Example of a trendy bathroom design in Chicago

For this house “contextual” means focusing the good view and taking the bad view out of focus. In order to accomplish this, the form of the house was inspired by horse blinders. Conceived as two tubes with directed views, one tube is for entertaining and the other one for sleeping. Directly across the street from the house is a lake, “the good view.” On all other sides of the house are neighbors of very close proximity which cause privacy issues and unpleasant views – “the bad view.” Thus the sides and rear are mostly solid in order to block out the less desirable views and the front is completely transparent in order to frame and capture the lake – “horse blinders.” There are several sustainable features in the house’s detailing. The entire structure is made of pre-fabricated recycled steel and concrete. Through the extensive use of high tech and super efficient glass, both as windows and clerestories, there is no need for artificial light during the day. The heating for the building is provided by a radiant system composed of several hundred feet of tubes filled with hot water embedded into the concrete floors. The façade is made up of composite board that is held away from the skin in order to create ventilated façade. This ventilation helps to control the temperature of the building envelope and a more stable temperature indoors. Photo Credit: Alistair Tutton

For this house “contextual” means focusing the good view and taking the bad view out of focus. In order to accomplish this, the form of the house was inspired by horse blinders. Conceived as two tubes with directed views, one tube is for entertaining and the other one for sleeping. Directly across the street from the house is a lake, “the good view.” On all other sides of the house are neighbors of very close proximity which cause privacy issues and unpleasant views – “the bad view.” Thus the sides and rear are mostly solid in order to block out the less desirable views and the front is completely transparent in order to frame and capture the lake – “horse blinders.” There are several sustainable features in the house’s detailing. The entire structure is made of pre-fabricated recycled steel and concrete. Through the extensive use of high tech and super efficient glass, both as windows and clerestories, there is no need for artificial light during the day. The heating for the building is provided by a radiant system composed of several hundred feet of tubes filled with hot water embedded into the concrete floors. The façade is made up of composite board that is held away from the skin in order to create ventilated façade. This ventilation helps to control the temperature of the building envelope and a more stable temperature indoors. Photo Credit: Alistair Tutton

The Port Ludlow Residence is a compact, 2400 SF modern house located on a wooded waterfront property at the north end of the Hood Canal, a long, fjord-like arm of western Puget Sound. The house creates a simple glazed living space that opens up to become a front porch to the beautiful Hood Canal. The east-facing house is sited along a high bank, with a wonderful view of the water. The main living volume is completely glazed, with 12-ft. high glass walls facing the view and large, 8-ft.x8-ft. sliding glass doors that open to a slightly raised wood deck, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor space. During the warm summer months, the living area feels like a large, open porch. Anchoring the north end of the living space is a two-story building volume containing several bedrooms and separate his/her office spaces. The interior finishes are simple and elegant, with IPE wood flooring, zebrawood cabinet doors with mahogany end panels, quartz and limestone countertops, and Douglas Fir trim and doors. Exterior materials are completely maintenance-free: metal siding and aluminum windows and doors. The metal siding has an alternating pattern using two different siding profiles. The house has a number of sustainable or “green” building features, including 2x8 construction (40% greater insulation value); generous glass areas to provide natural lighting and ventilation; large overhangs for sun and rain protection; metal siding (recycled steel) for maximum durability, and a heat pump mechanical system for maximum energy efficiency. Sustainable interior finish materials include wood cabinets, linoleum floors, low-VOC paints, and natural wool carpet.

Photography by Chris Veith
Inspiration for a huge transitional master white tile and porcelain tile marble floor bathroom remodel in New York with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, a bidet, beige walls, an undermount sink, quartzite countertops, a hinged shower door and white countertops

For this house “contextual” means focusing the good view and taking the bad view out of focus. In order to accomplish this, the form of the house was inspired by horse blinders. Conceived as two tubes with directed views, one tube is for entertaining and the other one for sleeping. Directly across the street from the house is a lake, “the good view.” On all other sides of the house are neighbors of very close proximity which cause privacy issues and unpleasant views – “the bad view.” Thus the sides and rear are mostly solid in order to block out the less desirable views and the front is completely transparent in order to frame and capture the lake – “horse blinders.” There are several sustainable features in the house’s detailing. The entire structure is made of pre-fabricated recycled steel and concrete. Through the extensive use of high tech and super efficient glass, both as windows and clerestories, there is no need for artificial light during the day. The heating for the building is provided by a radiant system composed of several hundred feet of tubes filled with hot water embedded into the concrete floors. The façade is made up of composite board that is held away from the skin in order to create ventilated façade. This ventilation helps to control the temperature of the building envelope and a more stable temperature indoors. Photo Credit: Alistair Tutton

For this house “contextual” means focusing the good view and taking the bad view out of focus. In order to accomplish this, the form of the house was inspired by horse blinders. Conceived as two tubes with directed views, one tube is for entertaining and the other one for sleeping. Directly across the street from the house is a lake, “the good view.” On all other sides of the house are neighbors of very close proximity which cause privacy issues and unpleasant views – “the bad view.” Thus the sides and rear are mostly solid in order to block out the less desirable views and the front is completely transparent in order to frame and capture the lake – “horse blinders.” There are several sustainable features in the house’s detailing. The entire structure is made of pre-fabricated recycled steel and concrete. Through the extensive use of high tech and super efficient glass, both as windows and clerestories, there is no need for artificial light during the day. The heating for the building is provided by a radiant system composed of several hundred feet of tubes filled with hot water embedded into the concrete floors. The façade is made up of composite board that is held away from the skin in order to create ventilated façade. This ventilation helps to control the temperature of the building envelope and a more stable temperature indoors. Photo Credit: Alistair Tutton

Property Marketed by Hudson Place Realty - Style meets substance in this circa 1875 townhouse. Completely renovated & restored in a contemporary, yet warm & welcoming style, 295 Pavonia Avenue is the ultimate home for the 21st century urban family. Set on a 25’ wide lot, this Hamilton Park home offers an ideal open floor plan, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a private outdoor oasis. With 3,600 sq. ft. of living space, the owner’s triplex showcases a unique formal dining rotunda, living room with exposed brick and built in entertainment center, powder room and office nook. The upper bedroom floors feature a master suite separate sitting area, large walk-in closet with custom built-ins, a dream bath with an over-sized soaking tub, double vanity, separate shower and water closet. The top floor is its own private retreat complete with bedroom, full bath & large sitting room. Tailor-made for the cooking enthusiast, the chef’s kitchen features a top notch appliance package with 48” Viking refrigerator, Kuppersbusch induction cooktop, built-in double wall oven and Bosch dishwasher, Dacor espresso maker, Viking wine refrigerator, Italian Zebra marble counters and walk-in pantry. A breakfast nook leads out to the large deck and yard for seamless indoor/outdoor entertaining. Other building features include; a handsome façade with distinctive mansard roof, hardwood floors, Lutron lighting, home automation/sound system, 2 zone CAC, 3 zone radiant heat & tremendous storage, A garden level office and large one bedroom apartment with private entrances, round out this spectacular home.

The goal of this project was to build a house that would be energy efficient using materials that were both economical and environmentally conscious. Due to the extremely cold winter weather conditions in the Catskills, insulating the house was a primary concern. The main structure of the house is a timber frame from an nineteenth century barn that has been restored and raised on this new site. The entirety of this frame has then been wrapped in SIPs (structural insulated panels), both walls and the roof. The house is slab on grade, insulated from below. The concrete slab was poured with a radiant heating system inside and the top of the slab was polished and left exposed as the flooring surface. Fiberglass windows with an extremely high R-value were chosen for their green properties. Care was also taken during construction to make all of the joints between the SIPs panels and around window and door openings as airtight as possible. The fact that the house is so airtight along with the high overall insulatory value achieved from the insulated slab, SIPs panels, and windows make the house very energy efficient. The house utilizes an air exchanger, a device that brings fresh air in from outside without loosing heat and circulates the air within the house to move warmer air down from the second floor. Other green materials in the home include reclaimed barn wood used for the floor and ceiling of the second floor, reclaimed wood stairs and bathroom vanity, and an on-demand hot water/boiler system. The exterior of the house is clad in black corrugated aluminum with an aluminum standing seam roof. Because of the extremely cold winter temperatures windows are used discerningly, the three largest windows are on the first floor providing the main living areas with a majestic view of the Catskill mountains.

Example of a mountain style sauna design in Burlington

For this house “contextual” means focusing the good view and taking the bad view out of focus. In order to accomplish this, the form of the house was inspired by horse blinders. Conceived as two tubes with directed views, one tube is for entertaining and the other one for sleeping. Directly across the street from the house is a lake, “the good view.” On all other sides of the house are neighbors of very close proximity which cause privacy issues and unpleasant views – “the bad view.” Thus the sides and rear are mostly solid in order to block out the less desirable views and the front is completely transparent in order to frame and capture the lake – “horse blinders.” There are several sustainable features in the house’s detailing. The entire structure is made of pre-fabricated recycled steel and concrete. Through the extensive use of high tech and super efficient glass, both as windows and clerestories, there is no need for artificial light during the day. The heating for the building is provided by a radiant system composed of several hundred feet of tubes filled with hot water embedded into the concrete floors. The façade is made up of composite board that is held away from the skin in order to create ventilated façade. This ventilation helps to control the temperature of the building envelope and a more stable temperature indoors. Photo Credit: Alistair Tutton

A relaxing place, with a mountain escape feel, but without the commute.This is a perfect place to spend your Friday evening after a hectic week.
Inspiration for a huge timeless guest medium tone wood floor bedroom remodel in Philadelphia with beige walls

For this house “contextual” means focusing the good view and taking the bad view out of focus. In order to accomplish this, the form of the house was inspired by horse blinders. Conceived as two tubes with directed views, one tube is for entertaining and the other one for sleeping. Directly across the street from the house is a lake, “the good view.” On all other sides of the house are neighbors of very close proximity which cause privacy issues and unpleasant views – “the bad view.” Thus the sides and rear are mostly solid in order to block out the less desirable views and the front is completely transparent in order to frame and capture the lake – “horse blinders.” There are several sustainable features in the house’s detailing. The entire structure is made of pre-fabricated recycled steel and concrete. Through the extensive use of high tech and super efficient glass, both as windows and clerestories, there is no need for artificial light during the day. The heating for the building is provided by a radiant system composed of several hundred feet of tubes filled with hot water embedded into the concrete floors. The façade is made up of composite board that is held away from the skin in order to create ventilated façade. This ventilation helps to control the temperature of the building envelope and a more stable temperature indoors. Photo Credit: Alistair Tutton

Photography-Hedrich Blessing Glass House: The design objective was to build a house for my wife and three kids, looking forward in terms of how people live today. To experiment with transparency and reflectivity, removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. To construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. To tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with the nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the concrete beams support the steel beams; and in terms of how the entire house is enveloped in glass as if it was poured over the bones to make it skin tight. To engineer the house to be a smart house that not only looks modern, but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades/blinds, HVAC, communication/audio/video, or security. To develop a planning module based on a 16 foot square room size and a 8 foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The base of the interstitial spaces also become skylights for the basement gallery. This house is all about flexibility; the family room, was a nursery when the kids were infants, is a craft and media room now, and will be a family room when the time is right. Our rooms are all based on a 16’x16’ (4.8mx4.8m) module, so a bedroom, a kitchen, and a dining room are the same size and functions can easily change; only the furniture and the attitude needs to change. The house is 5,500 SF (550 SM)of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 8200 SF (820 SM). The mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hardscapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot.

The Redmond Residence is located on a wooded hillside property about 20 miles east of Seattle. The 3.5-acre site has a quiet beauty, with large stands of fir and cedar. The house is a delicate structure of wood, steel, and glass perched on a stone plinth of Montana ledgestone. The stone plinth varies in height from 2 feet on the uphill side to 15 ft. on the downhill side. The major elements of the house are a living pavilion and a long bedroom wing, separated by a glass entry space. The living pavilion is a dramatic space framed in steel with a “wood quilt” roof structure. A series of large north-facing clerestory windows create a soaring, 20-ft. high space, filled with natural light. The house was completed in late 2006. The interior of the house is highly crafted with many custom-designed fabrications, including complex, laser-cut steel railings, hand-blown glass lighting, bronze sink stands, miniature cherry shingle walls, textured mahogany/glass front door, and unique furniture such as the cherry bed in the master bedroom. The dining area features an 8-ft. long custom bentwood mahogany table with a blued steel base. The house has many sustainable design features, such as the use of extensive clerestory windows to achieve natural lighting and cross ventilation, low VOC paints, linoleum flooring, 2x8 framing to achieve 42% higher insulation than conventional walls, cellulose insulation in lieu of fiberglass batts, radiant heating throughout the house, and natural stone exterior cladding.

Property Marketed by Hudson Place Realty - Style meets substance in this circa 1875 townhouse. Completely renovated & restored in a contemporary, yet warm & welcoming style, 295 Pavonia Avenue is the ultimate home for the 21st century urban family. Set on a 25’ wide lot, this Hamilton Park home offers an ideal open floor plan, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a private outdoor oasis. With 3,600 sq. ft. of living space, the owner’s triplex showcases a unique formal dining rotunda, living room with exposed brick and built in entertainment center, powder room and office nook. The upper bedroom floors feature a master suite separate sitting area, large walk-in closet with custom built-ins, a dream bath with an over-sized soaking tub, double vanity, separate shower and water closet. The top floor is its own private retreat complete with bedroom, full bath & large sitting room. Tailor-made for the cooking enthusiast, the chef’s kitchen features a top notch appliance package with 48” Viking refrigerator, Kuppersbusch induction cooktop, built-in double wall oven and Bosch dishwasher, Dacor espresso maker, Viking wine refrigerator, Italian Zebra marble counters and walk-in pantry. A breakfast nook leads out to the large deck and yard for seamless indoor/outdoor entertaining. Other building features include; a handsome façade with distinctive mansard roof, hardwood floors, Lutron lighting, home automation/sound system, 2 zone CAC, 3 zone radiant heat & tremendous storage, A garden level office and large one bedroom apartment with private entrances, round out this spectacular home.

Example of a minimalist bathroom design in San Francisco with an undermount sink

For this house “contextual” means focusing the good view and taking the bad view out of focus. In order to accomplish this, the form of the house was inspired by horse blinders. Conceived as two tubes with directed views, one tube is for entertaining and the other one for sleeping. Directly across the street from the house is a lake, “the good view.” On all other sides of the house are neighbors of very close proximity which cause privacy issues and unpleasant views – “the bad view.” Thus the sides and rear are mostly solid in order to block out the less desirable views and the front is completely transparent in order to frame and capture the lake – “horse blinders.” There are several sustainable features in the house’s detailing. The entire structure is made of pre-fabricated recycled steel and concrete. Through the extensive use of high tech and super efficient glass, both as windows and clerestories, there is no need for artificial light during the day. The heating for the building is provided by a radiant system composed of several hundred feet of tubes filled with hot water embedded into the concrete floors. The façade is made up of composite board that is held away from the skin in order to create ventilated façade. This ventilation helps to control the temperature of the building envelope and a more stable temperature indoors. Photo Credit: Alistair Tutton

For this house “contextual” means focusing the good view and taking the bad view out of focus. In order to accomplish this, the form of the house was inspired by horse blinders. Conceived as two tubes with directed views, one tube is for entertaining and the other one for sleeping. Directly across the street from the house is a lake, “the good view.” On all other sides of the house are neighbors of very close proximity which cause privacy issues and unpleasant views – “the bad view.” Thus the sides and rear are mostly solid in order to block out the less desirable views and the front is completely transparent in order to frame and capture the lake – “horse blinders.” There are several sustainable features in the house’s detailing. The entire structure is made of pre-fabricated recycled steel and concrete. Through the extensive use of high tech and super efficient glass, both as windows and clerestories, there is no need for artificial light during the day. The heating for the building is provided by a radiant system composed of several hundred feet of tubes filled with hot water embedded into the concrete floors. The façade is made up of composite board that is held away from the skin in order to create ventilated façade. This ventilation helps to control the temperature of the building envelope and a more stable temperature indoors. Photo Credit: Alistair Tutton