Contemporary two-story exterior home idea in Boston

Example of a trendy concrete floor dining room design in Seattle with white walls and no fireplace

This image features a Japanese soaking tub, or "ofuro." Ofuro tubs are deeper in comparison to the western bathtub, with sides that are square rather than sloped or rounded. The lights are compact fluorescent, and all of the wood paneling is Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. The countertop is recycled quartz.

Kitchen - transitional dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen idea in Louisville with shaker cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and gray countertops

Rather than starting with an outcome in mind, this 1,400 square foot residence began from a polemic place - exploring shared conviction regarding the concentrated power of living with a smaller footprint. From the gabled silhouette to passive ventilation, the home captures the nostalgia for the past with the sustainable practices of the future. While the exterior materials contrast a calm, minimal palette with the sleek lines of the gabled silhouette, the interior spaces embody a playful, artistic spirit. From the hand painted De Gournay wallpaper in the master bath to the rugged texture of the over-grouted limestone and Portuguese cobblestones, the home is an experience that encapsulates the unexpected and the timeless.

2011 EcoHome Design Award Winner Key to the successful design were the homeowner priorities of family health, energy performance, and optimizing the walk-to-town construction site. To maintain health and air quality, the home features a fresh air ventilation system with energy recovery, a whole house HEPA filtration system, radiant & radiator heating distribution, and low/no VOC materials. The home’s energy performance focuses on passive heating/cooling techniques, natural daylighting, an improved building envelope, and efficient mechanical systems, collectively achieving overall energy performance of 50% better than code. To address the site opportunities, the home utilizes a footprint that maximizes southern exposure in the rear while still capturing the park view in the front. ZeroEnergy Design | Green Architecture & Mechanical Design www.ZeroEnergy.com Kauffman Tharp Design | Interior Design www.ktharpdesign.com Photos by Eric Roth

Madrona Passive House, a new Seattle home designed by SHED Architecture & Design and built by Hammer & Hand, combines contemporary design with high performance building to create an environmentally responsive and resource-efficient house. The home’s airtight, super-insulated building envelope and passive design minimize energy consumption while providing superior thermal comfort to occupants. A heat recovery ventilator supplies constant fresh air to the home’s interior while recovering 90% of thermal energy from exhaust air for reuse inside. A rooftop solar photovoltaic array will provide enough energy to offset most, perhaps all, of the home’s energy consumption on a net annual basis. To manage stormwater the project employs permeable pavers for site hardscape and two cisterns to capture and control rainwater from the home’s roof and the green roof on the garage. By investing in sustainable site development strategies, efficient building systems and an advanced envelope, the project aims to respect the home’s environmentally critical site and achieve one of the world’s most demanding building energy standards: Passive House. Photos by Mark Woods Photography.

jeremy bittermann
Living room - contemporary open concept concrete floor living room idea in Portland with white walls

Under our client’s encouragement and desire for a near zero-energy design, this hybrid home is a skillful integration of modern architecture and sustainable building science. The design weaves natural materials and clean visual detailing to achieve an organic modern aesthetic while applying OVE (Optimum Value Engineering) framing techniques, insulation over the sheathing, sprayed foam insulation, and blower door testing to construct a tight building envelope, thus minimizing energy impact. The building systems include passive solar design, directionally tuned glazing, high efficiency multi-zoned radiant heat, EPA approved biomass heat, and solar thermal / photovoltaic panels for energy generation. The result is a beautiful, near zero-energy urban home. To reach this goal, the design weaves natural materials and clean visual detailing to achieve an organic modern aesthetic while applying OVE (Optimum Value Engineering) framing techniques, insulation over the sheathing, sprayed foam insulation, and blower door testing to construct a tight building envelope, thus minimizing energy impact. The building systems include Passive solar design, directionally tuned glazing, high efficiency multi-zoned radiant heat, EPA approved biomass heat, and solar thermal / photovoltaic panels for energy generation. Continuing the conscious systems approach in HVAC, an HRV (Hear Recovery Ventilator) and high SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) AC system couple with natural ventilation through motorized awning windows. The result is a beautiful, near zero-energy urban home that embraces its owners’ ecological sensibilities as it embraces a private courtyard haven.

Wild flower meadow next to the lake and apple orchards showcasing Upstate New York apple production. Some areas mowed for entertaining and tents.
Inspiration for a huge rustic drought-tolerant and partial sun front yard stone vegetable garden landscape in New York for spring.

The Driveway with open parking bays visible. Stonework accents the planting beds graduating along the winding staircase. Decks small and large add outdoor space and beautiful views.

Photos by Chris White - 3wiredesigns.com
Traditional exterior home idea in Little Rock

Photo: Whitney Lyons © 2012 Houzz
Eclectic closet photo in Portland

Nye Saunders designed, and together with D&M Planning Consultants obtained planning consent for this 2/3 bedroom detached contemporary home and garage / garden store following the demolition of a smaller existing house and outbuildings. The site is located in the Green Belt, and in the sensitive Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV). The design concept was driven by the approach into the site which called for the visitor to be presented with the strong, simple gable profile of a house and its daughter garage in their most basic form. The new house optimises ‘upside down living’ with the main living accommodation at first floor level and the bedrooms at ground floor. ​ The building is steel and timber framed achieving high levels of insulation and is clad with sustainable-sourced Frake timber and pre-weather zinc standing seam roof. The building is heated via sustainable ground source heat pump and a wood burning stove and incorporates a Mechanical ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) system.

Trendy exterior home photo in Other

Quintin Lake Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary porcelain tile kitchen/dining room combo remodel in Gloucestershire with white walls

Interior view of the living room in the first Passive House in Milton Keynes. Designed for Milton Keynes Parks Trust, and completed in summer 2012, Howe Park Passive House is the probably the most airtight building in the UK, achieving 0.07 air changes per hour. This 5 bedroom family home replaced a burnt out derelict house with a house which was truly environmentally sustainable and at the same time aesthetically pleasing. The house was built for Milton Keynes Parks Trust who have rented it to a lucky family. It has been constructed from and clad with sustainable timber, the exterior cladding is Kebony. It has high levels of insulation, high performance triple glazing, exceptional attention to detail and minimal cold bridging. In addition, low VOC paints have been used on the interior to provide a healthy and comfortable home and the building orientation and form have been maximised for solar gain. Innovative details have been used throughout including the foundation detail where the timber sole plate has been eliminated. Ventilation is provided using mechanical ventilation with heat recovery ensuring fresh air to the house, with minimal heat lost, or the windows can be opened if wished. The minimal amount of heat needed is estimated to be below £75 per annum using direct electric heating which is offset by electricity produced from Photovoltaic panels (PV) on the roof taking advantage of the feed in tariff and making the house have almost zero fuel bills! The design also incorporated the following features: PV panels to offset electricity demand for the lighting and ventilation system. Water butt collects rainwater and overflow drains to pond in wood. Materials used for the house where possible have been selected for their environmental credentials such as sustainably sourced timber for the timber frame and cladding. VOC free natural paints & 50% recycled paint to feature wall. Specialist ecological advice was sort to ensure that existing wildlife, fauna and flora was protected and encouraged, the neighbouring orchard and meadow are to be revitalized. The kerbs and road gullies to make it safer for newts to cross the road. Reduction in car use encouraged by the provision of a secure cycle store and home office to allow residents to work from home.

Truly fresh air circulates throughout the building. A discreet, central ​Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery ​system (​MVHR​) cleanses airborne germs and particulates (such as pollen) from the home and controls humidity, helping to relieve hay-fever, rhinitis and asthma. Carefully selected passive materials such as lime plaster also help to soak up harmful gasses, control humidity and minimise mould. ​Ecospheric have exceeded the Passivhaus Institute’s requirements by aiming for a petrochemical free building fabric, focusing on natural, breathable materials that avoid harmful off-gassing. Photo: Rick McCullagh

Evening. Photo by Emma Cross
Inspiration for a large modern split-level mixed siding exterior home remodel in Melbourne with a shed roof