A small corner of the outside walkway demonstrates our drainage strategy.... open spaces on either side of the concrete walk are covered with polished La Paz pebbles, allowing water to percolate onto the site. Photo-Chris Jacobson, GardenArt Group

Photo: Shannon Malone © 2014 Houzz
Inspiration for a large transitional master medium tone wood floor bedroom remodel in San Francisco with white walls and no fireplace

Hugh Lofting Timber Framing (HLTF) manufactured and installed the Southern Yellow Pine glued-laminated (glulams) beams and the Douglas Fir lock deck T&G in this modern house in Centreville, MD. HLTF worked closely with Torchio Architects to develop the steel connection designs and the overall glulam strategy for the project. Photos by: Steve Buchanan Photography

Lynn Bagley Photography
Transitional white tile pebble tile floor and black floor alcove shower photo in Sacramento with raised-panel cabinets, brown cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink and a hinged shower door

A striking island occupies the center of a spacious kitchen in Bloomfield Hills. The HPL backed real wood veneer in Ebony Sabbiata from Tree Frog bridges the tonal distance between the walnut floors and all white cabinets and walls, creating harmony and visual balance. Full height backsplashes in shiny white are laid out in a windmill pattern, punctuated every so often with intricately designed accent squares. A combination of bold veining and delicate blooming on the Calacatta quartzite countertops contributes its subtle energy to the mix. The kitchen is separated into several independent vignettes, each one laid out symmetrically. The vast island with built in sink offers all the prep space a chef could need. The built in cooktop is centered directly behind to facilitate easy cooking, while an additional sink in the clean up area expedites after dinner chores. A walk-pantry and small home office are tucked in behind the refrigerator freezer wall. Multiple lighting details, including lighted cabinet interiors and a lighted display niche above the refrigerator, complete this stunning 2015 lake home.

Mountain style freestanding bathtub photo with brown walls

A new custom residence in the Harrison Views neighborhood of Issaquah Highlands. The home incorporates high-performance envelope elements (a few of the strategies so far include alum-clad windows, rock wall house wrap insulation, green-roofs and provision for photovoltaic panels). The building site has a unique upper bench and lower bench with a steep slope between them. The siting of the house takes advantage of this topography, creating a linear datum line that not only serves as a retaining wall but also as an organizing element for the home’s circulation. The massing of the home is designed to maximize views, natural daylight and compliment the scale of the surrounding community. The living spaces are oriented to capture the panoramic views to the southwest and northwest, including Lake Washington and the Olympic mountain range as well as Seattle and Bellevue skylines. A series of green roofs and protected outdoor spaces will allow the homeowners to extend their living spaces year-round. With an emphasis on durability, the material palette will consist of a gray stained cedar siding, corten steel panels, cement board siding, T&G fir soffits, exposed wood beams, black fiberglass windows, board-formed concrete, glass railings and a standing seam metal roof. A careful site analysis was done early on to suss out the best views and determine how unbuilt adjacent lots might be developed. The total area is 3,425 SF of living space plus 575 SF for the garage. Photos by Benjamin Benschneider. Architecture by Studio Zerbey Architecture + Design. Cabinets by LEICHT SEATTLE.

With an eye toward accessibility, this bathroom is designed to ease the everyday routines of a homeowner who often uses a wheelchair. Universal design strategies guided the project structurally with ADA-compatible elements incorporated throughout. One side of the vanity is set lower and left intentionally open underneath to accommodate the wheelchair when needed. Visually, the project shines just as bright with white shaker-style cabinetry balanced by warm tones found elsewhere. Oversized warm gray porcelain wall tile partners beautifully with a diminutive square tile on the shower floor, while brushed nickel hardware and quartz countertops complete a timeless, classic appeal. Photos by Spacecrafting Photography

A 3-unit townhouse located in Houston that takes advantage of a unique site utilization strategy by providing garage access via a rare alleyway. Photo Credit: Ben Hill

Photography by Jim Tetro This house, built in the 1960s, sits southfacing on a terrific wooded lot in Bethesda, Maryland. The owners desire a whole-house renovation which would improve the general building fabric and systems, and extend the sense of living out of doors in all seasons. The original sixties-modern character is preserved and the renovation extends the design forward into a contemporary, modern approach. Connections to and through the site are enhanced through the creation of new larger window and door openings. Screened porches and decks perch above the sloped and wooded site. The new kitchen and bathrooms allow for opportunities to feel out-of -doors while preparing, cooking, dining, and bathing. Smart passive strategies guide the environmental choices for this project, including envelope improvements, updated mechanical systems, and on-site stormwater management.

Custom Meadowlark grain-matched cherry cabinetry in kitchen using crotch cherry. This home was design and built by Meadowlark Design+Build using aging in place design strategies. This kitchen area was designed and built using aging in place design strategies by Meadowlark Design+Build in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Utah Mid-Century Modern Facade Photo - https://www.kaikenphotography.com/

Hood is contained by custom drywall enclosure. photo by Ryann Ford
Inspiration for a large transitional galley medium tone wood floor kitchen remodel in Austin with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, granite countertops, yellow backsplash and black countertops

View to kitchen and rear facade and deck. New extensive building renovation with passive house windows and strategies.
Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in New York

David Burroughs
Example of a transitional staircase design in Baltimore

the design offers generous, flowing open spaces on the main level, which overlooks a small courtyard. The site’s woodland characteristics inspired the use of exterior stone. Accoya, a fast-growing softwood that is impervious to decay in the Houston humidity, was used for siding. The combination of the site strategy, program and aesthetic direction respond to the site’s challenges to create an elegant solution. Peter Molick Photography

In Southern California there are pockets of darling cottages built in the early 20th century that we like to call jewelry boxes. They are quaint, full of charm and usually a bit cramped. Our clients have a growing family and needed a modern, functional home. They opted for a renovation that directly addressed their concerns. When we first saw this 2,170 square-foot 3-bedroom beach cottage, the front door opened directly into a staircase and a dead-end hallway. The kitchen was cramped, the living room was claustrophobic and everything felt dark and dated. The big picture items included pitching the living room ceiling to create space and taking down a kitchen wall. We added a French oven and luxury range that the wife had always dreamed about, a custom vent hood, and custom-paneled appliances. We added a downstairs half-bath for guests (entirely designed around its whimsical wallpaper) and converted one of the existing bathrooms into a Jack-and-Jill, connecting the kids’ bedrooms, with double sinks and a closed-off toilet and shower for privacy. In the bathrooms, we added white marble floors and wainscoting. We created storage throughout the home with custom-cabinets, new closets and built-ins, such as bookcases, desks and shelving. White Sands Design/Build furnished the entire cottage mostly with commissioned pieces, including a custom dining table and upholstered chairs. We updated light fixtures and added brass hardware throughout, to create a vintage, bo-ho vibe. The best thing about this cottage is the charming backyard accessory dwelling unit (ADU), designed in the same style as the larger structure. In order to keep the ADU it was necessary to renovate less than 50% of the main home, which took some serious strategy, otherwise the non-conforming ADU would need to be torn out. We renovated the bathroom with white walls and pine flooring, transforming it into a get-away that will grow with the girls.

This residence was a complete gut renovation of a 4-story row house in Park Slope, and included a new rear extension and penthouse addition. The owners wished to create a warm, family home using a modern language that would act as a clean canvas to feature rich textiles and items from their world travels. As with most Brooklyn row houses, the existing house suffered from a lack of natural light and connection to exterior spaces, an issue that Principal Brendan Coburn is acutely aware of from his experience re-imagining historic structures in the New York area. The resulting architecture is designed around moments featuring natural light and views to the exterior, of both the private garden and the sky, throughout the house, and a stripped-down language of detailing and finishes allows for the concept of the modern-natural to shine. Upon entering the home, the kitchen and dining space draw you in with views beyond through the large glazed opening at the rear of the house. An extension was built to allow for a large sunken living room that provides a family gathering space connected to the kitchen and dining room, but remains distinctly separate, with a strong visual connection to the rear garden. The open sculptural stair tower was designed to function like that of a traditional row house stair, but with a smaller footprint. By extending it up past the original roof level into the new penthouse, the stair becomes an atmospheric shaft for the spaces surrounding the core. All types of weather – sunshine, rain, lightning, can be sensed throughout the home through this unifying vertical environment. The stair space also strives to foster family communication, making open living spaces visible between floors. At the upper-most level, a free-form bench sits suspended over the stair, just by the new roof deck, which provides at-ease entertaining. Oak was used throughout the home as a unifying material element. As one travels upwards within the house, the oak finishes are bleached to further degrees as a nod to how light enters the home. The owners worked with CWB to add their own personality to the project. The meter of a white oak and blackened steel stair screen was designed by the family to read “I love you” in Morse Code, and tile was selected throughout to reference places that hold special significance to the family. To support the owners’ comfort, the architectural design engages passive house technologies to reduce energy use, while increasing air quality within the home – a strategy which aims to respect the environment while providing a refuge from the harsh elements of urban living. This project was published by Wendy Goodman as her Space of the Week, part of New York Magazine’s Design Hunting on The Cut. Photography by Kevin Kunstadt

Black, white and gray modern farmhouse bathroom renovation by Michael Molesky Interior Design in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Black shower grid door. Hexagon mosaic floor. Wall, rain and hand shower heads.