By bringing in a small pub set, there was still enough space to keep the existing chairs and ottomans. I had the custom hobbled shades double lined so they not only keep out the glare of the sun, but also reduce the heat. Installing an extra large fan that really moves the air, allows the porch to be used any time of the day. I refinished the teak furniture and recovered the cushions. This color gives the space personality and also ties to the color scheme on the interiors.

Clematis jackmanii superba and Westerland rose Le jardinet

ZeroEnergy Design (ZED) created this modern home for a progressive family in the desirable community of Lexington. Thoughtful Land Connection. The residence is carefully sited on the infill lot so as to create privacy from the road and neighbors, while cultivating a side yard that captures the southern sun. The terraced grade rises to meet the house, allowing for it to maintain a structured connection with the ground while also sitting above the high water table. The elevated outdoor living space maintains a strong connection with the indoor living space, while the stepped edge ties it back to the true ground plane. Siting and outdoor connections were completed by ZED in collaboration with landscape designer Soren Deniord Design Studio. Exterior Finishes and Solar. The exterior finish materials include a palette of shiplapped wood siding, through-colored fiber cement panels and stucco. A rooftop parapet hides the solar panels above, while a gutter and site drainage system directs rainwater into an irrigation cistern and dry wells that recharge the groundwater. Cooking, Dining, Living. Inside, the kitchen, fabricated by Henrybuilt, is located between the indoor and outdoor dining areas. The expansive south-facing sliding door opens to seamlessly connect the spaces, using a retractable awning to provide shade during the summer while still admitting the warming winter sun. The indoor living space continues from the dining areas across to the sunken living area, with a view that returns again to the outside through the corner wall of glass. Accessible Guest Suite. The design of the first level guest suite provides for both aging in place and guests who regularly visit for extended stays. The patio off the north side of the house affords guests their own private outdoor space, and privacy from the neighbor. Similarly, the second level master suite opens to an outdoor private roof deck. Light and Access. The wide open interior stair with a glass panel rail leads from the top level down to the well insulated basement. The design of the basement, used as an away/play space, addresses the need for both natural light and easy access. In addition to the open stairwell, light is admitted to the north side of the area with a high performance, Passive House (PHI) certified skylight, covering a six by sixteen foot area. On the south side, a unique roof hatch set flush with the deck opens to reveal a glass door at the base of the stairwell which provides additional light and access from the deck above down to the play space. Energy. Energy consumption is reduced by the high performance building envelope, high efficiency mechanical systems, and then offset with renewable energy. All windows and doors are made of high performance triple paned glass with thermally broken aluminum frames. The exterior wall assembly employs dense pack cellulose in the stud cavity, a continuous air barrier, and four inches exterior rigid foam insulation. The 10kW rooftop solar electric system provides clean energy production. The final air leakage testing yielded 0.6 ACH 50 - an extremely air tight house, a testament to the well-designed details, progress testing and quality construction. When compared to a new house built to code requirements, this home consumes only 19% of the energy. Architecture & Energy Consulting: ZeroEnergy Design Landscape Design: Soren Deniord Design Paintings: Bernd Haussmann Studio Photos: Eric Roth Photography

Block the sun and maintain your view! Our large selection of interior solar screens is the ideal solution to your indoor natural lighting needs. Allow the proper amount of sunlight in while creating the perfect environment in your home. Utilize the interior solar screens to reduce the sun’s glare while saving money by blocking the heat from entering the room. Choose from a variety of fabrics that can blend with their surroundings or feature them as a design aspect in the room. Our interior solar screens are best for windows, glass doors, and sunrooms. Maintain your view while blocking harmful UV rays.

This home had zero front landscape. The client requested low maintenance, succulents and rock elements. The area was not full sun, but had significant morning light and in fact had quite a bit of shade. This was a bit of a challenge to specify plants that could thrive in mixed light, but could handle direct sun for several hours a day. We incorporated some tough but lovely plants that require very little upkeep except to trim off spent/dying leaves to keep them looking clean. By using a rock edging and heavy mulching under the plants, we further reduced maintenance. We added landscape lighting to show off the garden at night and to provide subtle welcoming light to the entry.

ELITIS PANAMA DIVALI VP 714 01 TO FEATURE WALL was chosen to reflect the sun rising over the sea. For our clients a deep connection to nature was one of the key brief requirements. The blue carpet was chosen to reflect the sea Blinds are an important factor in Eco-friendly environments, directly affecting the energy efficiency of a space by: Reducing energy consumption; controlling glare and allowing outward visibility and natural light.

Block the sun and maintain your view! Our large selection of interior solar screens is the ideal solution to your indoor natural lighting needs. Allow the proper amount of sunlight in while creating the perfect environment in your home. Utilize the interior solar screens to reduce the sun’s glare while saving money by blocking the heat from entering the room. Choose from a variety of fabrics that can blend with their surroundings or feature them as a design aspect in the room. Our interior solar screens are best for windows, glass doors, and sunrooms. Maintain your view while blocking harmful UV rays.

OVERVIEW Set into a mature Boston area neighborhood, this sophisticated 2900SF home offers efficient use of space, expression through form, and myriad of green features. MULTI-GENERATIONAL LIVING Designed to accommodate three family generations, paired living spaces on the first and second levels are architecturally expressed on the facade by window systems that wrap the front corners of the house. Included are two kitchens, two living areas, an office for two, and two master suites. CURB APPEAL The home includes both modern form and materials, using durable cedar and through-colored fiber cement siding, permeable parking with an electric charging station, and an acrylic overhang to shelter foot traffic from rain. FEATURE STAIR An open stair with resin treads and glass rails winds from the basement to the third floor, channeling natural light through all the home’s levels. LEVEL ONE The first floor kitchen opens to the living and dining space, offering a grand piano and wall of south facing glass. A master suite and private ‘home office for two’ complete the level. LEVEL TWO The second floor includes another open concept living, dining, and kitchen space, with kitchen sink views over the green roof. A full bath, bedroom and reading nook are perfect for the children. LEVEL THREE The third floor provides the second master suite, with separate sink and wardrobe area, plus a private roofdeck. ENERGY The super insulated home features air-tight construction, continuous exterior insulation, and triple-glazed windows. The walls and basement feature foam-free cavity & exterior insulation. On the rooftop, a solar electric system helps offset energy consumption. WATER Cisterns capture stormwater and connect to a drip irrigation system. Inside the home, consumption is limited with high efficiency fixtures and appliances. TEAM Architecture & Mechanical Design – ZeroEnergy Design Contractor – Aedi Construction Photos – Eric Roth Photography

Soft and wispy, Grevillea 'Long John' draws the eye and plays off the red shutters. photo by Billy Goodnick
This is an example of a small eclectic drought-tolerant and full sun front yard stone garden path in Santa Barbara.

Block the sun and maintain your view! Our large selection of interior solar screens is the ideal solution to your indoor natural lighting needs. Allow the proper amount of sunlight in while creating the perfect environment in your home. Utilize the interior solar screens to reduce the sun’s glare while saving money by blocking the heat from entering the room. Choose from a variety of fabrics that can blend with their surroundings or feature them as a design aspect in the room. Our interior solar screens are best for windows, glass doors, and sunrooms. Maintain your view while blocking harmful UV rays.

Photo of a traditional landscaping in Boston.

View of the fabric in the projected position: 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)

The building has been anchored into the site with a series of stepped forms being used to reduce the scale of the site cut and slope. A central deck/courtyard provides sheltered private indoor/outdoor living, creating a central hub for the second floor. Photography by DRAW Photography Ltd

Design ideas for a transitional landscaping in San Francisco.

Block the sun and maintain your view! Our large selection of interior solar screens is the ideal solution to your indoor natural lighting needs. Allow the proper amount of sunlight in while creating the perfect environment in your home. Utilize the interior solar screens to reduce the sun’s glare while saving money by blocking the heat from entering the room. Choose from a variety of fabrics that can blend with their surroundings or feature them as a design aspect in the room. Our interior solar screens are best for windows, glass doors, and sunrooms. Maintain your view while blocking harmful UV rays.

View of the color-matched cassette hardware which conceals the shade fabric: 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)

ShadeFX fabricated a 20’ x 14’ retractable canopy with Sunbrella Sapphire fabric to mount onto an existing structure. The canopy drop was reduced to prevent the retracted stack from blocking visibility out the sliding doors.

Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/

View of the backyard 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)