These young hip professional clients love to travel and wanted a home where they could showcase the items that they've collected abroad. Their fun and vibrant personalities are expressed in every inch of the space, which was personalized down to the smallest details. Just like they are up for adventure in life, they were up for for adventure in the design and the outcome was truly one-of-kind. Photos by Chipper Hatter

As young newlyweds, you can’t do much better than this old school bungalow found in the heart of Salt Lake City’s cheeriest walking community—the fabulous ‘hood of Sugar House. A spacious, open floor plan with a wide open front and back lawn spirited endless possibilities for remodeling this 75-year-old baby into a “vintage farmhouse chic” residence perfect for creative couple Tessa Barton and Cole Herrmann. “We were hoping to fill our home with the spirit ideal for entertaining on lazy Sundays or jammin’ with our feet up,” says Tessa. Check out the before and after shots to see how we took a cozy but boring space and transformed it into a personality-packed gathering spot.

Timber frame homes offer unique challenges during a remodel. What often makes them beautiful and attractive to most homeowners, also makes them challenging for space requirements. Context: The lovely couple that owned this home were struggling with some interesting floor plan challenges that just didn't work for their family. The loved the beautiful timbers and woodwork of their home, but the dramatically sloping ceilings on the second floor, particularly in the bathroom, just didn't work for this 1 1/2 bath home. Needing to use the skylight to approach the toilet was a less then ideal scenario. Although the bathroom footprint was more then adequate, the sloped ceiling only made half of the space useable. Check out the Before/After post on our blog to see the photos of the house pre-renovation. As much as they loved all the wood features in their home, another challenge they had was light. The wood ceiling made everything inside the house darker, even with a fantastic array of south facing windows, there were spaces in the home that felt dark and small. When they contacted us they wanted to know how could they make their brighter and more inviting, were there solutions to the 2nd floor sloped ceiling issues, and if they were going to do all of this work, how could they make their home more comfortable and efficient. A nagging water leak in the upstairs bathroom spurred them into action and here is how we solved their dilemma. Conclusion: First, we added a little dormer to the rear of the house so we could get full headroom in nearly all of the upstairs bathroom! Then we decided to extend that dormer one more timber bay over to create a walk in closet with natural light and plenty of space. Since we were contemplating energy efficiency, we resolved a nagging issue that is present in a lot of timber frame construction, air tightness. Commonly found in timber frame construction, fiberglass insulation is installed in the rafter bays and board ceilings are installed over top. Unfortunately, board ceilings are anything but air tight, and fiberglass insulation needs to be in an airtight cavity for maximum effectiveness. So we were able to solve two issues at the same time for this homeowner. We removed the board ceiling and fiberglass insulation, we dense packed the rafter bays with cellulose insulation, and installed sheetrock in place of the boards. The boards were salvaged for re-use by the homeowner, and the space and light quality was dramatically improved. Some may think that losing the board ceiling took something away from the space, but what you'll see in the pictures is that it highly accentuates the heavy timbers and really makes them stand out in a beautiful way. Now with this added airtightness, better insulation, and brighter space, the homeowner hardly runs their wood stove, and it's so quiet in the space, an added bonus from changing the insulation. It became necessary to also add a sheetrock ceiling to the living room to hide the plumbing from the new bathroom layout above. Changing this ceiling gave the homeowner some real quality lighting that was lacking in the living room before. The brighter ceiling and new lighting layout completely transforms the living room into a space you want to hang out, even though the layout didn't change at all. When the homeowner saw the finished spaces she said "I can't believe this is my house, I want to live in this house" Energy Efficiency: I touched a little on the efficiency above, but like all projects done with Mottram Architecture, we always want to leave you with a little extra. Timber frame construction with board ceilings and fiberglass insulation are notoriously leaky! If you want to know what we think about fiberglass insulation, check our our blog post on Why Fiberglass Insulation Sucks. By installing cellulose insulation and covering it with sheetrock we were able to greatly reduce the heat flowing out of this home. It not only improves cashflow it improves the comfort level in the space. Who wants to sit in their living room and feel a draft? Let us remind you, we are not saying cellulose insulation is an air barrier, we use the sheetrock to help with that, but it does significantly reduce the air flow over fiberglass insulation. And when we reduce the airflow, we reduce the heat flow. And when we reduce the heat flow, we reduce the need to re-heat that drafty air from outside. When it comes to energy efficiency the first and best place to start is air infiltration. We greatly reduced the air infiltration with the new insulation, but we also added a hat and warm boots. What I mean by that is, we improved the insulation in the roof, and we installed insulation in the basement. Maybe it's a silly analogy, but when you think about keeping warm, we always start with the hat and boots! With sustainability in mind, the next project will be to add a deck to the front of this house with rain catchment barrels from the metal roof. They are planning to plant a garden in the spring and the rain catchment system will help to irrigate the new garden. Builder: East Shore Builders Photographer: Michael Eric Berube

Coveted and highly sought after exquisitely finished family compound in a private setting surrounded by magnificent grounds. Spacious 5 bedroom, 3 bath main residence designed by Jared Polsky, has been enhanced lovely and expanded to include a dramatic guest house. Sun filled rooms, soaring ceilings, romantic master and open floor plan flow to outside for year round indoor/outdoor living. Mount Tamalpais and Bay views, Mill Valley schools, easy access to downtown and Highway 101.

As written in Northern Home & Cottage by Elizabeth Edwards Sara and Paul Matthews call their head-turning home, located in a sweet neighborhood just up the hill from downtown Petoskey, “a very human story.” Indeed it is. Sara and her husband, Paul, have a special-needs son as well as an energetic middle-school daughter. This home has an answer for everyone. Located down the street from the school, it is ideally situated for their daughter and a self-contained apartment off the great room accommodates all their son’s needs while giving his caretakers privacy—and the family theirs. The Matthews began the building process by taking their thoughts and needs to Stephanie Baldwin and her team at Edgewater Design Group. Beyond the above considerations, they wanted their new home to be low maintenance and to stand out architecturally, “But not so much that anyone would complain that it didn’t work in our neighborhood,” says Sara. “We were thrilled that Edgewater listened to us and were able to give us a unique-looking house that is meeting all our needs.” Lombardy LLC built this handsome home with Paul working alongside the construction crew throughout the project. The low maintenance exterior is a cutting-edge blend of stacked stone, black corrugated steel, black framed windows and Douglas fir soffits—elements that add up to an organic contemporary look. The use of black steel, including interior beams and the staircase system, lend an industrial vibe that is courtesy of the Matthews’ friend Dan Mello of Trimet Industries in Traverse City. The couple first met Dan, a metal fabricator, a number of years ago, right around the time they found out that their then two-year-old son would never be able to walk. After the couple explained to Dan that they couldn’t find a solution for a child who wasn’t big enough for a wheelchair, he designed a comfortable, rolling chair that was just perfect. They still use it. The couple’s gratitude for the chair resulted in a trusting relationship with Dan, so it was natural for them to welcome his talents into their home-building process. A maple floor finished to bring out all of its color-tones envelops the room in warmth. Alder doors and trim and a Doug fir ceiling reflect that warmth. Clearstory windows and floor-to-ceiling window banks fill the space with light—and with views of the spacious grounds that will become a canvas for Paul, a retired landscaper. The couple’s vibrant art pieces play off against modernist furniture and lighting that is due to an inspired collaboration between Sara and interior designer Kelly Paulsen. “She was absolutely instrumental to the project,” Sara says. “I went through two designers before I finally found Kelly.” The open clean-lined kitchen, butler’s pantry outfitted with a beverage center and Miele coffee machine (that allows guests to wait on themselves when Sara is cooking), and an outdoor room that centers around a wood-burning fireplace, all make for easy, fabulous entertaining. A den just off the great room houses the big-screen television and Sara’s loom— making for relaxing evenings of weaving, game watching and togetherness. Tourgoers will leave understanding that this house is everything great design should be. Form following function—and solving very human issues with soul-soothing style.

Garden 16 in Manhattan Beach

To accommodate grandma and grandpa, the master bathroom now includes a curbless shower and a convenient spot for the wheel chair under the sink. A ramp out front for wheelchair access and hardwood floor throughout. Added cubbies give the children the perfect spot to cuddle up with mom and dad for story time and mud room shelving and hooks to throw their forty-pound back packs after a long day of school Budget analysis and project development by: May Construction

A monochromatic color palette is key in creating the soothing feel of this custom kitchen. Perimeter cabinets are painted in a soft, neutral Nimbus paint, while the fridge armoire features a marvelously textured bushed finish that complements the perimeter beautifully. Photo: Eric Hausman

As written in Northern Home & Cottage by Elizabeth Edwards Sara and Paul Matthews call their head-turning home, located in a sweet neighborhood just up the hill from downtown Petoskey, “a very human story.” Indeed it is. Sara and her husband, Paul, have a special-needs son as well as an energetic middle-school daughter. This home has an answer for everyone. Located down the street from the school, it is ideally situated for their daughter and a self-contained apartment off the great room accommodates all their son’s needs while giving his caretakers privacy—and the family theirs. The Matthews began the building process by taking their thoughts and needs to Stephanie Baldwin and her team at Edgewater Design Group. Beyond the above considerations, they wanted their new home to be low maintenance and to stand out architecturally, “But not so much that anyone would complain that it didn’t work in our neighborhood,” says Sara. “We were thrilled that Edgewater listened to us and were able to give us a unique-looking house that is meeting all our needs.” Lombardy LLC built this handsome home with Paul working alongside the construction crew throughout the project. The low maintenance exterior is a cutting-edge blend of stacked stone, black corrugated steel, black framed windows and Douglas fir soffits—elements that add up to an organic contemporary look. The use of black steel, including interior beams and the staircase system, lend an industrial vibe that is courtesy of the Matthews’ friend Dan Mello of Trimet Industries in Traverse City. The couple first met Dan, a metal fabricator, a number of years ago, right around the time they found out that their then two-year-old son would never be able to walk. After the couple explained to Dan that they couldn’t find a solution for a child who wasn’t big enough for a wheelchair, he designed a comfortable, rolling chair that was just perfect. They still use it. The couple’s gratitude for the chair resulted in a trusting relationship with Dan, so it was natural for them to welcome his talents into their home-building process. A maple floor finished to bring out all of its color-tones envelops the room in warmth. Alder doors and trim and a Doug fir ceiling reflect that warmth. Clearstory windows and floor-to-ceiling window banks fill the space with light—and with views of the spacious grounds that will become a canvas for Paul, a retired landscaper. The couple’s vibrant art pieces play off against modernist furniture and lighting that is due to an inspired collaboration between Sara and interior designer Kelly Paulsen. “She was absolutely instrumental to the project,” Sara says. “I went through two designers before I finally found Kelly.” The open clean-lined kitchen, butler’s pantry outfitted with a beverage center and Miele coffee machine (that allows guests to wait on themselves when Sara is cooking), and an outdoor room that centers around a wood-burning fireplace, all make for easy, fabulous entertaining. A den just off the great room houses the big-screen television and Sara’s loom— making for relaxing evenings of weaving, game watching and togetherness. Tourgoers will leave understanding that this house is everything great design should be. Form following function—and solving very human issues with soul-soothing style.

Kitchen eating area - The Green and black flowed into the kitchen. This kitchen's soft yet bold colors, chalkboard wall, green banquette and red high back wing chairs create a joyous environment for Sunday morning breakfast or after school snacks. The clients daughters paper cut designs are the artwork on the walls the optic glass lanterns cast decorative patterns yet unobtrusive in the evening. This contemporary design flows seamlessly into the adjoining dining room.

A complete two bath & kitchen renovation in a condo. Client wanted a larger kitchen area and better layout for bathrooms. We removed a wall near the entrance and extended the kitchen with additional cabinetry and storage area. Laundry room was reduced to accommodate the larger kitchen. The shared and primary bathrooms were gutted and fully remodeled as well. Enlarged shower enclosure in shared bath for more space. Layout of primary bathroom was changed for better accessibility and flow in the area. Vanity and shower was relocated to create a more spacious and inviting environment. Client didn’t like the current floors, we replaced it with luxury vinyl planks for durability.

Scalable Design Solutions for Enterprise: Customizable Commercial Shade Systems Built to Last Maximize ROI for your commercial clients with ​Scalable Shade Structures, engineered for multi-location deployments and high-traffic environments. Our ​heavy-duty commercial awnings feature ​modular fabric panels (up to 20ft widths) and ​military-grade aluminum frames (50mph wind resistance) to withstand harsh climates. Offering ​customizable branding options (vinyl lettering, logos) and ​low-maintenance coatings (anti-graffiti, mold-resistant), these awnings reduce operational costs by up to 35% through ​energy-efficient UV filtering (UPF 50+) and ​smart climate adaptation (auto-tensioning systems). Certified to ​ETL and ​CUL safety standards, the solutions include ​nationwide service networks for rapid repairs and ​bulk order discounts for chains. Designed for ​hospitality sector uniformity and ​corporate campus branding, they integrate ​ADA-compliant mounting systems and ​24/7 technical support.

Hot tubs also improve muscle health. Soaking in a hot tub loosens stiff muscles and reduces soreness. Increased blood flow to the muscles also aids in healing injuries and recovery after intense workouts. www.longislandhottub.com

Adriana Eisele
Inspiration for a mid-sized eclectic u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen remodel in New York with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, gray backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and black countertops

Large transitional porcelain tile and black floor mudroom photo in Chicago with white walls and a glass front door

Michele Lee Willson
Living room - modern living room idea in San Francisco with white walls and a media wall

The Opulence, an ever trending rectangle pool with a custom sundeck in the shallow end provides ample space for children and adults to cool off while still catching sun rays. (The steps and sundeck span the width of the pool). This pool also encompasses a custom bench in the deep end of the pool. This pool also boasts an auto cover, which provides safety for children and pets and encloses heat for late night swims. The auto cover also prevents leaves and other debris from falling into the pool, which reduces the upkeep of the pool significantly. The perimeter of this pool is the highly sought after Norwegian Buff perfectly complimented by Bluestone Coping. This yard also has a custom pool house, conversational lounge area, and lounge chaises proving the perfect outdoor entertaining space. The luscious greenery, vibrant plants, and patio stepping stones, create a secret garden like feel in Essex County.