Preserving the character of an historic home with sympathetic design ideas. Especially, helping our clients navigate the design and preservation building process. New Addition with Kitchen/Family Room with Master Suite above.

The two story renovation of this beach property required new stairs. Decorative steel stringers, guardrails, and handrails are sympathetic to the design of the fences and other steel structural details. The used brick walls match the brick pilasters at the garage doors. The mailbox structure is encased in a used-brick monument that matches the low walls.

HAWTHORNE HAMPTONS The Hawthorne House is a fusion between the Classic Queenslander and Hampton style home. The Harmony between the 2-style work well together and we had to be sympathetic to the existing pre-1946 character home. The street scape had to be fused together between old and new so the house read as one and would stand the test of time. The clients brief was to make the house more functional for the family with more space and usable areas that connected all spaces to the outdoors. The lower rooms still had to capture natural light and breeze but have a connection to the outdoor courtyard area. The current house lacked views of the Brisbane city so the key for the design was to enhance the city views from the upstairs living areas with large doors and windows that framed the city. The client particular wanted WOW features in the house. Upon arriving at the entrance, a large void/Entrance carries your attention up through the house with the stunning coffered ceilings and wainscoting drawings your eyes to the upper floors. The 1st floor was all about connecting the living areas together while enjoying the amazing Brisbane city views. The heart of the house is the Kitchen that connects the indoors and outdoors together. Outdoors is where the family can enjoy their summer days around the pool area.Hawthorne House is a truly stunning house with Hampton details that make this house a truly enjoyable house to live in.

Situated along the perimeter of the property, this unique home creates a continuous street wall, both preserving plenty of open yard space and maintaining privacy from the prominent street corner. A one-story mudroom connects the garage to the house at the rear of the lot which required a local zoning variance. The resulting L-shaped plan and the central location of a glass-enclosed stair allow natural light to enter the home from multiple sides of nearly every room. The Arts & Crafts inspired detailing creates a familiar yet unique facade that is sympathetic to the character and scale of the neighborhood. A chevron pattern is a key design element on the window bays and doors and continues inside throughout the interior of the home. 2022 NAHB Platinum Best in American Living Award View more of this home through #BBAModernCraftsman on Instagram.

Inspiration for a huge mid-century modern split-level house exterior remodel in Portland with a metal roof

Innovative design and smart planning create a lush, private outdoor space. This client’s outdoor courtyard came with a number of interesting challenges—including limited access, structural hurdles, and existing landscape design. The D. A. Dunlevy team built a custom ramp to create ingress from the street, allowing us to bring in all of the materials and plantings.The courtyard has been transformed into a private, tucked-away place for the owners to relax with morning coffee, escape with a good book, or provide an overflow area for visiting guests. The design remained sympathetic to existing architecture and landscaping, utilizing black granite stepping stones and other elements to create cohesion. Clean lines were established with a modern custom bench and stone planter wall. The greenery was chosen to create a simple and structured feel, using narrow European Hornbeam trees for an aerial hedge and adding in boxwoods, nandina, hellebores, and creeping Jenny to round out the verdant, calming effect.

Concrete pavers in colors sympathetic to the stone on the house leads from the driveway to the side of the house. A 1/4" thick steel retaining wall was used because the space was so narrow. It terminates in the boulder at the end.

Situated along the perimeter of the property, this unique home creates a continuous street wall, both preserving plenty of open yard space and maintaining privacy from the prominent street corner. A one-story mudroom connects the garage to the house at the rear of the lot which required a local zoning variance. The resulting L-shaped plan and the central location of a glass-enclosed stair allow natural light to enter the home from multiple sides of nearly every room. The Arts & Crafts inspired detailing creates a familiar yet unique facade that is sympathetic to the character and scale of the neighborhood. A chevron pattern is a key design element on the window bays and doors and continues inside throughout the interior of the home. 2022 NAHB Platinum Best in American Living Award View more of this home through #BBAModernCraftsman on Instagram.

The owners of this historic house on a promontory surrounded by water asked Morpurgo Architects to maximize ocean views while expanding their home for their growing family. Conforming to The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission’s requirements, our modifications to the existing structure are sympathetic to the original Stuccoed Mission-style and contextually in keeping with neighboring historic homes. This challenging site presented numerous constraints, including adherence to oceanfront setbacks and environmental and zoning regulations. We overcame imposing restrictions to develop a dynamic plan that fulfilled the clients’ programmatic and aesthetic needs. The kitchen was identified by our clients as the focal point of family activity. We maximized this lifestyle concept by developing the kitchen into a spacious living area with commanding views of the water. Renovations to the third floor allowed Morpurgo Architects to create an outdoor space offering a panorama of the historic surrounding communities.

Located in the Heritage Neighborhood of Austin, TX, it was important for the Architecture to maintain the scale and material of the original 1920-era cottage, and for the landscape work to remain sympathetic to the neighboring houses.

The customers wanted a retirement home that would accommodate guests. Several design options were presented that took advantage of the site features and views, while accommodating guests and preserving the owner’s privacy. This home was nestled into a hilly site bisected by a large drainage swale. A bridge crossing the drainage swale unified the two halves of the home and provided a dramatic entry. All of the owners’ main living spaces were on one level, and two guest suites were provided in different parts of the home away from the owners’ living area. The design of the home captures the wonderful views from most living areas. The landscaping, shape, form, and materials—stone, stucco, heavy timbering, and a metal roof—offer protection from the desert sun but remain sympathetic to the surrounding environment. Work completed while at SBA.

Custom designed pool house that needed to act as a folly and also be sympathetic to the historic estate and the historic district where it is located. New Lap pool and refurbishment of existing pool.

This beautiful residence was in need of repairs and a 2 bedroom extension to accommodate the family of five who love the home and wished to restore and extend sympathetically in keeping with the feel and character charm of the property. They worked with Smith & Sons to create a stunning home which would meet their needs for years to come.

While being the new kid on the block, this home was designed to be a good neighbor to it's older surroundings. Progressive in materiality, fenestration and detailing but sympathetic in scale and form. It provides the homeowners privacy from the street but is very open to the backyard and the southern sun exposure afforded there. While the home is not certified, it subscribes to many Passive House principles which means it provides a very comfortable environment with good indoor air quality as well as reducing energy consumption. To further tread lightly on the planet, the home is all electric thereby directly excluding the use of fossil fuels. Alternative energy is provided by geothermal and solar photovoltaic systems. The homeowners are also big proponents of local bike culture and have prioritized bike use with an attached bike garage that also serves as a space for training and repairs, and a small bike trail looping the urban property.

Originally a ranch, this house was lifted after Hurricane Hugo and added onto un-sympathetically at the rear. It had a strange layout with multiple levels, small bedrooms, and closed off spaces. Our task was to transform the home for modern living. Create indoor / outdoor connections to a new pool, kitchen and the everyday spaces used most. The transformation from a 'pink palace' to a modern showpiece gave the owners living space to entertain and enjoy their home with friends & extended family. Photos by Newport653

This project for a builder husband and interior-designer wife involved adding onto and restoring the luster of a c. 1883 Carpenter Gothic cottage in Barrington that they had occupied for years while raising their two sons. They were ready to ditch their small tacked-on kitchen that was mostly isolated from the rest of the house, views/daylight, as well as the yard, and replace it with something more generous, brighter, and more open that would improve flow inside and out. They were also eager for a better mudroom, new first-floor 3/4 bath, new basement stair, and a new second-floor master suite above. The design challenge was to conceive of an addition and renovations that would be in balanced conversation with the original house without dwarfing or competing with it. The new cross-gable addition echoes the original house form, at a somewhat smaller scale and with a simplified more contemporary exterior treatment that is sympathetic to the old house but clearly differentiated from it. Renovations included the removal of replacement vinyl windows by others and the installation of new Pella black clad windows in the original house, a new dormer in one of the son’s bedrooms, and in the addition. At the first-floor interior intersection between the existing house and the addition, two new large openings enhance flow and access to daylight/view and are outfitted with pairs of salvaged oversized clear-finished wooden barn-slider doors that lend character and visual warmth. A new exterior deck off the kitchen addition leads to a new enlarged backyard patio that is also accessible from the new full basement directly below the addition. (Interior fit-out and interior finishes/fixtures by the Owners)

This beautiful residence was in need of repairs and a 2 bedroom extension to accommodate the family of five who love the home and wished to restore and extend sympathetically in keeping with the feel and character charm of the property. They worked with Smith & Sons to create a stunning home which would meet their needs for years to come.

The bedrooms are sympathetic to the design of the building in the colour palette and structure. All sleeping quarters are finished to a high standard, creating a relaxing ambience. The ensuite bathrooms are each given their own distinct character. The master bedroom’s ensuite is more faithful to Neo-classical design principles with its ornate finishes. Whereas the guest bedroom ensuite bathrooms have a more quirky character thanks to their Cole & Son, Arte, and Pierre Frey wallpapers

Set in the heavily treed neighbourhood of Minneola, this project was developed in a way to be sympathetic to its mature trees and woodland views. The negative-edge pool is predominantly viewed from inside the home, while the outdoor kitchen, fireplace and dinning are clearly for entertaining. The surrounding forest provides a rich backdrop and seclusion.