We had the pleasure of working with a lovely retired couple in the Donelson area to give their home of 40 years a complete refresh. The transformation included expanding their kitchen by opening it to the living area, applying fresh paint throughout, refinishing the floors, and remodeling the bathroom. Take a look at the before pictures to truly appreciate the change! Our goal was to create a timeless, updated style while enhancing functionality and ensuring the home remains accessible for aging in place.

The goal for these clients was to build a new home with a transitional design that was large enough for their children and grandchildren to visit, but small enough to age in place comfortably with a budget they could afford on their retirement income. They wanted an open floor plan, with plenty of wall space for art and strong connections between indoor and outdoor spaces to maintain the original garden feeling of the lot. A unique combination of cultures is reflected in the home – the husband is from Haiti and the wife from Switzerland. The resulting traditional design aesthetic is an eclectic blend of Caribbean and Old World flair. Jim Barsch Photography

The goal for these clients was to build a new home with a transitional design that was large enough for their children and grandchildren to visit, but small enough to age in place comfortably with a budget they could afford on their retirement income. They wanted an open floor plan, with plenty of wall space for art and strong connections between indoor and outdoor spaces to maintain the original garden feeling of the lot. A unique combination of cultures is reflected in the home – the husband is from Haiti and the wife from Switzerland. The resulting traditional design aesthetic is an eclectic blend of Caribbean and Old World flair. Jim Barsch Photography

This is an example of a rustic porch design with a fire pit and decking.

Our clients were relocating from the upper peninsula to the lower peninsula and wanted to design a retirement home on their Lake Michigan property. The topography of their lot allowed for a walk out basement which is practically unheard of with how close they are to the water. Their view is fantastic, and the goal was of course to take advantage of the view from all three levels. The positioning of the windows on the main and upper levels is such that you feel as if you are on a boat, water as far as the eye can see. They were striving for a Hamptons / Coastal, casual, architectural style. The finished product is just over 6,200 square feet and includes 2 master suites, 2 guest bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, sunroom, home bar, home gym, dedicated seasonal gear / equipment storage, table tennis game room, sauna, and bonus room above the attached garage. All the exterior finishes are low maintenance, vinyl, and composite materials to withstand the blowing sands from the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Photography: Gerardine and Jude Vargas
Pool - mid-sized 1960s backyard custom-shaped and decomposed granite infinity pool idea in Phoenix

Our clients were relocating from the upper peninsula to the lower peninsula and wanted to design a retirement home on their Lake Michigan property. The topography of their lot allowed for a walk out basement which is practically unheard of with how close they are to the water. Their view is fantastic, and the goal was of course to take advantage of the view from all three levels. The positioning of the windows on the main and upper levels is such that you feel as if you are on a boat, water as far as the eye can see. They were striving for a Hamptons / Coastal, casual, architectural style. The finished product is just over 6,200 square feet and includes 2 master suites, 2 guest bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, sunroom, home bar, home gym, dedicated seasonal gear / equipment storage, table tennis game room, sauna, and bonus room above the attached garage. All the exterior finishes are low maintenance, vinyl, and composite materials to withstand the blowing sands from the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Retiring to the Poconos was a goal of the Owners, and their move started with a demolition of an existing garage and their existing cabin on their Arrowhead Lake site. The property has a new two-car garage (850 SF) with a second story loft for games, the Owner’s photography projects and plenty of storage. New Cabin construction includes 3 bedrooms in total, including a first floor master suite. Two full bathrooms. Custom master bathroom shower with chevron tile detail and tiled nook. 2,100 square feet of living space. Vaulted great room open to kitchen and dining area. Wrap-around deck. Exposed beams. Rustic woodsy front porch.

Our clients were relocating from the upper peninsula to the lower peninsula and wanted to design a retirement home on their Lake Michigan property. The topography of their lot allowed for a walk out basement which is practically unheard of with how close they are to the water. Their view is fantastic, and the goal was of course to take advantage of the view from all three levels. The positioning of the windows on the main and upper levels is such that you feel as if you are on a boat, water as far as the eye can see. They were striving for a Hamptons / Coastal, casual, architectural style. The finished product is just over 6,200 square feet and includes 2 master suites, 2 guest bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, sunroom, home bar, home gym, dedicated seasonal gear / equipment storage, table tennis game room, sauna, and bonus room above the attached garage. All the exterior finishes are low maintenance, vinyl, and composite materials to withstand the blowing sands from the Lake Michigan shoreline.

This West Seattle specialties project was driven by an older couple’s vision to create an ADA-friendly DADU for future aging in place. Owning multiple homes in the area, their goal was to complete the build while they were still working and bringing in income, allowing them to rent out the space for additional income until retirement. The thoughtfully designed DADU features an attached garage with convenient alley access, ensuring easy entry. A wheelchair ramp and an open floor plan provide accessibility and seamless navigation, prioritizing comfort and mobility. The space was carefully crafted to serve as their primary residence in the future, combining functionality with long-term independence while offering rental income flexibility in the meantime.

I built this on my property for my aging father who has some health issues. Handicap accessibility was a factor in design. His dream has always been to try retire to a cabin in the woods. This is what he got. It is a 1 bedroom, 1 bath with a great room. It is 600 sqft of AC space. The footprint is 40' x 26' overall. The site was the former home of our pig pen. I only had to take 1 tree to make this work and I planted 3 in its place. The axis is set from root ball to root ball. The rear center is aligned with mean sunset and is visible across a wetland. The goal was to make the home feel like it was floating in the palms. The geometry had to simple and I didn't want it feeling heavy on the land so I cantilevered the structure beyond exposed foundation walls. My barn is nearby and it features old 1950's "S" corrugated metal panel walls. I used the same panel profile for my siding. I ran it vertical to match the barn, but also to balance the length of the structure and stretch the high point into the canopy, visually. The wood is all Southern Yellow Pine. This material came from clearing at the Babcock Ranch Development site. I ran it through the structure, end to end and horizontally, to create a seamless feel and to stretch the space. It worked. It feels MUCH bigger than it is. I milled the material to specific sizes in specific areas to create precise alignments. Floor starters align with base. Wall tops adjoin ceiling starters to create the illusion of a seamless board. All light fixtures, HVAC supports, cabinets, switches, outlets, are set specifically to wood joints. The front and rear porch wood has three different milling profiles so the hypotenuse on the ceilings, align with the walls, and yield an aligned deck board below. Yes, I over did it. It is spectacular in its detailing. That's the benefit of small spaces. Concrete counters and IKEA cabinets round out the conversation. For those who cannot live tiny, I offer the Tiny-ish House. Photos by Ryan Gamma Staging by iStage Homes Design Assistance Jimmy Thornton

This West Seattle specialties project was driven by an older couple’s vision to create an ADA-friendly DADU for future aging in place. Owning multiple homes in the area, their goal was to complete the build while they were still working and bringing in income, allowing them to rent out the space for additional income until retirement. The thoughtfully designed DADU features an attached garage with convenient alley access, ensuring easy entry. A wheelchair ramp and an open floor plan provide accessibility and seamless navigation, prioritizing comfort and mobility. The space was carefully crafted to serve as their primary residence in the future, combining functionality with long-term independence while offering rental income flexibility in the meantime.

Robert Brittingham
Example of a 1960s open concept dark wood floor living room design in Seattle with white walls

This West Seattle specialties project was driven by an older couple’s vision to create an ADA-friendly DADU for future aging in place. Owning multiple homes in the area, their goal was to complete the build while they were still working and bringing in income, allowing them to rent out the space for additional income until retirement. The thoughtfully designed DADU features an attached garage with convenient alley access, ensuring easy entry. A wheelchair ramp and an open floor plan provide accessibility and seamless navigation, prioritizing comfort and mobility. The space was carefully crafted to serve as their primary residence in the future, combining functionality with long-term independence while offering rental income flexibility in the meantime.

This West Seattle specialties project was driven by an older couple’s vision to create an ADA-friendly DADU for future aging in place. Owning multiple homes in the area, their goal was to complete the build while they were still working and bringing in income, allowing them to rent out the space for additional income until retirement. The thoughtfully designed DADU features an attached garage with convenient alley access, ensuring easy entry. A wheelchair ramp and an open floor plan provide accessibility and seamless navigation, prioritizing comfort and mobility. The space was carefully crafted to serve as their primary residence in the future, combining functionality with long-term independence while offering rental income flexibility in the meantime.

This West Seattle specialties project was driven by an older couple’s vision to create an ADA-friendly DADU for future aging in place. Owning multiple homes in the area, their goal was to complete the build while they were still working and bringing in income, allowing them to rent out the space for additional income until retirement. The thoughtfully designed DADU features an attached garage with convenient alley access, ensuring easy entry. A wheelchair ramp and an open floor plan provide accessibility and seamless navigation, prioritizing comfort and mobility. The space was carefully crafted to serve as their primary residence in the future, combining functionality with long-term independence while offering rental income flexibility in the meantime.

Corri Sandwick Architecture Location: Gowen, MI, USA After searching for the perfect property over a number of years, this retired couple settled on an existing house to modify to meet their needs. They planned this retreat to spend their summer’s enjoying the lake and their grandchildren. After finding the perfect spot on Lake Thomas in western Michigan, they decided to add on and modify the exiting house to meet their needs. The couple had goals to make the house energy efficient, healthy and resource efficient. With that in mind, we worked together with the building contractor to design and build a house to meet Green Star Bronze level certification.

This West Seattle specialties project was driven by an older couple’s vision to create an ADA-friendly DADU for future aging in place. Owning multiple homes in the area, their goal was to complete the build while they were still working and bringing in income, allowing them to rent out the space for additional income until retirement. The thoughtfully designed DADU features an attached garage with convenient alley access, ensuring easy entry. A wheelchair ramp and an open floor plan provide accessibility and seamless navigation, prioritizing comfort and mobility. The space was carefully crafted to serve as their primary residence in the future, combining functionality with long-term independence while offering rental income flexibility in the meantime.

This West Seattle specialties project was driven by an older couple’s vision to create an ADA-friendly DADU for future aging in place. Owning multiple homes in the area, their goal was to complete the build while they were still working and bringing in income, allowing them to rent out the space for additional income until retirement. The thoughtfully designed DADU features an attached garage with convenient alley access, ensuring easy entry. A wheelchair ramp and an open floor plan provide accessibility and seamless navigation, prioritizing comfort and mobility. The space was carefully crafted to serve as their primary residence in the future, combining functionality with long-term independence while offering rental income flexibility in the meantime.