A private home recreation building built into a hillside and overlooking the new tennis court. The building features a central timber framed outdoor gathering space with a stone fireplace and kitchenette, a locker room and bath space tucked behind the fireplace, and two adjoining wings with a “sports bar” on one side with large screen televisions, game area and bar, and a large exercise room on the other side. Thomas J. O'Neil

As dusk gives way to evening the entire recreation area comes to life with an extensive outdoor lighting array. The pool transforms into a glowing field of colour with its 17 lighting fixtures. The LED colour changing system can be set to a single colour or a rotating rainbow of colours.

Pool - mid-sized traditional backyard concrete and kidney-shaped lap pool idea

Photo: Mina Brinkey © 2013 Houzz
Mudroom - transitional mudroom idea in Tampa with gray walls

A private home recreation building built into a hillside and overlooking the new tennis court. The building features a central timber framed outdoor gathering space with a stone fireplace and kitchenette, a locker room and bath space tucked behind the fireplace, and two adjoining wings with a “sports bar” on one side with large screen televisions, game area and bar, and a large exercise room on the other side. Thomas J. O'Neil

Mark Boisclair Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary dark wood floor home bar remodel in Phoenix with gray walls, display racks and white countertops

Enclosed dining room - mid-sized transitional dark wood floor enclosed dining room idea in Nashville with white walls and no fireplace

Example of a trendy enclosed dark wood floor living room design in Nashville with gray walls, no fireplace and a tv stand

Perfect backyard recreational paradise. Exercise in the pool house gym, cool down with some laps in the swimming pool then relax in the spa! This pool/spa combination has a one of a kind automatic cover system. Both automatic covers extend out in opposite directions simultaneously from underneath the beautiful wood bridge. The all-tile spa and the all-tile sun deck with roman style width-length steps entering the pool both pop at night with color changing lights. Swimming pool & spa: Aquality Construction Photography: Chris Humphreys

Sarah Timmer
Large mountain style underground vinyl floor and brown floor basement photo in Milwaukee with beige walls and a hanging fireplace

Large beach style light wood floor kitchen/dining room combo photo in Nashville with white walls

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

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional dark wood floor enclosed dining room remodel in Nashville with gray walls, a standard fireplace and a plaster fireplace

A private home recreation building built into a hillside and overlooking the new tennis court. The building features a central timber framed outdoor gathering space with a stone fireplace and kitchenette, a locker room and bath space tucked behind the fireplace, and two adjoining wings with a “sports bar” on one side with large screen televisions, game area and bar, and a large exercise room on the other side. Thomas J. O'Neil

This project presented unique opportunities that are not often found in residential landscaping. The homeowners were not only restoring their 1840's era farmhouse, a piece of their family’s history, but also enlarging and updating the home for modern living. The landscape designers continued this idea by creating a space that is a modern day interpretation of an 1840s era farm rather then a strict recreation. The resulting design combines elements of farm living from that time, as well as acknowledging the property’s history as a horse farm, with staples of 21st century landscapes such as space for outdoor living, lighting, and newer plant varieties. Guests approach from the main driveway which winds through the property and ends at the main barn. There is secondary gated driveway just for the homeowners. Connected to this main driveway is a narrower gravel lane which leads directly to the residence. The lane passes near fruit trees planted in broken rows to give the illusion that they are the remains of an orchard that once existed on the site. The lane widens at the entrance to the gardens where there is a hitching post built into the fence that surrounds the gardens and a watering trough. The widened section is intended as a place to park a golf cart or, in a nod to the home’s past, tie up horses before entering. The gravel lane passes between two stone pillars and then ends at a square gravel court edged in cobblestones. The gravel court transitions into a wide flagstone walk bordered with yew hedges and lavender leading to the front door. Directly to the right, upon entering the gravel court, is located a gravel and cobblestone edged walk leading to a secondary entrance into the residence. The walk is gated where it connects with the gravel court to close it off so as not to confuse visitors and guests to the main residence and to emphasize the primary entrance. An area for a bench is provided along this walk to encourage stopping to view and enjoy the gardens. On either side of the front door, gravel and cobblestone walks branch off into the garden spaces. The one on the right leads to a flagstone with cobblestone border patio space. Since the home has no designated backyard like most modern suburban homes the outdoor living space had to be placed in what would traditionally be thought of as the front of the house. The patio is separated from the entrance walk by the yew hedge and further enclosed by three Amelanchiers and a variety of plantings including modern cultivars of old fashioned plants such as Itea and Hydrangea. A third entrance, the original front door to the 1840’s era section, connects to the patio from the home’s kitchen, making the space ideal for outdoor dining. The gravel and cobblestone walk branching off to the left of the front door leads to the vegetable and perennial gardens. The idea for the vegetable garden was to recreate the tradition of a kitchen garden which would have been planted close to the residence for easy access. The vegetable garden is surrounded by mixed perennial beds along the inside of the wood picket fence which surrounds the entire garden space. Another area designated for a bench is provided here to encourage stopping and viewing. The home’s original smokehouse, completely restored and used as a garden shed, provides a strong architectural focal point to the vegetable garden. Behind the smokehouse is planted lilacs and other plants to give mass and balance to the corner and help screen the garden from the neighboring subdivision. At the rear corner of the garden a wood arbor was constructed to provide a structure on which to grow grapes or other vines should the homeowners choose to. The landscape and gardens for this restored farmhouse and property are a thoughtfully designed and planned recreation of a historic landscape reinterpreted for modern living. The idea was to give a sense of timelessness when walking through the gardens as if they had been there for years but had possibly been updated and rejuvenated as lifestyles changed. The attention to materials and craftsmanship blend seamlessly with the residence and insure the gardens and landscape remain an integral part of the property. The farm has been in the homeowner’s family for many years and they are thrilled at the results and happy to see respect given to the home’s history and to its meticulous restoration.

Mid-sized trendy master light wood floor bedroom photo in Nashville with beige walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a coastal doorless shower remodel in Wilmington

Bedroom - large traditional master dark wood floor bedroom idea in Nashville with gray walls and no fireplace

Adding functionality to a front entry can be as simple as the inclusion of a console table or additional seating. Here a bench is used for an alternate spot to place items or take a seat. The bench is given additional visual weight by adding a stunning piece of original art on the wall above. The coloration in the art at the entry give a preview of the colors to come as you pass into the great room. Photos by: Julie Soefer