Published in the NORTHSHORE HOME MAGAZINE Fall 2015 issue, this home was dubbed 'Manchester Marvel'. Before its renovation, the home consisted of a street front cottage built in the 1820’s, with a wing added onto the back at a later point. The home owners required a family friendly space to accommodate a large extended family, but they also wished to retain the original character of the home. The design solution was to turn the rectangular footprint into an L shape. The kitchen and the formal entertaining rooms run along the vertical wing of the home. Within the central hub of the home is a large family room that opens to the kitchen and the back of the patio. Located in the horizontal plane are the solarium, mudroom and garage. Client Quote "He (John Olson of OLSON LEWIS + Architects) did an amazing job. He asked us about our goals and actually walked through our former house with us to see what we did and did not like about it. He also worked really hard to give us the same level of detail we had in our last home." “Manchester Marvel” clients. Photo Credits: Eric Roth

WKD’s design specialty in quality historic preservation ensured that the integrity of this home’s interior and exterior architecture was kept intact. The design mission was to preserve, restore and renovate the home in a manner that celebrated its heritage, while recognizing and accommodating today’s lifestyle and technology. Drawing from the home’s original details, WKD re-designed a friendly entry (including the exterior landscape approach) and kitchen area, integrating it into the existing hearth room. We also created a new stair to the second floor, eliminating the small, steep winding stair. New colors, wallpaper, furnishings and lighting make for a family friendly, welcoming home. The project has been published several times. Click below to read:       October 2014 Northshore Magazine       Spring 2013 Kitchen Trends Magazine       Spring 2013 Bathroom Trends Magazine Photographer: MIchael Lee

Charles Hilton Architects, Robert Benson Photography From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

Completed in 2015, this project incorporates a Scandinavian vibe to enhance the modern architecture and farmhouse details. The vision was to create a balanced and consistent design to reflect clean lines and subtle rustic details, which creates a calm sanctuary. The whole home is not based on a design aesthetic, but rather how someone wants to feel in a space, specifically the feeling of being cozy, calm, and clean. This home is an interpretation of modern design without focusing on one specific genre; it boasts a midcentury master bedroom, stark and minimal bathrooms, an office that doubles as a music den, and modern open concept on the first floor. It’s the winner of the 2017 design award from the Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and has been on the Tribeza Home Tour; in addition to being published in numerous magazines such as on the cover of Austin Home as well as Dwell Magazine, the cover of Seasonal Living Magazine, Tribeza, Rue Daily, HGTV, Hunker Home, and other international publications. Featured on Dwell! https://www.dwell.com/article/sustainability-is-the-centerpiece-of-this-new-austin-development-071e1a55

Library Addition with Home Theater Below. “Home Design and Superior Interiors Competition - 'Renovations & Additions' and 'Residences Award' Winners", A.I.A. and ASID Pittsburgh with Pittsburgh Magazine. Traditional Building Magazine, “New Traditions: Building and Restoring the Period Home”, Volume 12 / Number 3, May / June 1999 Pittsburgh Magazine, “1999 Home Design and Superior Interiors Competition”, March 1999 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Homes and Gardens”, Donald Miller, February 1999

This condominium apartment is located at Locust Walk at Washington Square, an adaptive reuse of the turn of the century, five-story brick building that formerly housed Lippincott Publishing. Located in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, and overlooking Washington Square, the design of the project preserved the distinct architectural character of the building by fitting 26 condominium apartments within the existing structure. Cecil Baker + Partners provided the design and documentation for the base building renovation and determined the unit distribution. The developer then sold each unit as raw space, and each buyer had the opportunity to customize their units. Cecil Baker + Partners ultimately provided custom designs for five of the residences. This 1800 square foot apartment was designed for a busy working couple. It provides an open living space that while being thoroughly modern, also embraces the original character of the building. The heavy timber and steel structure was sandblasted and exposed providing for a warm backdrop for a clean, modern intervention. Barry Halkin and Todd Mason Photography

Douglas VanderHorn Architects From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

Berlyn Photography.
Home theater - large contemporary enclosed home theater idea in Los Angeles with gray walls and a wall-mounted tv

Building a Dream Home For the past 30 years, John Bleeker has been designing notable homes and renowned buildings in the area, which have been published in numerous magazines. Mr. Bleeker, an award winning architect of Bleeker Architectural Group, chose Braen Supply as the provider for the materials for his own home. He felt that Braen Supply was the most trustworthy and reliable source for materials as he designed his dream home. Mr. Bleeker was looking for a particular coloration of materials that Braen Supply would be providing. In order to meet the needs of the customer, a custom blend of granites were created providing him with the exact coloration that he was looking for. The remaining materials were selected to correspond with the custom blend, creating a home that anyone would dream to live in. Bleeker Architectural Group has been designing notable homes and buildings in the area since 1999.

This Cobble Hill Brownstone for a family of five is a fun and captivating design, the perfect blend of the wife’s love of English country style and the husband’s preference for modern. The young power couple, her the co-founder of Maisonette and him an investor, have three children and a dog, requiring that all the surfaces, finishes and, materials used throughout the home are both beautiful and durable to make every room a carefree space the whole family can enjoy. The primary design challenge for this project was creating both distinct places for the family to live their day to day lives and also a whole floor dedicated to formal entertainment. The clients entertain large dinners on a monthly basis as part of their profession. We solved this by adding an extension on the Garden and Parlor levels. This allowed the Garden level to function as the daily family operations center and the Parlor level to be party central. The kitchen on the garden level is large enough to dine in and accommodate a large catering crew. On the parlor level, we created a large double parlor in the front of the house; this space is dedicated to cocktail hour and after-dinner drinks. The rear of the parlor is a spacious formal dining room that can seat up to 14 guests. The middle "library" space contains a bar and facilitates access to both the front and rear rooms; in this way, it can double as a staging area for the parties. The remaining three floors are sleeping quarters for the family and frequent out of town guests. Designing a row house for private and public functions programmatically returns the building to a configuration in line with its original design. This project was published in Architectural Digest. Photography by Sam Frost

The broad stroke design of this home harkens to sap houses and agricultural structures of the Northeast which inspired the inclusion of a clerestory, cylindrical silo-like stairwell, and site-harvested stone. It was important for the family of five to have a central living space that felt settled and intimate while being able to host guests. The resulting 36’ x 36’ great room is characterized by its “circle in a square” frame that is the core to the overall basket-like structure. Lower volumes are created, and dimensionality is woven in with arched timber brackets and curving lines. The curves and arches were realized with a combination of double sawn solid timbers and grain-matched glulams “I cannot imagine a day when I will stop smiling at this.” – Shannon, homeowner “Neither my temperament nor my history with Fine Homebuilding inclines me to be impressed by trophy houses, the place is impressive. Your designers and framers did an amazing job—craftsmanship on the highest order.” – Kevin Ireton, writer and former publisher of Fine Homebuilding Magazine. Read more about this project from our design team and the homeowners on our blog. Professional Photography: Don Cochran Photography

Let there be light. There will be in this sunny style designed to capture amazing views as well as every ray of sunlight throughout the day. Architectural accents of the past give this modern barn-inspired design a historical look and importance. Custom details enhance both the exterior and interior, giving this home real curb appeal. Decorative brackets and large windows surround the main entrance, welcoming friends and family to the handsome board and batten exterior, which also features a solid stone foundation, varying symmetrical roof lines with interesting pitches, trusses, and a charming cupola over the garage. Once inside, an open floor plan provides both elegance and ease. A central foyer leads into the 2,700-square-foot main floor and directly into a roomy 18 by 19-foot living room with a natural fireplace and soaring ceiling heights open to the second floor where abundant large windows bring the outdoors in. Beyond is an approximately 200 square foot screened porch that looks out over the verdant backyard. To the left is the dining room and open-plan family-style kitchen, which, at 16 by 14-feet, has space to accommodate both everyday family and special occasion gatherings. Abundant counter space, a central island and nearby pantry make it as convenient as it is attractive. Also on this side of the floor plan is the first-floor laundry and a roomy mudroom sure to help you keep your family organized. The plan’s right side includes more private spaces, including a large 12 by 17-foot master bedroom suite with natural fireplace, master bath, sitting area and walk-in closet, and private study/office with a large file room. The 1,100-square foot second level includes two spacious family bedrooms and a cozy 10 by 18-foot loft/sitting area. More fun awaits in the 1,600-square-foot lower level, with an 8 by 12-foot exercise room, a hearth room with fireplace, a billiards and refreshment space and a large home theater.

The apartment was created for a four person family in the heart of Moscow. The most interesting part of this project was the bespoke furniture which was individually designed and manufactured for this project. The project took around a year from first sketch to last fork. The interior was published in Architectural Digest and ELLE Decor Russia. Inspiration for this project was taken from a golden vinyl record of Pink Floyd’s - Dark side of the moon. The main shape of the interior was designed as a prism, which is on the cover of the album. In a dispersive prism, white light is split into the color spectrum. I put the same idea into the interior: common spaces (living room and kitchen) are neutral and all private areas are colorful. You will find each color of the rainbow in this apartment. The gold from the vinyl flows through the furniture, fixtures as well as the wall base. The style of the furniture was inspired by the 70’s, as the album was presented in 1973.

The broad stroke design of this home harkens to sap houses and agricultural structures of the Northeast which inspired the inclusion of a clerestory, cylindrical silo-like stairwell, and site-harvested stone. It was important for the family of five to have a central living space that felt settled and intimate while being able to host guests. The resulting 36’ x 36’ great room is characterized by its “circle in a square” frame that is the core to the overall basket-like structure. Lower volumes are created, and dimensionality is woven in with arched timber brackets and curving lines. The curves and arches were realized with a combination of double sawn solid timbers and grain-matched glulams “I cannot imagine a day when I will stop smiling at this.” – Shannon, homeowner “Neither my temperament nor my history with Fine Homebuilding inclines me to be impressed by trophy houses, the place is impressive. Your designers and framers did an amazing job—craftsmanship on the highest order.” – Kevin Ireton, writer and former publisher of Fine Homebuilding Magazine. Read more about this project from our design team and the homeowners on our blog. Professional Photography: Don Cochran Photography

Berlyn Photography.
Example of a large trendy backyard custom-shaped infinity pool design in Los Angeles

This Cobble Hill Brownstone for a family of five is a fun and captivating design, the perfect blend of the wife’s love of English country style and the husband’s preference for modern. The young power couple, her the co-founder of Maisonette and him an investor, have three children and a dog, requiring that all the surfaces, finishes and, materials used throughout the home are both beautiful and durable to make every room a carefree space the whole family can enjoy. The primary design challenge for this project was creating both distinct places for the family to live their day to day lives and also a whole floor dedicated to formal entertainment. The clients entertain large dinners on a monthly basis as part of their profession. We solved this by adding an extension on the Garden and Parlor levels. This allowed the Garden level to function as the daily family operations center and the Parlor level to be party central. The kitchen on the garden level is large enough to dine in and accommodate a large catering crew. On the parlor level, we created a large double parlor in the front of the house; this space is dedicated to cocktail hour and after-dinner drinks. The rear of the parlor is a spacious formal dining room that can seat up to 14 guests. The middle "library" space contains a bar and facilitates access to both the front and rear rooms; in this way, it can double as a staging area for the parties. The remaining three floors are sleeping quarters for the family and frequent out of town guests. Designing a row house for private and public functions programmatically returns the building to a configuration in line with its original design. This project was published in Architectural Digest. Photography by Sam Frost

Douglas VanderHorn Architects From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

Photos by Wing Wong @MemoriesTTL My clients in New Jersey contacted me last year to renovate one bathroom which led to many new projects, including updating their living room. (The bathroom will be published next summer, so I cannot show you it,but I will share with you the living room update. My focus is creating rooms that are beautiful yet extremely functional for my clients. In this case, they are in their prime of life, and their home needed to change along with them. I put in lots of "Aging in Place" or what I like to say, "Home for Life" design ideas. I added grab bars in the shower, increased the lighting in all the rooms,made doorways wider, and I banished the green carpet from the living room to make way for hardwood floors in case one of my clients becomes non ambulatory. So when it came to updating their living room, I asked what direction they want to go in and they said to me, "We lived through mid century modern and now it's back!" They actually have Wishbone chairs from Hans Wenger in the dining room and an original Eames chair, so adding more Mid century modern pieces was a no brainer. These are LC3 Modele Armchairs

Douglas VanderHorn Architects From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.