The true achievement of the Hayloft is the on-site construction offered by the local trades. The contractor is also the developer, and through extensive training programs, he is able to hire local craftsmen to make all of the concrete floor pavers inside and out, the cabinets, custom concrete countertops, and even plumbing fixtures and appliances. The handcrafting of much of the fixtures and finishes on site led to a considerable drop in transportation costs and empowered the local work force.

The design philosophy for this project rests on the belief that memory is an essential part of landscape experience. Instead of recreating the Rain tree in a literal form, the design interprets the sensations it once offered. The shifting light, the sound of leaves, the comfort of shade and the smell of earth. These elements form a quiet yet powerful form of heritage that often goes unrecognised in redevelopment. By carrying these sensations into the new landscape, the project creates continuity within change. It shows how design can hold onto the emotional identity of a place and offer familiarity to residents returning to a transformed site. This approach suggests a way of thinking about urban growth where memory and development do not stand in opposition but work together.

Modern Retreat is one of a four home collection located in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The site, formerly home to the abandoned Kachina Elementary School, offered remarkable views of Camelback Mountain. Nestled into an acre-sized, pie shaped cul-de-sac, the site’s unique challenges came in the form of lot geometry, western primary views, and limited southern exposure. While the lot’s shape had a heavy influence on the home organization, the western views and the need for western solar protection created the general massing hierarchy. The undulating split-faced travertine stone walls both protect and give a vivid textural display and seamlessly pass from exterior to interior. The tone-on-tone exterior material palate was married with an effective amount of contrast internally. This created a very dynamic exchange between objects in space and the juxtaposition to the more simple and elegant architecture. Maximizing the 5,652 sq ft, a seamless connection of interior and exterior spaces through pocketing glass doors extends public spaces to the outdoors and highlights the fantastic Camelback Mountain views. Project Details // Modern Retreat Architecture: Drewett Works Builder/Developer: Bedbrock Developers, LLC Interior Design: Ownby Design Photographer: Thompson Photographic

Eye-Land: Named for the expansive white oak savanna views, this beautiful 5,200-square foot family home offers seamless indoor/outdoor living with five bedrooms and three baths, and space for two more bedrooms and a bathroom. The site posed unique design challenges. The home was ultimately nestled into the hillside, instead of placed on top of the hill, so that it didn’t dominate the dramatic landscape. The openness of the savanna exposes all sides of the house to the public, which required creative use of form and materials. The home’s one-and-a-half story form pays tribute to the site’s farming history. The simplicity of the gable roof puts a modern edge on a traditional form, and the exterior color palette is limited to black tones to strike a stunning contrast to the golden savanna. The main public spaces have oversized south-facing windows and easy access to an outdoor terrace with views overlooking a protected wetland. The connection to the land is further strengthened by strategically placed windows that allow for views from the kitchen to the driveway and auto court to see visitors approach and children play. There is a formal living room adjacent to the front entry for entertaining and a separate family room that opens to the kitchen for immediate family to gather before and after mealtime.

Redesigning the layout of this master bathroom involved taking out the unused whirlpool tub and adding in a luxurious custom tile shower. The toilet was moved to the opposite side of the bathroom allowing for some privacy behind the shower wall and providing space for a wider vanity. We worked with this client to select the materials and colors and we were on site during construction to answer any questions and offer suggestions for the finishing details. Now everyone in the family wants to use this shower.

With adjacent neighbors within a fairly dense section of Paradise Valley, Arizona, C.P. Drewett sought to provide a tranquil retreat for a new-to-the-Valley surgeon and his family who were seeking the modernism they loved though had never lived in. With a goal of consuming all possible site lines and views while maintaining autonomy, a portion of the house — including the entry, office, and master bedroom wing — is subterranean. This subterranean nature of the home provides interior grandeur for guests but offers a welcoming and humble approach, fully satisfying the clients requests. While the lot has an east-west orientation, the home was designed to capture mainly north and south light which is more desirable and soothing. The architecture’s interior loftiness is created with overlapping, undulating planes of plaster, glass, and steel. The woven nature of horizontal planes throughout the living spaces provides an uplifting sense, inviting a symphony of light to enter the space. The more voluminous public spaces are comprised of stone-clad massing elements which convert into a desert pavilion embracing the outdoor spaces. Every room opens to exterior spaces providing a dramatic embrace of home to natural environment. Grand Award winner for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home The material palette began with a rich, tonal, large-format Quartzite stone cladding. The stone’s tones gaveforth the rest of the material palette including a champagne-colored metal fascia, a tonal stucco system, and ceilings clad with hemlock, a tight-grained but softer wood that was tonally perfect with the rest of the materials. The interior case goods and wood-wrapped openings further contribute to the tonal harmony of architecture and materials. Grand Award Winner for Best Indoor Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home This award-winning project was recognized at the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards with two Grand Awards, one for Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home, and another for Best Interior Design of a One of a Kind or Custom Home. At the 2020 Design Excellence Awards and Gala presented by ASID AZ North, Ownby Design received five awards for Tonal Harmony. The project was recognized for 1st place – Bathroom; 3rd place – Furniture; 1st place – Kitchen; 1st place – Outdoor Living; and 2nd place – Residence over 6,000 square ft. Congratulations to Claire Ownby, Kalysha Manzo, and the entire Ownby Design team. Tonal Harmony was also featured on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Luxe Interiors + Design and received a 14-page editorial feature entitled “A Place in the Sun” within the magazine.

One-of-a-kind gates and combed-face white limestone clad site walls offer privacy to White Box No. 2. Rows of ocotillo and barrel cactus offer ordered desert refinement and flora. Project Details // White Box No. 2 Architecture: Drewett Works Builder: Argue Custom Homes Interior Design: Ownby Design Landscape Design (hardscape): Greey | Pickett Landscape Design: Refined Gardens Photographer: Jeff Zaruba See more of this project here: https://www.drewettworks.com/white-box-no-2/

Redesigning the layout of this master bathroom involved taking out the unused whirlpool tub and adding in a luxurious custom tile shower. The toilet was moved to the opposite side of the bathroom allowing for some privacy behind the shower wall and providing space for a wider vanity. We worked with this client to select the materials and colors and we were on site during construction to answer any questions and offer suggestions for the finishing details. Now everyone in the family wants to use this shower.

Hallway - small traditional dark wood floor hallway idea with yellow walls

The design philosophy for this project rests on the belief that memory is an essential part of landscape experience. Instead of recreating the Rain tree in a literal form, the design interprets the sensations it once offered. The shifting light, the sound of leaves, the comfort of shade and the smell of earth. These elements form a quiet yet powerful form of heritage that often goes unrecognised in redevelopment. By carrying these sensations into the new landscape, the project creates continuity within change. It shows how design can hold onto the emotional identity of a place and offer familiarity to residents returning to a transformed site. This approach suggests a way of thinking about urban growth where memory and development do not stand in opposition but work together.

The hot tub patio also offers a great view of Union Lake. The creative use of installing the concrete "steppers" allowed our design team to help address the site permeable / drainage requirements of the Township.

Contemporary exterior home idea in Seattle

A conceptual framework of long, straight lines anchors the landscape design for this proposed contemporary house set in a rural wetland environment. Against this datum, the site’s subtleties reveal themselves for interpretation and appreciation. The iconic element of a strong axial grass ‘runway’ serves both as a horizontal extrusion against which to read the natural topography and also as a platform for viewing the site’s wetlands. A monolithic retaining wall stratifies the entry area into a lower, private parking court and an upper, public one, which is further defined by a series of rough-hewn stone planters containing formal plantings of dogwoods. These planters break the plane of the retaining wall and extend to the ground, alluding to the substantial bedrock deposits that underlie much of the site. Stepped down from this plane is the fire pit terrace, nestled into the rocky structure of the site and offering views towards a vernal pond. Scott Carman

27 Saddle Hill Road, Weston, MA 02493 http://27saddlehillrd.com BEAUTIFULLY SITED COLONIAL WITH EXQUISITE ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS. $2,195,000 Located in the Webster Hill neighborhood, this character-filled home offers distinction and grace. The expansive family room features a dramatic cathedral ceiling, built-in bookcases and a grand brick fireplace. The open floor plan presents a spacious kitchen, a dining room with built-in china cabinets, and a generously sized living room perfect for entertaining.

27 Saddle Hill Road, Weston, MA 02493 http://27saddlehillrd.com BEAUTIFULLY SITED COLONIAL WITH EXQUISITE ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS. $2,195,000 Located in the Webster Hill neighborhood, this character-filled home offers distinction and grace. The expansive family room features a dramatic cathedral ceiling, built-in bookcases and a grand brick fireplace. The open floor plan presents a spacious kitchen, a dining room with built-in china cabinets, and a generously sized living room perfect for entertaining.

A walled firepit set in the landscape provides a place for family and friends to gather. The challenge of this site was to design functional living spaces while resolving a series of problems. Two entry courts offer suitable welcomes to the home: a formal granite court that is approached from above as one descends down a once blind driveway, and a more utilitarian play court off the garage. The rear yard, once disconnected from the house, is terraced and suitable for entertaining. A granite stair descends from the terrace to a new expanded lower lawn. A custom fire pit sits off the upper terrace and provides a more intimate gathering space.

Photo: Sarah Greenman © 2013 Houzz
Traditional one-story brick exterior home idea in Dallas

This new retreat structure located in the foothills of Yamhill County, Oregon offers a fresh take on the relationship between structure and site. Designed by Seed Architecture and built by Hammer & Hand, the Corten-clad structure will patina with time, blending with its bucolic surroundings. Shoji-inspired upcycled wood screens provide privacy when desired, and sweeping views of the landscape when opened. Photography courtesy of the clients.

27 Saddle Hill Road, Weston, MA 02493 http://27saddlehillrd.com BEAUTIFULLY SITED COLONIAL WITH EXQUISITE ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS. $2,195,000 Located in the Webster Hill neighborhood, this character-filled home offers distinction and grace. The expansive family room features a dramatic cathedral ceiling, built-in bookcases and a grand brick fireplace. The open floor plan presents a spacious kitchen, a dining room with built-in china cabinets, and a generously sized living room perfect for entertaining.