Sitting area Photo: Steve Spratt
This is an example of a huge farmhouse drought-tolerant and partial sun backyard stone retaining wall landscape in San Francisco for summer.

Island Breeze,” situated on the bayfront of Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota, FL, epitomizes an unparalleled balance of style, craftsmanship, sustainability, and low maintenance. Drawing inspiration from the Abaco Islands, the home gracefully unites historical elegance and modern simplicity, creating a luxurious waterfront retreat. The exterior’s radius roof lines, adorned with cedar shake, hand-bent copper roofs, and Carolina brick, resonate with timeless craftsmanship and a family’s cherished memories. Inside, spaces like the great room with a soaring fireplace and hand-carved coral mantle exude elegance. The kitchen stands as a beacon of sophistication, adorned with Calcatta gold marble countertops and custom cabinetry. Environmental stewardship interweaves throughout, with features like a geothermal HVAC system, sustainably sourced cedar shake roof, spray foam insulation, certified green framing lumber and windows/doors, and a community solar program. These elements synergize to create a high-performance, low-maintenance, and stunningly beautiful home. Every detail, from the light blue louvered shutters to the antique mirrors and brass lattice, reflects a meticulous focus on design and functionality. “Island Breeze” transcends traditional homebuilding, embodying a perfect blend of luxurious aesthetics, innovative design, unmatched craftsmanship, and responsible sustainability, setting a new benchmark in custom home design. “Island Breeze” sets an industry benchmark, masterfully balancing style, craftsmanship, sustainability, and low maintenance.

This LEED-H Platinum-certified custom luxury home in Oregon demonstrates an exceptional commitment to excellence. Designed by Green Hammer architect Jan Fillinger, the Fineline House was designed and built with unprecedented precision — from the interior finishes to the state-of-the-art lighting, ventilation, and built-in home energy-monitoring systems. It utilizes Passivhaus detailing and 100% of the lumber used for the structure and framing of the project was Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC)-certified.

When a world class sailing champion approached us to design a Newport home for his family, with lodging for his sailing crew, we set out to create a clean, light-filled modern home that would integrate with the natural surroundings of the waterfront property, and respect the character of the historic district. Our approach was to make the marine landscape an integral feature throughout the home. One hundred eighty degree views of the ocean from the top floors are the result of the pinwheel massing. The home is designed as an extension of the curvilinear approach to the property through the woods and reflects the gentle undulating waterline of the adjacent saltwater marsh. Floodplain regulations dictated that the primary occupied spaces be located significantly above grade; accordingly, we designed the first and second floors on a stone “plinth” above a walk-out basement with ample storage for sailing equipment. The curved stone base slopes to grade and houses the shallow entry stair, while the same stone clads the interior’s vertical core to the roof, along which the wood, glass and stainless steel stair ascends to the upper level. One critical programmatic requirement was enough sleeping space for the sailing crew, and informal party spaces for the end of race-day gatherings. The private master suite is situated on one side of the public central volume, giving the homeowners views of approaching visitors. A “bedroom bar,” designed to accommodate a full house of guests, emerges from the other side of the central volume, and serves as a backdrop for the infinity pool and the cove beyond. Also essential to the design process was ecological sensitivity and stewardship. The wetlands of the adjacent saltwater marsh were designed to be restored; an extensive geo-thermal heating and cooling system was implemented; low carbon footprint materials and permeable surfaces were used where possible. Native and non-invasive plant species were utilized in the landscape. The abundance of windows and glass railings maximize views of the landscape, and, in deference to the adjacent bird sanctuary, bird-friendly glazing was used throughout. Photo: Michael Moran/OTTO Photography

This LEED-H Platinum-certified custom luxury home in Oregon demonstrates an exceptional commitment to excellence. Designed by Green Hammer architect Jan Fillinger, the Fineline House was designed and built with unprecedented precision — from the interior finishes to the state-of-the-art lighting, ventilation, and built-in home energy-monitoring systems. It utilizes Passivhaus detailing and 100% of the lumber used for the structure and framing of the project was Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC)-certified.

Designed in 2000, this kitchen represents how Victorian styling can meet and blend with the new millennium. 10 foot ceilings let us stack cabinetry and add a large detailed crown -- high ceilings are characteristic of most Victorian era homes and are being embraced more and more in the current day and age. Copper tiles mixed with black accents and the red of the cherry bring to m ind an Asian flair that is squarely modern day. Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry

View from the Main Home Photo: Steve Spratt
Inspiration for a large farmhouse front yard gravel patio fountain remodel in San Francisco with no cover

Renovated back yard with raised planters. Photo: Steve Spratt
This is an example of a huge contemporary full sun hillside concrete paver formal garden in San Francisco for summer.

When a world class sailing champion approached us to design a Newport home for his family, with lodging for his sailing crew, we set out to create a clean, light-filled modern home that would integrate with the natural surroundings of the waterfront property, and respect the character of the historic district. Our approach was to make the marine landscape an integral feature throughout the home. One hundred eighty degree views of the ocean from the top floors are the result of the pinwheel massing. The home is designed as an extension of the curvilinear approach to the property through the woods and reflects the gentle undulating waterline of the adjacent saltwater marsh. Floodplain regulations dictated that the primary occupied spaces be located significantly above grade; accordingly, we designed the first and second floors on a stone “plinth” above a walk-out basement with ample storage for sailing equipment. The curved stone base slopes to grade and houses the shallow entry stair, while the same stone clads the interior’s vertical core to the roof, along which the wood, glass and stainless steel stair ascends to the upper level. One critical programmatic requirement was enough sleeping space for the sailing crew, and informal party spaces for the end of race-day gatherings. The private master suite is situated on one side of the public central volume, giving the homeowners views of approaching visitors. A “bedroom bar,” designed to accommodate a full house of guests, emerges from the other side of the central volume, and serves as a backdrop for the infinity pool and the cove beyond. Also essential to the design process was ecological sensitivity and stewardship. The wetlands of the adjacent saltwater marsh were designed to be restored; an extensive geo-thermal heating and cooling system was implemented; low carbon footprint materials and permeable surfaces were used where possible. Native and non-invasive plant species were utilized in the landscape. The abundance of windows and glass railings maximize views of the landscape, and, in deference to the adjacent bird sanctuary, bird-friendly glazing was used throughout. Photo: Michael Moran/OTTO Photography

Crews are making sure spring looks good at the Baha'i House of Worship for North America. Vibrant Azaleas and budding Saucer Magnolias frame the view from this expertly maintained garden. (Photo by RStarovich)

Front of home showing entry and to the left the dining room French doors. Photo: Steve Spratt
Inspiration for a large timeless yellow two-story wood exterior home remodel in San Francisco with a shingle roof

This LEED-H Platinum-certified custom luxury home in Oregon demonstrates an exceptional commitment to excellence. Designed by Green Hammer architect Jan Fillinger, the Fineline House was designed and built with unprecedented precision — from the interior finishes to the state-of-the-art lighting, ventilation, and built-in home energy-monitoring systems. It utilizes Passivhaus detailing and 100% of the lumber used for the structure and framing of the project was Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC)-certified.

This is the second of three separate home remodels San Luis Kitchen provided for this client. We went for a refined elegant style using Wood-Mode cabinetry in an inset doorstyle with a vintage white finish. The kitchen features a built-in refrigerator, a wide roll-out shelf pantry, wood hood, wine refrigerator with carved trim details, refrigerated drawers, rope moulding, and large stacked crown. Also note the island with abundant display storage and turned post details. A monochromatic decorating scheme was employed throughout. You can see a display with similar styling at San Luis Kitchen's showroom. Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry

This is an example of a landscaping in Chicago.

The owners of a charming home in the hills west of Paso Robles recently decided to remodel their not-so-charming kitchen. Referred to San Luis Kitchen by several of their friends, the homeowners visited our showroom and soon decided we were the best people to design a kitchen fitting the style of their home. We were delighted to get to work on the project right away. When we arrived at the house, we found a small, cramped and out-dated kitchen. The ceiling was low, the cabinets old fashioned and painted a stark dead white, and the best view in the house was neglected in a seldom-used breakfast nook (sequestered behind the kitchen peninsula). This kitchen was also handicapped by white tile counters with dark grout, odd-sized and cluttered cabinets, and small ‘desk’ tacked on to the side of the oven cabinet. Due to a marked lack of counter space & inadequate storage the homeowner had resorted to keeping her small appliances on a little cart parked in the corner and the garbage was just sitting by the wall in full view of everything! On the plus side, the kitchen opened into a nice dining room and had beautiful saltillo tile floors. Mrs. Homeowner loves to entertain and often hosts dinner parties for her friends. She enjoys visiting with her guests in the kitchen while putting the finishing touches on the evening’s meal. Sadly, her small kitchen really limited her interactions with her guests – she often felt left out of the mix at her own parties! This savvy homeowner dreamed big – a new kitchen that would accommodate multiple workstations, have space for guests to gather but not be in the way, and maybe a prettier transition from the kitchen to the dining (wine service area or hutch?) – while managing the remodel budget by reusing some of her major appliances and keeping (patching as needed) her existing floors. Responding to the homeowner’s stated wish list and the opportunities presented by the home's setting and existing architecture, the designers at San Luis Kitchen decided to expand the kitchen into the breakfast nook. This change allowed the work area to be reoriented to take advantage of the great view – we replaced the existing window and added another while moving the door to gain space. A second sink and set of refrigerator drawers (housing fresh fruits & veggies) were included for the convenience of this mainly vegetarian cook – her prep station. The clean-up area now boasts a farmhouse style single bowl sink – adding to the ‘cottage’ charm. We located a new gas cook-top between the two workstations for easy access from each. Also tucked in here is a pullout trash/recycle cabinet for convenience and additional drawers for storage. Running parallel to the work counter we added a long butcher-block island with easy-to-access open shelves for the avid cook and seating for friendly guests placed just right to take in the view. A counter-top garage is used to hide excess small appliances. Glass door cabinets and open shelves are now available to display the owners beautiful dishware. The microwave was placed inconspicuously on the end of the island facing the refrigerator – easy access for guests (and extraneous family members) to help themselves to drinks and snacks while staying out of the cook’s way. We also moved the pantry storage away from the dining room (putting it on the far wall and closer to the work triangle) and added a furniture-like hutch in its place allowing the more formal dining area to flow seamlessly into the up-beat work area of the kitchen. This space is now also home (opposite wall) to an under counter wine refrigerator, a liquor cabinet and pretty glass door wall cabinet for stemware storage – meeting Mr. Homeowner’s desire for a bar service area. And then the aesthetic: an old-world style country cottage theme. The homeowners wanted the kitchen to have a warm feel while still loving the look of white cabinetry. San Luis Kitchen melded country-casual knotty pine base cabinets with vintage hand-brushed creamy white wall cabinets to create the desired cottage look. We also added bead board and mullioned glass doors for charm, used an inset doorstyle on the cabinets for authenticity, and mixed stone and wood counters to create an eclectic nuance in the space. All in all, the happy homeowners now boast a charming county cottage kitchen with plenty of space for entertaining their guests while creating gourmet meals to feed them. Credits: Custom cabinetry by Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry Contracting by Michael Pezzato of Lost Coast Construction Stone counters by Pyramid M.T.M.

"I have about 25 of my closest friends to seat in this room every Friday evening after dinner," she reported, "not sure how to pull that off..." I do. ...Gotta have a bit of Western Lodge Style in the mix, do you? What would the Metropolitan Museum of Art find interesting as a nod to that aesthetic, only modernized in some way? Maybe if I take sustainably harvested deer antlers and compact them tightly, then section off the whole piece like a long rice crispy treat, capped with leather that's adorned with gilded tooling to match the stencil work on the ceiling recreated from photo documents? Done. Pack 'em in, Nancy! Plenty of room for everyone. Photography by Steve Voelker