Franklin Lakes NJ. Outdoor Great room with covered structure. A granite topped wet bar under the tv on the mahogany paneled wall. This fantastic room with a tigerwood cieling and Ipe columns has two built in heaters in the cieling to take the chill off while watching football on a crisp fall afternoon or dining at night. In the first picture you can see the gas fire feature built into the round circular bluestone area of the deck. A perfect gathering place under the stars. This is so much more than a deck it is year round outdoor living.

Alongside Jeff King & Company, Marina Blvd., won CotY 2016 National Winner of Landscape Design/Outdoor Living The project was to transform an existing flat roof and master bedroom suite floor into a dramatic deck with kitchen, dining and living areas leading to a stair to an upper deck for America’s Cup race viewing. The existing home is a 3-story 4,000 square foot Spanish Mission-style home built in the 1920’s and sits directly across from the St. Francis Yacht Club on Marina Boulevard in San Francisco – a prime location. No changes were possible for the historic façade and the new construction was to be out of view from the street, as much as possible. Going up the traditionally detailed stairway with decorative railing, you land at the third floor which becomes contemporary in style for the redesigned master bedroom suite, guest bath, sitting room and the roof deck. Large roof decks require careful attention to waterproofing and a Bison pedestal system was used to create a level deck surface and easy maintenance. Heavy ceramic tile pavers were interspersed with walkable in-floor skylights on the main deck with ipe wood floors at the upper deck and stairs. From both the master bedroom and the outdoor deck you can access a sitting room with large pocket or sliding doors to enclose it. If watching the fireworks on July 4th and it gets cold, people can move to the sitting room which has a fireplace to watch in a heated environment. The sitting room gas fireplace is surrounded by steel with a figured steel panel re-purposed from old sea pier metal that has been cleaned and sealed. A guest bath is adjacent to the master bath for guest use. A square recessed pattern tile was used to tie the old Spanish Mission-style feeling into the new more contemporary walls. In a large home that was short on storage, a large built-in armoire was built into the master bathroom for extra capacity. The project took two and a half years to complete including design and construction, in part due to historic reviews by the State of California.

Designed with an open floor plan and layered outdoor spaces, the Onaway is a perfect cottage for narrow lakefront lots. The exterior features elements from both the Shingle and Craftsman architectural movements, creating a warm cottage feel. An open main level skillfully disguises this narrow home by using furniture arrangements and low built-ins to define each spaces’ perimeter. Every room has a view to each other as well as a view of the lake. The cottage feel of this home’s exterior is carried inside with a neutral, crisp white, and blue nautical themed palette. The kitchen features natural wood cabinetry and a long island capped by a pub height table with chairs. Above the garage, and separate from the main house, is a series of spaces for plenty of guests to spend the night. The symmetrical bunk room features custom staircases to the top bunks with drawers built in. The best views of the lakefront are found on the master bedrooms private deck, to the rear of the main house. The open floor plan continues downstairs with two large gathering spaces opening up to an outdoor covered patio complete with custom grill pit.

As a conceptual urban infill project, the Wexley is designed for a narrow lot in the center of a city block. The 26’x48’ floor plan is divided into thirds from front to back and from left to right. In plan, the left third is reserved for circulation spaces and is reflected in elevation by a monolithic block wall in three shades of gray. Punching through this block wall, in three distinct parts, are the main levels windows for the stair tower, bathroom, and patio. The right two-thirds of the main level are reserved for the living room, kitchen, and dining room. At 16’ long, front to back, these three rooms align perfectly with the three-part block wall façade. It’s this interplay between plan and elevation that creates cohesion between each façade, no matter where it’s viewed. Given that this project would have neighbors on either side, great care was taken in crafting desirable vistas for the living, dining, and master bedroom. Upstairs, with a view to the street, the master bedroom has a pair of closets and a skillfully planned bathroom complete with soaker tub and separate tiled shower. Main level cabinetry and built-ins serve as dividing elements between rooms and framing elements for views outside. Architect: Visbeen Architects Builder: J. Peterson Homes Photographer: Ashley Avila Photography

The staircase to the lower level is flanked by a matte black metal railing. Along with two bedrooms, a jack & jill bath, and a powder room, this lower level is also set up for entertaining. A sunken media lounge, game area, walk-up wet bar, and see-through fireplace lounge, all set the lower level as a perfect atmosphere to host your next movie night or big game. Secret room.

The Hollywood Hills Dollhouse - architectural gem and engineering masterpiece! Named to evoke a childhood memory of a dollhouse, this imposing architectural structure has a luxurious front facade and behind a remaining structure that is comprised of almost all glass giving the appearance and feeling of a dollhouse. This stunning gem is incomparable as there is no other house in the Los Angeles area that shares this unique architectural design. This unrivaled property is not the standard rectangular cube seen throughout the Hollywood Hills but an elegant, design-centric structure consisting of wood, glass and steel overlooking the city of Los Angeles and beyond.The rich, glossy Brazilian IPE hardwood that envelops the structure gives the this trophy house its recognizability from miles away, during both daytime and at night. It is brilliantly designed with an entrance that gives way to a sprawling open space with endless possibilities and approximately 13,000 sq feet for living, working and playing. This state-of-the art property was developed and built around three core principles: an unique and recognizable architectural design, endless views and a hotel-like experience. The property stands on a peerless promontory above the heart of the Sunset Strip offering 300+ degrees views. On every level there is a superb wrap-around experience where one can walk from one end of the property to the other while enjoying uninterrupted views. The structure comprises of 4 levels named for their functionality and versatility. First area, also known as the Play, Work & Be Well level is a 4000SF basement level comprised of terrace, orchard and indoor and outdoor space. In this level, there is also a Wellness Center with a twenty-three jet spa, a dry and infrared heat sauna, an aromatherapy Roman bath and a steam room. Also, on this level is what is dubbed the Play room with a red draped theater, game room, and a wine bar and cellar. An indoor-outdoor creative office space with a full-wall whiteboard, desks and conference table called the Work room is next door. Because this house is built with luxury amenities bearing in mind its future residents lifestyle it has an exterior basement stairwell allowing staff, associates, personal trainers, masseuse or stylists to arrive without entering via main entrance. This feature provides an additional level of privacy and decadence. Every detail of this house has been flawlessly curated to provide the utmost quality of luxe living. The Hollywood Hills Dollhouse has an entrance level with almost 2000 square foot ground floor that expands into an opulent 1800 square foot pool deck and catwalk. This area is referred to as Entertain level because it was designed to be the quintessential California experience. It has a spacious living area, full amenities kitchen and a phenomenal pool deck overlooking unique geometrically shaped pool and spa. The exquisite Masterpiece bedroom and three regal, en-suite bedrooms are situated on a sprawling 2,300 square foot floor designed around the breathtaking views. The Masterpiece bedroom, which is the name of master suite, embraces all the concepts that predominate in the creation of this house- modern architecture, energy, breathtaking views, functionality, recognizability, and luxury. The rooftop is named the Take your Breath Away level is an 2,800 square foot open deck with 360-degree views that provides a spectacular visual experience. It was designed to evoke a wondrous reaction in whomever walks towards this space.Each level is named after a verb mainly to illustrate what this monumental 13,000 square foot of meticulously developed space can provide which is a sanctuary to play, work, be well, entertain, rest and enjoy the breathtaking views in a tranquil setting. Simply put, the Hollywood Hills Dollhouse is unmatched in everything it has to offer. It is one of a kind and you will get a sense of awe the minute you set foot in this house beyond comparison.

A heavier looking 36" high outdoor rail detail using a teak color Penofin stain on clear cedar wood set on edge with textured bronze powder coated aluminum balusters and a bronze pyramid decorative post cap. Second level deck using composite decking with decorative wood wrapped post. Post are lagged into treated wood backing material. Photos by Doug Woodside, Decks and Patio Covers

Example of a mid-sized arts and crafts backyard second story mixed material railing deck design in New York with no cover

Example of a mid-sized arts and crafts backyard second story mixed material railing deck design in New York with no cover

Mid-sized arts and crafts backyard second story mixed material railing deck photo in New York with no cover

Deck - mid-sized craftsman backyard second story mixed material railing deck idea in New York with no cover

This wooden deck design in Winston-Salem NC was built low-to-grade or grade level, meaning there was no need for a deck railing. The deck is flanked by full-width stairs on two sides, which also function as decorative ledges or can even be used for seating. This open-air deck is an ideal complement to the adjoining screened in porch, also built by Archadeck of the Piedmont Triad.

Mid-sized arts and crafts backyard second story mixed material railing deck photo in New York with no cover

Inspiration for a mid-sized craftsman backyard second story mixed material railing deck remodel in New York with no cover

Inspiration for a mid-sized craftsman backyard second story mixed material railing deck remodel in New York with no cover

Deck - mid-sized craftsman backyard second story mixed material railing deck idea in New York with no cover

We worked with a family of six to create a light-filled “tree house” on two levels entering across bridges from an existing drive, gardens, and walks privately nestled below the accessing street. The owner envisioned a residence that felt open, full of light, and captured connections between family and private spaces vertically and horizontally. The owners wanted egalitarian spaces to encourage peaceful cohabitation between three generations living in the home. Project Details -Location: Medina, Washington -Size: 4,988.43 SF + 369.37 SF Decks -Cost: $ 331.00 /SF -Photographer:Benjamin Benschneider / The Seattle Times Tim James Rhodes + Josh Meharry / Rhodes Architecture + Light

View of ipe wood deck, full view of new climbing wall garden. Photo by Jason Wells.
Deck - contemporary deck idea in San Francisco

This 3D Render came together after discussions on how to build the cedar deck around the existing landscaping and terrain. The unique deck shape came from this initial consideration. The two levels came from the client's desire to separate the dining experience from the lounge experience.