Photography: Agnieszka Jakubowicz Design: Mindi Kim
Kitchen - traditional kitchen idea in San Francisco

Our client planned to spend more time in this home and wanted to increase its livability. The project was complicated by the strata-specified deadline for exterior work, the logistics of working in an occupied strata complex, and the need to minimize the impact on surrounding neighbours. By reducing the deck space, removing the hot tub, and moving out the dining room wall, we were able to add important livable space inside. Our homeowners were thrilled to have a larger kitchen. The additional 500 square feet of living space integrated seamlessly into the existing architecture. This award-winning home features reclaimed fir flooring (from the Stanley Park storm), and wood-cased sliding doors in the dining room, that allow full access to the outdoor balcony with its exquisite views. Green building products and processes were used extensively throughout the renovation, which resulted in a modern, highly-efficient, and beautiful home.

We closed off the open formal dining room, so it became a den with artistic barn doors, which created a more private entrance/foyer. We removed the wall between the kitchen and living room, including the fireplace, to create a great room. We also closed off an open staircase to build a wall with a dual focal point — it accommodates the TV and fireplace. We added a double-wide slider to the sunroom turning it into a happy play space that connects indoor and outdoor living areas. We reduced the size of the entrance to the powder room to create mudroom lockers. The kitchen was given a double island to fit the family’s cooking and entertaining needs, and we used a balance of warm (e.g., beautiful blue cabinetry in the kitchen) and cool colors to add a happy vibe to the space. Our design studio chose all the furnishing and finishes for each room to enhance the space's final look. Builder Partner – Parsetich Custom Homes Photographer - Sarah Shields --- Project completed by Wendy Langston's Everything Home interior design firm, which serves Carmel, Zionsville, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville, and Indianapolis. For more about Everything Home, click here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/ To learn more about this project, click here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/portfolio/hard-working-haven/

Design Builders & Remodeling is a one stop shop operation. From the start, design solutions are strongly rooted in practical applications and experience. Project planning takes into account the realities of the construction process and mindful of your established budget. All the work is centralized in one firm reducing the chances of costly or time consuming surprises. A solid partnership with solid professionals to help you realize your dreams for a new or improved home. This classic Connecticut home was bought by a growing family. The house was in an ideal location but needed to be expanded. Design Builders & Remodeling almost doubled the square footage of the home. Creating a new sunny and spacious master bedroom, new guestroom, laundry room, garage, kids bathroom, expanded and renovated the kitchen, family room, and playroom. The upgrades and addition is seamlessly and thoughtfully integrated to the original footprint.

The home office has evolved into an indispensable space that seamlessly blends productivity and comfort. Tailored to the demands of remote work or personal projects, a well-designed home office often features ergonomic furniture, ample storage, and efficient technology integration. Thoughtful placement of desks and chairs enhances workflow, while strategic lighting promotes focus and reduces eye strain. The home office is not only a functional workspace but also an expression of individual style, with personalized decor and organizational elements contributing to a conducive and inspiring atmosphere. As the boundary between work and home blurs, the home office emerges as a versatile sanctuary that fosters concentration, creativity, and a harmonious work-life balance.

Great Room / Master Suite addition onto farmhouse. Project located in Perkasie, Bucks County, PA.
Example of a large farmhouse beige two-story stucco gable roof design in Philadelphia

Example of a minimalist living room design in Los Angeles

Design Builders & Remodeling is a one stop shop operation. From the start, design solutions are strongly rooted in practical applications and experience. Project planning takes into account the realities of the construction process and mindful of your established budget. All the work is centralized in one firm reducing the chances of costly or time consuming surprises. A solid partnership with solid professionals to help you realize your dreams for a new or improved home. This classic Connecticut home was bought by a growing family. The house was in an ideal location but needed to be expanded. Design Builders & Remodeling almost doubled the square footage of the home. Creating a new sunny and spacious master bedroom, new guestroom, laundry room, garage, kids bathroom, expanded and renovated the kitchen, family room, and playroom. The upgrades and addition is seamlessly and thoughtfully integrated to the original footprint.

Design Builders & Remodeling is a one stop shop operation. From the start, design solutions are strongly rooted in practical applications and experience. Project planning takes into account the realities of the construction process and mindful of your established budget. All the work is centralized in one firm reducing the chances of costly or time consuming surprises. A solid partnership with solid professionals to help you realize your dreams for a new or improved home. A serene area to kick back after along day Trek decking and Hog Wire fencing make this a unique and safe area for adults and kids alike

The Cherry Road project is a humble yet striking example of how small changes can have a big impact. A meaningful project as the final room to be renovated in this house, thus our completion aligned with the family’s move-in. The kitchen posed a number of problems the design worked to remedy. Such as an existing window oriented the room towards a neighboring driveway. The initial design move sought to reorganize the space internally, focusing the view from the sink back through the house to the pool and courtyard beyond. This simple repositioning allowed the range to center on the opposite wall, flanked by two windows that reduce direct views to the driveway while increasing the natural light of the space. The island has a custom steel base with hammered legs, with a natural wax finish on it. The top is soapstone and incorporates an integral drain board in the kitchen sink. We did custom bar stools with steel bases and upholstered seats.

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.

We closed off the open formal dining room, so it became a den with artistic barn doors, which created a more private entrance/foyer. We removed the wall between the kitchen and living room, including the fireplace, to create a great room. We also closed off an open staircase to build a wall with a dual focal point — it accommodates the TV and fireplace. We added a double-wide slider to the sunroom turning it into a happy play space that connects indoor and outdoor living areas. We reduced the size of the entrance to the powder room to create mudroom lockers. The kitchen was given a double island to fit the family’s cooking and entertaining needs, and we used a balance of warm (e.g., beautiful blue cabinetry in the kitchen) and cool colors to add a happy vibe to the space. Our design studio chose all the furnishing and finishes for each room to enhance the space's final look. Builder Partner – Parsetich Custom Homes Photographer - Sarah Shields --- Project completed by Wendy Langston's Everything Home interior design firm, which serves Carmel, Zionsville, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville, and Indianapolis. For more about Everything Home, click here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/ To learn more about this project, click here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/portfolio/hard-working-haven/

Our client planned to spend more time in this home and wanted to increase its livability. The project was complicated by the strata-specified deadline for exterior work, the logistics of working in an occupied strata complex, and the need to minimize the impact on surrounding neighbours. By reducing the deck space, removing the hot tub, and moving out the dining room wall, we were able to add important livable space inside. Our homeowners were thrilled to have a larger kitchen. The additional 500 square feet of living space integrated seamlessly into the existing architecture. This award-winning home features reclaimed fir flooring (from the Stanley Park storm), and wood-cased sliding doors in the dining room, that allow full access to the outdoor balcony with its exquisite views. Green building products and processes were used extensively throughout the renovation, which resulted in a modern, highly-efficient, and beautiful home.

We had a several challenges to face with this project. Not only did we need to update a dated landscape to accommodate two seemingly different design tastes (modern & minimalistic vs natural english garden), we were tasked with improving the property’s drainage, improving the driveway access, reducing water usage and plant maintenance, and fixing a crumbling wall. To marry the two design tastes, we started with the more modern elements of metal planters and softened the landscape with mass plantings of ornamental grasses and native sedge. These grasses act as a turf replacement that do not need to be mowed and require less regular watering. On each side of the yard we constructed new cedar fences to provide updated and additional privacy. In addition, we poured a new concrete wall to replace the existing retaining wall and play off the new modern vibe.

Pinnacle wood clad windows with Dove Gray and Charcoal Gray exteriors. The project utilizes direct sets, casements, narrow sliding patio doors, all with factory finished clear coat pine interiors Established in 1946, Windsor Windows & Doors offers quality windows and doors for builders, architects and homeowners, with a solution for nearly every application: Pinnacle Wood, Legend Cellular PVC, Next Dimension Vinyl, Bi-fold doors, and WinPac sash replacement kit. Our Pinnacle, Legend, and Next Dimension products are all custom-built. Each product is designed to meet your specific needs, depending on architectural style, regional preference and price point. Windsor is an Energy Star® Partner and our products are NFRC rated, meaning that they meet exacting standards for energy efficiency and durability. You can find Windsor products at select dealers throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. To find a Windsor dealer near you, please visit the Dealer Locator on our website at http://windsorwindows.com/DealerLocator.page

Architect: Elizabeth Herrmann Photos: Susan Teare This 1100 sf 3-bedroom cottage in the Mad River valley was designed by architect Elizabeth Herrmann for a family of four who dreamed of downsizing and reducing energy consumption. Sited on an east-facing slope with view over the Mad River, the little black house features a standing seam roof, triple-glazed windows from Alpen, and a high-performing insulation package. A small Morso woodstove provides heat in the winter. A single Mitsubishi heat pump provides cooling in the summer and backup heat in the winter. Water is heat by an electric heat pump water heater.

We closed off the open formal dining room, so it became a den with artistic barn doors, which created a more private entrance/foyer. We removed the wall between the kitchen and living room, including the fireplace, to create a great room. We also closed off an open staircase to build a wall with a dual focal point — it accommodates the TV and fireplace. We added a double-wide slider to the sunroom turning it into a happy play space that connects indoor and outdoor living areas. We reduced the size of the entrance to the powder room to create mudroom lockers. The kitchen was given a double island to fit the family’s cooking and entertaining needs, and we used a balance of warm (e.g., beautiful blue cabinetry in the kitchen) and cool colors to add a happy vibe to the space. Our design studio chose all the furnishing and finishes for each room to enhance the space's final look. Builder Partner – Parsetich Custom Homes Photographer - Sarah Shields --- Project completed by Wendy Langston's Everything Home interior design firm, which serves Carmel, Zionsville, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville, and Indianapolis. For more about Everything Home, click here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/ To learn more about this project, click here: https://everythinghomedesigns.com/portfolio/hard-working-haven/