Making the most of a wooded lot and interior courtyard, Braxton Werner and Paul Field of Wernerfield Architects transformed this former 1960s ranch house to an inviting yet unapologetically modern home. Outfitted with Western Window Systems products throughout, the home’s beautiful exterior views are framed with large expanses of glass that let in loads of natural light. Multi-slide doors in the bedroom and living areas connect the outdoors with the home’s family-friendly interiors.

Cabinetry with no backs, in front of a large kitchen window. Placing windows behind the cabinets makes dramatic use of wall space that would otherwise be covered in cabinetry. Sunlight and garden views become a part of the kitchen. Steve Borlik, Architect. Krista Hoffman, Interior Design.

1960s gray one-story concrete fiberboard house exterior photo in Houston with a hip roof and a metal roof

Located in, Summit Park, Park City UT lies one of the most efficient houses in the country. The Summit Haus – designed and built by Chris Price of PCD+B, is an exploration in design and construction of advanced high performance housing. Seeing a rising demand for sustainable housing along with rising Carbon emissions leading to global warming, this house strives to show that sensible, good design can create spaces adequate for today’s housing demands while adhering to strict standards. The house was designed to meet the very rigid Passiv House rating system – 90% more efficient than a typical home in the area. The house itself was intended to nestle neatly into the 45 degree sloped site and to take full advantage of the limited solar access and views. The views range from short, highly wooded views to a long corridor out towards the Uinta Mountain range towards the east. The house was designed and built based off Passiv Haus standards, and the framing and ventilation became critical elements to maintain such minimal energy requirements. Zola triple-pane, tilt-and-turn Thermo uPVC windows contribute substantially to the home’s energy efficiency, and takes advantage of the beautiful surrounding of the location, including forrest views from the deck off of the kitchen. Photographer: Douglas Burke

Rob Karosis: Photographer
Example of a mid-sized classic medium tone wood floor kitchen design in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets and white cabinets

Photographer: Jay Goodrich This 2800 sf single-family home was completed in 2009. The clients desired an intimate, yet dynamic family residence that reflected the beauty of the site and the lifestyle of the San Juan Islands. The house was built to be both a place to gather for large dinners with friends and family as well as a cozy home for the couple when they are there alone. The project is located on a stunning, but cripplingly-restricted site overlooking Griffin Bay on San Juan Island. The most practical area to build was exactly where three beautiful old growth trees had already chosen to live. A prior architect, in a prior design, had proposed chopping them down and building right in the middle of the site. From our perspective, the trees were an important essence of the site and respectfully had to be preserved. As a result we squeezed the programmatic requirements, kept the clients on a square foot restriction and pressed tight against property setbacks. The delineate concept is a stone wall that sweeps from the parking to the entry, through the house and out the other side, terminating in a hook that nestles the master shower. This is the symbolic and functional shield between the public road and the private living spaces of the home owners. All the primary living spaces and the master suite are on the water side, the remaining rooms are tucked into the hill on the road side of the wall. Off-setting the solid massing of the stone walls is a pavilion which grabs the views and the light to the south, east and west. Built in a position to be hammered by the winter storms the pavilion, while light and airy in appearance and feeling, is constructed of glass, steel, stout wood timbers and doors with a stone roof and a slate floor. The glass pavilion is anchored by two concrete panel chimneys; the windows are steel framed and the exterior skin is of powder coated steel sheathing.

Photography by Ken Wyner 2101 Connecticut Avenue (c.1928), an 8-story brick and limestone Beaux Arts style building with spacious apartments, is said to have been “the finest apartment house to appear in Washington between the two World Wars.” (James M. Goode, Best Addresses, 1988.) As advertised for rent in 1928, the apartments were designed “to incorporate many details that would aid the residents in establishing a home atmosphere, one possessing charm and dignity usually found only in a private house… the character and tenancy (being) assured through careful selection of guests.” Home to Senators, Ambassadors, a Vice President and a Supreme Court Justice as well as numerous Washington socialites, the building still stands as one of the undisputed “best addresses” in Washington, DC.) So well laid-out was this gracious 3,000 sf apartment that the basic floor plan remains unchanged from the original architect’s 1927 design. The organizing feature was, and continues to be, the grand “gallery” space in the center of the unit. Every room in the apartment can be accessed via the gallery, thus preserving it as the centerpiece of the “charm and dignity” which the original design intended. Programmatic modifications consisted of the addition of a small powder room off of the foyer, and the conversion of a corner “sun room” into a room for meditation and study. The apartment received a thorough updating of all systems, services and finishes, including a new kitchen and new bathrooms, several new built-in cabinetry units, and the consolidation of numerous small closets and passageways into more accessible and efficient storage spaces.

Dove white cabinets perimeter with warm gray and black accents are tied in with the traditional and rustic ambiance in the rest of the home. The new large island will hold the kitchen sink while guests can sit on the other end and enjoy the views. The range and hood are now a focal point between the exterior windows. Barn doors were be added to the newly enlarged opening to the dining room.

The boy's room already had a great color scheme that we did not wish to change. Instead, we embraced the blues and added cordless Hunter Douglas Duette honeycomb shades to the bay windows and topped it with a chevron patterned valance in blue, hunter green and white.

Lucy Call
Example of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen design in Salt Lake City with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, an island, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Modern kitchen at twilight - Interior Architecture: HAUS | Architecture + LEVEL Interiors - Photography: Ryan Kurtz
Mid-sized trendy l-shaped travertine floor eat-in kitchen photo in Indianapolis with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Emily Followill
Inspiration for a timeless medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Atlanta with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets and an island

Custom Kitchen Expansion featuring a exposed LVL Structural Beam, DCS Appliances, Casement Ventilation Windows, Leather Granite, and Full Tile Backsplash

Kitchen w/ transom windows & cupola above: Sozinho Imagery
Example of a beach style u-shaped kitchen design in Seattle with an island

This four bedroom beach house in Washington's South Sound is all about growing up near the water's edge during summer's freedom from school. The owner's childhood was spent in a small cabin on this site with her parents and siblings. Now married and with children of her own, it was time to savor those childhood memories and create new ones in a house designed for generations to come. At 3,200 square feet, including a whimsical Crow's Nest, the new summer cabin is much larger than the original cabin. The home is still about family and fun though. Above the 600 square foot water toys filled garage, there is a 500 square foot bunk room for friends and family. The bunk room is connected to the main house by an upper bridge where built-in storage frames a window seat overlooking the property. Throughout the home are playful details drawing from the waterfront locale. Paddles are integrated into the stair railing, engineered flooring with a weathered look, marine cleats as hardware, a boardwalk to the main entry, and nautical lighting are found throughout the house. Designed by BC&J Architecture.

GHG Builders Andersen 100 Series Windows Andersen A-Series Doors
Example of a large country gray two-story wood and board and batten exterior home design in San Francisco with a metal roof

To save money, we used an existing house design our builder had worked on previously and made changes to the layout to open up the space and maximize on our incredible lake views. The first thing we changed was to flip the kitchen layout and move the stove and hood to the side wall to make room for a window and some open shelving over a farmhouse sink. This allowed us to maximize the partial lake views on the south side of the house and saved money on additional custom cabinets. We also removed a smaller pantry that was closing off the open space between the kitchen and living room. Instead, we turned the corner of the kitchen into a much larger, walk-in pantry that also saved us a bit on granite costs and added a ton of storage. Granite: iCloud, leathered finish Island Cabinets: Medallion Appaloosa finish, Brookhill door style Perimeter Cabinets: Divinity Classic painted finish, Potters Mill door style beaded with wide cove top moldings Floors: Castle Combe Hardwood in Corsham Backsplash: Daltile Brickwork in Terrace Appliances: Bertazoni 36-inch all gas oven and range and coordinating appliances Paint Color: Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore Trim: White Dove by Benjamin Moore Windows: Anderson 400 series with pine casings stained in minwax jacobean Pendants: Austin Allen & Company Kitchen Design: Home Again by Hancock Lumber Builder: Island Cove Building and Development Floating Shelves with Jute Rope custom designed and built by Rowe Station Woodworks of New Gloucester, Maine Decor by My Sister's Garage of Windham, Maine

Modern residential architecture featuring Windsor Pinnacle wood clad windows and patio doors with black clad exteriors and (after-market) black painted interiors.

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Collaborations with builders on new construction is a favorite part of my job. I love seeing a house go up from the blueprints to the end of the build. It is always a journey filled with a thousand decisions, some creative on-the-spot thinking and yes, usually a few stressful moments. This Naperville project was a collaboration with a local builder and architect. The Kitchen Studio collaborated by completing the cabinetry design and final layout for the entire home. The kitchen is spacious and opens into the neighboring family room. A 48” Thermador range is centered between two windows, and the sink has a view through a window into the mudroom which is a unique feature. A large island with seating and waterfall countertops creates a beautiful focal point for the room. A bank of refrigeration, including a full-size wine refrigerator completes the picture. The area between the kitchen and dining room houses a second sink and a large walk in pantry. The kitchen features many unique storage elements important to the new homeowners including in-drawer charging stations, a cutlery divider, knife block, microwave drawer, pull out trash, multiple appliance garages, spice pull outs and tray dividers. There’s not much you can’t store in this room! Cabinetry is white shaker inset styling with a gray stain on the island. The back of the island features lap style siding that coordinates with the fireplace in the neighboring family room. Mid-century inspired lighting gives the room a modern vibe. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKBD Builder: Hampton Homes Photography by: Michael Alan Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com