The pool features a premium dark grey exposed aggregate Pebble Tec interior finish which gives it a pond look. An ultimate luxury is the automatic pool cover which retracts into a bunker in the deep end. It not only cuts back on pool cleaning chores but also reduces chemical use and heating costs.

A Brilliant Photo - Agneiszka Wormus
Huge arts and crafts concrete floor exterior home photo in Denver with multicolored walls and a medium wood front door

Window boxes can be mounted outside of deck rails, so they extend the deck space, instead of reducing the footprint. Photo by Steve Masley
Example of an eclectic deck design in San Francisco

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

Home design - traditional home design idea in Atlanta

This customer wanted to reduce the glare but not darken the windows. We installed a 70% film that did exactly what they wanted. We ended up going back 2 weeks later to add the same film to the rest of the house and casita.

This new 1,700 sf two-story single family residence for a young couple required a minimum of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, packaged to fit unobtrusively in an older low-key residential neighborhood. The house is located on a small non-conforming lot. In order to get the maximum out of this small footprint, we virtually eliminated areas such as hallways to capture as much living space. We made the house feel larger by giving the ground floor higher ceilings, provided ample natural lighting, captured elongated sight lines out of view windows, and used outdoor areas as extended living spaces. To help the building be a “good neighbor,” we set back the house on the lot to minimize visual volume, creating a friendly, social semi-public front porch. We designed with multiple step-back levels to create an intimacy in scale. The garage is on one level, the main house is on another higher level. The upper floor is set back even further to reduce visual impact. By designing a single car garage with exterior tandem parking, we minimized the amount of yard space taken up with parking. The landscaping and permeable cobblestone walkway up to the house serves double duty as part of the city required parking space. The final building solution incorporated a variety of significant cost saving features, including a floor plan that made the most of the natural topography of the site and allowed access to utilities’ crawl spaces. We avoided expensive excavation by using slab on grade at the ground floor. Retaining walls also doubled as building walls.

Photographer: Michael Del Rossi
Home design - 1950s home design idea in Boston

Interiors by Aria Design Inc. www.ariades.com John Ellis Photography
Example of a trendy powder room design in Orange County

Inspiration for a transitional bathroom remodel in Austin

This sleek and functional wet bar was cleverly added by reducing the depth of a spare bedroom closet in this 3-story condo. Taking advantage of the existing plumbing from the adjacent bathroom wall, water and drain lines were seamlessly integrated. The bar features a stunning Cambria Oakleigh countertop and backsplash, offering a polished, high-end marble look with dark veining that brings elegance to the space. The matte black faucet adds a modern, bold contrast against the bright countertop, while black cabinetry provides plenty of hidden storage for bar essentials. With a built-in beverage fridge, this wet bar is both stylish and practical, perfect for entertaining or enjoying a quiet evening at home.

Open concept kitchen - mid-sized contemporary l-shaped light wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, marble countertops, green backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Shower Walls, Bench and Window Sill: Maximum Premium White Porcelain Slab from TransCeramica Shower Floor: Imola Koshi Porcelain Tile in Dark Grey Fixed Wall Bracket: Kallista (P21652-00-AD) Dennis Jourdan Photography

View of the outside through the shade cloth: The patio at this private residence in Mahwah NJ faces west, and during the summer months, the heat and glare from the sun is overwhelming; making this beautiful outdoor retreat unbearable. Motorized exterior solar shades were installed on the fascia of the overhang to reduce the harmful effects of the sun. The goals were to create a comfortable living space, reduce the glare, heat and UV, and reduce flying insects and inclement weather when in use. A Charcoal colored fabric was chosen for this roller shade as retaining the view was one of the priorities. The shade cloth selected blocks 95% of glare, but still allows the an unobstructed view of the pool for safety, and keeps the views of the Ramapo River and beautifully landscaped property. The amount of coverage and openness of the fabric drastically reduces insects and inclement weather, and cable guide rails were chosen to keep the shade fabric from billowing in the wind. Due to their small footprint, cable guides are more aesthetically pleasing versus aluminum rails, zip rails or concealed edge options which were available, but not selected for this application. The Somfy motorization allows for push-button operation, and was also tied into an existing smart-home automation system which allows the client to control the product remotely. An added benefit of this automation feature allows the client to save on cooling related air conditioning costs. The combination of 95% UV blockage and dark colored fabric gives these exterior solar shades an 87% Solar Heat Gain Coefficient, meaning that these solar screen shades will dramatically reduce the amount of UV and heat penetrating the windows of the home. Fabric Specifications: Mermet Satine Charcoal/Charcoal, Pattern 30.30 7% Solar Transmittance (Ts) 5% Solar Reflectance (Rs) 88% Solar Absorptance (As) 7% Visible Light Transmission VLT (Tv)

This sleek and functional wet bar was cleverly added by reducing the depth of a spare bedroom closet in this 3-story condo. Taking advantage of the existing plumbing from the adjacent bathroom wall, water and drain lines were seamlessly integrated. The bar features a stunning Cambria Oakleigh countertop and backsplash, offering a polished, high-end marble look with dark veining that brings elegance to the space. The matte black faucet adds a modern, bold contrast against the bright countertop, while black cabinetry provides plenty of hidden storage for bar essentials. With a built-in beverage fridge, this wet bar is both stylish and practical, perfect for entertaining or enjoying a quiet evening at home.

Example of a transitional bedroom design in Minneapolis

The pool features a premium dark grey exposed aggregate Pebble Tec interior finish which gives it a pond look. An ultimate luxury is the automatic pool cover which retracts into a bunker in the deep end. It not only cuts back on pool cleaning chores but also reduces chemical use and heating costs.

This sleek and functional wet bar was cleverly added by reducing the depth of a spare bedroom closet in this 3-story condo. Taking advantage of the existing plumbing from the adjacent bathroom wall, water and drain lines were seamlessly integrated. The bar features a stunning Cambria Oakleigh countertop and backsplash, offering a polished, high-end marble look with dark veining that brings elegance to the space. The matte black faucet adds a modern, bold contrast against the bright countertop, while black cabinetry provides plenty of hidden storage for bar essentials. With a built-in beverage fridge, this wet bar is both stylish and practical, perfect for entertaining or enjoying a quiet evening at home.