Photo of a farmhouse stone garden path in Philadelphia.

This brick and limestone, 6,000-square-foot residence exemplifies understated elegance. Located in the award-wining Blaine School District and within close proximity to the Southport Corridor, this is city living at its finest! The foyer, with herringbone wood floors, leads to a dramatic, hand-milled oval staircase; an architectural element that allows sunlight to cascade down from skylights and to filter throughout the house. The floor plan has stately-proportioned rooms and includes formal Living and Dining Rooms; an expansive, eat-in, gourmet Kitchen/Great Room; four bedrooms on the second level with three additional bedrooms and a Family Room on the lower level; a Penthouse Playroom leading to a roof-top deck and green roof; and an attached, heated 3-car garage. Additional features include hardwood flooring throughout the main level and upper two floors; sophisticated architectural detailing throughout the house including coffered ceiling details, barrel and groin vaulted ceilings; painted, glazed and wood paneling; laundry rooms on the bedroom level and on the lower level; five fireplaces, including one outdoors; and HD Video, Audio and Surround Sound pre-wire distribution through the house and grounds. The home also features extensively landscaped exterior spaces, designed by Prassas Landscape Studio. This home went under contract within 90 days during the Great Recession. Featured in Chicago Magazine: http://goo.gl/Gl8lRm Jim Yochum

Entryway - transitional entryway idea in Grand Rapids

Inspiration for a large timeless indoor basketball/tennis/multi-game court remodel in New York with multicolored walls

Westlake Village preppy teen bedroom. Doug Hill Photography.
Example of a bedroom and large transitional girl medium tone wood floor kids' bedroom design in Los Angeles with gray walls

Drew Kelly
Freestanding bathtub - large industrial master gray tile and ceramic tile porcelain tile freestanding bathtub idea in Sacramento with white walls

Example of a mid-sized transitional open concept terra-cotta tile and brown floor living room design in San Diego with a bar, white walls and a standard fireplace

Photo: Angela Flournoy © 2013 Houzz
Example of a classic garage workshop design in Dallas

With their current home being their first project designed and built from the ground up, the Novogratzes chose details with an industrial edge. The glass garage door opens up to the back courtyard, abolishing the boundaries between inside and out. "This was our chance to make something truly new, and make everything distinctly ours", Cortney says. "it is the perfect mix of urban living with a relaxed feel." Photo: Adrienne DeRosa Photography © 2014 Houzz Design: Cortney and Robert Novogratz

Example of a classic bathroom design in Minneapolis

The son’s bedroom celebrates his love for outdoor sports.
Inspiration for a large transitional guest light wood floor and brown floor bedroom remodel in Miami with blue walls

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography Eric Roth Photo

This shared bedroom carves out a special spot for little brother unifying the mixed gender space by wrapping the space with a deep, rich navy blue paint.

Casey Dunn
Inspiration for a contemporary entryway remodel in Austin

Example of a mid-sized trendy girl dark wood floor and pink floor playroom design in DC Metro with multicolored walls

Basement - mid-sized craftsman look-out basement idea in Seattle with blue walls

Banded, Stationary Roman shades for a nursery. Fabricated for Cory Connor Designs. Kaz Arts Photography
Example of a classic boy nursery design in New York with white walls

Custom home construction in Stamford, CT
Garage - traditional detached three-car garage idea in New York

Dedicated laundry room - mid-sized craftsman single-wall ceramic tile dedicated laundry room idea with an utility sink, white cabinets, white walls, a stacked washer/dryer and shaker cabinets