This transitional timber frame home features a wrap-around porch designed to take advantage of its lakeside setting and mountain views. Natural stone, including river rock, granite and Tennessee field stone, is combined with wavy edge siding and a cedar shingle roof to marry the exterior of the home with it surroundings. Casually elegant interiors flow into generous outdoor living spaces that highlight natural materials and create a connection between the indoors and outdoors. Photography Credit: Rebecca Lehde, Inspiro 8 Studios

Inspiration for a mid-century modern bathroom remodel in Houston

Small 1950s master mosaic tile floor and blue floor bathroom photo in San Francisco with medium tone wood cabinets, flat-panel cabinets, white walls and an undermount sink

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

King Garden Designs
Photo of a traditional landscaping in New York.

Photo Credit: Mike Kaskel, Kaskel Photo
Inspiration for a large timeless dark wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, gray backsplash, subway tile backsplash, an island, gray cabinets, quartzite countertops and stainless steel appliances

Photography by Richard Mandelkorn
Inspiration for a large timeless porch remodel in Boston with no fireplace, a standard ceiling and a roof extension

Example of a transitional kitchen design in Philadelphia with shaker cabinets, beige cabinets, beige backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Photo's Kris Tamburello
Inspiration for a modern galley light wood floor and beige floor open concept kitchen remodel in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Inspiration for a mid-sized rustic enclosed dark wood floor family room remodel in New York with beige walls and a wall-mounted tv

Photos by Spacecrafting
Inspiration for a transitional ceramic tile and beige floor mudroom remodel in Minneapolis with white walls

David Van Scott Photography
Kitchen - large traditional dark wood floor kitchen idea in Newark with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, beige walls and an island

Example of a mid-sized mountain style guest medium tone wood floor bedroom design with brown walls and no fireplace

Cal Mitchner Photography
Example of a cottage medium tone wood floor bathroom design in Charlotte with an undermount sink, medium tone wood cabinets, green walls, a two-piece toilet and flat-panel cabinets

Jared Medley Photography and Design Any questions about the materials and design should be directed to craig@designsbycraigveenker.com
Kitchen - traditional u-shaped dark wood floor kitchen idea in Salt Lake City with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, gray walls and an island

Large kitchen design in a cabin preservation project. Sam Oberter Photography
Example of a large mountain style dark wood floor eat-in kitchen design in New York with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

Large Lagoon pool with fire pit in the middle.
Example of an island style custom-shaped pool design in Los Angeles