Headland is a NextHouse, situated to take advantage of the site’s panoramic ocean views while still providing privacy from the neighboring property. The home’s solar orientation provides passive solar heat gains in the winter while the home’s deep overhangs provide shade for the large glass windows in the summer. The mono-pitch roof was strategically designed to slope up towards the ocean to maximize daylight and the views. The exposed post and beam construction allows for clear, open spaces throughout the home, but also embraces a connection with the land to invite the outside in. The aluminum clad windows, fiber cement siding and cedar trim facilitate lower maintenance without compromising the home’s quality or aesthetic. The homeowners wanted to create a space that welcomed guests for frequent family gatherings. Acorn Deck House Company obliged by designing the home with a focus on indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces with a large, open great room and kitchen, expansive decks and a flexible layout to accommodate visitors. There is also a private master suite and roof deck, which showcases the views while maintaining privacy.

Our team of Austin architects transformed a 1950s home into a mid-century modern retreat for this renovation and addition project. The retired couple who owns the house came to us seeking a design that would bring in natural light and accommodate their many hobbies while offering a modern and streamlined design. The original structure featured an awkward floor plan of choppy spaces divided by various step-downs and a central living area that felt dark and closed off from the outside. Our main goal was to bring in natural light and take advantage of the property’s fantastic backyard views of a peaceful creek. We raised interior floors to the same level, eliminating sunken rooms and step-downs to allow for a more open, free-flowing floor plan. To increase natural light, we changed the traditional hip roofline to a more modern single slope with clerestory windows that take advantage of treetop views. Additionally, we added all new windows strategically positioned to frame views of the backyard. A new open-concept kitchen and living area occupy the central home where previously underutilized rooms once sat. The kitchen features an oversized island, quartzite counters, and upper glass cabinets that mirror the clerestory windows of the room. Large sliding doors spill out to a new covered and raised deck that overlooks Shoal Creek and new backyard amenities, like a bocce ball court and paved walkways. Finally, we finished the home's exterior with durable and low-maintenance cement plank siding and a metal roof in a palette of neutral grays and whites. A bright red door creates a warm welcome to this newly renovated Austin home.

Living Room in Bronco Revival | Key Feature: A warm, masculine, family-friendly Scottsdale home refresh designed to function as both a lived-in family space and a design showroom, blending current trends with timeless style. Challenge: The main challenge was maintaining a cohesive design while replacing underperforming elements from a previous installation, all within an existing architectural framework. Additional hurdles included sourcing pieces that worked with existing furniture, finding properly scaled rugs for large North Scottsdale rooms, ensuring correct counter stool height for a substantial 3-inch stone slab island, and coordinating the timeline around photography/videography schedules and local contractor availability. Solution: We approached the refresh strategically by preserving the strongest existing elements while updating key furnishings and finishes to create a warmer, more sophisticated look. New vendor relationships and products were tested before specifying for broader client use, while all selections prioritized durability for an active family lifestyle. Timeline flexibility became a creative advantage, allowing for an unconventional beam wallpaper application that ultimately became a signature design moment. Our construction management ensured seamless coordination across trades throughout the Scottsdale area. Materials: Moss Studio- Sofa + Pillows | Coffee tables by MadeGoods: Davion Coffee Tables – sculptural mango wood with rich texture | Performance rugs by Loloi: High-traffic wool construction perfect for pets and children | Custom drapery fabric by Schumacher: Premium textiles maintaining original custom window treatments | Drapery hardware by Hesler Brothers | Palmer Industries - | Sun Lighting - Chandeliers, Table Lamps, Pendants | Budget ($ Range): $75-$100K | Timeline (Duration): 3 months

This loft is situated in the former International Tailoring Company Building in New York’s East Village. The clients bought a top-floor loft and an abandoned mechanical room directly above it. Our task was to combine the rooftop space with the loft to create a cohesive triplex apartment. We achieved this by carefully opening up the roof’s 100-year-old structural members to install a staircase connecting the existing loft to the additional upper two levels. On the main floor, the first run of the staircase is located in the apartment's entry and is made of a sculptural form of dark oak. The second run of the staircase is more open, allowing light from the top level's many windows to filter into the spaces below. The existing main loft was gut-renovated to create a more open space. The open kitchen/living space was strategically positioned to be surrounded by the building’s huge industrial steel windows, taking advantage of the apartment's high vantage over Union Square. Opposite the windows, custom woodwork serves to unify the kitchen with the living room. The built-in spans the full width of the apartment with dark textured oak panels concealing the appliances, the TV, and creating ample storage. The blackened steel paneled backsplash and chunky black granite countertops complete the dark color palette used in the kitchen. Throughout the apartment, a play of dark and light elements creates a distinctive atmosphere. In the open living areas, the light pouring in from the large windows contrasts with the dark colors selected for the built environment. The more private spaces, such as the bedroom, have a darker feel, with walls and ceilings painted in a deep purple that borders on black alongside more dark oak custom built-ins. The dining room functions as a bridge between the public and private spaces, with walls and ceiling painted in the same moody purple and a vintage mirrored tile accent wall reflecting natural light from the adjacent room’s windows. The middle floor, which has fewer windows, is painted bright white to enhance light in the home office located there.. On the penthouse level, panoramic views were achieved by installing new floor-to-ceiling sliding glass panels, supplementing the existing industrial steel windows, and opening onto an adjacent roof terrace. The top floor functions as a lounge overlooking the city and includes unique custom features, such as a steel multi-drop lighting fixture above the stairs, hanging glass and steel shelving, and a built-in wet bar. Here again, dark-colored finishes and materials are used as a counterpoint to the abundant light entering the space. A future plan for the apartment is to create a private roof garden on top of the penthouse with an outdoor stair connecting it to the roof terrace below.

Headland is a NextHouse, situated to take advantage of the site’s panoramic ocean views while still providing privacy from the neighboring property. The home’s solar orientation provides passive solar heat gains in the winter while the home’s deep overhangs provide shade for the large glass windows in the summer. The mono-pitch roof was strategically designed to slope up towards the ocean to maximize daylight and the views. The exposed post and beam construction allows for clear, open spaces throughout the home, but also embraces a connection with the land to invite the outside in. The aluminum clad windows, fiber cement siding and cedar trim facilitate lower maintenance without compromising the home’s quality or aesthetic. The homeowners wanted to create a space that welcomed guests for frequent family gatherings. Acorn Deck House Company obliged by designing the home with a focus on indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces with a large, open great room and kitchen, expansive decks and a flexible layout to accommodate visitors. There is also a private master suite and roof deck, which showcases the views while maintaining privacy.

Southwest bathroom photo in Phoenix

SDH Studio - Architecture and Design Location: Pinecrest, Florida, USA Taking advantage of the site’s oversized width, this home’s Architecture was conceived as a series of volumes strategically placed to generate interior and exterior courtyards that become focal points within the home.

Netta Architects designed this residence a 3 story 5,000 square foot house located on the apex of the Atlantic Highlands, overlooking the Raritan Bay. The location of the house relates to the land in a very spontaneous way, taking advantage of its slope, the surrounding natural wooded environment, and the expansive view over the Bay. The interior consists of an open floor plan, which is amply glazed to the outside, and accentuates large, functional and multipurpose spaces. The strategic location of the first and second floor terraces present a park like atmosphere and affords the occupants a quiet place to relax and decompress. Very simple, yet elegant materials are utilized on the exterior which allows the structure to assume a sense of place within the beautiful surrounding environment. The Residence is currently being considered for an AIA Residential Design Award.

In this 1905 Tudor home, the intent of this design was to take advantage of the classic architecture of the home and incorporate modern conveniences. Located in the Joseph Berry Subdivision in Detroit, this stellar home presented several design challenges. The most difficult challenge to overcome was the 11” slope from one end of the kitchen to the other, caused by 110 years of settling. All new floor joists were installed and the floor by the side door was then recessed down one step. This created a cozy nook when you first enter the kitchen. A tiered ceiling with strategically planned cabinetry heights and crown molding concealed the slope of the walls at the ceiling level. The second challenge in this historic home was the awkward foot print of the kitchen. It’s likely that this kitchen had a butler’s pantry originally. However it was remodeled sometime in the 70’s and all original character was erased. Clever pantry storage was added to an awkward corner creating a space that mimicked the essence of a butler’s pantry, while providing storage desired in kitchens today. Keeping the large footprint of the kitchen presented obstacles with the working triangle; the distance from the sink to the cooktop is several feet. The solution was installation of a pot filler over the cooktop that added convenience and elegance (not sure about this word). Not everything in this project was a challenge; the discovery of a brick chimney hiding behind plaster was a welcome surprise and brought character back honoring the historic charm of this beautiful home. Kitchen Designer: Rebekah Tull of Whiski Kitchen Design Studio Remodeling Contractor: Renaissance Restorations, Inc. Counter Top Fabricator: Lakeside Solid Surfaces - Cambria Cabinetry: Legacy Crafted Cabinets Photographer: Shermin Photography Lighting: Rejuvenation Tile: TileBar.com

SDH Studio - Architecture and Design Location: Pinecrest, Florida, USA Taking advantage of the site’s oversized width, this home’s Architecture was conceived as a series of volumes strategically placed to generate interior and exterior courtyards that become focal points within the home.

Headland is a NextHouse, situated to take advantage of the site’s panoramic ocean views while still providing privacy from the neighboring property. The home’s solar orientation provides passive solar heat gains in the winter while the home’s deep overhangs provide shade for the large glass windows in the summer. The mono-pitch roof was strategically designed to slope up towards the ocean to maximize daylight and the views. The exposed post and beam construction allows for clear, open spaces throughout the home, but also embraces a connection with the land to invite the outside in. The aluminum clad windows, fiber cement siding and cedar trim facilitate lower maintenance without compromising the home’s quality or aesthetic. The homeowners wanted to create a space that welcomed guests for frequent family gatherings. Acorn Deck House Company obliged by designing the home with a focus on indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces with a large, open great room and kitchen, expansive decks and a flexible layout to accommodate visitors. There is also a private master suite and roof deck, which showcases the views while maintaining privacy.

SDH Studio - Architecture and Design Location: Pinecrest, Florida, USA Taking advantage of the site’s oversized width, this home’s Architecture was conceived as a series of volumes strategically placed to generate interior and exterior courtyards that become focal points within the home.

In this 1905 Tudor home, the intent of this design was to take advantage of the classic architecture of the home and incorporate modern conveniences. Located in the Joseph Berry Subdivision in Detroit, this stellar home presented several design challenges. The most difficult challenge to overcome was the 11” slope from one end of the kitchen to the other, caused by 110 years of settling. All new floor joists were installed and the floor by the side door was then recessed down one step. This created a cozy nook when you first enter the kitchen. A tiered ceiling with strategically planned cabinetry heights and crown molding concealed the slope of the walls at the ceiling level. The second challenge in this historic home was the awkward foot print of the kitchen. It’s likely that this kitchen had a butler’s pantry originally. However it was remodeled sometime in the 70’s and all original character was erased. Clever pantry storage was added to an awkward corner creating a space that mimicked the essence of a butler’s pantry, while providing storage desired in kitchens today. Keeping the large footprint of the kitchen presented obstacles with the working triangle; the distance from the sink to the cooktop is several feet. The solution was installation of a pot filler over the cooktop that added convenience and elegance (not sure about this word). Not everything in this project was a challenge; the discovery of a brick chimney hiding behind plaster was a welcome surprise and brought character back honoring the historic charm of this beautiful home. Kitchen Designer: Rebekah Tull of Whiski Kitchen Design Studio Remodeling Contractor: Renaissance Restorations, Inc. Counter Top Fabricator: Lakeside Solid Surfaces - Cambria Cabinetry: Legacy Crafted Cabinets Photographer: Shermin Photography Lighting: Rejuvenation Tile: TileBar.com

Headland is a NextHouse, situated to take advantage of the site’s panoramic ocean views while still providing privacy from the neighboring property. The home’s solar orientation provides passive solar heat gains in the winter while the home’s deep overhangs provide shade for the large glass windows in the summer. The mono-pitch roof was strategically designed to slope up towards the ocean to maximize daylight and the views. The exposed post and beam construction allows for clear, open spaces throughout the home, but also embraces a connection with the land to invite the outside in. The aluminum clad windows, fiber cement siding and cedar trim facilitate lower maintenance without compromising the home’s quality or aesthetic. The homeowners wanted to create a space that welcomed guests for frequent family gatherings. Acorn Deck House Company obliged by designing the home with a focus on indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces with a large, open great room and kitchen, expansive decks and a flexible layout to accommodate visitors. There is also a private master suite and roof deck, which showcases the views while maintaining privacy.

Our team of Austin architects transformed a 1950s home into a mid-century modern retreat for this renovation and addition project. The retired couple who owns the house came to us seeking a design that would bring in natural light and accommodate their many hobbies while offering a modern and streamlined design. The original structure featured an awkward floor plan of choppy spaces divided by various step-downs and a central living area that felt dark and closed off from the outside. Our main goal was to bring in natural light and take advantage of the property’s fantastic backyard views of a peaceful creek. We raised interior floors to the same level, eliminating sunken rooms and step-downs to allow for a more open, free-flowing floor plan. To increase natural light, we changed the traditional hip roofline to a more modern single slope with clerestory windows that take advantage of treetop views. Additionally, we added all new windows strategically positioned to frame views of the backyard. A new open-concept kitchen and living area occupy the central home where previously underutilized rooms once sat. The kitchen features an oversized island, quartzite counters, and upper glass cabinets that mirror the clerestory windows of the room. Large sliding doors spill out to a new covered and raised deck that overlooks Shoal Creek and new backyard amenities, like a bocce ball court and paved walkways. Finally, we finished the home's exterior with durable and low-maintenance cement plank siding and a metal roof in a palette of neutral grays and whites. A bright red door creates a warm welcome to this newly renovated Austin home.

All windows were re-positioned strategically to take full advantage of the view, for example, the living room new windows were positioned to take full advantage of the beautiful views of the property. The linear layout of the new windows in the living room was designed to frame and echo the panoramic view of the beautiful pond, farm fields, tree lines and the Adirondack mountains seen beyond As part of architectural and interiors design, here Mitra paid careful attention to use green building products as much as possible, which was done by selecting and using environmentally friendly and low VOC emission products, as well as sing salvaged products where possible, and using as much local products as possible. Aside from using green building products as much as possible, another very important goal of this project was to dramatically improve and maximize the energy efficiency of this home. To meet the specific and mechanical needs, a team of independent expert energy efficient consultants was assembled at the early phase of the design, so that energy solutions were studied and evaluated to the fullest. After extensive energy audits and study of the existing conditions and after extensive evaluation and brainstorming between all parties, Mitra compiled all the information and findings and incorporated them in her design solutions. In short, during construction, extensive energy upgrading measures were achieved by constructing a tight insulating envelope on the interior sides of all exterior walls and roofs, installing the most efficient heating and cooling system along with the introduction of a geothermal system installation. All windows and doors were replaced by state of the art and modern design energy efficient product available in the market which also visually modernized the design and maximized the beautiful westerly view of the landscape outside. To further address the energy efficiency of this project Mitra designed a concrete and steel and concrete fireplace box for it so that it can act as a chase for the mechanical needs of this new super energy efficient fireplace unit. - Photo credit: Susan Teare

SDH Studio - Architecture and Design Location: Pinecrest, Florida, USA Taking advantage of the site’s oversized width, this home’s Architecture was conceived as a series of volumes strategically placed to generate interior and exterior courtyards that become focal points within the home.

This loft is situated in the former International Tailoring Company Building in New York’s East Village. The clients bought a top-floor loft and an abandoned mechanical room directly above it. Our task was to combine the rooftop space with the loft to create a cohesive triplex apartment. We achieved this by carefully opening up the roof’s 100-year-old structural members to install a staircase connecting the existing loft to the additional upper two levels. On the main floor, the first run of the staircase is located in the apartment's entry and is made of a sculptural form of dark oak. The second run of the staircase is more open, allowing light from the top level's many windows to filter into the spaces below. The existing main loft was gut-renovated to create a more open space. The open kitchen/living space was strategically positioned to be surrounded by the building’s huge industrial steel windows, taking advantage of the apartment's high vantage over Union Square. Opposite the windows, custom woodwork serves to unify the kitchen with the living room. The built-in spans the full width of the apartment with dark textured oak panels concealing the appliances, the TV, and creating ample storage. The blackened steel paneled backsplash and chunky black granite countertops complete the dark color palette used in the kitchen. Throughout the apartment, a play of dark and light elements creates a distinctive atmosphere. In the open living areas, the light pouring in from the large windows contrasts with the dark colors selected for the built environment. The more private spaces, such as the bedroom, have a darker feel, with walls and ceilings painted in a deep purple that borders on black alongside more dark oak custom built-ins. The dining room functions as a bridge between the public and private spaces, with walls and ceiling painted in the same moody purple and a vintage mirrored tile accent wall reflecting natural light from the adjacent room’s windows. The middle floor, which has fewer windows, is painted bright white to enhance light in the home office located there.. On the penthouse level, panoramic views were achieved by installing new floor-to-ceiling sliding glass panels, supplementing the existing industrial steel windows, and opening onto an adjacent roof terrace. The top floor functions as a lounge overlooking the city and includes unique custom features, such as a steel multi-drop lighting fixture above the stairs, hanging glass and steel shelving, and a built-in wet bar. Here again, dark-colored finishes and materials are used as a counterpoint to the abundant light entering the space. A future plan for the apartment is to create a private roof garden on top of the penthouse with an outdoor stair connecting it to the roof terrace below.

This kitchen was part of an addition/renovation of the entire home. High on the client’s priorities list was countertop seating, a large island, two sink areas, a desk area and lots of countertop space. We had significant input to the window placement to take advantage of natural light and views. The refrigerator is strategically placed so that it can simultaneously support the chef’s area from that of all other kitchen occupants. This creates various work stations in the kitchen and prevents any one space from getting overloaded by multiple users. The large space allowed for the opportunity to define the various work spaces and cabinetry with different wood species and paint colors. The open shelves above the windows add a strong horizontal balance to the vertical pantry and refrigerator cabinets. Wood and stone countertops are married together on the island to define the various functions they serve. Photos: Ilir Rizaj