculptor father that is an extension of the kitchen island. The H-shape creates two covered areas, one is the front entry courtyard, fenced in by a Brazilian walnut enclosure and crowned by a steel art installation by Ian’s father. The rear covered courtyard is a breezy spot for chilling out on a hot desert day. The pool was re-finished and a shallow soaking deck added. A new barbeque and covered patio added. Some of the large plant material was salvaged and nursed back to health and a complete new desert landscape was re-installed to bring the exterior to life.

This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Los Angeles.

Example of a transitional dark wood floor dining room design in Atlanta with beige walls

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

Sunroom - transitional green floor sunroom idea in Boston with no fireplace and a standard ceiling

Gus Modern Return Bench
Living room - modern living room idea in Los Angeles

Inspiration for a mediterranean landscaping in Chicago.

An imposing heritage oak and fountain frame a strong central axis leading from the motor court to the front door, through a grand stair hall into the public spaces of this Italianate home designed for entertaining, out to the gardens and finally terminating at the pool and semi-circular columned cabana. Gracious terraces and formal interiors characterize this stately home.

This project won in the 2013 Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh Housing Excellence Award for Best Urban Renewal Renovation Project. The glass bowl was made in the glass studio owned by the owner which is adjacent to the residence. The mirror is a repurposed window. The door is repurposed from a boarding house. George Mendel

Custom Concrete Countertops by Hard Topix. Perimeter is a light grind finish and the Island is a darker natural/textured finish.
Urban l-shaped dark wood floor kitchen photo in Grand Rapids with a double-bowl sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, concrete countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

Gus Modern Sudbury Dining Table Round
Dining room - modern dining room idea in Los Angeles

Photo: Sarah Greenman © 2014 Houzz
Eclectic dining room photo in Dallas with beige walls