Bathroom - modern bathroom idea in Toronto

Trendy bedroom photo in New York

Hallway - mid-sized traditional medium tone wood floor and brown floor hallway idea in Portland with white walls

photography by Jonathan Reece
Open concept kitchen - mid-sized coastal l-shaped light wood floor open concept kitchen idea in Portland Maine with a single-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, blue backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/

When the clients for this 1940's Minneapolis home came to us with their kitchen, they wanted to really make a kitchen they could be proud to come home to and entertain friends and family. With a Scandinavian focus in mind, we played with a number of different elements to bring the whole design together. The cabinets are painted a blue/gray color and the tops are a marble-like quartz. The backsplash is a simple, yet elegant, gray elongated subway tile that tucks up right under the floating shelves and upper cabinets. The floors are a wood-looking luxury vinyl plank. Finally the open shelves are made of reclaimed barn wood sourced from Minnesota. One of the focuses in this kitchen was to create a space for coffee. The coffee nook was specifically designed to accommodate the specific coffee maker the homeowners selected. Overall, we are completely in love with this look and how beautiful it turned out!

The in-law suite kitchen could only be in a small corner of the basement. The kitchen design started with the question: how small can this kitchen be? The compact layout was designed to provide generous counter space, comfortable walking clearances, and abundant storage. The bold colors and fun patterns anchored by the warmth of the dark wood flooring create a happy and invigorating space. SQUARE FEET: 140

Kitchen Renovation, Sourcing and Specification of Materials, Cabinet Style, Backsplash, Countertops, Fixtures and Finishes, Lighting and Accessories, plus styling. Collaboration with Local, Kitchen Contractors and Professionals. Photos by Melissa Fernandez

Minimalist bathroom photo in Orange County

Kitchen Renovation, Sourcing and Specification of Materials, Cabinet Style, Backsplash, Countertops, Fixtures and Finishes, Lighting and Accessories, plus styling. Collaboration with Local, Kitchen Contractors and Professionals. Photos by Melissa Fernandez

Architect: JLF Architects Photo: Audrey Hall Fenestration: Brombal thermally broken Cor-Ten steel windows and doors (sales@brombalusa.com / brombalusa.com)

Winner of the 2018 Tour of Homes Best Remodel, this whole house re-design of a 1963 Bennet & Johnson mid-century raised ranch home is a beautiful example of the magic we can weave through the application of more sustainable modern design principles to existing spaces. We worked closely with our client on extensive updates to create a modernized MCM gem. Extensive alterations include: - a completely redesigned floor plan to promote a more intuitive flow throughout - vaulted the ceilings over the great room to create an amazing entrance and feeling of inspired openness - redesigned entry and driveway to be more inviting and welcoming as well as to experientially set the mid-century modern stage - the removal of a visually disruptive load bearing central wall and chimney system that formerly partitioned the homes’ entry, dining, kitchen and living rooms from each other - added clerestory windows above the new kitchen to accentuate the new vaulted ceiling line and create a greater visual continuation of indoor to outdoor space - drastically increased the access to natural light by increasing window sizes and opening up the floor plan - placed natural wood elements throughout to provide a calming palette and cohesive Pacific Northwest feel - incorporated Universal Design principles to make the home Aging In Place ready with wide hallways and accessible spaces, including single-floor living if needed - moved and completely redesigned the stairway to work for the home’s occupants and be a part of the cohesive design aesthetic - mixed custom tile layouts with more traditional tiling to create fun and playful visual experiences - custom designed and sourced MCM specific elements such as the entry screen, cabinetry and lighting - development of the downstairs for potential future use by an assisted living caretaker - energy efficiency upgrades seamlessly woven in with much improved insulation, ductless mini splits and solar gain

Round rusted steel planter with Angelina sedum contrasts with evergreen planting of acorus and acanthus (bear's breech). photo: grant wilds
Inspiration for a modern landscaping in Seattle.

The objective was to create a warm neutral space to later customize to a specific colour palate/preference of the end user for this new construction home being built to sell. A high-end contemporary feel was requested to attract buyers in the area. An impressive kitchen that exuded high class and made an impact on guests as they entered the home, without being overbearing. The space offers an appealing open floorplan conducive to entertaining with indoor-outdoor flow. Due to the spec nature of this house, the home had to remain appealing to the builder, while keeping a broad audience of potential buyers in mind. The challenge lay in creating a unique look, with visually interesting materials and finishes, while not being so unique that potential owners couldn’t envision making it their own. The focus on key elements elevates the look, while other features blend and offer support to these striking components. As the home was built for sale, profitability was important; materials were sourced at best value, while retaining high-end appeal. Adaptations to the home’s original design plan improve flow and usability within the kitchen-greatroom. The client desired a rich dark finish. The chosen colours tie the kitchen to the rest of the home (creating unity as combination, colours and materials, is repeated throughout). Photos- Paul Grdina

Cast Iron Mantelpiece cast from a Victorian original. The arched niche above was created specifically for this photo frame. Lights were wired in, with the switch, years before the perfect antique sconces were finally found. Work for this started in the crawl space to support the weight and get everything to sit level. It took a lot of creative head-scratching to design a space behind for the curtain to hide in during the summer. It was also a puzzle to vent through the closet behind. The wall itself is so narrow that the back of the niche is one sheet of heavy plywood. This Valorflame energy efficient & silent convection fireplace is the sole source of heat for the whole house.

Cerno’s mission is to design and build original products in California. To make this possible we advocate for creativity and ingenuity in every step of the process. Our philosophy is grounded in the utmost respect for the materials, the craftsmanship and our entire team. The Plura is a simple, straight forward fixture that is excellently executed. With the Plura it was about resolving the seams and edges and their relationships to one another. The result is a scalable fixture that has a sharp, sophisticated feel. Features: Wood Grain Will Vary Energy Efficient LED Light Source Handmade Eco-Friendly Switch Location: Hardwired Damp Location rated to accommodate any room in the home including bathrooms, kitchens, covered patios, dining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, entryways, foyers, and everything in between. Specifications: Included canopy measures as 5"" Width x 0.3"" Thick Voltage: 120-277V AC Requires 1 x 32.5-Watt LED Module (Integrated) 2815 Lumes, 90 CRI, 2700K (Warm) Color Temperature Compatible with TRIAC / ELV Dimmer / 0-10V Dimmers

Conversation areas are an important part of creating ideal living room spaces. The seating at our Legacy Home project provides an ideal grouping. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ One of the first steps, that our team does for a new project during the design phase, is to focus on drawing up a furniture layout concept. Before we ever start sourcing specific furniture, we will typically layout all furnishings in the home and run it by our client. This sparks dialogue about the client's preferences, so we do not waste time sourcing a layout they would not like. It also acts as a guide for us to look for certain dimensions on furnishings. Experienced space planning is one of the many benefits an interior designer brings to the home design process.

Example of a large urban concrete floor front door design in Phoenix with a glass front door

High-end residential remodeling specializing in kitchen renovations, bathroom upgrades, whole-home renovations, and luxury finishes. EDR Design Build provides architectural redesign, structural modifications, premium material sourcing, and integrated smart home systems. Services include project management, permit coordination, quality assurance, and timeline adherence for complex multi-trade projects. Focuses on transforming dated homes into modern luxury spaces while preserving character and adding contemporary functionality. Projects $200K-$2M+ depending on scope and finish specifications.