ZeroEnergy Design (ZED) created this modern home for a progressive family in the desirable community of Lexington. Thoughtful Land Connection. The residence is carefully sited on the infill lot so as to create privacy from the road and neighbors, while cultivating a side yard that captures the southern sun. The terraced grade rises to meet the house, allowing for it to maintain a structured connection with the ground while also sitting above the high water table. The elevated outdoor living space maintains a strong connection with the indoor living space, while the stepped edge ties it back to the true ground plane. Siting and outdoor connections were completed by ZED in collaboration with landscape designer Soren Deniord Design Studio. Exterior Finishes and Solar. The exterior finish materials include a palette of shiplapped wood siding, through-colored fiber cement panels and stucco. A rooftop parapet hides the solar panels above, while a gutter and site drainage system directs rainwater into an irrigation cistern and dry wells that recharge the groundwater. Cooking, Dining, Living. Inside, the kitchen, fabricated by Henrybuilt, is located between the indoor and outdoor dining areas. The expansive south-facing sliding door opens to seamlessly connect the spaces, using a retractable awning to provide shade during the summer while still admitting the warming winter sun. The indoor living space continues from the dining areas across to the sunken living area, with a view that returns again to the outside through the corner wall of glass. Accessible Guest Suite. The design of the first level guest suite provides for both aging in place and guests who regularly visit for extended stays. The patio off the north side of the house affords guests their own private outdoor space, and privacy from the neighbor. Similarly, the second level master suite opens to an outdoor private roof deck. Light and Access. The wide open interior stair with a glass panel rail leads from the top level down to the well insulated basement. The design of the basement, used as an away/play space, addresses the need for both natural light and easy access. In addition to the open stairwell, light is admitted to the north side of the area with a high performance, Passive House (PHI) certified skylight, covering a six by sixteen foot area. On the south side, a unique roof hatch set flush with the deck opens to reveal a glass door at the base of the stairwell which provides additional light and access from the deck above down to the play space. Energy. Energy consumption is reduced by the high performance building envelope, high efficiency mechanical systems, and then offset with renewable energy. All windows and doors are made of high performance triple paned glass with thermally broken aluminum frames. The exterior wall assembly employs dense pack cellulose in the stud cavity, a continuous air barrier, and four inches exterior rigid foam insulation. The 10kW rooftop solar electric system provides clean energy production. The final air leakage testing yielded 0.6 ACH 50 - an extremely air tight house, a testament to the well-designed details, progress testing and quality construction. When compared to a new house built to code requirements, this home consumes only 19% of the energy. Architecture & Energy Consulting: ZeroEnergy Design Landscape Design: Soren Deniord Design Paintings: Bernd Haussmann Studio Photos: Eric Roth Photography

Inspiration for a large contemporary master porcelain tile and white floor freestanding bathtub remodel in Santa Barbara with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door and white countertops

During the design phase, the access areas can be reorganized to increase the available space in the rooms. The double-opening direction is the ideal solution. ERGON® living brings a revolutionary system to the home, which reduces the volume and increases the available space.

The Vine Studio
Mid-sized minimalist light wood floor kitchen pantry photo in Portland with shaker cabinets, black cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, marble backsplash and white countertops

During the design phase, the access areas can be reorganized to increase the available space in the rooms. The double-opening direction is the ideal solution. ERGON® living brings a revolutionary system to the home, which reduces the volume and increases the available space.

Photo: Tom Hofer
This is an example of a large mid-century modern backyard vegetable garden landscape in Los Angeles.

Bathroom Universal Design considerations: * The master shower was designed with a curb-less/barrier-free entry * Grab bars were positioned in both bathrooms to reduce the likelihood of falls * Master shower has an extra long hand held shower head hose to easily reach a shower bench or chair * Shampoo niches were placed for easier access while standing or sitting in the shower

During the design phase, the access areas can be reorganized to increase the available space in the rooms. The double-opening direction is the ideal solution. ERGON® living brings a revolutionary system to the home, which reduces the volume and increases the available space.

During the design phase, the access areas can be reorganized to increase the available space in the rooms. The double-opening direction is the ideal solution. ERGON® living brings a revolutionary system to the home, which reduces the volume and increases the available space.

To ensure a large steam shower, an entry closet was reduced in size. An open base cabinet by the toilet created easy access to storage and keeps the space feeling open.

The reduced lawn is flanked by Lavender and Pomegranate trees on either side of the patio access.
Inspiration for a large mediterranean partial sun backyard gravel garden path in San Francisco for spring.

Kitchen - mid-sized traditional kitchen idea with raised-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances

On either side of the fireplace, glass doors lead to the screened-in porch featuring shiplap siding and ceiling, heated flooring and interchangeable glass and screens, and access to the pool area.

This residence was a complete gut renovation of a 4-story row house in Park Slope, and included a new rear extension and penthouse addition. The owners wished to create a warm, family home using a modern language that would act as a clean canvas to feature rich textiles and items from their world travels. As with most Brooklyn row houses, the existing house suffered from a lack of natural light and connection to exterior spaces, an issue that Principal Brendan Coburn is acutely aware of from his experience re-imagining historic structures in the New York area. The resulting architecture is designed around moments featuring natural light and views to the exterior, of both the private garden and the sky, throughout the house, and a stripped-down language of detailing and finishes allows for the concept of the modern-natural to shine. Upon entering the home, the kitchen and dining space draw you in with views beyond through the large glazed opening at the rear of the house. An extension was built to allow for a large sunken living room that provides a family gathering space connected to the kitchen and dining room, but remains distinctly separate, with a strong visual connection to the rear garden. The open sculptural stair tower was designed to function like that of a traditional row house stair, but with a smaller footprint. By extending it up past the original roof level into the new penthouse, the stair becomes an atmospheric shaft for the spaces surrounding the core. All types of weather – sunshine, rain, lightning, can be sensed throughout the home through this unifying vertical environment. The stair space also strives to foster family communication, making open living spaces visible between floors. At the upper-most level, a free-form bench sits suspended over the stair, just by the new roof deck, which provides at-ease entertaining. Oak was used throughout the home as a unifying material element. As one travels upwards within the house, the oak finishes are bleached to further degrees as a nod to how light enters the home. The owners worked with CWB to add their own personality to the project. The meter of a white oak and blackened steel stair screen was designed by the family to read “I love you” in Morse Code, and tile was selected throughout to reference places that hold special significance to the family. To support the owners’ comfort, the architectural design engages passive house technologies to reduce energy use, while increasing air quality within the home – a strategy which aims to respect the environment while providing a refuge from the harsh elements of urban living. This project was published by Wendy Goodman as her Space of the Week, part of New York Magazine’s Design Hunting on The Cut. Photography by Kevin Kunstadt

Another cabinet with retractable doors houses a bake center. The mixer and blender can remain easily accessable but don't crowd the countertops of the main kitchen space. Note the rollout shelving below. A spice pullout is also housed in the base cabinetry right under the cookbooks. Photography by Chrissy Racho.

"Brandon Stengel - www.farmkidstudios.com”
Alcove shower - small contemporary gray tile, red tile and white tile alcove shower idea in Minneapolis with white walls, open cabinets and a two-piece toilet

INVINCIBLE H2O LUXURY VINYL PLANK flooring from Carpet One Floor & Home, is a easy choice for your laundry room. If your laundry room is also your mud room, you'll want a colored vinyl floor that blends in well with dirt.

The original 48" cased opening that led into the bathroom took up too much wall space and was pulled away from the left wall to provide a straight approach to the new vanity. Since the interior bathroom door was removed, a new pocket door was installed to gain access and privacy to the bathroom for the toilet and shower while not reducing any wall space for furniture.

Transitional bathroom photo in San Francisco