The Owners of a home that had been consumed by the moving dunes of Lake Michigan wanted a home that would not only stand the test of aesthetic time, but survive the vicissitudes of the environment. With the assistance of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as well as the consulting civil engineer and the City of Grand Haven Zoning Department, a soil stabilization site plan was developed based on raising the new home’s main floor elevation by almost three feet, implementing erosion studies, screen walls and planting indigenous, drought tolerant xeriscaping. The screen walls, as well as the low profile of the home and the use of sand trapping marrum beachgrass all help to create a wind shadow buffer around the home and reduce blowing sand erosion and accretion. The Owners wanted to minimize the stylistic baggage which consumes most “cottage” residences, and with the Architect created a home with simple lines focused on the view and the natural environment. Sustainable energy requirements on a budget directed the design decisions regarding the SIPs panel insulation, energy systems, roof shading, other insulation systems, lighting and detailing. Easily constructed and linear, the home harkens back to mid century modern pavilions with present day environmental sensitivities and harmony with the site. James Yochum

Troy Thies Photography
Example of a minimalist built-in desk light wood floor study room design in Minneapolis

A 6,000 square foot 2-story new home complex in Milpitas was designed to facilitate the owners’ large business parties and gatherings, to have rooms for the kids to come back to upstairs, and a ground floor master suite with a huge walk-in closet. Several separate structures make up the dwelling: The main house, 3-car garage with carport for overflow parking, and a separate entertainment and recreation building separated by a courtyard from the main house. The business activities include gatherings in the hundreds of people, so parking was maximized and guests can flow in through a separate gate to party in the courtyard and recreation building. Inside this structure is a wet bar, billiard room, workout gym and home theater. The main house ground floor has formal and informal living rooms, open kitchen and master suite with views and expansive windows in every direction. The house is sited on the crestline of a hill with views of the San Francisco Bay and private golf course below. The indoor-outdoor aspect of the house is further accentuated with outside living and dining areas. High ceilings and expansive glass walls dissolve the sense of enclosure taking advantage of the site’s openness and privacy. The owner’s suite is downstairs in anticipation of aging-in-place, and upstairs there are three bedrooms and four bathrooms plus a sitting area lounge and casual TV loft area. The house sits on one acre at the top of a low hill range overlooking Milpitas. The city was very cognizant of the importance of keeping a low profile at this crestline and required extensive story poles and photo evidence of the proper height and siting so as not to be seen from certain selected vantage points. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: JCD Builders Inc. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Morf Chang Landscape Architecture / ODS Architecture PHOTOGRAPHS: Paul Dyer Photography

Paterson of Oldmeldrum masterfully transformed a challenging turret space into a luxurious bespoke whisky room. This custom design required extensive planning, utilising SketchUp to visualise the final result. The 2.2-meter diameter turret, previously a cramped entrance, demanded creative bespoke furniture solutions. We meticulously crafted curved and radial units from natural oak, recreating the space in our workshop to ensure a perfect fit. The intricate project included integrated lighting provisions, with concealed cable pathways. After manufacturing, the entire installation was lacquered for a flawless finish. On-site installation required exceptional precision, with our team expertly adjusting the units to fit within a 2-millimeter tolerance. This luxury room design showcases our expertise in bespoke craftsmanship and fitted furniture, demonstrating our ability to overcome complex spatial challenges. The whisky room now serves as a stunning focal point, highlighting our dedication to quality craftsmanship and client satisfaction.

Reface or replace? Well, this is a reface. This kitchen is a typical 1980’s honey oak kitchen that has now become outdated. Some alterations to the kitchen were required to make it more useable and comfortable for the home owner. There was an upper corner cabinet that went to the counter top and included a “bread” cupboard. This was removed and replaced with a standard corner cabinet. We also added a waste/recycle station beside the dishwasher and extended the cabinetry around the outside corner to include and tie in a shallow drawer home organization station. The doors were replaced and the finishing was done on site. We also converted the cupboard to the left of the stove into a bank of drawers. New laminate counter tops that look like marble, under cabinet lighting, and back splash bring this kitchen into the 21st century.

This project has three components, which is all built differently. The main house is a waterfront property at the bottom of a steep cliff. All machine and materials are delivered by barge. Concrete is pumped from the top of the cliff down to the bottom with a 400ft line into a boom pump which was delivered by barge. Due to the challenging access to the site, most of the structural backfill is actually Styrofoam (EPS) backfill. The garage is built from the top of the cliff, with a 27ft tall foundation wall. We needed to excavate to solid bedrock in order to adequately anchor the foundation into the hillside. This tall foundation wall are 10″ thick with a double grid of rebar to retain approximately 350 cu yards of fill. Styrofoam backfill was also used. A funicular (tramway) is also being built on this project, which required it’s own building permit. Image by Ema Peter Photography

BeachHaus is built on a previously developed site on Siesta Key. It sits directly on the bay but has Gulf views from the upper floor and roof deck. The client loved the old Florida cracker beach houses that are harder and harder to find these days. They loved the exposed roof joists, ship lap ceilings, light colored surfaces and inviting and durable materials. Given the risk of hurricanes, building those homes in these areas is not only disingenuous it is impossible. Instead, we focused on building the new era of beach houses; fully elevated to comfy with FEMA requirements, exposed concrete beams, long eaves to shade windows, coralina stone cladding, ship lap ceilings, and white oak and terrazzo flooring. The home is Net Zero Energy with a HERS index of -25 making it one of the most energy efficient homes in the US. It is also certified NGBS Emerald. Photos by Ryan Gamma Photography

First home, savvy art owners, decided to hire RBD to design their recently purchased two story, four bedroom, midcentury Diamond Heights home to merge their new parenthood and love for entertaining lifestyles. Hired two months prior to the arrival of their baby boy, RBD was successful in installing the nursery just in time. The home required little architectural spatial reconfiguration given the previous owner was an architect, allowing RBD to focus mainly on furniture, fixtures and accessories while updating only a few finishes. New paint grade paneling added a needed midcentury texture to the entry, while an existing site for sore eyes radiator, received a new walnut cover creating a built-in mid-century custom headboard for the guest room, perfect for large art and plant decoration. RBD successfully paired furniture and art selections to connect the existing material finishes by keeping fabrics neutral and complimentary to the existing finishes. The backyard, an SF rare oasis, showcases a hanging chair and custom outdoor floor cushions for easy lounging, while a stylish midcentury heated bench allows easy outdoor entertaining in the SF climate. Photography Credit: Scott Hargis Photography

Inspiration for a coastal exterior home remodel in Santa Barbara

Once home to antiquarian Horace Walpole, ‘Heckfield Place’ has been judiciously re-crafted into an ‘effortlessly stylish' countryside hotel with beautiful bedrooms, as well as two restaurants, a private cinema, Little Bothy spa, wine cellar, gardens and Home Farm, centred on sustainability and biodynamic farming principles. Spratley & Partners completed the dramatic transformation of the 430-acre site in Hampshire into the UK’s most eagerly anticipated, luxury hotel in 2018, after a significant programme of restoration works which began in 2009 for private investment company, Morningside Group. Later, modern additions to the site, which was being used as a conference centre and wedding venue, were largely unsympathetic and not in-keeping with the original form and layout; the house was extended in the 1980s with a block of bedrooms and conference facilities which were small, basic and required substantial upgrading. The rooms in the listed building had also been subdivided, creating cramped spaces and disrupting the historical plan of the house. After years of careful restoration and collaboration, this elegant, Grade II listed Georgian house and estate has been brought back to life and sensitively woven into its secluded landscape surroundings.

Kittery Junction was originally constructed by the York Harbor & Beach Railroad Co. between 1886 and 1887. In the days when the locomotive was the preferred method of transportation for much of America’s population, this project site provided both passenger and freight service between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and York Beach, Maine. It was usually the case that a train station constructed during this period would have its own unique architecture, and this site was no exception. Now privately owned, this structure proudly stands overlooking Barrell’s Pond. To capture this view, the new owner approached our design team with a vision of a master bedroom Victorian conservatory facing the serene body of water. Respectful of the existing architectural details, Sunspace Design worked to bring this vision to reality using our solid conventional walls, custom Marvin windows, and a custom shop-built octagonal conservatory glass roof system. This combination enabled us to meet strong energy efficiency requirements while creating a classic Victorian conservatory that met the client’s hopes. The glass roof system was constructed in the shop, transported to site, and raised in place to reduce on site construction time. With windows and doors provided by a top window manufacturer, the 2’ x 6’ wall construction with gave us complete design control. With solid wood framing, fiberglass R-21 insulation in the walls, and sputter coated low-E sun control properties in the custom glass roof system, the construction is both structurally and thermally sound. The end result is a comfortable Victorian conservatory addition that can easily withstand the harsh elements of a Maine winter. We’ve been designing and building conservatories in New England since 1981. This project stands as a model of our commitment to quality. We utilize this construction process for all of our sunrooms, skylights, conservatories, and orangeries to ensure a final product that is unsurpassed in quality and performance.

Reface or replace? Well, this is a reface. This kitchen is a typical 1980’s honey oak kitchen that has now become outdated. Some alterations to the kitchen were required to make it more useable and comfortable for the home owner. There was an upper corner cabinet that went to the counter top and included a “bread” cupboard. This was removed and replaced with a standard corner cabinet. We also added a waste/recycle station beside the dishwasher and extended the cabinetry around the outside corner to include and tie in a shallow drawer home organization station. The doors were replaced and the finishing was done on site. We also converted the cupboard to the left of the stove into a bank of drawers. New laminate counter tops that look like marble, under cabinet lighting, and back splash bring this kitchen into the 21st century.

The architect carefully blended the clients’ needs and love of rich detail with the overall site conditions to create a stunning and award winning whole house renovation. The design build remodeling project had numerous mixed requirements including a new kitchen and eating area, remodeled sun room, new piano room, new theater, renovated master bedroom dressing and bath area, new sun porch and an expanded garage. © Bob Narod Photography and BOWA

The La Calandria residence is a custom home situated in the heart of Los Angeles with views spanning all the way to Pasadena. The 2,234 square foot home has modern aesthetics including spanning views of the skyline below and consists of 4 spacious bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. Our client proposed two adjacent homes on a downslope lot which required various civil and structural engineering services. Our structural design team designed the hillside home on piles which included permanent shoring techniques that saved the client a substantial amount of money by not resorting to temporary shoring which can add time and cost to the project pipeline. The stormwater on the site was managed and directed to Low Impact Development flow-thru planters which are required in the city of Los Angeles whenever you are adding or proposing over 500 sqft of construction. The planters serve as a filter for contaminants in the stormwater and are beneficial for recharging the ground water system. Whether you are entertaining a group of friends on the roof top deck or below in the garden, the La Calandria residence is a perfect fit for those wanting the peace of a hillside home while catching any of the major freeways within minutes.

Paterson of Oldmeldrum masterfully transformed a challenging turret space into a luxurious bespoke whisky room. This custom design required extensive planning, utilising SketchUp to visualise the final result. The 2.2-meter diameter turret, previously a cramped entrance, demanded creative bespoke furniture solutions. We meticulously crafted curved and radial units from natural oak, recreating the space in our workshop to ensure a perfect fit. The intricate project included integrated lighting provisions, with concealed cable pathways. After manufacturing, the entire installation was lacquered for a flawless finish. On-site installation required exceptional precision, with our team expertly adjusting the units to fit within a 2-millimeter tolerance. This luxury room design showcases our expertise in bespoke craftsmanship and fitted furniture, demonstrating our ability to overcome complex spatial challenges. The whisky room now serves as a stunning focal point, highlighting our dedication to quality craftsmanship and client satisfaction.

The La Calandria residence is a custom home situated in the heart of Los Angeles with views spanning all the way to Pasadena. The 2,234 square foot home has modern aesthetics including spanning views of the skyline below and consists of 4 spacious bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. Our client proposed two adjacent homes on a downslope lot which required various civil and structural engineering services. Our structural design team designed the hillside home on piles which included permanent shoring techniques that saved the client a substantial amount of money by not resorting to temporary shoring which can add time and cost to the project pipeline. The stormwater on the site was managed and directed to Low Impact Development flow-thru planters which are required in the city of Los Angeles whenever you are adding or proposing over 500 sqft of construction. The planters serve as a filter for contaminants in the stormwater and are beneficial for recharging the ground water system. Whether you are entertaining a group of friends on the roof top deck or below in the garden, the La Calandria residence is a perfect fit for those wanting the peace of a hillside home while catching any of the major freeways within minutes.

Paterson of Oldmeldrum masterfully transformed a challenging turret space into a luxurious bespoke whisky room. This custom design required extensive planning, utilising SketchUp to visualise the final result. The 2.2-meter diameter turret, previously a cramped entrance, demanded creative bespoke furniture solutions. We meticulously crafted curved and radial units from natural oak, recreating the space in our workshop to ensure a perfect fit. The intricate project included integrated lighting provisions, with concealed cable pathways. After manufacturing, the entire installation was lacquered for a flawless finish. On-site installation required exceptional precision, with our team expertly adjusting the units to fit within a 2-millimeter tolerance. This luxury room design showcases our expertise in bespoke craftsmanship and fitted furniture, demonstrating our ability to overcome complex spatial challenges. The whisky room now serves as a stunning focal point, highlighting our dedication to quality craftsmanship and client satisfaction.

Sitting atop a steep hillside of fir trees overlooking the Sound below, the Gambier Island House is a cedar-and-glass home whose challenging location required us to ship the materials to the site by barge, followed by a particularly precise siting. The wide open living space shares breathtaking views and natural light with the kitchen, dining room, and loft—with seamless flow between indoors and out, thanks to large lift-and-slide doors. In order to extend use throughout the seasons, we created a partially covered deck, hovering among the trees. Embracing the region’s heavy rainfall, we designed the main roof to channel rainwater to one location where it spills from a scupper—increasing our clients’ connection to their site, and creating a spectacle to be watched and heard. Turkel Design manufactures, delivers, and assembles each of our homes, and we are happy to work with you to customize a design from our extensive library. The photos and prefab package for this particular home we designed were provided by Lindal Cedar Homes.

The architect carefully blended the clients’ needs and love of rich detail with the overall site conditions to create a stunning and award winning whole house renovation. The design build remodeling project had numerous mixed requirements including a new kitchen and eating area, remodeled sun room, new piano room, new theater, renovated master bedroom dressing and bath area, new sun porch and an expanded garage. © Bob Narod Photography and BOWA