Project: Palazzo Margherita Bernalda Restoration Elements used: Encaustic Tiles, Antique Limestone, antique stone fountain, antique stone fireplace. Discover the cuisine, wines and history of the Basilicata region at the luxurious Palazzo Margherita. Set in the village of Bernalda, the well-preserved villa is close to the region’s white-sand beaches and the famed Sassi caves. The property was recently renovated by the Coppola family with decorator Jacques Grange, imbuing its luxurious traditional interiors with modern style. Start each day of your stay with an included breakfast, then head out to read in the courtyard garden, lounge under an umbrella on the terrace by the pool or sip a mimosa at the al-fresco bar. Have dinner at one of the outdoor tables, then finish the evening in the media room. The property also has its own restaurant and bar, which are open to the public but separate from the house. Traditional architecture, lush gardens and a few modern furnishings give the villa the feel of a grand old estate brought back to life. In the media room, a vaulted ceiling with ornate moldings speaks to the home’s past, while striped wallpaper in neutral tones is a subtly contemporary touch. The eat-in kitchen has a dramatically arched Kronos stone ceiling and a long, welcoming table with bistro-style chairs. The nine suite-style bedrooms are each decorated with their own scheme and each have en-suite bathrooms, creating private retreats within the palazzo. There are three bedrooms with queen beds on the garden level; all three have garden access and one has a sitting area. Upstairs, there are six bedrooms with king beds, all of which have access to either a Juliet balcony, private balcony or furnished terrace. From Palazzo Margherita’s location in Bernalda, it’s a 20-minute drive to several white-sand beaches on the Ionian Sea. Photos courtesy of Luxury Retreats, Barbados.

A dark, Spanish apartment gets a bright, colorful, modern makeover! Photographer: Zeke Rueles
Living room - small mid-century modern formal and open concept terra-cotta tile and red floor living room idea in Los Angeles with multicolored walls

Custom outdoor Screen Porch with Scandinavian accents, indoor / outdoor coffee table, outdoor woven swivel chairs, fantastic styling, and custom outdoor pillows

This unique farmhouse kitchen is a throw-back to the simple yet elegant white 3x6 subway tile, glass cabinetry, and spacious 12 foot white quartz island. The subway tile has been extended into the interior cabinets, making the kitchen feel even lighter and brighter. With a farmhouse apron front sink and a 36" cooktop, this kitchen is a dreamy place to whip up some comfort food.

Example of a trendy backyard deck design in San Diego with no cover

Example of a mid-century modern home design design in Seattle

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/

Round custom made steel planter with Angelina sedum surrounded with acanthus and acorus. photo: grant wilds
Design ideas for a modern landscaping in Seattle.

Madrona Passive House, a new Seattle home designed by SHED Architecture & Design and built by Hammer & Hand, combines contemporary design with high performance building to create an environmentally responsive and resource-efficient house. The home’s airtight, super-insulated building envelope and passive design minimize energy consumption while providing superior thermal comfort to occupants. A heat recovery ventilator supplies constant fresh air to the home’s interior while recovering 90% of thermal energy from exhaust air for reuse inside. A rooftop solar photovoltaic array will provide enough energy to offset most, perhaps all, of the home’s energy consumption on a net annual basis. To manage stormwater the project employs permeable pavers for site hardscape and two cisterns to capture and control rainwater from the home’s roof and the green roof on the garage. By investing in sustainable site development strategies, efficient building systems and an advanced envelope, the project aims to respect the home’s environmentally critical site and achieve one of the world’s most demanding building energy standards: Passive House. Photos by Mark Woods Photography.

Ashley Batz
Living room - large industrial open concept concrete floor living room idea in San Francisco with multicolored walls, no fireplace and no tv

Madrona Passive House, a new Seattle home designed by SHED Architecture & Design and built by Hammer & Hand, combines contemporary design with high performance building to create an environmentally responsive and resource-efficient house. The home’s airtight, super-insulated building envelope and passive design minimize energy consumption while providing superior thermal comfort to occupants. A heat recovery ventilator supplies constant fresh air to the home’s interior while recovering 90% of thermal energy from exhaust air for reuse inside. A rooftop solar photovoltaic array will provide enough energy to offset most, perhaps all, of the home’s energy consumption on a net annual basis. To manage stormwater the project employs permeable pavers for site hardscape and two cisterns to capture and control rainwater from the home’s roof and the green roof on the garage. By investing in sustainable site development strategies, efficient building systems and an advanced envelope, the project aims to respect the home’s environmentally critical site and achieve one of the world’s most demanding building energy standards: Passive House. Photos by Mark Woods Photography.

Looking down from the deck, a palpable serenity is evident. The flagstone path connects to a bluestone bench or can be used as an alternate entry into the pergola space.

Large elegant l-shaped brown floor and medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, white cabinets, white appliances, an island, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, granite countertops and recessed-panel cabinets

This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Philadelphia.

Photography by Anthony Crisafulli
Patio - small eclectic backyard brick patio idea in New York

Example of a transitional kitchen design in New York with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash and an island

Winner of the: NARI Capital CotY Award- Whole House Remodel: $500,000-$750,000 NARI Capital CotY Award- Green Entire House NARI Regional CotY Award- Whole House Remodel: $500,000-$750,000 NARI Regional CotY Award- Green Entire House NARI National CotY Award- Green Entire House

Jim Graham Photography
Country wooden u-shaped staircase photo in Philadelphia with wooden risers

Photo by Pete Veilleux, East Bay Wilds. 'Island Pink' yarrow (Achillea millefolium 'Island Pink') with woolly blue curls (Trichostema lanatum).