James Ray Spahn
Example of a cottage open concept medium tone wood floor game room design in DC Metro

Steve Henke
Elegant light wood floor dining room photo in Minneapolis with beige walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a country exterior home remodel in San Francisco

Elegant bathroom photo in New York with a vessel sink, recessed-panel cabinets and medium tone wood cabinets

The Musgrove features clean lines and beautiful symmetry. The inviting drive welcomes homeowners and guests to a front entrance flanked by columns and stonework. The main level foyer leads to a spacious sitting area, whose hearth is shared by the open dining room and kitchen. Multiple doorways give access to a sunroom and outdoor living spaces. Also on the main floor is the master suite. Upstairs, there is room for three additional bedrooms and two full baths. Photographer: Brad Gillette

Example of a beach style laundry room design in Portland Maine

The 2009 Coastal Living Idea House at I'On in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina showcases transitional design and modern vernacular architecture. Built to Gold LEED standards, this Lowcountry home is environmentally sound and inherently sustainable.

Inspiration for a transitional bathroom remodel in Nashville

Mid-sized trendy master light wood floor and beige floor bedroom photo in Dallas with white walls and no fireplace

Photo credit Jennifer Hughes Photography
Example of a classic galley dark wood floor kitchen design in Baltimore with a farmhouse sink, marble countertops, an island, recessed-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, gray backsplash, stone slab backsplash and stainless steel appliances

When full-time Massachusetts residents contemplate building a second home in Telluride, Colorado the question immediately arises; does it make most sense to hire a regionally based Rocky Mountain architect or a sea level architect conveniently located for all of the rigorous collaboration required for successful bespoke home design. Determined to prove the latter true, Siemasko + Verbridge accompanied the potential client as they scoured the undulating Telluride landscape in search of the perfect house site. The selected site’s harmonious balance of untouched meadow rising up to meet the edge of an aspen grove and the opposing 180 degree view of Wilson’s Range spoke to everyone. A plateau just beyond a fork in the meadow provided a natural flatland, requiring little excavation and yet the right amount of upland slope to capture the views. The intrinsic character of the site was only enriched by an elk trail and snake-rail fence. Establishing the expanse of Wilson’s range would be best served by rejecting the notion of selected views, the central sweeping curve of the roof inverts a small saddle in the range with which it is perfectly aligned. The soaring wave of custom windows and the open floor plan make the relatively modest house feel sizable despite its footprint of just under 2,000 square feet. Officially a two bedroom home, the bunk room and loft allow the home to comfortably sleep ten, encouraging large gatherings of family and friends. The home is completely off the grid in response to the unique and fragile qualities of the landscape. Great care was taken to respect the regions vernacular through the use of mostly native materials and a palette derived from the terrain found at 9,820 feet above sea level. Photographer: Gibeon Photography

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

Example of a minimalist light wood floor and beige floor dining room design in Milwaukee with white walls

Master bathroom with (2) separate furniture piece vanities. Cabinetry is Brookhaven II framed cabinets manufactured by Wood-Mode, Inc. Each vanity has (6) inset drawers & (1) door. Details include posts with decorative panels on sides and moulding beneath cabinetry.

Kitchen - transitional kitchen idea in Minneapolis

Photography: Garett + Carrie Buell of Studiobuell/ studiobuell.com
Large elegant master white tile and subway tile gray floor and mosaic tile floor bathroom photo in Nashville with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink, a hinged shower door and white countertops

Alise O'Brien, Photography
Example of a classic medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen design in St Louis

Furniture from Stanley furniture features a king size bed, two bachelors chests, and a custom Kravet bench at the end of the bed. Garentphotography.com

Ann Kenkel Interiors. 15,000 square foot French Chateau Mansion. 15,000 square foot French Country Chateau in Great Falls, Virginia. Ann Kenkel worked on almost all interior architecture, selected all finishes and coordinated with all trades for 3 years. Ann did much of the space planning, selected all finishes, stains, paint colors, did light planning HVAC vent planning, selected millwork, exterior stone and paint. Keywords: French House, french chateau, turret, dormer windows, gable roof, coffered ceiling, cat walk, iron and wood railing, marble mantle, extensive millwork, 2 story windows, transom windows, cherry floors, Barbara Tattersfield mantle, french kitchen cabinets, ivory kitchen cabinets, wood kitchen countertop on kitchen Island, farmer's sink, regency valances, crystal chandelier, glass pane cabinets, built in bookcases, circular staircase, cherry paneling, cherry library, cherry coffered ceiling, wood library, iron chandelier, large cherry built in for TV, wood beams, yellow faux finish, mustard faux finish, large great room, stone fireplace, french doors, leather sofas, leather chairs, oriental rug, oushak rug, wood stained french doors, faux finished ceiling, interior columns, recessed lights, sconces, mansion,