Tim Lee
Dining room - mid-sized transitional dining room idea in New York with orange walls

Brantley Photography
Trendy bedroom photo in Miami

Example of a trendy medium tone wood floor and brown floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Other with white walls and no fireplace

Brantley Photography
Game room - contemporary dark wood floor and brown floor game room idea in Miami with white walls

John Umberger Photography
Living room - tropical formal living room idea in Jacksonville with beige walls

Inspiration for a contemporary white tile and mosaic tile freestanding bathtub remodel in New York with a trough sink, flat-panel cabinets and white cabinets

Photo Credit: Scott Hargis
Example of a trendy concrete floor bedroom design in Los Angeles with black walls

Susan Friday Photography
Inspiration for a shabby-chic style living room remodel in Houston with white walls and a standard fireplace

Brantley Photography
Example of a trendy kids' room design in Miami

Brantley Photography
Inspiration for a timeless master multicolored floor freestanding bathtub remodel in Miami with gray walls

Deck - traditional backyard deck idea in Los Angeles with a roof extension

Brantley Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary freestanding desk light wood floor and beige floor home office remodel in Miami

DeClutter With Sarah
Kitchen - kitchen idea in Other

Susan Pickering Photography
Example of a classic galley light wood floor seated home bar design in Los Angeles with dark wood cabinets

Susan Fisher Plotner/Susan Fisher Photography
Beach style three-story exterior home photo in New York

This gem of a house was built in the 1950s, when its neighborhood undoubtedly felt remote. The university footprint has expanded in the 70 years since, however, and today this home sits on prime real estate—easy biking and reasonable walking distance to campus. When it went up for sale in 2017, it was largely unaltered. Our clients purchased it to renovate and resell, and while we all knew we'd need to add square footage to make it profitable, we also wanted to respect the neighborhood and the house’s own history. Swedes have a word that means “just the right amount”: lagom. It is a guiding philosophy for us at SYH, and especially applied in this renovation. Part of the soul of this house was about living in just the right amount of space. Super sizing wasn’t a thing in 1950s America. So, the solution emerged: keep the original rectangle, but add an L off the back. With no owner to design with and for, SYH created a layout to appeal to the masses. All public spaces are the back of the home--the new addition that extends into the property’s expansive backyard. A den and four smallish bedrooms are atypically located in the front of the house, in the original 1500 square feet. Lagom is behind that choice: conserve space in the rooms where you spend most of your time with your eyes shut. Put money and square footage toward the spaces in which you mostly have your eyes open. In the studio, we started calling this project the Mullet Ranch—business up front, party in the back. The front has a sleek but quiet effect, mimicking its original low-profile architecture street-side. It’s very Hoosier of us to keep appearances modest, we think. But get around to the back, and surprise! lofted ceilings and walls of windows. Gorgeous.

Photography © Claudia Uribe-Touri
Minimalist beige floor dining room photo in Miami with white walls and no fireplace

Photo Credit: Scott Hargis
Home office - contemporary freestanding desk home office idea in Los Angeles with blue walls

John G Wilbanks Photography
Kitchen pantry - large transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen pantry idea in Seattle with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island