This house in Austin’s Bouldin neighborhood is an exercise in efficiency and invention. The site’s three heritage trees drove the design, whose interplay of Hardiplank, wood, metal, and glass is enhanced by thoughtful details and clever spatial solutions. A cypress wood front porch reflects up the easy-going architecture of the neighborhood and another porch overlooks the courtyard, which offers a private outdoor room. Inside, cork floors, a walnut divider, and built-in entertainment center in the main living areas enrich the otherwise simple and sunny modern space. Frosted glass throughout the house provides natural light and privacy during the day and, filters the glow from the adjacent Moontower at night. Completed March 2011 - view construction progress photos General Contractor - JGB Custom Homes Kitchen Consultant - Hello Kitchen Interior Furnishing & Styling - Little Pond Deisgn Photography - Atelier Wong 5-star rating by Austin Energy Green Building Program Featured on 2011 AIA Homes Tour

Photo of a traditional backyard gravel outdoor sport court in Austin.

Well-traveled. Relaxed. Timeless. Our well-traveled clients were soon-to-be empty nesters when they approached us for help reimagining their Presidio Heights home. The expansive Spanish-Revival residence originally constructed in 1908 had been substantially renovated 8 year prior, but needed some adaptations to better suit the needs of a family with three college-bound teens. We evolved the space to be a bright, relaxed reflection of the family’s time together, revising the function and layout of the ground-floor rooms and filling them with casual, comfortable furnishings and artifacts collected abroad. One of the key changes we made to the space plan was to eliminate the formal dining room and transform an area off the kitchen into a casual gathering spot for our clients and their children. The expandable table and coffee/wine bar means the room can handle large dinner parties and small study sessions with similar ease. The family room was relocated from a lower level to be more central part of the main floor, encouraging more quality family time, and freeing up space for a spacious home gym. In the living room, lounge-worthy upholstery grounds the space, encouraging a relaxed and effortless West Coast vibe. Exposed wood beams recall the original Spanish-influence, but feel updated and fresh in a light wood stain. Throughout the entry and main floor, found artifacts punctate the softer textures — ceramics from New Mexico, religious sculpture from Asia and a quirky wall-mounted phone that belonged to our client’s grandmother.

Substantial stone archways and arched windows lend integrity to this exercise in classicism. White cabinetry adorned with crown molding are anchored by honed black granite. Arched window and glass door cabinets flank the sink. Faucets, hardware, lighting, and leg trim in polished nickel reflect the light.A walk-in pantry and message niche are hidden charms.

The Challenge: Create a rugged yet warm farmhouse feel in a high rise tower. Start with an entire 9600 gross square foot penthouse floor of raw concrete floor, walls and ceiling. Devise inventive ways to address intractable existing conditions including a plumbing layout inconsistent with our Client program, a relatively low ceiling and a massive elevator core and yet take of advantage of panoramic views of the city from all sides. For example, rather than make a bulky drywall enclosure for existing pipes that poke thru the kitchen counter, they are wrapped with antique painted galvanized sheet metal to keep sight lines around the corner as open as possible. Or, transform an unattractive and inconveniently located 24” diameter vertical duct in the middle of Samantha’s and Hannah’s (grandchildren’s) guest bedroom into part of a lovely arched top bed nook. Or, disguise a chase for above floor plumbing runs as the base for an open buffet counter. The oppressive elevator lobby was shortened; terminating in handmade glass and steel garden doors at both ends. Custom details include a groined vaulted ceiling and arched openings with stone pilasters (for future trompe-l’oeil images of a Tuscany countryside). To maximize a feeling of height, the ceilings start low and get higher as they progress to the outside walls. The Program: Create a five bedroom condo for an elderly couple with specific and different needs. Mr. likes his privacy and to stay up late into the night on the internet. He likes order. Mrs. has some physical limits that have been addressed in various ways such as shorter travel distances, a step down shower, raised dishwasher and custom cast (to ensure that they won’t rust) iron grab bars. She prefers more disorder. Spaces should be visually arresting, full of detail and easy to maintain. Private spaces include separate master bathrooms, his and her offices and a multi screened Media Room. The balance of the floor must link spaces into one continuous open room along the south and east elevations using large elements yet keeping an intimate scale, sound control and privacy. For example, a substantial fireplace made of old barn timber framing, country stone and a hammered iron grill is strategically located at the critical Southeast corner. Above, black iron offset pintel hardware allow custom double doors to hide a large flat screen TV. High technology is in place for inconspicuous yet easy use. Icon driven key pads operate lighting, window treatments, audio visual systems with multiple sources and access to movie and music databases and five HVAC zones with independent humidity controls. Outstanding Features: Exterior masonry walls have stone culled from five quarries. Sprinkled throughout are surprises - bricks with words as messages from the past, wood trimmed niches and colored glass. Glass pieces set in window corners offer bursts of color when backlit by the sun. These materials are assembled in a rough irregular fashion to look like the work of a mason from the Italian countryside. Interior ceilings and walls have overlapping layers of two plaster colors. Perimeter ceilings are made of smooth random width cedar. Rough planed cedar beams hide ductwork and allow the maximum ceiling height between them. Custom details are everywhere-consider the ten foot barn doors on overhead track at the service elevator, cedar benches/storage areas that run below window banks, antique air registers, acid washed piano hinges and transom window operators and existing concrete piers that are featured instead of hidden. The floors are made of random width wide plank old oak with hand planed faces and edges. Overall, the elements were carefully selected or painted/stained to form a soft muted gray palate The Country kitchen features an old fashioned style ice box appearance for the refrigerator/freezer, a tin ceiling, a distressed assortment of cabinets in multiple heights, colors and woods such as the cherry wood buffet cabinet with sliding glass doors on both sides. A backlit breakfast counter, a hammered copper hood and chicken wire inserts are part of the effort to make a comfortable, eclectic old fashioned looking Kitchen while containing the latest appliances and storage systems. Awards: This project has won several kitchen and bath awards: Felman Kitchen Awards 2009 St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles Kitchen of the Year – Gold Award 2008-2009 SubZero Wolf Kitchen Design Contest – Regional Winner, Regional Designer’s Choice 2010 NKBA Art of the Industry – Pinnacle of Design Award 2010 NKBA Art of the Industry – First Place Medium Kitchen 2010 NKBA Art of the Industry – Consumer’s Choice Award 2010 K&BB Kitchen of the Year Award Felman Bath Awards 2010 Ladue News Award—Master Bathroom

The new exercise room offers high ceilings and open space. The doors to the patio make a connection to the outdoors. This private space is separate from the main house so loud music and exercise movements are not heard. A matching white ceiling fan blends into space and offers air movement when working out. Recessed LED lights in a cathedral ceiling creates a substantial presence with shadows and light variability.

The site for this new house was specifically selected for its proximity to nature while remaining connected to the urban amenities of Arlington and DC. From the beginning, the homeowners were mindful of the environmental impact of this house, so the goal was to get the project LEED certified. Even though the owner’s programmatic needs ultimately grew the house to almost 8,000 square feet, the design team was able to obtain LEED Silver for the project. The first floor houses the public spaces of the program: living, dining, kitchen, family room, power room, library, mudroom and screened porch. The second and third floors contain the master suite, four bedrooms, office, three bathrooms and laundry. The entire basement is dedicated to recreational spaces which include a billiard room, craft room, exercise room, media room and a wine cellar. To minimize the mass of the house, the architects designed low bearing roofs to reduce the height from above, while bringing the ground plain up by specifying local Carder Rock stone for the foundation walls. The landscape around the house further anchored the house by installing retaining walls using the same stone as the foundation. The remaining areas on the property were heavily landscaped with climate appropriate vegetation, retaining walls, and minimal turf. Other LEED elements include LED lighting, geothermal heating system, heat-pump water heater, FSA certified woods, low VOC paints and high R-value insulation and windows. Hoachlander Davis Photography

Antique barn was relocated to site for workshop, exercise room, guest suite and garage. Guest suite is in upper level with sleeping loft
Staircase - traditional staircase idea in Boston

Function meets fashion in this relaxing retreat inspired by turn-of-the-century cottages. Perfect for a lot with limited space or a water view, this delightful design packs ample living into an open floor plan spread out on three levels. Elements of classic farmhouses and Craftsman-style bungalows can be seen in the updated exterior, which boasts shingles, porch columns, and decorative venting and windows. Inside, a covered front porch leads into an entry with a charming window seat and to the centrally located 17 by 12-foot kitchen. Nearby is an 11 by 15-foot dining and a picturesque outdoor patio. On the right side of the more than 1,500-square-foot main level is the 14 by 18-foot living room with a gas fireplace and access to the adjacent covered patio where you can enjoy the changing seasons. Also featured is a convenient mud room and laundry near the 700-square-foot garage, a large master suite and a handy home management center off the dining and living room. Upstairs, another approximately 1,400 square feet include two family bedrooms and baths, a 15 by 14-foot loft dedicated to music, and another area designed for crafts and sewing. Other hobbies and entertaining aren’t excluded in the lower level, where you can enjoy the billiards or games area, a large family room for relaxing, a guest bedroom, exercise area and bath. Photographers: Ashley Avila Photography Pat Chambers Builder: Bouwkamp Builders, Inc.

A true indoor-outdoor flow seamlessly transitions through the pocket doors to the two-level backyard retreat. The first level showcases plenty of room for entertaining, while the lower level is occupied by a substantial deep exercise pool reaching the depths of 14-feet and includes a Baja deck and large spa. The perfect artists getaway, your expansive ADU encompasses a fireplace, outdoor shower and views from every window.

Jack Lovel
Dining room - contemporary concrete floor and gray floor dining room idea in Melbourne with red walls

A true indoor-outdoor flow seamlessly transitions through the pocket doors to the two-level backyard retreat. The first level showcases plenty of room for entertaining, while the lower level is occupied by a substantial deep exercise pool reaching the depths of 14-feet and includes a Baja deck and large spa. The perfect artists getaway, your expansive ADU encompasses a fireplace, outdoor shower and views from every window.

This grand 1905 property in Sydney’s eastern suburbs required a total renovation and was a high quality project, and the swimming pool and gardens were no exception. The Clients’ brief was to substantially increase the length of the existing outdated Pool to enable it to cater for the needs of this large family and also be suitable for exercise purposes. In addition, they also required a family-size Spa adjacent to the Pool. The complete design, including the pool, spa, uplit water features/niches, the underwater & landscape lighting, travertine feature wall with cascades, fencing, lawn and garden areas integrated perfectly into the existing property in a sympathetic and complementary manner to the beauty of the residence.

Phu Tang
Nursery - mid-sized contemporary girl carpeted and multicolored floor nursery idea in Sydney with white walls

Staircase - mid-sized transitional wooden l-shaped wood railing staircase idea in Calgary

Elegant dark wood floor and black floor living room photo in Manchester with gray walls, a standard fireplace and a metal fireplace