Living room - huge rustic formal medium tone wood floor living room idea in Dallas with a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace, beige walls and no tv

Mountain style exterior home photo in Minneapolis

Danny Piassick
Example of a country white two-story gable roof design in Dallas

The Mazama house is located in the Methow Valley of Washington State, a secluded mountain valley on the eastern edge of the North Cascades, about 200 miles northeast of Seattle. The house has been carefully placed in a copse of trees at the easterly end of a large meadow. Two major building volumes indicate the house organization. A grounded 2-story bedroom wing anchors a raised living pavilion that is lifted off the ground by a series of exposed steel columns. Seen from the access road, the large meadow in front of the house continues right under the main living space, making the living pavilion into a kind of bridge structure spanning over the meadow grass, with the house touching the ground lightly on six steel columns. The raised floor level provides enhanced views as well as keeping the main living level well above the 3-4 feet of winter snow accumulation that is typical for the upper Methow Valley. To further emphasize the idea of lightness, the exposed wood structure of the living pavilion roof changes pitch along its length, so the roof warps upward at each end. The interior exposed wood beams appear like an unfolding fan as the roof pitch changes. The main interior bearing columns are steel with a tapered “V”-shape, recalling the lightness of a dancer. The house reflects the continuing FINNE investigation into the idea of crafted modernism, with cast bronze inserts at the front door, variegated laser-cut steel railing panels, a curvilinear cast-glass kitchen counter, waterjet-cut aluminum light fixtures, and many custom furniture pieces. The house interior has been designed to be completely integral with the exterior. The living pavilion contains more than twelve pieces of custom furniture and lighting, creating a totality of the designed environment that recalls the idea of Gesamtkunstverk, as seen in the work of Josef Hoffman and the Viennese Secessionist movement in the early 20th century. The house has been designed from the start as a sustainable structure, with 40% higher insulation values than required by code, radiant concrete slab heating, efficient natural ventilation, large amounts of natural lighting, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and locally sourced materials. Windows have high-performance LowE insulated glazing and are equipped with concealed shades. A radiant hydronic heat system with exposed concrete floors allows lower operating temperatures and higher occupant comfort levels. The concrete slabs conserve heat and provide great warmth and comfort for the feet. Deep roof overhangs, built-in shades and high operating clerestory windows are used to reduce heat gain in summer months. During the winter, the lower sun angle is able to penetrate into living spaces and passively warm the exposed concrete floor. Low VOC paints and stains have been used throughout the house. The high level of craft evident in the house reflects another key principle of sustainable design: build it well and make it last for many years! Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

©️Maxwell MacKenzie 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

Mid-century modern one-story wood exterior home photo in San Francisco with a butterfly roof

Cate Black Photography
Example of a farmhouse built-in desk medium tone wood floor and brown floor home office library design in Austin with white walls

Example of a country red two-story exterior home design in Columbus with a gambrel roof

Inspiration for a timeless formal and open concept living room remodel in Miami with white walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and no tv

Triveny Model Home - Home Office
Example of a large classic freestanding desk dark wood floor study room design in Charlotte with beige walls

E.S. Johnson Builders faced a challenge to create an authentic Bucks County farmhouse on a narrow lot with a rear yard that has a steep fall-off. The design goal to create a home that looked as if it was added on to over the last 150 years was achieved by building the main structure with four wings, each wing having its own distinctive look appropriate to the time period. This design created two courtyards, one rear and one front, and the rear second story terrace which overlooks a view of the pool on the lower level and outdoor living area. The sharp drop in the rear elevation gave an opportunity to cascade the outdoor living area. A large whirlpool cascades into the main pool; the main pool then drops again into another small pool complemented by a large arbor and exterior stone fireplace. Despite its historic detailing, it is very functional for the modern family featuring a triple-entrance courtyard, a main entrance that leads to the foyer/gallery, and a study/home office that has a front porch entrance as well as an entrance that leads into a side hall. Many of the interior walls are made of shiplap poplar, the beamed ceiling in the kitchen displays the exposed joists from the floor above, and open rafters in the recreation room are reminiscent of an old large gathering hall. All of the fireplaces are of authentic Pennsylvania fieldstone and the floors are reclaimed wide planks made of Appalachian Red Oak. Eldorado Stone Profile Featured: Veneto Fieldledge with an Overgrout Design Builder/Photographer: Eric Johnson, E.S. Johnson Builders Website: www.esjohnson.com Phone: (704)987-7950

Elegant wooden l-shaped staircase photo in Boston with painted risers

The central, public wing of this residence is elevated 4 feet above grade with a ceiling that rises to opposite corners – to the northwest for visual access to the mountain faces and to the south east for morning light. This is achieved by means of a diagonal valley extending from the southwest entry to the northeast family room. Offset in plan and section, two story, private wings extend north and south forming a ‘pinwheel’ plan which forms distinctly programmed garden spaces in each quadrant. The exterior vocabulary creatively abides the traditional design guidelines of the subdivision, which required gable roofs and wood siding. Inside, the house is open and sleek, using concrete for shear walls and spatial divisions that allow the ceiling to freely sculpt the main space of the residence. A.I.A Wyoming Chapter Design Award of Excellence 2017 Project Year: 2010

San Marino based clients were interested in developing a property that had been in their family for generations. This was an exciting proposition as it was one of the last surviving bayside double lots on the scenic Coronado peninsula in San Diego. They desired a holiday home that would be a gathering place for their large, close- knit family. San Marino based clients were interested in developing a property that had been in their family for generations. This was an exciting proposition as it was one of the last surviving bayside double lots on the scenic Coronado peninsula in San Diego. They desired a holiday home that would be a gathering place for their large, close-knit family. Facing the Back Bay, overlooking downtown and the Bay Bridge, this property presented us with a unique opportunity to design a vacation home with a dual personality. One side faces a bustling harbor with a constant parade of yachts, cargo vessels and military ships while the other opens onto a deep, quiet contemplative garden. The home’s shingle-style influence carries on the historical Coronado tradition of clapboard and Craftsman bungalows built in the shadow of the great Hotel Del Coronado which was erected at the turn of the last century. In order to create an informal feel to the residence, we devised a concept that eliminated the need for a “front door”. Instead, one walks through the garden and enters the “Great Hall” through either one of two French doors flanking a walk-in stone fireplace. Both two-story bedroom wings bookend this central wood beam vaulted room which serves as the “heart of the home”, and opens to both views. Three sets of stairs are discretely tucked away inside the bedroom wings. In lieu of a formal dining room, the family convenes and dines around a beautiful table and banquette set into a circular window bay off the kitchen which overlooks the lights of the city beyond the harbor. Working with noted interior designer Betty Ann Marshall, we designed a unique kitchen that was inspired by the colors and textures of a fossil the couple found on a honeymoon trip to the quarries of Montana. We set that ancient fossil into a matte glass backsplash behind the professional cook’s stove. A warm library with walnut paneling and a bayed window seat affords a refuge for the family to read or play board games. The couple’s fine craft and folk art collection is on prominent display throughout the house and helps to set an intimate and whimsical tone. Another architectural feature devoted to family is the play room lit by a dramatic cupola which beacons the older grandchildren and their friends. Below the play room is a four car garage that allows the patriarch space to refurbish an antique fire truck, a mahogany launch boat and several vintage cars. Their jet skis and kayaks are housed in another garage designed for that purpose. Lattice covered skylights that allow dappled sunlight to bathe the loggia affords a comfortable refuge to watch the kids swim and gaze out upon the rushing water, the Coronado Bay Bridge and the romantic downtown San Diego skyline. Architect: Ward Jewell Architect, AIA Interior Design: Betty Ann Marshall Construction: Bill Lyons Photographer: Laura Hull Styling: Zale Design Studio

Example of a large classic white two-story wood gable roof design in Atlanta

This open urban kitchen invites with pops of yellow and an eat in dining table. A highly functional, contemporary beauty featuring wide plank white oak grey stained floors, white lacquer refrigerator and washing machine, brushed aluminum lower cabinets and walnut upper cabinets. Pure white Caesarstone countertops, Blanco kitchen faucet and sink, Bertazzoni range, Bosch dishwasher, architectural lighting trough with LED lights, and Emtech brushed chrome door hardware complete the high-end look.

Example of a large cottage open concept and formal medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room design in Denver with white walls

Transitional open concept living room photo in Boston with beige walls

Continuing the theme, the living room is made up of a red, pink and gray. The Amy Butler area rug sets the stage for a room like no other. Contemporary sofas flank a coffee table by Brent Comber. The contemporary wing-back chairs are covered in French-inspired fabrics. Mexican white pebbles and tiles create an inspired fireplace surround. Photography by John Valls