This early-70’s floating home was purchased by a recently returned Santa Barbara native looking for a home that would mesh with his active and creative lifestyle. However, weakened by over 50 years of exposure to a marine environment, the craft needed significant updates to its flotation system, structural framing, walls, and interior. Inspired by the dwellings of coastal Swedish towns, Archipelago Workshop provided iterative design concepts, structural engineering guidance, technical drawings, and no small amount of moral support as the owner and his father addressed 40-plus years of deferred maintenance. The fully redesigned two-story dwelling is highly crafted using a ship builder’s mindset. At the center core of the plan’s pinwheel design, a stairwell creates vertical circulation and delineates the long axes that define the highly rectilinear design. Mindfully placed windows enhance both privacy and views and capitalize on prevailing winds. With a first-floor design studio that also houses his surfboard collection, it is now the perfect live-work space for its adventuresome owner and guests.

This early-70’s floating home was purchased by a recently returned Santa Barbara native looking for a home that would mesh with his active and creative lifestyle. However, weakened by over 50 years of exposure to a marine environment, the craft needed significant updates to its flotation system, structural framing, walls, and interior. Inspired by the dwellings of coastal Swedish towns, Archipelago Workshop provided iterative design concepts, structural engineering guidance, technical drawings, and no small amount of moral support as the owner and his father addressed 40-plus years of deferred maintenance. The fully redesigned two-story dwelling is highly crafted using a ship builder’s mindset. At the center core of the plan’s pinwheel design, a stairwell creates vertical circulation and delineates the long axes that define the highly rectilinear design. Mindfully placed windows enhance both privacy and views and capitalize on prevailing winds. With a first-floor design studio that also houses his surfboard collection, it is now the perfect live-work space for its adventuresome owner and guests.

This early-70’s floating home was purchased by a recently returned Santa Barbara native looking for a home that would mesh with his active and creative lifestyle. However, weakened by over 50 years of exposure to a marine environment, the craft needed significant updates to its flotation system, structural framing, walls, and interior. Inspired by the dwellings of coastal Swedish towns, Archipelago Workshop provided iterative design concepts, structural engineering guidance, technical drawings, and no small amount of moral support as the owner and his father addressed 40-plus years of deferred maintenance. The fully redesigned two-story dwelling is highly crafted using a ship builder’s mindset. At the center core of the plan’s pinwheel design, a stairwell creates vertical circulation and delineates the long axes that define the highly rectilinear design. Mindfully placed windows enhance both privacy and views and capitalize on prevailing winds. With a first-floor design studio that also houses his surfboard collection, it is now the perfect live-work space for its adventuresome owner and guests.

This early-70’s floating home was purchased by a recently returned Santa Barbara native looking for a home that would mesh with his active and creative lifestyle. However, weakened by over 50 years of exposure to a marine environment, the craft needed significant updates to its flotation system, structural framing, walls, and interior. Inspired by the dwellings of coastal Swedish towns, Archipelago Workshop provided iterative design concepts, structural engineering guidance, technical drawings, and no small amount of moral support as the owner and his father addressed 40-plus years of deferred maintenance. The fully redesigned two-story dwelling is highly crafted using a ship builder’s mindset. At the center core of the plan’s pinwheel design, a stairwell creates vertical circulation and delineates the long axes that define the highly rectilinear design. Mindfully placed windows enhance both privacy and views and capitalize on prevailing winds. With a first-floor design studio that also houses his surfboard collection, it is now the perfect live-work space for its adventuresome owner and guests.

Large minimalist two-story stone exterior home photo

Inspiration for a large modern gray two-story stone exterior home remodel

The homeowner prefers a graphic, woodsy look and used the theme in the kitchen nook for soft goods. Fabrics are performance so that pets may enjoy the sunshine on the window bench without worry.

Large minimalist gray two-story stone exterior home photo

Home built by JMA (Jim Murphy and Associates); designed by Ned Forrest, Forrest Architects. Photo credit: Tim Maloney, Technical Imagery Studios. This home's Mediterranean design provides thick, plastered masonry walls, deeply recessed windows and cast concrete pavers that help to keep the home cool and comfortable in the hot summer months. The winters are equally moderate, thanks to the radiant heating system in the floors. The smoothness of the exterior plaster walls is juxtaposed against the rough texture in the dark, wooden siding. This rough texture is echoed by the board-formed concrete in the home's foundation, columns and column wall which overlooks the solar-heated pool. In addition to the two-story, three bedroom home, the project includes an upper floor studio with its own exterior staircase, a detached garage and the swimming pool and patio.

Large minimalist two-story stone exterior home photo

This four-story Victorian revival was amazing to see unfold; from replacing the foundation, building out the 1st floor, hoisting structural steel into place, and upgrading to in-floor radiant heat. This gorgeous “Old Lady” got all the bells and whistles. This quintessential Victorian presented itself with all the complications imaginable when bringing an early 1900’s home back to life. Our favorite task? The Custom woodwork: hand carving and installing over 200 florets to match historical home details. Anyone would be hard-pressed to see the transitions from existing to new, but we invite you to come and try for yourselves!

LED step lights are recessed into the concrete wall to provide soft light on the patio. In the kitchen the shelves floating on the concrete wall are back lit with LED strip lights. Additional kitchen lighting is achieved with fluorescents mounted above and below the cabinets. A pendant hangs within the breakfast nook. Photography: Joe Fletcher Architect: Feldman Architecture

Home built by JMA (Jim Murphy and Associates); designed by Ned Forrest, Forrest Architects. Photo credit: Tim Maloney, Technical Imagery Studios. This home's Mediterranean design provides thick, plastered masonry walls, deeply recessed windows and cast concrete pavers that help to keep the home cool and comfortable in the hot summer months. The winters are equally moderate, thanks to the radiant heating system in the floors. The smoothness of the exterior plaster walls is juxtaposed against the rough texture in the dark, wooden siding. This rough texture is echoed by the board-formed concrete in the home's foundation, columns and column wall which overlooks the solar-heated pool. In addition to the two-story, three bedroom home, the project includes an upper floor studio with its own exterior staircase, a detached garage and the swimming pool and patio.

rchitectural Metal Refinishing & Exterior Steel Restoration Refinishing multi-story exterior steel staircases demands precise technical execution and high-performance coating systems. For this Chicago residential project, we restored a multi-tier steel structure featuring non-slip diamond-plate treads, delivering a flawless high-gloss finish that elevates the building's exterior aesthetic. Our process combines thorough mechanical surface preparation with chemical rust conversion. We apply specialized Sherwin-Williams Direct-To-Metal (DTM) rust-inhibiting primers followed by two coats of premium enamel finish. Hand-brushed application ensures total penetration on structural joints, handrails, and tread edges. Windy City Painters executes elevated residential metal refinishing, commercial coating, and custom interior drywall restoration. Our full-time craftspeople manage every site detail directly, guaranteeing precision execution and immaculate white-glove cleanup. Visit our website: https://www.windypainters.com Connect with us online: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/windycitypainters/ Nextdoor: https://nextdoor.com/page/windy-painters-chicago-chicago-il/ Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/windy-city-painters-chicago-2 Houzz: https://www.houzz.com/pro/windycitypainters Our Services Include: Interior & Exterior Residential Painting Commercial Painting Services Professional Wallpaper Installation & Removal Drywall & Water Damage Repair Custom Accent Walls Rust Treatment & Metal Porch/Fence Painting Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing

design: Studio TOOP, 2008 location: Driebergen, NL status: built in 2008, Tuinvreugd photo: Jolanthe Lalkens, 2010 A letter from the town of Driebergen explaining that there were subsidies available if residents wanted to build a rainwater catchment in their garden was the impulse necessary for Ben and Ine to finally redo their garden. About to start retirement they had more time to garden and enjoy being at home. Ine hd been a gardener for years and looked for the opportunity to spend more time on the hobby and Ben was already working out the technical details of the rainwater catchment and ponds. Studio TOOP helped them translate their wishes and interests into a clear design that made smart use of the small elevation change in the garden. Sequences of steps and raised beds separate each section of the garden. Three lines - a row of three ponds, a row of crab apple trees and a rose covered pergola - emphasize the gardens length. Each pond is 15 cm lower than the next, allowing the water to flows from one to another, and then to another lower lying pond at the end of the pergola. Under a lid that works as a bench integrated into two of the raised beds are the rainwater tanks.

Airport codes are among the most concise and recognisable symbols of international travel. Created to identify destinations with precision, three-letter combinations such as FRA, JFK and SYD have acquired a meaning that extends far beyond logistics. They can evoke the memory of an arrival, the feeling of returning home or the anticipation of a journey still to come. The Skypak Airline Trolley – Airport Codes Edition translates this universal visual language into a distinctive piece of contemporary furniture. Airport codes in a dot-matrix-inspired typeface extend across the door and side panels, giving the characteristic trolley silhouette a graphic identity connected to destinations around the world. Constructed from aluminium and stainless steel, the full-size trolley measures approximately 103 centimetres high, 30 centimetres wide and 40 centimetres deep. Its compact proportions preserve valuable floor space, while integrated wheels allow it to be moved easily between different areas. The interior can be individually configured with drawers, shelves and storage elements. In the contemporary home office shown here, dark wooden drawers introduce warmth and material contrast, while the open lower shelves provide accessible storage for books, devices and everyday work essentials. Positioned beside the desk, the trolley functions as a mobile storage cabinet without visually overwhelming the room. Its flexibility also allows the Airport Codes Edition to take on different roles in other interiors. It can serve as an exclusive minibar in a private residence, a mobile bar in a lounge, a coffee station in an office or a compact service and storage unit in a hotel suite. This versatility reflects Skypak’s approach to functional design: creating furniture that combines mobility, technical clarity and a strong visual narrative. For architects and interior designers, the trolley offers a characterful focal point that can be integrated into residential, hospitality and executive environments. More than a practical storage solution, the Airline Trolley – Airport Codes Edition expresses an enduring fascination with aviation and the personal stories associated with destinations around the world. (AI-assisted visualalisation of a real product.)

Photos images: Courtesy of the Homeowners At the end of a dirt road in southern Vermont is a stunning timber and stone residence designed to resemble a small medieval Anglo-Norman manor house originally constructed in the 16th century. According to the owners, a husband and wife with a keen interest in both ancient and modern architecture, the 5,000 sq. ft. home was built slowly over eleven years by highly skilled craftsmen in order to complete all of the authentic hand-planed interior details. The craftsmen then spent an additional two years building the adjacent “ancient“ barn. “We always knew we wanted to take down a delapidated 19th-century hay barn and replace it with something of the period of the house,“ the husband said. The owners designed the barn and began to consider zinc for the roof after looking at northern European architecture and discovering that zinc has been used extensively in Europe for 300 years. Approximately 4,200 sq. ft. of RHEINZINK prePATINA bright rolled Double Lock Standing Seam Roof Panels were utilized to roof the white oak structure. The bright rolled material was selected deliberately in order to achieve the “naturally aged look“ that the owners were seeking. “It’s gone almost immediately to a soft grey which is what we hoped would happen. As the years go by, the color of the weathering white oak and the aging zinc will come together in a dusty grey. Seeing this building in the fog five years from now will feel like seeing a 500-year-old ghost barn floating in the hills of Vermont.“ Installation of the RHEINZINK panels was done by Cold Hollow Contracting, Burlington, VT. “These folks had serious zinc-roofing experience and were clearly the most craft-oriented of all the roofers we met with,“ according to the husband. The main focus was getting an “old look“ as quickly as possible, said Tim Heaghney, co-owner of Cold Hollow Contracting. “That’s really what makes the bright rolled so special—it ages quickly. We fabricated the 28 ft. panels on site and did the flashing fabrication in our shop. Many of the normal sheet metal skills apply to the zinc although we relied heavily on the RHEINZINK installation manual as well as personal support from their technical people. We used a radius cut and fold at the eve termination as opposed to the typical detail used in steel and copper where it‘s just cut at the 90 for the drip edge. The roof was steep but we do a lot of steeples and domes so we’re comfortable working at heights.“ The installers also utilized RHEINZINK’s AIR-Z structured underlayment to provide an air-gap behind the zinc. The RHEINZINK distributor on the project was Beacon Sales, Shelburne, VT

Small elegant gray one-story mixed siding gable roof photo in Charleston