This spiral of low-water Dymondia ground cover and gravel with a striking blue urn in the middle took the place of a reduced lawn in the original design. The clients can see the fountain lit up from inside their living room while it also catches the eyes of passers by and guests walking up the front walkway.

Complete renovation of a 19th century brownstone in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood. Modern interiors that preserve many original details. Kate Glicksberg Photography

After decades of drastic alterations, and demolition of the second and third story, this grand estate was reduced to a pink Bermuda style ranch house. The current owners returned it to a suggestion of its original state. Beamed ceilings, working fireplace, period woodwork and historic finishes draw out the dignity of its past, and make them part of life in his century. The main house overlooks terraced yards, stonewalls and a landscaped pool area. The formal interiors frame sweeping views of treetops and seascapes. Contractor: Precision Carpentry Photographer: Dan Gair/ Blind Dog Photo INC.

This spiral of low-water Dymondia ground cover and gravel with a striking blue urn in the middle took the place of a reduced lawn in the original design. The clients can see the fountain lit up from inside their living room while it also catches the eyes of passers by and guests walking up the front walkway.

Hillside Modernism In Context. The owners of this modern hillside home sought to have a home in a nice Los Angeles neighborhood wherein they could raise their burgeoning family. The owners purchased a 1948 2000sf, single story, 2 bedroom English Cottage styled home (believed to have been originally owned by Yul Brynner) on a ½ acre hillside site in the exclusive Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The property slopes downward away from the street and overlooks a mini eucalyptus arroyo. The owners love their new location but are now faced-with having to raise their new and growing family on a hillside with extremely limited yard spaces for children to play and in a location where nature is very close – deer as well as coyotes wander the arroyo. In 2000 the owners commissioned architect Richard Best to add 2500sf to the cottage and transform it into a home more fitting to their growing family’s needs. Subsequently, in 2014/15, the owners again commissioned Richard to create a 2-story master suite addition. Living in or visiting the completed project - the original 1948 home remodeled + the 2000 addition + the 2014/15 addition, one goes through an unexpected and delightful experience as the spaces of the home “unfold” to reveal intimacy and environmental immersion. It was important to Richard and to the owners that their remodels and additions be appropriately designed to fit into the neighborhood and have the feel, scale, and soul of the original cottage. With this in-mind, Richard has interpreted the design intentions of the original cottage - “modernizing” the architectural vocabulary and creating open-plan, 2-story additions which promote site “engagement” at various floor levels and openness to the outdoors in a manner clearly inspired by the original cottage, yet modern. At the front door of the original (still remains as it was) 1948 structure, one is presented with a quaint a low-slung entry which establishes a very comfortable sense of scale. Inside, the remodeled spaces of the original cottage exude comfort and a cozy sensibility evoked by the reuse of the original home’s exposed timber framing structure, open-plan circulation, and an inventive two-sided steel fireplace which acts as a room divider between the living room and a home office. Accordion wood doors connect these rooms to a newly formed outdoor rear patio. At this point one also gets ones first hint that something very interesting is happening just beyond – a glimpse of the 2000 & 2014/15 additions. Moving from the original 1948 structure into the 2-story 2000 addition, one is greeted by a modern and open linear floor plan arrangement – a kitchen, casual dining and family room extend perpendicularly from the 1948 structure into the rear yard and down the hillside. The open framed cathedral ceiling and wood roof trusses establish a lofty feeling and a rhythm discretely separating the open rooms one from the other. Extensive use of windows and French doors connect the indoors to the outdoors and provide abundant natural lighting. This new appendage ends with a symmetrical family room which has no corners – it is a geometry composed of two overlapped squares - one rotated 45 degrees atop the other to create double opportunities for bay windows. The design not only connects the home to the desired exterior flat yards spaces, but it also takes full advantage of the sloping terrain by adding a floor below the original level so as to maintain a scale appropriate to the neighborhood. The exterior materials were chosen taking “hints” from the original 1948 structure – natural redwood siding, reused brick veneer and wood doors/windows all serving to aesthetically connect the addition back-to the spirit of the original structure. By 2014/15 the owners’ family has fully blossomed - the children are now teenagers and there is a need for additional space. However, the owners are very content with their remodeled cottage and Richard’s 2000 addition – unsure how to add to a home which they feel is quite perfect as it is … wanting whatever changes are to be made to be sympathetic to it. They are also concerned about potential additions blocking-out their views of the eucalyptus arroyo. The owners approached Richard with trepidation – we love our perfect house but we need it to be a bit bigger and we don’t want to block-out the arroyo views or create a hemmed-in feeling – how can we add but still see the arroyo. In response Richard created a private yet connected 2-story master suite, which by its positioning, dynamic geometries and extensive glazing create the fourth side of the former rear patio, making it into exterior courtyard with views around and through the new addition into the arroyo. A dynamic angularity in the new master addition (inspired by the 2000 addition) simultaneously reduces the apparent size/presence of the master suite addition on the edge of the eucalyptus arroyo while creating framed views into the arroyo from the newly formed courtyard. The new master suite - a master bathroom, master closet and a master sleeping loft each having exterior decks and/or patios, is connected back to the 2000 addition via a glazed hallway which provides a sense of connectedness and privacy. A modern rustic aesthetic of exposed board-formed concrete, natural finished Corten steel exterior cladding, frameless metal windows, and clear finished Douglas Fir planks serve to “extend” the soul of the original cottage into the master suite. The project is a highly sustainable design as well. Energy use is reduced by employing a high efficiency heat pump heating and cooling system, dual paned/gasketed metal window/door systems, natural lighting through a Kalwall skylight and generous exterior glazing with extensive eaves for shading, rigid roof insulation, and earthen backing – the lower floor is up-against the hillside which tends to even-out the day/night temperature differential. Credits: Architecture & Interior Design: Richard Best Architect Inc. Structural Engineering: Dan Echeto & David Choi Associates Interior Decor: Noelle Schoop Landscape: Connie Heitzman Photos: Carmel McFayden and Adriano Sarmento / James Porschen

The detailed plans for this bathroom can be purchased here: https://www.changeyourbathroom.com/shop/felicitous-flora-bathroom-plans/ The original layout of this bathroom underutilized the spacious floor plan and had an entryway out into the living room as well as a poorly placed entry between the toilet and the shower into the master suite. The new floor plan offered more privacy for the water closet and cozier area for the round tub. A more spacious shower was created by shrinking the floor plan - by bringing the wall of the former living room entry into the bathroom it created a deeper shower space and the additional depth behind the wall offered deep towel storage. A living plant wall thrives and enjoys the humidity each time the shower is used. An oak wood wall gives a natural ambiance for a relaxing, nature inspired bathroom experience.

This spiral of low-water Dymondia ground cover and gravel with a striking blue urn in the middle took the place of a reduced lawn in the original design. The clients can see the fountain lit up from inside their living room while it also catches the eyes of passers by and guests walking up the front walkway.

Adding a penthouse perch to this 1899 row house with a harbor view demanded unusual tactics. To circumvent municipal limitations on floor area, a section of floor was removed from one level and “transferred” to the roof as a new studio space. To comply with local height limitations, an innovative structure of solid wood studs was deployed to reduce floor and ceiling thicknesses to the bare minimum. Aside from creating the desired rooftop refuge, these gymnastics also created a dynamic cascade of interior living spaces for an urban designer and his family. Photos by Bruce Buck.

The original U-shaped kitchen had a peninsula by the patio door that extended toward the refrigerator. When the refrigerator doors were open, it created a traffic roadblock. “They were concerned that removing the peninsula would reduce their available storage. The new cabinets, using the full height up to the ceiling, offer nearly an equal amount of storage space in a much more open kitchen layout,” adds kitchen designer, Deb Bane. Photo: by kitchen designer, Deb Bane, Canandaigua HEP Sales/North Main Lumber

New energy-efficient doors, which replaced 14 original 1970s sliding glass, provide significantly improved noise and temperature control. Motorized shades at each door, hidden in ceiling recesses, offer privacy and sun cover. Custom bookshelves, another Jacobsen Architecture signature detail, create an illusion of greater height by gradually reducing height between shelves as they near the ceiling.

This extensive renovation designed by Eric Rawlings, AIA, LEED AP and built by Arlene Dean, completely transforms the look of the original structure. The main source of inspiration for the new design came from Greene & Greene’s Gamble House, which is considered by many as the pinnacle of the original turn of the century Craftsman Style Homes. Distinctive features from that style include the use of exposed timber framing, low pitched roof forms with large overhangs, gangs of windows, and extensive built-in furniture. The Master Bedroom has an exposed timber roof structure and well placed windows reducing the need for window treatments for a house built in an inner city neighborhood with close by neighbors, thus providing better daylighting. Photos by Eric Rawlings, AIA, LEEP AP.

The Owners dubbed this "The Gallery" - originally the owners were considering removing the skylight to reduce some of the costs. We literally begged them to retain them, and worked with them to adjust costs. This space, this hallway, is now her favorite room in the house! Image that for a moment - a hall way being the favorite room in the house. Amazing. Dan Winklebleck, Aaron Winklebleck

Photo: Margot Hartford Photography © 2016 Houzz
Example of a trendy living room design in Amsterdam

In earlier times this 1920’s foursquare-style house contained a beautiful, generous dining room. At some point, a previous owner constructed a guest bathroom within the space reducing its grace and openness. Our clients asked us to remove and relocate the bath and restore the space to its original proportions. They requested built-in cabinets where the bath had been and new wood sash windows. In addition, the owner asked for a small greenhouse to hold her prized Meyer lemon tree. Photos by: Matt Swain Photography

The original dark cherry vanity visually dominated the powder room, making the space feel heavy and dated. Traditional polished brass wall sconces with low-lumen bulbs provided inadequate illumination for daily grooming tasks, reducing both functionality and comfort. Plain walls and undersized artwork failed to complement the room's impressive 10-foot ceilings, leaving the space lacking visual balance, architectural interest, and a cohesive luxury design.

Nestled on the historic grounds of the original 1888 schoolhouse in Lafayette, Colorado, this early twentieth-century home underwent a transformative modern farmhouse renovation. Embracing sustainable design principles, it seamlessly blended contemporary design, comfort, and durability. The open floor plan enhances modern living, while energy-efficient upgrades reduce the carbon footprint and improve indoor air quality, fostering a resilient and eco-friendly home.

This upper deck, stairway, and supporting framing and columns were replaced due to poor original construction details that allowed the structure to rot prematurely. The original size of the deck was increased to allow the BBQ to have it's own corner without reducing the views. Glass railing allows full viewing of the surrounding Hills. The lighted stairway is controlled with motion detection to illuminate the stairway form the upper deck to the lower deck. Includes exterior speakers for sound system for entertaining to set the mood.

Terran Landscapes http://www.terranlandscapes.com Project Entry: Fishers Woodland Garden 2014 PLNA Awards for Landscape Excellence Winner Category: Theme Garden $15,000-$30,000 Award Level: Bronze Photo Description: We were contracted by the client to design a calming space for their staff to relax, take a walk, and enjoy a leisurely lunch as well as to provide their grandchildren a place to run and pick flowers. The space was originally dominated by large trees and had been overgrown with ivy, sumac and aggressive vines, providing an unwelcome, dark space with little color or visual appeal. The client requested a colorful blend of shrubs and perennials that would provide interest throughout the seasons, as well as provide privacy by screening the street traffic along Carisbrooke Road. Our goal was to create the privacy screen along the road by layering plants from the ground to the tree canopy. The theme was to let nature inspire the landscape, allowing a space that was originally woodland to become an enhanced version of itself, creating a beautiful habitat for birds and butterflies to excite the senses and satisfy all who enjoy the beauty of nature. We began by clearing the brush and removing all aggressive vines and ivy that jeopardized the health of the trees. We kept and transplanted all non- invasive or native plant material in the area to various locations throughout the property. Several yards of compost were then tilled into the soil and the existing trees fertilized to provide a rich growing environment. A few challenges occurred during the design process. It was decided that a new generator was to be installed in the woodland and due to a future addition to the house, we were forced to eliminate planned additional impervious pathway surfaces. We provided screening to hide the generator and buffer the noise, and created a meandering path and sitting area out of natural woodchips instead of the proposed bluestone to solve the impervious space issue. The woodchips add a sense of informality and invite the viewer to walk slowly through the space. The reduced noise from the additional screening of the generator allows for quiet reflection as chipmunks scurry and hummingbirds dart about between the flowers. Our plant palette consists of shady understory plants that thrive and flower vigorously from spring through fall. A tall, lush, evergreen backdrop of Ilex opaca and Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’ provides the screening and blends into a middle layer of ‘Ivory Halo’ dogwood, hydrangeas and winterberry hollies. Beautiful perennials and groundcovers bloom along the woodland path, providing a low visual layer of color and texture. Movement throughout the garden is provided by the graceful Calamagrostis brachytricha and Hakenchloa that soften the nearby hardscaping. The woodland floor is full of shade-loving Solomon’s seal, hosta, astilbe, ferns, bleeding heart, Tiarella and Aconitum. The street side of this woodland required plants with a preference for a little more sun and drought tolerance. A palette of oakleaf hydrangea, Agastache, Liatris and Rudbeckia softens the fence line and provides the desired color. As designed and installed, the woodland garden successfully provides the client’s family and office staff a quiet space where they can take a peaceful moment and enjoy nature. Photo Credit: Lisa C. Falls

Inspiration for a transitional kitchen remodel in Minneapolis