Photography by Angle Eye Photography
Mid-sized elegant master dark wood floor bedroom photo in Philadelphia with white walls and no fireplace

Photography by Angle Eye Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless enclosed dark wood floor living room remodel in Philadelphia with brown walls, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace and no tv

Angle Eye Photography
Classic back porch idea in Philadelphia with a roof extension and decking

The guiding concept was to create a sense of place that balances the theatrical with feelings of serenity, joy, and retreat from the sprawling city. Low maintenance elements such as concrete pavers, ipe, gravel, Agaves, Fortnight Lillies, Ornamental Plums, and Cape Rush are sympathetic to the demands of the client's busy schedule. Photo: Eric Brandon Gomez

Hillside Modernism In Context. The owners of this modern hillside home sought to have a home in a nice Los Angeles neighborhood wherein they could raise their burgeoning family. The owners purchased a 1948 2000sf, single story, 2 bedroom English Cottage styled home (believed to have been originally owned by Yul Brynner) on a ½ acre hillside site in the exclusive Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The property slopes downward away from the street and overlooks a mini eucalyptus arroyo. The owners love their new location but are now faced-with having to raise their new and growing family on a hillside with extremely limited yard spaces for children to play and in a location where nature is very close – deer as well as coyotes wander the arroyo. In 2000 the owners commissioned architect Richard Best to add 2500sf to the cottage and transform it into a home more fitting to their growing family’s needs. Subsequently, in 2014/15, the owners again commissioned Richard to create a 2-story master suite addition. Living in or visiting the completed project - the original 1948 home remodeled + the 2000 addition + the 2014/15 addition, one goes through an unexpected and delightful experience as the spaces of the home “unfold” to reveal intimacy and environmental immersion. It was important to Richard and to the owners that their remodels and additions be appropriately designed to fit into the neighborhood and have the feel, scale, and soul of the original cottage. With this in-mind, Richard has interpreted the design intentions of the original cottage - “modernizing” the architectural vocabulary and creating open-plan, 2-story additions which promote site “engagement” at various floor levels and openness to the outdoors in a manner clearly inspired by the original cottage, yet modern. At the front door of the original (still remains as it was) 1948 structure, one is presented with a quaint a low-slung entry which establishes a very comfortable sense of scale. Inside, the remodeled spaces of the original cottage exude comfort and a cozy sensibility evoked by the reuse of the original home’s exposed timber framing structure, open-plan circulation, and an inventive two-sided steel fireplace which acts as a room divider between the living room and a home office. Accordion wood doors connect these rooms to a newly formed outdoor rear patio. At this point one also gets ones first hint that something very interesting is happening just beyond – a glimpse of the 2000 & 2014/15 additions. Moving from the original 1948 structure into the 2-story 2000 addition, one is greeted by a modern and open linear floor plan arrangement – a kitchen, casual dining and family room extend perpendicularly from the 1948 structure into the rear yard and down the hillside. The open framed cathedral ceiling and wood roof trusses establish a lofty feeling and a rhythm discretely separating the open rooms one from the other. Extensive use of windows and French doors connect the indoors to the outdoors and provide abundant natural lighting. This new appendage ends with a symmetrical family room which has no corners – it is a geometry composed of two overlapped squares - one rotated 45 degrees atop the other to create double opportunities for bay windows. The design not only connects the home to the desired exterior flat yards spaces, but it also takes full advantage of the sloping terrain by adding a floor below the original level so as to maintain a scale appropriate to the neighborhood. The exterior materials were chosen taking “hints” from the original 1948 structure – natural redwood siding, reused brick veneer and wood doors/windows all serving to aesthetically connect the addition back-to the spirit of the original structure. By 2014/15 the owners’ family has fully blossomed - the children are now teenagers and there is a need for additional space. However, the owners are very content with their remodeled cottage and Richard’s 2000 addition – unsure how to add to a home which they feel is quite perfect as it is … wanting whatever changes are to be made to be sympathetic to it. They are also concerned about potential additions blocking-out their views of the eucalyptus arroyo. The owners approached Richard with trepidation – we love our perfect house but we need it to be a bit bigger and we don’t want to block-out the arroyo views or create a hemmed-in feeling – how can we add but still see the arroyo. In response Richard created a private yet connected 2-story master suite, which by its positioning, dynamic geometries and extensive glazing create the fourth side of the former rear patio, making it into exterior courtyard with views around and through the new addition into the arroyo. A dynamic angularity in the new master addition (inspired by the 2000 addition) simultaneously reduces the apparent size/presence of the master suite addition on the edge of the eucalyptus arroyo while creating framed views into the arroyo from the newly formed courtyard. The new master suite - a master bathroom, master closet and a master sleeping loft each having exterior decks and/or patios, is connected back to the 2000 addition via a glazed hallway which provides a sense of connectedness and privacy. A modern rustic aesthetic of exposed board-formed concrete, natural finished Corten steel exterior cladding, frameless metal windows, and clear finished Douglas Fir planks serve to “extend” the soul of the original cottage into the master suite. The project is a highly sustainable design as well. Energy use is reduced by employing a high efficiency heat pump heating and cooling system, dual paned/gasketed metal window/door systems, natural lighting through a Kalwall skylight and generous exterior glazing with extensive eaves for shading, rigid roof insulation, and earthen backing – the lower floor is up-against the hillside which tends to even-out the day/night temperature differential. Credits: Architecture & Interior Design: Richard Best Architect Inc. Structural Engineering: Dan Echeto & David Choi Associates Interior Decor: Noelle Schoop Landscape: Connie Heitzman Photos: Carmel McFayden and Adriano Sarmento / James Porschen

Mud room and kids entrance This project is a new 5,900 sf. primary residence for a couple with three children. The site is slightly elevated above the residential street and enjoys winter views of the Potomac River. The family’s requirements included five bedrooms, five full baths, a powder room, family room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, walk-in pantry, mudroom, lower level recreation room, exercise room, media room and numerous storage spaces. Also included was the request for an outdoor terrace and adequate outdoor storage, including provision for the storage of bikes and kayaks. The family needed a home that would have two entrances, the primary entrance, and a mudroom entry that would provide generous storage spaces for the family’s active lifestyle. Due to the small lot size, the challenge was to accommodate the family’s requirements, while remaining sympathetic to the scale of neighboring homes. The residence employs a “T” shaped plan to aid in minimizing the massing visible from the street, while organizing interior spaces around a private outdoor terrace space accessible from the living and dining spaces. A generous front porch and a gambrel roof diminish the home’s scale, providing a welcoming view along the street front. A path along the right side of the residence leads to the family entrance and a small outbuilding that provides ready access to the bikes and kayaks while shielding the rear terrace from view of neighboring homes. The two entrances join a central stair hall that leads to the eat-in kitchen overlooking the great room. Window seats and a custom built banquette provide gathering spaces, while the French doors connect the great room to the terrace where the arbor transitions to the garden. A first floor guest suite, separate from the family areas of the home, affords privacy for both guests and hosts alike. The second floor Master Suite enjoys views of the Potomac River through a second floor arched balcony visible from the front. The exterior is composed of a board and batten first floor with a cedar shingled second floor and gambrel roof. These two contrasting materials and the inclusion of a partially recessed front porch contribute to the perceived diminution of the home’s scale relative to its smaller neighbors. The overall intention was to create a close fit between the residence and the neighboring context, both built and natural. Builder: E.H. Johnstone Builders Anice Hoachlander Photography

Patio photo in New York

Subsequent additions are covered with living green walls to deemphasize stylistic conflicts imposed on a 1940’s Tudor and become backdrop surrounding a kitchen addition. On the interior, further added architectural inconsistencies are edited away, and the language of the Tudor’s original reclaimed integrity is referenced for the addition. Sympathetic to the home, windows and doors remain untrimmed and stark plaster walls contrast the original black metal windows. Sharp black elements contrast fields of white. With a ceiling pitch matching the existing and chiseled dormers, a stark ceiling hovers over the kitchen space referencing the existing homes plaster walls. Grid members in windows and on saw scored paneled walls and cabinetry mirror the machine age windows as do exposed steel beams. The exaggerated white field is pierced by an equally exaggerated 13 foot black steel tower that references the existing homes steel door and window members. Glass shelves in the tower further the window parallel. Even though it held enough dinner and glassware for eight, its thin members and transparent shelves defy its massive nature, allow light to flow through it and afford the kitchen open views and the feeling of continuous space. The full glass at the end of the kitchen reveres a grouping of 50 year old Hemlocks. At the opposite end, a window close to the peak looks up to a green roof.

Falcon House is located on Falcon Ridge Road, which winds along a steeply inclined ridge in a stretch of foothills within Carmel Valley in Monterey County. An old lichen covered barn and split rail, cedar fences characterize this area known as Markham Ranch, and contrast sharply with the preponderance of sprawling, large estate-style homes, many more at-home in the Italian countryside than any landscape of California. Designed for a young family, Falcon House responds to the family’s desire to live a more modest lifestyle, eschewing overt displays of extravagance for an intimate and deferential relation to nature. The 3,200-square-foot residence occupies a difficult portion of the northern slope of a hillside, overlooking a verdant valley and oriented toward Castle Rock in the distance. The steep terrain necessitated a compartmentalized plan capable of negotiating the gentle hillock at the center of the site. A corridor bridge spans two pieces of the house, uniting living and sleeping spaces and allowing an existing watercourse to flow essentially through the house unobstructed. Large panels of glass open the living spaces to the landscape, beneath the deep overhang of a butterfly roof. Operable clerestories placed high on the window-wall allow prevailing breezes to cool the interior spaces. The bedroom wing of the house hugs the hillside as it turns to the west, ensuring privacy from the main living spaces. The sense of seclusion and protection of this wing is reinforced by its lower roofline and its embedment into the hill. Initial resistance by neighboring homeowners has given way to appreciation, having seen the results of careful siting and a material and color palate sympathetic to the surrounding hillsides. The dwelling embodies an attitude of respect for the landscape, and through that perspective Falcon House has become as natural a part of its environment as the hawks flying overhead. 2008 AIA Orange County Chapter Merit Award

©️Maxwell MacKenzie Slate countertops and wood hood are features in the kitchen. THE HOME, ESSENTIALLY A RUIN WAS PRESERVED THROUGH NEGLECT. A CLARIFIED HISTORIC RENOVATION REMOVES BAY WINDOWS AND 1950’S WINDOWS FROM THE MAIN FAÇADE. TWO WINGS AND A THIRD FLOOR AND A SYMPATHETIC STAIRWAY ACCOMMODATE MODERN LIFE. MASONS WERE TASKED TO MAKE THE STONE WORK LOOK AS THOUGH “A FARMER BUILT THE WALLS DURING THE NON-PLANTING SEASON,” THE FINAL DESIGN SIMPLIFIES THE FIRST FLOOR PLAN AND LEAVES LOGICAL LOCATIONS FOR EXPANSION INTO COMING DECADES. AMONG OTHER AWARDS, THIS TRADITIONAL YET HISTORIC RENOVATION LOCATED IN MIDDLEBURG, VA HAS RECEIVED 2 AWARDS FROM THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE.. AND A NATIONAL PRIVATE AWARD FROM VETTE WINDOWS WASHINGTON DC ARCHITECT DONALD LOCOCO UPDATED THIS HISTORIC STONE HOUSE IN MIDDLEBURG, VA.lauded by the American Institute of Architects with an Award of Excellence for Historic Architecture, as well as an Award of Merit for Residential Architecture

The brick found in the backsplash and island was chosen for its sympathetic materiality that is forceful enough to blend in with the native steel, while the bold, fine grain Zebra wood cabinetry coincides nicely with the concrete floors without being too ostentatious. Photo Credit: Mark Woods

Falcon House is located on Falcon Ridge Road, which winds along a steeply inclined ridge in a stretch of foothills within Carmel Valley in Monterey County. An old lichen covered barn and split rail, cedar fences characterize this area known as Markham Ranch, and contrast sharply with the preponderance of sprawling, large estate-style homes, many more at-home in the Italian countryside than any landscape of California. Designed for a young family, Falcon House responds to the family’s desire to live a more modest lifestyle, eschewing overt displays of extravagance for an intimate and deferential relation to nature. The 3,200-square-foot residence occupies a difficult portion of the northern slope of a hillside, overlooking a verdant valley and oriented toward Castle Rock in the distance. The steep terrain necessitated a compartmentalized plan capable of negotiating the gentle hillock at the center of the site. A corridor bridge spans two pieces of the house, uniting living and sleeping spaces and allowing an existing watercourse to flow essentially through the house unobstructed. Large panels of glass open the living spaces to the landscape, beneath the deep overhang of a butterfly roof. Operable clerestories placed high on the window-wall allow prevailing breezes to cool the interior spaces. The bedroom wing of the house hugs the hillside as it turns to the west, ensuring privacy from the main living spaces. The sense of seclusion and protection of this wing is reinforced by its lower roofline and its embedment into the hill. Initial resistance by neighboring homeowners has given way to appreciation, having seen the results of careful siting and a material and color palate sympathetic to the surrounding hillsides. The dwelling embodies an attitude of respect for the landscape, and through that perspective Falcon House has become as natural a part of its environment as the hawks flying overhead. 2008 AIA Orange County Chapter Merit Award

Gertler & Wente Architects was hired to design this 12,000 s.f. residence for a family of five. It is situated, facing west, on Oyster Bay with views of Long Island Sound, Oyster Bay Harbor and Oyster Bay beach. The house was designed to be sympathetic to its context and the history of north shore residences. A range of outdoor terraces, porches, and structures extends the living area of the house into the landscape. The building is mostly steel frame construction. Photography by Edberg Marketing and Tony Calarco

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.

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.

Gertler & Wente Architects was hired to design this 12,000 s.f. residence for a family of five. It is situated, facing west, on Oyster Bay with views of Long Island Sound, Oyster Bay Harbor and Oyster Bay beach. The house was designed to be sympathetic to its context and the history of north shore residences. A range of outdoor terraces, porches, and structures extends the living area of the house into the landscape. The building is mostly steel frame construction. Photography by Edberg Marketing and Tony Calarco

The foyer’s original wainscoting and front stair were restored, while a new, period- appropriate checkered floor was installed to create a handsome and historically sympathetic statement entrance. Photography by Sam Frost.

Falcon House is located on Falcon Ridge Road, which winds along a steeply inclined ridge in a stretch of foothills within Carmel Valley in Monterey County. An old lichen covered barn and split rail, cedar fences characterize this area known as Markham Ranch, and contrast sharply with the preponderance of sprawling, large estate-style homes, many more at-home in the Italian countryside than any landscape of California. Designed for a young family, Falcon House responds to the family’s desire to live a more modest lifestyle, eschewing overt displays of extravagance for an intimate and deferential relation to nature. The 3,200-square-foot residence occupies a difficult portion of the northern slope of a hillside, overlooking a verdant valley and oriented toward Castle Rock in the distance. The steep terrain necessitated a compartmentalized plan capable of negotiating the gentle hillock at the center of the site. A corridor bridge spans two pieces of the house, uniting living and sleeping spaces and allowing an existing watercourse to flow essentially through the house unobstructed. Large panels of glass open the living spaces to the landscape, beneath the deep overhang of a butterfly roof. Operable clerestories placed high on the window-wall allow prevailing breezes to cool the interior spaces. The bedroom wing of the house hugs the hillside as it turns to the west, ensuring privacy from the main living spaces. The sense of seclusion and protection of this wing is reinforced by its lower roofline and its embedment into the hill. Initial resistance by neighboring homeowners has given way to appreciation, having seen the results of careful siting and a material and color palate sympathetic to the surrounding hillsides. The dwelling embodies an attitude of respect for the landscape, and through that perspective Falcon House has become as natural a part of its environment as the hawks flying overhead. 2008 AIA Orange County Chapter Merit Award

Saturday June 20, 10:30am to 12:00pm | Willistown Willistown Country Estate by Allan Summers of Rodney Robinson Landscape Architects, Inc. Situated on 40 acres, this estate is a harmonious composition of the regional vocabulary of the Brandywine Valley, from gentle hills of pastureland and wood lots, to stream valleys, stone walls, and fences. The landscape architects carefully placed the house and outbuildings, entry drive, fences, orchard, swimming pool, and gardens to take advantage of sunlight and the expansive views. The residence, designed by architect John Milner, is inspired by the vernacular fieldstone farmhouses that can be seen throughout the area. At the rear, a terrace and naturalized water feature transition between the house and elegant pool garden beyond. The lush plantings are designed in broad sweeps sympathetic to the scale of the surrounding landscape, juxtaposed against the garden with a more varied palette near the home’s entrance. Photo by Allan Summers