The Abraham Knowlton House (c. 1725) was nearly demolished to make room for the expansion of a nearby commercial building. Thankfully, this historic home was saved from that fate after surviving a long, drawn out battle. When we began the project, the building was in a lamentable state of disrepair due to long-term neglect. Before we could begin on the restoration and renovation of the house proper, we needed to raise the entire structure in order to repair and fortify the foundation. The design project was substantial, involving the transformation of this historic house into beautiful and yet highly functional condominiums. The final design brought this home back to its original, stately appearance while giving it a new lease on life as a home for multiple families. Winner, 2003 Mary P. Conley Award for historic home restoration and preservation Photo Credit: Cynthia August

Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2015 Houzz

Photo of a southwestern landscaping in Phoenix.

Patrick & Topaze McCaffery - Taproot Garden Design "December 13, 2017: The plants in this (8-month) young garden are surviving the 35-45 degree December nights. A beautiful new Connecticut Bluestone Full Range cut-stone paver entryway welcomes the family and guests upon arrival to the residence.

Ulimited Style Photography
Inspiration for a modern exterior home remodel in Los Angeles

Charles Greene designed the 58" wide entry door with leaded art glass panels. It survived intact from 1906, and required only restoration. A stylized trailing vine motif unifies the scheme. Pair of straight-back chairs are custom reproductions of the Greenes' original designs that appear in early photographs. Cameron Carothers photo

See Plan https://utm.guru/uioqk. Engineered to withstand hurricane force winds exceeding 180 mph, this low-maintenance stilt-piling house was designed using Topsider’s unique hurricane-resistant post & beam building system. Topsider’s custom designed homes in the Bahamas, Caribbean, Florida, and along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts have survived innumerable major hurricanes over the past 55 years.

Leland Gebhardt
Photo of a mid-century modern landscaping in Phoenix.

Design ideas for a mid-sized modern drought-tolerant and full sun front yard garden path in Los Angeles for spring.

Verbena Talk about saving the best for the last. Verbena shows its stuff (beautiful blooms) during the hottest of summer heat. Available in annual and perennial varieties, they are long lasting spreaders. They come in 250 varieties so there’s lots of color to choose from, including white, pink, or purple. Some of the species are drought resistant, too, if that’s on your mind. They are often used in herbal teas…and as if all this wasn’t good enough, butterflies and hummingbirds love them.

A relaxing, lush and extraordinary courtyard.
Photo of a mid-sized mediterranean partial sun courtyard stone landscaping in Phoenix with a fire pit.

Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2017 Houzz
Patio - contemporary patio idea in New York

A recent renovation of a luxury 1 bedroom apartment on Manhattan's Park Avenue. Elegant and simple, modern aesthetic. Kate Glicksberg Photography
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized contemporary l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen idea in New York with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, marble backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, white countertops and an undermount sink

A new addition to our ground breaking stone composite flooring collections, Onyx offers the beautiful look and feel of wide plank hardwood flooring on a body that can survive the most challenging interior environments. Onyx elevates this category with a super wide 9" plank featuring Embossed In Register (EIR) texture, for an ultra-realistic wood experience, and a robust, commercially rated wear layer. GemCore boasts an array of advantages over other types of flooring, including superior stability, dent & heat resistance, and 100% waterproof performance

The Owners of a home that had been consumed by the moving dunes of Lake Michigan wanted a home that would not only stand the test of aesthetic time, but survive the vicissitudes of the environment. With the assistance of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as well as the consulting civil engineer and the City of Grand Haven Zoning Department, a soil stabilization site plan was developed based on raising the new home’s main floor elevation by almost three feet, implementing erosion studies, screen walls and planting indigenous, drought tolerant xeriscaping. The screen walls, as well as the low profile of the home and the use of sand trapping marrum beachgrass all help to create a wind shadow buffer around the home and reduce blowing sand erosion and accretion. The Owners wanted to minimize the stylistic baggage which consumes most “cottage” residences, and with the Architect created a home with simple lines focused on the view and the natural environment. Sustainable energy requirements on a budget directed the design decisions regarding the SIPs panel insulation, energy systems, roof shading, other insulation systems, lighting and detailing. Easily constructed and linear, the home harkens back to mid century modern pavilions with present day environmental sensitivities and harmony with the site. James Yochum

Confederate Jasmine - Dan & Kim's house
This is an example of a small partial sun backyard formal garden in Atlanta for spring.

Inspiration for a southwestern landscaping in Phoenix.

You want something solid. Lived in and comfortable. Warm and rich looking. Soft and easy to the touch as if waxed and polished by generations of housemaids. Madras travel desk has brass campaign corners to survive damage during challenging moves across the country or even oceans. After all, our furniture is made to travel well.