Falcon House is located on Falcon Ridge Road, which winds along a steeply inclined ridge in a stretch of foothills within Carmel Valley in Monterey County. An old lichen covered barn and split rail, cedar fences characterize this area known as Markham Ranch, and contrast sharply with the preponderance of sprawling, large estate-style homes, many more at-home in the Italian countryside than any landscape of California. Designed for a young family, Falcon House responds to the family’s desire to live a more modest lifestyle, eschewing overt displays of extravagance for an intimate and deferential relation to nature. The 3,200-square-foot residence occupies a difficult portion of the northern slope of a hillside, overlooking a verdant valley and oriented toward Castle Rock in the distance. The steep terrain necessitated a compartmentalized plan capable of negotiating the gentle hillock at the center of the site. A corridor bridge spans two pieces of the house, uniting living and sleeping spaces and allowing an existing watercourse to flow essentially through the house unobstructed. Large panels of glass open the living spaces to the landscape, beneath the deep overhang of a butterfly roof. Operable clerestories placed high on the window-wall allow prevailing breezes to cool the interior spaces. The bedroom wing of the house hugs the hillside as it turns to the west, ensuring privacy from the main living spaces. The sense of seclusion and protection of this wing is reinforced by its lower roofline and its embedment into the hill. Initial resistance by neighboring homeowners has given way to appreciation, having seen the results of careful siting and a material and color palate sympathetic to the surrounding hillsides. The dwelling embodies an attitude of respect for the landscape, and through that perspective Falcon House has become as natural a part of its environment as the hawks flying overhead. 2008 AIA Orange County Chapter Merit Award

This staircase makes a bold design statement through restraint and precision. Thick squared-off white oak treads appear to float between dramatic, black-painted stringers, while horizontal 1/2" round bars create an open, minimal balustrade. The uniform open risers allow natural light to cascade down to the basement level, transforming the stairwell into a light-transmitting vertical shaft. The design thoughtfully responds to the surrounding spaces, connecting levels without interrupting sightlines or blocking light flow. The result is a staircase that feels almost sculptural in its simplicity, proving that sometimes less truly is more. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

This residence sits atop a precipice with views to the metropolitan Denver valley to the east and the iconic Flatiron peaks to the west. The two sides of this linear scheme respond independently to the site conditions. The east has a high band of glass for morning light infiltration, with a thick zone of storage below. Dividing the storage areas, a rhythm of intermittent windows provide views to the entry court and distant city. On the opposite side, full height sliding glass panels extend the length of the house embracing the best views. After entering through the solid east wall, the amazing mountain peaks are revealed. For this residence, simplicity and restraint are the innovation. Materials are limited to wood structure and ceilings, concrete floors, and oxidized steel cladding. The roof extension provides sun shading for the west facing glass and shelter for the end terrace. The house’s modest form and palate of materials place it unpretentiously within its surroundings, allowing the natural environment to carry the day. A.I.A. Wyoming Chapter Design Award of Merit 2011 Project Year: 2009

The front room of the home can be used for either a dining room, office space or a conversation room, as shown here.
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern loft-style medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in Calgary with a bar, white walls and no tv

Photos by Alan Barley. An innovative Modern-style home at an affordable price – yet, responds to our principles of climate-specific design, superior indoor air-quality and “total cost of ownership” durability. The appeal of our solutions from a “creature comfort” point of view is that they embody an understated simplicity, yet contain a visually interesting design that can be adapted to multiple home-buyer needs.

Photos by Alan Barley. An innovative Modern-style home at an affordable price – yet, responds to our principles of climate-specific design, superior indoor air-quality and “total cost of ownership” durability. The appeal of our solutions from a “creature comfort” point of view is that they embody an understated simplicity, yet contain a visually interesting design that can be adapted to multiple home-buyer needs.

The primary bedroom didn’t go untouched. We anchored the space with Benjamin Moore Dragon’s Breath on the accent wall—a moody, rich tone that adds instant depth. It sets a stunning backdrop for the Rejuvenation Imbrie Articulating Sconces, which bring a classic brass-and-enamel moment into the mix. Paired with Buster + Punch dimmer switches, the lighting now responds intuitively to any mood, from soft nighttime reading to bright morning motivation. Grounding the room is Dreamweaver’s Finishing Touch carpet in Shortbread, a soft, neutral foundation that keeps the room feeling cozy and connected to the palette of the bath.

The Commodore Way residence in Seattle, WA overlooks Salmon Bay just west of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. It is a modern three-story home built on a large 8,000 square-foot sloping vacant lot. The four-bedroom, three and a half bath, 4,000 square-foot home, including basement and attached garage, responds to the topography and orientation of its property. Inspired by the amazing view of Salmon Bay and the Olympic Mountains beyond, the primary living spaces are located on the top level taking full advantage of the view. Deck projections extend the indoor living experience to the view to the north. A sloped shed roof over half of the structure opens up to that view as well. The other portion of the roof allows for a generous roof deck extending the exterior space of the home and its fantastic view. The basement is flexible allowing for a variety of uses: playroom, den, art studio or mother in law dwelling.

The exterior of what looks like a vernacular Hamptons shingle cottage, designed by architect Blaze Makoid, is intentionally deceiving. For the interiors, Axis Mundi typically decided not to play by the rules. Instead of de rigeur nautical artifacts, floppy sofas and wicker furniture, the firm responded to Makoid’s all-white interior envelope by injecting rooms with comfortable modern elegance that’s more contemporary Cap Ferrat than Eastern Long Island. Clean furniture silhouettes—from Cassina, Poltrona Frau and B&B Italia—a Massimo Vitali beach scene, a Moooi chandelier and industrial finishes (such as the steel of the fireplace surround and the anodized aluminum of a sleek Bulthaup kitchen) spark a creative tension between indoors and out. The gray palette provides a quiet backdrop for the nature outside, except for the master suite, where custom oak panels and blue shades create a reassuring warmth conducive to sleep. Size: 1,920 sf Project Team: John Beckmann, Nick Messerlian and Richard Rosenbloom Architect: Blaze Makoid Architecture Photographer: Mark Roskams © Axis Mundi Design LLC

This staircase makes a bold design statement through restraint and precision. Thick squared-off white oak treads appear to float between dramatic, black-painted stringers, while horizontal 1/2" round bars create an open, minimal balustrade. The uniform open risers allow natural light to cascade down to the basement level, transforming the stairwell into a light-transmitting vertical shaft. The design thoughtfully responds to the surrounding spaces, connecting levels without interrupting sightlines or blocking light flow. The result is a staircase that feels almost sculptural in its simplicity, proving that sometimes less truly is more. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

When transforming this large warehouse into the home base for a security company, it was important to maintain the historic integrity of the building, as well as take security considerations into account. Selections were made to stay within historic preservation guidelines, working around and with existing architectural elements. This led us to finding creative solutions for floor plans and furniture to fit around the original railroad track beams that cut through the walls, as well as fantastic light fixtures that worked around rafters and with the existing wiring. Utilizing what was available, the entry stairway steps were created from original wood beams that were salvaged. The building was empty when the remodel began: gutted, and without a second floor. This blank slate allowed us to fully realize the vision of our client - a 50+ year veteran of the fire department - to reflect a connection with emergency responders, and to emanate confidence and safety. A firepole was installed in the lobby which is now complete with a retired fire truck.

The Commodore Way residence in Seattle, WA overlooks Salmon Bay just west of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. It is a modern three-story home built on a large 8,000 square-foot sloping vacant lot. The four-bedroom, three and a half bath, 4,000 square-foot home, including basement and attached garage, responds to the topography and orientation of its property. Inspired by the amazing view of Salmon Bay and the Olympic Mountains beyond, the primary living spaces are located on the top level taking full advantage of the view. Deck projections extend the indoor living experience to the view to the north. A sloped shed roof over half of the structure opens up to that view as well. The other portion of the roof allows for a generous roof deck extending the exterior space of the home and its fantastic view. The basement is flexible allowing for a variety of uses: playroom, den, art studio or mother in law dwelling.

Photos by Alan Barley. An innovative Modern-style home at an affordable price – yet, responds to our principles of climate-specific design, superior indoor air-quality and “total cost of ownership” durability. The appeal of our solutions from a “creature comfort” point of view is that they embody an understated simplicity, yet contain a visually interesting design that can be adapted to multiple home-buyer needs.

Photos by Alan Barley. An innovative Modern-style home at an affordable price – yet, responds to our principles of climate-specific design, superior indoor air-quality and “total cost of ownership” durability. The appeal of our solutions from a “creature comfort” point of view is that they embody an understated simplicity, yet contain a visually interesting design that can be adapted to multiple home-buyer needs.

Richard Herman is in the hospitality business and owns several upscale hotels in Florida and in other states as well as cattle ranches in both Florida and Missouri. Their farm in Ocala is by farm their most unique. The property serves as a 4-H demonstration project for the purpose of children’s education. They have been working with the Academy Prep of St. Pete which is dedicated to inner-city youths that are selected on the basis of need and achievement. Wife Diane spends her time on the farm raising Gypsy Vanners, a diminutive draft horse named after the job they did in Eastern Europe, pulling the wagons (vans) for gypsies that wandered across the continent. On the Ocala farm, there are several mules with a unique profession. Richard had visited the Hearthstone display at a Log & Timber Home Shows at the Orlando Convention Center many years ago. He was impressed that Hearthstone had stayed in touch with him over the years by mailings, invitations to shows, and periodic phone calls. When the time came to start serious consideration of the design of barn, Hearthstone responded promptly and professionally to Richard and Diane’s requests for information and a review of their ideas for their barn, which would serve as the centerpiece for their new farm. They wanted a multipurpose facility that could accommodate an educational environment and a large hall suitable for the fundraising events for his charities. Richard wanted a barn that reflected the look and feel of barns built at the dawn of the 20th century. Besides the rustic chicken houses and vegetable gardens, they have completely renovated a 1020’s era farmhouse to be as historically correct as possible and serves as the entry to the farm. “They very careful to feel us out, get comfortable with our capabilities, and be convinced that we could perform as promised,” said Project Manager John Ricketson of Hearthstone. Design Process There were some initial drawings that gave us a start on the basic shape and size of the barn. From there, it was a process of narrowing down the uses of each area and the spans that could be achieved. The barn was going to have the traditional “board & batten” exterior siding and a metal roof. There is a cantilevered ‘hay hood” on the north gable end above the large sliding barn doors that open into the foyer and horse stalls. The wings house a combination of areas, beginning with the large restrooms to accommodate crowds for events. Other parts of the wings have garage areas for the farm vehicles, feed room, tack room, wash rack, storage, offices, and smaller restrooms. Keeping with the look and feel of the turn of the century, Hearthstone developed a process for giving the timbers a surface texture that mimicked the circular cuts of timbers that had just come out of an old sawmill. This was easier said than done. Randy Giles guided his millwright (Wolfgang) in designing a machine that would do this effectively. The barn was delivered in October of 2014 and was erected over the course of two weeks, thanks to a hardworking crew (Eric Foster) and near-perfect weather. After the Hearthstone crew completed the erection and roof dry-in, it was time for the local carpenters to step up and install some light conventional framing on the gable ends before applying the roof fascia and exterior board & batten siding. Next came the big sliding barn doors, plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling. Large rustic fixtures were hung from the great hall roof timbers. Exterior The board & batten siding was cypress and allowed to turn color naturally as rain hit it and the sun started working on it with UV rays. This method causes a much grayer look closer to the ground and less so where the roof overhang provides protection. The North end has some large limestone boulders and planters arranged around the pad with tall pampas grass. The planters provide casual seating before events and during outside receptions. The entire area was sodded with lush St. Augustine grass and split rail fences were added to enclose the barn area. The corrugated metal roof was a special order material that immediately rusted after being exposed to moisture. The layer of rust protects the metal from the elements. Interior The board & batten theme was carried throughout most of the interior with the timbers left natural to show off the circular saw texture. All of the tongue & groove decking was shipped in advance to allow the local painter to pre-stain it with a dark brown transparent stain that is a beautiful background to the light color Eastern White Pine timbers. “Everything was unique in this project” said Project Manager John Ricketson. “The setting on a small demonstration farm close to Ocala, the multipurpose design, the circular saw texture on the timbers.” The Hermans are very proud of their farm’s outcome. Richard sent a note to Randy Giles, owner of Hearthstone: “The Barn is fantastic, not a single problem, period. Next month, we have Jo Dee Messina coming in to help with a fundraiser for a local center for abused kids. Folks love the farm, ...... but that barn gets all of the attention. I would encourage you to use me as a reference for your sales team, feel free to extend my cell phone to any prospective purchasers.”

Photos by Alan Barley. An innovative Modern-style home at an affordable price – yet, responds to our principles of climate-specific design, superior indoor air-quality and “total cost of ownership” durability. The appeal of our solutions from a “creature comfort” point of view is that they embody an understated simplicity, yet contain a visually interesting design that can be adapted to multiple home-buyer needs.

Photos by Alan Barley. An innovative Modern-style home at an affordable price – yet, responds to our principles of climate-specific design, superior indoor air-quality and “total cost of ownership” durability. The appeal of our solutions from a “creature comfort” point of view is that they embody an understated simplicity, yet contain a visually interesting design that can be adapted to multiple home-buyer needs.

Photos by Alan Barley. An innovative Modern-style home at an affordable price – yet, responds to our principles of climate-specific design, superior indoor air-quality and “total cost of ownership” durability. The appeal of our solutions from a “creature comfort” point of view is that they embody an understated simplicity, yet contain a visually interesting design that can be adapted to multiple home-buyer needs.