UltraMedia featured in Electronic House magazine: "Reaching this point of acoustical nirvana required plenty of calculations, CAD drawings and calibration, says Mike Brock of custom electronics design and installation firm UltraMedia, Richardson, Texas. His company worked directly with the manufacturer—Auralex—to make sure every inch of wall surface, both inside and out, was covered with the perfect type and amount of acoustical material. “We sent the room dimensions and the planned locations of the video projector, speakers and other equipment to the engineers at Auralex,” Brock explains. Using this information, the company was able to specify products and determine their proper placement. “This was the first time where I actually had the manufacturer come down and take an active role in the project and it really worked to everyone’s advantage,” Brock continues. Home-Theater-Wolf-Projector.jpg Auralex’s help with the design of the acoustical treatments afforded Brock the time to implement other sound-enhancing solutions. For example, he filled the hollow metal legs of the bar with sand to prevent them from resonating during loud passages in movie soundtracks. A thick, heavily padded carpet was added, and the general contractor constructed the shell of the room with sound-reducing drywall and installed a solid core door to prevent audio from seeping out into other areas of the house. Lastly, the sound system was calibrated. Unlike many acoustically treated theaters, where the speakers are installed within the walls and covered with special fabric, in this room UltraMedia kept the nine Vienna Acoustic speakers completely exposed. The front three Vienna Acoustics Klimt Music speakers (as well as two REL sub bass units) were positioned on the floor, and the back six speakers were mounted to the surface of the walls. “The cherry in this theater are the Klimts,” says Brock. “We really dialed them in for the best possible sound.” By “dialing in,” Brock means using his and his team’s critical listening skills to position the speakers properly, then using the Integra receiver’s built-in Audyssey technology (a combination of sophisticated software and microphones) to calibrate the speakers to compensate for any acoustical anomalies. The end result: audio perfection." Photo credit: UltraMedia, Inc.

The SIX is a 52-unit affordable housing project provides a home, support services and rehabilitation for disabled veterans. It is located in the MacArthur Park area of Los Angeles. McArthur Park has one of the highest densities in the USA with over 38,000 people per square mile and a total population of 120,000 people in 2.72 square miles. Offering shelter and comfort, the SIX breaks the prescriptive mold of the traditional shelter by creating public and private "zones" in which private space is deemphasized, in favor of large public areas. The organization of the space is intended to transform the way people live-away from a reclusive, isolating layout towards a community-oriented, interactive space. The ground level contains offices, support spaces for the veterans, bike storage and parking while the second level has a large public courtyard. Surrounded by four levels of housing units with balconies wrapped with a wood screen made from recycle planking the courtyard has large openings with green roofs that visually connects the space to the street on the lower level beyond. This allows the tenants to enjoy a secured open space while still connecting to the larger community. The uppermost level has a green roof, large public patio and edible garden with panoramic views of the area. The SIX distinguishes itself from most conventionally developed projects in that it incorporates energy efficient measures that exceed standard practice, optimize building performance, and ensure reduced energy use during all phases of construction and occupancy. The planning and design emerged from close consideration and employment of passive design strategies. These strategies include: locating and orienting the building to control solar cooling loads; shaping and orienting the building for exposure to prevailing winds; shaping the building to induce buoyancy for natural ventilation; designing windows to maximize day lighting; shading south facing windows and minimizing west-facing glazing; designing windows to maximize natural ventilation; utilizing low flow fixtures and storm water management; shaping and planning the interior to enhance daylight and natural air flow distribution. These passive strategies alone make this building 50% more efficient than a conventionally designed structure.

Another highlight of the backyard is the 11’ x 13.5’ pergola. The south side (at the back in this photo) has a see-through roll down screen which helps to soften breezes and reduce mid-day sun. The roof, currently open, has retractable panels which can be partially or fully drawn closed to provide shade.

Paul Crosby
Example of a trendy living room design in Minneapolis

The design promotes healthy lifestyles by providing primary living on one floor, no materials containing volatile organic compounds, energy recovery ventilation systems, radon elimination systems, extension of interior spaces into the natural environment of the site, strong and direct physical and visual connections to nature, daylighting techniques providing occupants full integration into a natural, endogenous circadian rhythm. Incorporation¬¬¬ of daylighting with clerestories and solar tubes reduce daytime lighting requirements. Ground source geothermal heat pumps and superior-to-code insulation ensure minimal space-conditioning costs. Corten steel siding and concrete foundation walls satisfy client requirements for low maintenance and durability. All lighting fixtures are LEDs.

Devereux Beach House Our client presented Flavin Architects with a unique challenge. On a site that previously hosted two houses, our client asked us to design a modestly sized house and separate art studio. Both structures reduce the height and bulk of the original buildings. The modern concrete house we designed is situated on the brow of a steep cliff overlooking Marblehead harbor. The concrete visually anchors the house to stone outcroppings on the property, and the low profile ensures the structure doesn’t conflict with the surround of traditional, gabled homes. Three primary concrete walls run north to south in parallel, forming the structural walls of the home. The entry sequence is carefully considered. The front door is hidden from view from the street. An entry path leads to an intimate courtyard, from which the front door is first visible. Upon entering, the visitor gets the first glimpse of the sea, framed by a portal of cast-in-place concrete. The kitchen, living, and dining space have a soaring 10-foot ceiling creating an especially spacious sense of interiority. A cantilevered deck runs the length of the living room, with a solid railing providing privacy from beach below. Where the house grows from a single to a two-story structure, the concrete walls rise magisterially to the full height of the building. The exterior concrete walls are accented with zinc gutters and downspouts, and wooden Ipe slats which softly filter light through the windows.

This outdoor shower is accentuated by a garden bench and screening wall. The bench and wall are covered with a variety of tiles and framed by hibiscus, esperanza, and lantana plants. A flagstone walkway leads you to this garden oasis.

Transform your family room effortlessly depending on whether you want to relax, play games, read, or watch TV together. Unclutter the coffee table and reduce confusion with the simplicity of a single remote the entire family can use to control everything: TV, music, streaming content, DVD player, lights, shades and temperature. Home entertainment equipment can be concealed so you only see and hear it when you want to and your family room keeps the sense of style you desire.

This 1970’s rambler was due for a significant update to the kitchen and bathrooms. With three kids and a busy travel schedule, this family needed a space that would work well for making the most of precious family time at home. The existing dining room was separated from the kitchen by an extra stair to the basement. This was removed so that the front and back of the house could be open to each other, while also improving the connection to the living room. The extra-large garage was reduced in size, with some of the space being converted into a mudroom. And finally, the connection to the garage was transformed into a simple and spacious slate floored back entry, with improved access to an existing screened porch on the back of the house. The kitchen space is wide enough for a rolling island trolley, which can be put away during larger functions.

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.

PIROUETTE® WINDOW SHADINGS With Pirouette® window shadings, the look and feel of a traditional fabric shade is improved: the gentle pull of a cord lets you change a room’s lighting in a whole new way. Soft, horizontal fabric vanes expand to filter natural light, or contract to give you a perfect outside view. Our revolutionary Invisi-Lift™ system allows the vanes to float gracefully, and even opened they offer UV protection and reduced glare through the sheer backing.

The warm and inviting living room is anchored by the wood burning fireplace. The furniture is an ensemble of Vienna Seccession pieces coupled with an Eileen Gray side table, and a custom coffee table and rug. The window valences and fireplace mantle have decorative plaster moldings designed expressly for this space. Designed Gail Green and David Estreich, the apartment shows how to combine different styles and sumptuous materials in a manner which enlivens, yet never overpowers, a classic prewar Park Avenue apartment. Before renovation, the Green Apartment had the benefits as well as the disadvantages typical of pre-war Park Avenue apartments: high ceilings and charming detail went hand-in-hand with a layout marred by unfortunate changes made over the years. The goal of the renovation, therefore, was not to restore the apartment to its original grandeur, but to create a new space which would evoke the spirit of that grandeur in a modern setting. This black, white and gold color scheme is carried throughout the apartment. One enters into a spacious foyer with the formal dining room just beyond. The entry foyer and dining room were placed on axis with each other, separated by a screen wall with glass block which gives the dining room visual privacy, and yet allows the two spaces to flow together. The living room is reached from the foyer by passing through an entire portal whose design is an abstraction of the Palladian motif Black stained floors provide an elegant background for the classic furniture and grand piano. The living room is furnished in a fascinating mix of Classic and Modernist styles. On the opposite side of the foyer from the living room, a hall goes past the dining room and ends in sandblasted glass doors. The powder room is recessed into a semicircular apse which is the focal point of the room. The den is a modernist homage to Eileen Gray. The kitchen was divided into two areas to reduce the awkward length of the space: a work area with appliances arranged around an L-shaped counter, and a breakfast area located at the east-facing window. White polyester cabinets form a stunning contrast to the granite countertop and backsplash.

A handy, empty-nester couple, nearing retirement, sold their mansion, and purchased a fixer-upper on a sunlit hillside that features the spectacular ocean view of the Channel Islands. ENRarchitects was hired to assist with making minor enhancements to the plan, integrating the lower level parking court, and adding a patio deck. The owner, a retiring engineer, took on the responsibilities of general contracting during construction. Our collaboration included opening the kitchen to the Living-Dining space, so all can enjoy the ocean view. A balcony was added to second floor Master Study, with a new laundry room below it. Both bathrooms were modestly enlarged to provide more spacious showers. Lastly, the Entry Foyer was opened to ceiling height into the Living Room. In California, ocean views inherently include relentless west sunshine, and formidable interior heat gain. Multiple design studies explored various means to incorporate shading and solar screening measures to permit the view, and to reduce heat gain. Additional studies featured more substantial proposed additions, including a lower level guest suite, and a detached office. A key feature, is the addition of a raised, covered entry porch, where passengers and goods can be offloaded, prior to parking on the lower level. The new porch also provides a secondary transition around the structure to the ocean view, split-level patio. A 2nd phase included the suggestion of rebuilding the lower covered parking to include a roof deck, rooftop guest suite, and solar electricity, which was successfully completed. The property is now mildly reminiscent of the Sea Ranch community. With the blessing of year-round comfortable weather, and ever-changing, dynamic views, the successfully remodeled home takes full advantage for a new generation of colorful living. (photo by owner) "We are so happy with the results, and proud you’d include our place in your client list. We are extremely happy and will always tout your skills." -Bill & Janice, Camarillo

Main Line Kitchen Design has a different business model than other kitchen showrooms, designers, and cabinetry dealers. The difference helps us to do five important things better than our competitors. The kitchens we sell are better designed and our designers are more experienced. This is because we insist on showing customers designs we recommend, BEFORE, we do a design they request. This way, final designs tend to be more collaborative and professional. Our designers are more experienced because they are better paid and design with more cabinet brands than at other dealers. Our pricing for cabinets is less than other cabinet dealers. This is because we do not have a showroom open to the public, and we require a small deposit and a screening before we accept customers. This helps our designers spend their time more effectively. And, it eliminates 80% of the overhead kitchen showrooms spend on staffing, larger displays, and on a curbside location. We carry more brands of cabinetry than other dealers. This is possible because we display one cabinet for each brand we sell. Through glass countertops clients can examine a brands construction quality, and we display the door styles and finishes of our brands. Instead of the larger displays customers see in traditional showrooms, our customers can view 5 million kitchens on Houzz.com, or the hundreds of our kitchen renovations we show on Houzz, our web site, and in framed photos on the walls of our office building. Kitchen construction is often better organized and generally costs less. This is because we recommend general contractors free of charge. They supervise construction from scheduling to completion. This eliminates a middleman, reduces delays, and eliminates the fees that almost all showrooms and home centers charge their customers. We are also happy to work with any contractor a customer finds on their own. If we haven’t worked with that contractor before they may need more of our direction, but both companies can benefit from working together and possibly referring each other in the future. Less problems arise, and if they do, they are handled more quickly. This is because every kitchen we sell is reviewed by at least 3 kitchen designers during the ordering process. Our Operations Manager Ed Sossich checks orders and schedules all warehouse and home deliveries. Our delivery manager Mark Mitten supervises every delivery and checks in each cabinet and part. And our CRM system, Monday, prompts each person responsible for each phase of a customer’s kitchen with automated alerts. This keeps things moving, even during supply chain disruptions, and ensures no step is overlooked. Main Line Kitchen Design’s company slogan is “The world of kitchen design is changing . . . “. We pride ourselves on being innovative in everything we do. From our web site and how we advertise, to the gift we send each customer upon the completion of their kitchen. Our business model helps us receive 100’s of 5-star reviews, and makes our kitchen projects more enjoyable for everyone. We look forward to working with you.

The SIX is a 52-unit affordable housing project provides a home, support services and rehabilitation for disabled veterans. It is located in the MacArthur Park area of Los Angeles. McArthur Park has one of the highest densities in the USA with over 38,000 people per square mile and a total population of 120,000 people in 2.72 square miles. Offering shelter and comfort, the SIX breaks the prescriptive mold of the traditional shelter by creating public and private "zones" in which private space is deemphasized, in favor of large public areas. The organization of the space is intended to transform the way people live-away from a reclusive, isolating layout towards a community-oriented, interactive space. The ground level contains offices, support spaces for the veterans, bike storage and parking while the second level has a large public courtyard. Surrounded by four levels of housing units with balconies wrapped with a wood screen made from recycle planking the courtyard has large openings with green roofs that visually connects the space to the street on the lower level beyond. This allows the tenants to enjoy a secured open space while still connecting to the larger community. The uppermost level has a green roof, large public patio and edible garden with panoramic views of the area. The SIX distinguishes itself from most conventionally developed projects in that it incorporates energy efficient measures that exceed standard practice, optimize building performance, and ensure reduced energy use during all phases of construction and occupancy. The planning and design emerged from close consideration and employment of passive design strategies. These strategies include: locating and orienting the building to control solar cooling loads; shaping and orienting the building for exposure to prevailing winds; shaping the building to induce buoyancy for natural ventilation; designing windows to maximize day lighting; shading south facing windows and minimizing west-facing glazing; designing windows to maximize natural ventilation; utilizing low flow fixtures and storm water management; shaping and planning the interior to enhance daylight and natural air flow distribution. These passive strategies alone make this building 50% more efficient than a conventionally designed structure.

An evergreen backdrop provides privacy from neighbors, while a mix of deciduous trees and shrubs provides interesting heights and textures. A mix of perennials was recently planted for fall, winter, and early spring interest, as well as to help keep the ground covered and reduce weed pressure.

Corri Sandwick Architecture Location: Bellaire, MI, USA Sitting on the banks of the Intermediate River, this house is designed to be a Green Star Silver retreat. Integrating and expanding on the expression of the original modern house and inspired by Joseph Eichler, this house incorporates simple lines, and clean details. With the goal of going to net-zero in a few years, the house is well air-sealed and insulated to reduce energy consumption as a first step in achieving the goal. Using the Green Star program helped to guide the design and construction team to achieve a home that addresses sustainability in all aspects. Photographed by: Endura Homes

Main Line Kitchen Design has a different business model than other kitchen showrooms, designers, and cabinetry dealers. The difference helps us to do five important things better than our competitors. The kitchens we sell are better designed and our designers are more experienced. This is because we insist on showing customers designs we recommend, BEFORE, we do a design they request. This way, final designs tend to be more collaborative and professional. Our designers are more experienced because they are better paid and design with more cabinet brands than at other dealers. Our pricing for cabinets is less than other cabinet dealers. This is because we do not have a showroom open to the public, and we require a small deposit and a screening before we accept customers. This helps our designers spend their time more effectively. And, it eliminates 80% of the overhead kitchen showrooms spend on staffing, larger displays, and on a curbside location. We carry more brands of cabinetry than other dealers. This is possible because we display one cabinet for each brand we sell. Through glass countertops clients can examine a brands construction quality, and we display the door styles and finishes of our brands. Instead of the larger displays customers see in traditional showrooms, our customers can view 5 million kitchens on Houzz.com, or the hundreds of our kitchen renovations we show on Houzz, our web site, and in framed photos on the walls of our office building. Kitchen construction is often better organized and generally costs less. This is because we recommend general contractors free of charge. They supervise construction from scheduling to completion. This eliminates a middleman, reduces delays, and eliminates the fees that almost all showrooms and home centers charge their customers. We are also happy to work with any contractor a customer finds on their own. If we haven’t worked with that contractor before they may need more of our direction, but both companies can benefit from working together and possibly referring each other in the future. Less problems arise, and if they do, they are handled more quickly. This is because every kitchen we sell is reviewed by at least 3 kitchen designers during the ordering process. Our Operations Manager Ed Sossich checks orders and schedules all warehouse and home deliveries. Our delivery manager Mark Mitten supervises every delivery and checks in each cabinet and part. And our CRM system, Monday, prompts each person responsible for each phase of a customer’s kitchen with automated alerts. This keeps things moving, even during supply chain disruptions, and ensures no step is overlooked. Main Line Kitchen Design’s company slogan is “The world of kitchen design is changing . . . “. We pride ourselves on being innovative in everything we do. From our web site and how we advertise, to the gift we send each customer upon the completion of their kitchen. Our business model helps us receive 100’s of 5-star reviews, and makes our kitchen projects more enjoyable for everyone. We look forward to working with you.

Dare to design... the fireplace of your dreams, while being environmentally friendly! Frontenac is not only the name of a grand hotel located in the heart of Quebec City, Canada. It is also the largest fireplace of the Valcourt brand. Majestic and imposing, this bravery symbol of the Count of Frontenac, who has fiercely defended the French colony, is quite appropriate to represent the enormous challenge overtaken when designing and manufacturing this fireplace. Exceptionally large, the FP11 Frontenac uses advanced technology to reduce air pollution and is already qualifies for Phase II of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) voluntary program for manufacturers of decorative wood burning fireplaces. With particulate emissions below 5.1 g/kg (which is approximately 70 percent cleaner than unqualified models), this model will surely give you elegance without compromising the quality of air. Just like the FP7-LM Antoinette, the FP11 Frontenac has a guillotine door that disappears in the hearth, allowing you to easily load wood on the fire and have an unrivalled view of the flames. The fire screen is also equipped with a guillotine mechanism. You will thus enjoy an open fire in safety when the ceramic glass door is open. Finally, the bare front allows significant flexibility and creativity in the design of your interior décor. Discover the additional qualities of the ambiance fireplace Valcourt Frontenac