Example of a small beach style concrete floor and gray floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Los Angeles with white walls

Example of a large beach style painted wood floor hallway design in New York with white walls

With major functions located on one side of the island, the opposite wall is reserved for storage and work surface. Solid doors conceal pantry goods and a microwave while glass doors are used to display the homeowners dishes and glassware. Andrea Rugg Photography

Our pioneer project, Casita de Tierra in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, showcases the natural building techniques of a rubble trench foundation, earthbag construction, natural plasters, earthen floors, and a composting toilet. Our earthbag wall system consists of locally available, cost-efficient, polypropylene bags that are filled with a formula of clay and aggregate unearthed from our building site. The bags are stacked like bricks in running bonds, which are strengthened by courses of barbed wire laid between each row, and tamped into place. The walls are then plastered with a mix composed of clay, sand, soil and straw, and are followed by gypsum and lime renders to create attractive walls. The casita exhibits a load-bearing wall system demonstrating that thick earthen walls, with no rebar or cement, can support a roofing structure. We, also, installed earthen floors, created an indoor dry-composting toilet system, utilized local woods for the furniture, routed all grey water to the outdoor garden, and maximized air flow by including cross-ventilating screened windows below the natural palm frond and cane roof. Casita de Tierra exemplifies an economically efficient, structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing, environmentally kind, and socially responsible home.

Owner's bath inspired by premium resort hotels.
Inspiration for a large contemporary master white tile white floor and double-sink freestanding bathtub remodel in Denver with a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, a hinged shower door, black countertops and a floating vanity

Living room - industrial medium tone wood floor living room idea in Montreal with black walls and a tv stand

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Bruce Damonte
Mid-sized minimalist open concept concrete floor family room photo in San Francisco with white walls

Mountain style living room photo in Portland with a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

We remodeled this kitchen with tall white oak cabinets and an island with a white perimeter. To make it feel larger and more open we reduced the number of upper cabinets and created a focal point around the hood with decorative lighting.

We love the mix of the orchid-purple counter stool upholstery in this crisp, white kitchen. The decorative chandelier over the island in polished nickel adds a modern edge. On the island we mixed walnut with a white quartz, the warmth of the walnut in the dining part of the island creates a welcoming space to linger while the other side of the island serves as additional work and prep space. Jessica Delaney Photography

Photography by Joyelle West
Inspiration for a small contemporary l-shaped light wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Boston with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, wood countertops, white backsplash, stone tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional porcelain tile and multicolored floor mudroom remodel in Salt Lake City with gray walls

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

This is an organic Lime Wash done with a true lime wash product as opposed to a brick mortar or concrete that is often seen on new houses. This product can be applied as a solid coating making the surface completely white, or can be applied and "washed off" in many artistic ways, as seen here. If you hate your brick or just want something unique this is a great option! Photo credit: Jeff Murrey

Photo: Lauren Andersen © 2018 Houzz
Eclectic kitchen photo in San Francisco

This Master Bathroom was dated, dark, and in dire need of an overhaul. Our clients were inspired by a vacation home and wanted black and white basket-weave tile and tiled wainscoting. We used traditional plumbing fixtures, cabinets, and finishes that would complement the tile. We modernized the shower with dual shower heads, DTV, and teak seat. Detailed tile plans were executed to ensure the tile was impeccably installed throughout. This bath was further enhanced with added lighting and radiant heat flooring. This renovation came together beautifully and our clients are thrilled with their classically elegant new master bathroom. Design by: Hatfield Builders | Photography by: Travis G Lilley

Inspiration for a contemporary outdoor patio shower remodel in New York

Kip Dawkins
Mid-sized transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen photo with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, multicolored backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops