A 3-unit townhouse located in Houston that takes advantage of a unique site utilization strategy by providing garage access via a rare alleyway.
Trendy exterior home photo in Houston

The 7,600 square-foot residence was designed for large, memorable gatherings of family and friends at the lake, as well as creating private spaces for smaller family gatherings. Keeping in dialogue with the surrounding site, a palette of natural materials and finishes was selected to provide a classic backdrop for all activities, bringing importance to the adjoining environment. In optimizing the views of the lake and developing a strategy to maximize natural ventilation, an ideal, open-concept living scheme was implemented. The kitchen, dining room, living room and screened porch are connected, allowing for the large family gatherings to take place inside, should the weather not cooperate. Two main level master suites remain private from the rest of the program; yet provide a complete sense of incorporation. Bringing the natural finishes to the interior of the residence, provided the opportunity for unique focal points that complement the stunning stone fireplace and timber trusses. Photographer: MTA

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

Location: Austin, Texas, United States New 2,100 sf custom residence with detached garage and rear courtyard. The house faces inward, away from a busy street and incorporates rainwater collection and energy efficient design strategies. Atelier Wong Photography

We designed a “tree house” suspended above the ground on glued-laminated timber columns supporting two stories, forty feet above the forest floor. Suquamish means “place of clear water”. The care of the land that drove this residence included simple strategies for capturing rain and percolating storm water, minimal excavation and removal of soils, low-impact concrete foundations, and a light structure that captures views of the forest, water, and a distant Seattle skyline to the east.

Bathroom The challenge with remodels is understanding the existing architectural story, before rewriting a new one. In this case, the house had a diaginal stair cutting through the main floor and blocking the kitchen from the living space. The strategy was to fuse the spaces together and make the stair handrails as transparent as possible to gave the floor an open feel, punctuated by the diagonal stair and monolithic marble island.

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

Exterior solar shades and awning systems are the most efficient solution to protect your windows and patio areas from the sun's damaging heat and UV rays. Blocking up to 99% of UV, motorized retractable shading systems allow you to block the sun and heat or reverse the strategy to allow in natural light and heat as desired.

The owners were downsizing from a larger house and wanted a place that would let them entertain and enjoy rooftop views of the trees and downtown skyline. In response, 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

Previously, this yard was burdened by a typical boulder pile pool, that was heaped higher than typical, trying to hide the towering wall behind. At first, the clients sought merely to reconfigure the BBQ that was congesting the patio, but upon further analysis, they decided it was time to strip the entire yard, leaving only the pool shell. Bianchi’s solution introduced an array of four arbors to distract the eye from the wall behind, solving what the boulder waterfall could never do. Additionally, the wall was painted a dark earth tone to add contrast and depth. This strategy enabled the wall to recede into the distance, while the agave blue grey arbors floated forward visually from the background. Previously, the patios were a hodgepodge of deck islands that were impossible to navigate, and were of insufficient size to arrange furniture on. A well organized patio streamlined the traffic flow and the living space, featuring a cast in place concrete fire pit and banco couch, as well as a new outdoor bistro, glowing with filtered light from the canvas shade sails overhead. A turquoise glass overflow spa became the yards focal point, sharing the space between the pool and outdoor living. The striking symmetry of the spa and pot pedestal with regal cacti arrangement behind, flanked by the arbors on either side, created a stately first impression from the front door. This teaser was just a glimpse of what could not yet be seen serving as an invitation to explore and enjoy as the yard unfolds. See more about this project & hear from the homeowner here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eT3RkLkg5w&feature=youtu.be

Decomposed granite replaced tired lawn in this Kentfield, CA landscape. I've included several landscape design ideas and strategies to replace water-thirsty lawns form several projects I designed. I've included before and after photos and links to the various lawn conversion projects.

Meadowlark completed this zero-threshold shower in Ann Arbor with tumbled Travertine tiles. It makes it easy for anyone to get in and out. This custom home was designed and built by Meadowlark Design+Build with accessible design strategies.

This condo in Sterling, VA belongs to a couple about to enter into retirement. They own this home in Sterling, along with a weekend home in West Virginia, a vacation home on Emerald Isle in North Carolina and a vacation home in St. John. They want to use this home as their "home-base" during their retirement, when they need to be in the metro area for business or to see family. The condo is small and they felt it was too "choppy," it didn't have good flow and the rooms were too separated and confined. They wondered if it could have more of an open concept feel but were doubtful due to the size and layout of the home. The furnishings they owned from their previous home were very traditional and heavy. They wanted a much lighter, more open and more contemporary feel to this home. They wanted it to feel clean, light, airy and much bigger then it is. The first thing we tackled was an unsightly, and very heavy stone veneered fireplace wall that separated the family room from the office space. It made both rooms look heavy and dark. We took down the stone and opened up parts of the wall so that the two spaces would flow into each other. We added a view thru fireplace and gave the fireplace wall a faux marble finish to lighten it and make it much more contemporary. Glass shelves bounce light and keep the wall feeling light and streamlined. Custom built ins add hidden storage and make great use of space in these small rooms. Our strategy was to open as much as possible and to lighten the space through the use of color, fabric and glass. New furnishings in lighter colors and soft textures help keep the feeling light and modernize the space. Sheer linen draperies soften the hard lines and add to the light, airy feel. Tinius Photography

At three-fourths the size of the house’s footprint, it maximizes the available living space at the levels above without overshadowing the 1930s vintage suburb with its single family houses and deed restricted setbacks. 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

The homeowners sought to create a modest, modern, lakeside cottage, nestled into a narrow lot in Tonka Bay. The site inspired a modified shotgun-style floor plan, with rooms laid out in succession from front to back. Simple and authentic materials provide a soft and inviting palette for this modern home. Wood finishes in both warm and soft grey tones complement a combination of clean white walls, blue glass tiles, steel frames, and concrete surfaces. Sustainable strategies were incorporated to provide healthy living and a net-positive-energy-use home. Onsite geothermal, solar panels, battery storage, insulation systems, and triple-pane windows combine to provide independence from frequent power outages and supply excess power to the electrical grid. Photos by Corey Gaffer

The 7,600 square-foot residence was designed for large, memorable gatherings of family and friends at the lake, as well as creating private spaces for smaller family gatherings. Keeping in dialogue with the surrounding site, a palette of natural materials and finishes was selected to provide a classic backdrop for all activities, bringing importance to the adjoining environment. In optimizing the views of the lake and developing a strategy to maximize natural ventilation, an ideal, open-concept living scheme was implemented. The kitchen, dining room, living room and screened porch are connected, allowing for the large family gatherings to take place inside, should the weather not cooperate. Two main level master suites remain private from the rest of the program; yet provide a complete sense of incorporation. Bringing the natural finishes to the interior of the residence, provided the opportunity for unique focal points that complement the stunning stone fireplace and timber trusses. Photographer: John Hession

For this kitchen and bath remodel in San Francisco's Cole Valley, our client wanted us to open the kitchen up to the living room and create a new modern feel for all of the remodeled areas. Opening the kitchen to the living area provided a structural challenge as the wall we had to remove was load-bearing and there was a separately owned condo on the floor below. Working closely with a structural engineer, we created a strategy to carry the weight to the exterior walls of the building. In order to do this we had to tear off the entire roof and rebuild it with new structural joists which could span from property line to property line. To achieve a dramatic daylighting effect, we created a slot skylight over the back wall of the kitchen with the beams running through the skylight. Cerulean blue, back-painted glass for the backsplash and a thick waterfall edge for the island add more distinctive touches to this kitchen design. In the master bath we created a sinuous counter edge which tracks its way to the floor to create a curb for the shower. Green tile imported from Morocco adds a pop of color in the shower and a custom built indirect LED lighting cove creates a glow of light around the mirror. Photography by Christopher Stark.

Minimalist kitchen photo in Berlin

The owners of this home came to us with a plan to build a new high-performance home that physically and aesthetically fit on an infill lot in an old well-established neighborhood in Bellingham. The Craftsman exterior detailing, Scandinavian exterior color palette, and timber details help it blend into the older neighborhood. At the same time the clean modern interior allowed their artistic details and displayed artwork take center stage. We started working with the owners and the design team in the later stages of design, sharing our expertise with high-performance building strategies, custom timber details, and construction cost planning. Our team then seamlessly rolled into the construction phase of the project, working with the owners and Michelle, the interior designer until the home was complete. The owners can hardly believe the way it all came together to create a bright, comfortable, and friendly space that highlights their applied details and favorite pieces of art. Photography by Radley Muller Photography​ Design by Deborah Todd Building Design Services Interior Design by Spiral Studios​