Lara Swimmer
Patio - contemporary patio idea in Seattle

Casey Dunn
This is an example of a mid-sized cottage porch design in Austin with decking.

The design of this home was driven by the owners’ desire for a three-bedroom waterfront home that showcased the spectacular views and park-like setting. As nature lovers, they wanted their home to be organic, minimize any environmental impact on the sensitive site and embrace nature. This unique home is sited on a high ridge with a 45° slope to the water on the right and a deep ravine on the left. The five-acre site is completely wooded and tree preservation was a major emphasis. Very few trees were removed and special care was taken to protect the trees and environment throughout the project. To further minimize disturbance, grades were not changed and the home was designed to take full advantage of the site’s natural topography. Oak from the home site was re-purposed for the mantle, powder room counter and select furniture. The visually powerful twin pavilions were born from the need for level ground and parking on an otherwise challenging site. Fill dirt excavated from the main home provided the foundation. All structures are anchored with a natural stone base and exterior materials include timber framing, fir ceilings, shingle siding, a partial metal roof and corten steel walls. Stone, wood, metal and glass transition the exterior to the interior and large wood windows flood the home with light and showcase the setting. Interior finishes include reclaimed heart pine floors, Douglas fir trim, dry-stacked stone, rustic cherry cabinets and soapstone counters. Exterior spaces include a timber-framed porch, stone patio with fire pit and commanding views of the Occoquan reservoir. A second porch overlooks the ravine and a breezeway connects the garage to the home. Numerous energy-saving features have been incorporated, including LED lighting, on-demand gas water heating and special insulation. Smart technology helps manage and control the entire house. Greg Hadley Photography

Justin Ramsdell Photography
Kitchen - farmhouse kitchen idea in DC Metro

Daniel Girard
Small rustic two-story wood gable roof idea in Burlington

Modern custom home nestled in quiet Arcadia neighborhood. The expansive glass window wall has stunning views of Camelback Mountain and natural light helps keep energy usage to a minimum. CIP concrete walls also help to reduce the homes carbon footprint while keeping a beautiful, architecturally pleasing finished look to both inside and outside. The artfully blended look of metal, concrete, block and glass bring a natural, raw product to life in both visual and functional way

Single front door - huge country single front door idea in Boston

Kat Alves Photography
Small trendy loft-style concrete floor living room photo in Sacramento with gray walls and no tv

"Diogene," a cabin designed by Renzo Piano and RPBW for Vitra, installed at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Photographer: Julien Lanoo © Vitra

The Mazama house is located in the Methow Valley of Washington State, a secluded mountain valley on the eastern edge of the North Cascades, about 200 miles northeast of Seattle. The house has been carefully placed in a copse of trees at the easterly end of a large meadow. Two major building volumes indicate the house organization. A grounded 2-story bedroom wing anchors a raised living pavilion that is lifted off the ground by a series of exposed steel columns. Seen from the access road, the large meadow in front of the house continues right under the main living space, making the living pavilion into a kind of bridge structure spanning over the meadow grass, with the house touching the ground lightly on six steel columns. The raised floor level provides enhanced views as well as keeping the main living level well above the 3-4 feet of winter snow accumulation that is typical for the upper Methow Valley. To further emphasize the idea of lightness, the exposed wood structure of the living pavilion roof changes pitch along its length, so the roof warps upward at each end. The interior exposed wood beams appear like an unfolding fan as the roof pitch changes. The main interior bearing columns are steel with a tapered “V”-shape, recalling the lightness of a dancer. The house reflects the continuing FINNE investigation into the idea of crafted modernism, with cast bronze inserts at the front door, variegated laser-cut steel railing panels, a curvilinear cast-glass kitchen counter, waterjet-cut aluminum light fixtures, and many custom furniture pieces. The house interior has been designed to be completely integral with the exterior. The living pavilion contains more than twelve pieces of custom furniture and lighting, creating a totality of the designed environment that recalls the idea of Gesamtkunstverk, as seen in the work of Josef Hoffman and the Viennese Secessionist movement in the early 20th century. The house has been designed from the start as a sustainable structure, with 40% higher insulation values than required by code, radiant concrete slab heating, efficient natural ventilation, large amounts of natural lighting, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and locally sourced materials. Windows have high-performance LowE insulated glazing and are equipped with concealed shades. A radiant hydronic heat system with exposed concrete floors allows lower operating temperatures and higher occupant comfort levels. The concrete slabs conserve heat and provide great warmth and comfort for the feet. Deep roof overhangs, built-in shades and high operating clerestory windows are used to reduce heat gain in summer months. During the winter, the lower sun angle is able to penetrate into living spaces and passively warm the exposed concrete floor. Low VOC paints and stains have been used throughout the house. The high level of craft evident in the house reflects another key principle of sustainable design: build it well and make it last for many years! Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

Raw Urth's hand crafted coved fireplace surround & hearth Finish : Dark Washed patina on steel *Scott Moran, The Log Home Guy (Cambridge, Wi) *Tadsen Photography (Madison, Wi)

jeremy bittermann
Contemporary exterior home idea in Portland

The design of this home was driven by the owners’ desire for a three-bedroom waterfront home that showcased the spectacular views and park-like setting. As nature lovers, they wanted their home to be organic, minimize any environmental impact on the sensitive site and embrace nature. This unique home is sited on a high ridge with a 45° slope to the water on the right and a deep ravine on the left. The five-acre site is completely wooded and tree preservation was a major emphasis. Very few trees were removed and special care was taken to protect the trees and environment throughout the project. To further minimize disturbance, grades were not changed and the home was designed to take full advantage of the site’s natural topography. Oak from the home site was re-purposed for the mantle, powder room counter and select furniture. The visually powerful twin pavilions were born from the need for level ground and parking on an otherwise challenging site. Fill dirt excavated from the main home provided the foundation. All structures are anchored with a natural stone base and exterior materials include timber framing, fir ceilings, shingle siding, a partial metal roof and corten steel walls. Stone, wood, metal and glass transition the exterior to the interior and large wood windows flood the home with light and showcase the setting. Interior finishes include reclaimed heart pine floors, Douglas fir trim, dry-stacked stone, rustic cherry cabinets and soapstone counters. Exterior spaces include a timber-framed porch, stone patio with fire pit and commanding views of the Occoquan reservoir. A second porch overlooks the ravine and a breezeway connects the garage to the home. Numerous energy-saving features have been incorporated, including LED lighting, on-demand gas water heating and special insulation. Smart technology helps manage and control the entire house. Greg Hadley Photography

Kim Smith Photo of Buffalo
Inspiration for a rustic bedroom remodel in New York

Our designer has achieved a stylish look by combining dark cabinets and light-colored marbles.

Example of a large trendy backyard concrete patio design in Seattle with a fire pit and no cover

The small 1950’s ranch home was featured on HGTV’s House Hunters Renovation. The episode (Season 14, Episode 9) is called: "Flying into a Renovation". Please check out The Colorado Nest for more details along with Before and After photos. Photos by Sara Yoder. FEATURED IN: Fine Homebuilding

Our client, with whom we had worked on a number of projects over the years, enlisted our help in transforming her family’s beloved but deteriorating rustic summer retreat, built by her grandparents in the mid-1920’s, into a house that would be livable year-‘round. It had served the family well but needed to be renewed for the decades to come without losing the flavor and patina they were attached to. The house was designed by Ruth Adams, a rare female architect of the day, who also designed in a similar vein a nearby summer colony of Vassar faculty and alumnae. To make Treetop habitable throughout the year, the whole house had to be gutted and insulated. The raw homosote interior wall finishes were replaced with plaster, but all the wood trim was retained and reused, as were all old doors and hardware. The old single-glazed casement windows were restored, and removable storm panels fitted into the existing in-swinging screen frames. New windows were made to match the old ones where new windows were added. This approach was inherently sustainable, making the house energy-efficient while preserving most of the original fabric. Changes to the original design were as seamless as possible, compatible with and enhancing the old character. Some plan modifications were made, and some windows moved around. The existing cave-like recessed entry porch was enclosed as a new book-lined entry hall and a new entry porch added, using posts made from an oak tree on the site. The kitchen and bathrooms are entirely new but in the spirit of the place. All the bookshelves are new. A thoroughly ramshackle garage couldn’t be saved, and we replaced it with a new one built in a compatible style, with a studio above for our client, who is a writer.

The New Dining Room. Photo by Brea McDonald http://www.breamcdonald.com/