Crafted to last, outdoor shades can withstand even severe weather and intense sunlight. They are a versatile way to increase energy efficiency and help to reduce indoor heat during South Florida’s harsh summers. By adding an extra layer of insulation, your home will remain comfortable and stylish. Outdoor shades also protect your valuable outdoor furnishings and equipment.

Fiberon Composite Decking is used on this lakeside, covered deck. Complete with overhead lighting and fan, this deck acts as an extension of the home. Fiberon Horizon decking in Ipe is the product used on this deck.

Images by Nic LeHoux Designed as a home and studio for a photographer and his young family, Lightbox is located on a peninsula that extends south from British Columbia across the border to Point Roberts. The densely forested site lies beside a 180-acre park that overlooks the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and the Puget Sound. Having experienced the world from under a black focusing cloth and large format camera lens, the photographer has a special fondness for simplicity and an appreciation of unique, genuine and well-crafted details. The home was made decidedly modest, in size and means, with a building skin utilizing simple materials in a straightforward yet innovative configuration. The result is a structure crafted from affordable and common materials such as exposed wood two-bys that form the structural frame and directly support a prefabricated aluminum window system of standard glazing units uniformly sized to reduce the complexity and overall cost. Accessed from the west on a sloped boardwalk that bisects its two contrasting forms, the house sits lightly on the land above the forest floor. A south facing two-story glassy cage for living captures the sun and view as it celebrates the interplay of light and shadow in the forest. To the north, stairs are contained in a thin wooden box stained black with a traditional Finnish pine tar coating. Narrow apertures in the otherwise solid dark wooden wall sharply focus the vibrant cropped views of the old growth fir trees at the edge of the deep forest. Lightbox is an uncomplicated yet powerful gesture that enables one to view the subtlety and beauty of the site while providing comfort and pleasure in the constantly changing light of the forest.

This single family home sits on a tight, sloped site. Within a modest budget, the goal was to provide direct access to grade at both the front and back of the house. The solution is a multi-split-level home with unconventional relationships between floor levels. Between the entrance level and the lower level of the family room, the kitchen and dining room are located on an interstitial level. Within the stair space “floats” a small bathroom. The generous stair is celebrated with a back-painted red glass wall which treats users to changing refractive ambient light throughout the house. Black brick, grey-tinted glass and mirrors contribute to the reasonably compact massing of the home. A cantilevered upper volume shades south facing windows and the home’s limited material palette meant a more efficient construction process. Cautious landscaping retains water run-off on the sloping site and home offices reduce the client’s use of their vehicle. The house achieves its vision within a modest footprint and with a design restraint that will ensure it becomes a long-lasting asset in the community. Photo by Tom Arban

With the combination of convective heat, radiant heat and reduced depth dimension, the 564 SS gas fireplace is ideal for zone heating in bedrooms, dens and intimate spaces. This fireplace features 564 square inches of high quality, high clarity tempered glass that comes standard with the 2015 ANSI-compliant invisible safety screen, increasing the overall safety of this fireplace for you and your family. The realistic “wood like” flame, along with the heat output can be controlled by the convenient Comfort Control™ gas system, which lets you enjoy your fireplace year-round. This allows you to turn off part of the burner with the push of a button to really turn down the heat while maintaining the fire and glowing embers. The new Intermittent Pilot Ignition (IPI) allows you to run the 564 SS gas fireplace in either standing pilot mode- or in electronic ignition mode. In standing pilot mode the pilot flame stays on, which is ideal in cold climates where it is important to maintain a draft for proper operation. In electronic ignition mode the pilot flame goes out when the fireplace is turned off, saving you precious fuel and money and making the 564 SS one of the most “green” gas fireplaces you can own.

The kitchen sink is a star player in this kitchen remodel. The homeowners chose the Kohler Stages to meet both their cooking needs and make a great design impact. This under mount single bowl sink is a whopping 45” wide and comes with a stepped side platform for drying dishes. An array of accessories come with it, including food prep bowls, trays, and cutting boards, all of which fit the opening. It makes use of a usually wasted counter area and keeps food juices confined to the sink. The engineered sound-absorption system significantly reduces disposal and dishwashing noise. Stuart Jones Photography

Another fun Crestview project! This young couple wanted a back yard that reflected their bohemian-eclectic style and could add additional privacy from the ever climbing construction around them. A place for “hanging out and drinking coffee or beer in the backyard.” But what was most exciting, was the air stream they had just purchased and were in the process of restoring. With the end goal of using it as a guest home for family and friends, we were challenged with creating a space that was cohesive and connected this new living space with the rest of the yard. In the front we had another quark to fix. The sidewalk from their front door to the street suddenly stopped 5 feet from the curb, making a less than inviting entry for guests. So, creating a new usable entryway with additional curb appeal was a top priority. We managed the entertainment space by using modern poured concrete pad’s as a focal. A poured concrete wall serves as a bench as well as creates a visual anchor for the patio area. To soften the hard materials, small plantings of succulents and ground cover were planted in the spaces between the pads. For a backdrop, a custom Cedar Plank wall and trellis combined to soften the vertical space and add plenty of privacy. The trellis is anchored by a Coral Vine to add interest. Cafe style lighting was strung across the area create a sense of intimacy. We also completed the fence transition, and eliminated the grass areas that were not being utilized to reduce the amount of water waste in the landscape, and replaced these areas with beneficial plantings for the wildlife. Overall, this landscape was completed with a cohesive Austin-friendly design in mind for these busy young professionals! Caleb Kerr - http://www.calebkerr.com

Huge white two-story wood gable roof idea in Los Angeles

Viewed from the house, the new flagstone sitting area commands views of the Santa Ynez Mountains under a canopy of a mature Jacaranda. A screening hedge of native Catalina Cherry will soon hide the street. The meadow is primarily blue sedge dotted with yarrow, blue fescue, Euphorbia 'Copton Ash', snow in summer and yellow gazanis, emphasizing cool grey throughout. Photo: Billy Goodnick

The 864 TRV gas fireplace combines convective heat, radiant heat and reduced depth dimension, making this unit ideal for small to mid-sized homes or for zone heating in bedrooms, living rooms and outdoor spaces. This gas fireplace features high quality, high clarity glass that comes standard with the 2015 ANSI-compliant invisible safety screen, increasing the overall safety of this unit for you and your family. The 864 TRV gas fireplace comes standard with the very popular accent light for an added glow when the fireplace is on or off, which really showcases the fireplace in every setting. The 864 TRV gas fireplace allows you the option of adding the revolutionary GreenSmart® 2 Wall Mounted Remote Control, which gives you the ability to control virtually every function of this fireplace from the comfort of your couch. The 864 TRV GS2 also allows to the ability to add the Power Heat Duct Kit to move heat to an adjoining room - up to 25 feet away.

Daylighting with clerestories and solar tubes reduce daytime lighting requirements for baths and dressing areas
Bathroom - mid-sized modern master gray tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile, gray floor and single-sink bathroom idea in Atlanta with flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, white walls, an integrated sink, quartz countertops, white countertops and a built-in vanity

The color palette for the plants going into a built in planter on the upper patio. The curved shaped in the background was found on the property, and will eventually become a sculptural element.

Established in 2005, Stonebridge at Rankin’s Lake is proud to be Duke Energy’s “First All-Electric Energy Star Certified Community” in South Carolina. Each home has been constructed with strict guidelines to insure each individual home will receive it’s own Energy Star certificate which in turn results in a reduced rate from Duke Energy on the energy bill for the life of the home. Through a partnership between the architecture firm, Chapman Design Group, Inc. and it’s construction arm, Icon Construction of South Carolina, Inc., special emphasis is placed on quality construction, methods and design details a well as a stringent construction quality control standard. The total efforts, skills, resources provide unyielding commitment directed toward building superior homes that will bring our homeowners many years of comfortable and carefree living. This 107 home community was created on a 43 acre property that was planned into two phases. Approximately 17 of these acres are to be left natural, providing the feel of an established neighborhood from the very beginning. The featured attraction is Rankin’s Lake. It is approximately 4 acres in size and was once a well-known fishing lake in Anderson in the 1940s and 50s. A stone bridge will adorn its spillway and will be constructed during the second phase of the project. The traditional style streetscape is enhanced with grass medians separating curb lines and sidewalks. This feature is accentuated in intermittent Alee Elm Trees and decorative post streetlights throughout the neighborhood. Every front and side lawn as well as all common areas continue to be maintained on a weekly basis by a private landscape maintenance company. This perpetual maintenance provided through the Homeowner’s Association insures a constant harmonious look throughout the entire community. From day one, several development principles were established and achieved: • The development’s concept was designed with all water front lots facing into Rankin’s Lake to have the street running between the homes and the lake. With this concept, it allows all of the neighborhood residents and their guest to take advantage of the pathways as well as enjoy to natural scenery of the lake each time the upon entering and exiting the neighborhood. This became a positive selling point as it encouraged the selection of building sites deeper into the development once you passed the lake. • The design concept of the development was to create a variation of the traditional home neighborhood where the homes, all with front porches are intentionally built closer to the sidewalk lined streets to encourage neighborly interaction. • Plans were designed with the garages at the rear of the lot as to make the neighborhood less about cars and more about the home and it’s residents. This was prioritized due to many subdivisions today are designed in such a way the home’s primary feature is a front facing garage which often have two cars in the driveway… hence, Stonebridge at Rankin’s Lake want to provide an alternative. • Each home design includes a spacious front porch, a screened porch and or a sunroom to encourage neighborly interaction and casual living. • The floor plans include both 2 and 3 bedroom plans with 2 to 3.5 baths with all master suites remaining on the main level. The entire development would have only Energy Star Certified homes.

It’s likely that your television is the epicenter of your home entertainment space. Allow us to transform the centerpiece of your home’s leisure with a stylish entertainment center. With our endless array of designs, we can offer a freestanding system or a built-in wall unit that can house all of your media center components, including flat screen televisions, gaming and audio equipment. Entertainment centers also keep electronics neat and organized by hiding unsightly cords and providing a designated area to store all of your remotes, reducing clutter.

New plantings at the far end of the patio help screen the long view
This is an example of a small traditional landscaping in Milwaukee.

Located on the front lines of a public beach walkway, this elegant artist residence layers public and private spaces in order to dynamically connect one’s lifestyle with the regenerative power of nature. The material language shifts between glass, oak, and stone as it explores concepts of porosity, translucence,and privacy. One of the home’s most notable elements is the strategic removal of living square footage to create a spa courtyard on the third level. Tucked away behind a terracotta screen and surrounded by lush vegetation on all sides, the spa acts as a private oasis in the heart of the home for reflection and reconnection. Despite rigid parameters, the home packs cutting edge engineering and design techniques into every centimeter of space. The result is a razor thin roof and floor plane delicately balanced atop massive stone walls. By reducing the density of these elements both above and below, the architecture is able to breathe and expand into its unobstructed views of the ocean and breathtaking sunsets.

Context Norbert and Robin had dreamed of retiring in a Passive House-certified home overlooking the Lubberland Creek Preserve in Southeastern New Hampshire, and they’d done their homework. They were interested in using four integrated Zehnder America (www.zehnderamerica.com) technologies to make the 1,900 square foot home extremely energy efficient. They didn’t miss any opportunity to innovate or raise the bar on sustainable design. Our goals were focused on guaranteeing their comfort in every season, saving them money on a fixed income, and reducing the home’s overall impact on the environment as much as possible. Response The home faces directly south and captures sunlight all winter under tall and vaulted ceilings and a continuous band of slim-lined, Italian triple-pane windows and doors that provide gorgeous views of the wild preserve. A second-story office nook and clerestory provide even deeper views, with a little more privacy. Zehnder, which previously sold its innovative products only in Europe, took on the project as a test house. We designed around Zehnder’s vent-based systems, including a geothermal heat loop that heats and cools incoming air, a heat pump cooling system, electric towel-warmer radiators in the bathrooms, and a highly efficient energy recovery ventilator, which recycles heat and minimizes the need for air conditioning. The house effectively has no conventional heating system—and doesn’t need it. We also looked for efficiencies and smart solutions everywhere, from the lights to the windows to the insulation. The kitchen exhaust hood eliminates, cleans, and recirculates cooking fumes in the home’s unique kitchen, custom-designed to match the ways Norbert likes to prepare meals. There are several countertop heights so they can prep and clean comfortably, and the eat-in kitchen also has two seating heights so people can sit and socialize while they’re working on dinner. An adjacent screened porch greets guests and opens to the view. A roof-mounted solar system helps to ensure that the home generates more energy than it consumes—helped by features such as a heat pump water heater, superinsulation, LED lights and a polished concrete floor that helps regulate indoor temperatures. Photo credit Chris Smith

Reverse roll screen shade.
Example of a transitional home design design in Denver