This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Reka Ivany Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional master white tile and subway tile porcelain tile and gray floor walk-in shower remodel in Vancouver with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartzite countertops and a hinged shower door

McCabe + McCabe Design
Beach style l-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen photo in Philadelphia with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Dining Room in a Craftsman Home. Pending Publication. Please email sabrina@d2interiors.com for more photos. Photos by Amy Bartlam
Example of an arts and crafts dining room design in Los Angeles

Water in regular humidifiers is typically replaced at least 1x a week. For this client's small wine cellar though, we assembled a self-refilling humidifier system that doesn't need much attention. We hid the system inside a semi-closing drawer so it does not distract the clean design of the cellar and humidor. See more info on this project here: https://www.winecellardesignersgroup.com/modern-wine-cellar-with-cigar-humidor/ Wine Cellar Designers Group 113 N. San Vicente Blvd. Ste. 274 Beverly Hills CA 90211 (310) 734-8837 https://www.winecellardesignersgroup.com/

The Naekel’s have a beautiful 1911 home with the typical closed in kitchen for that era. We opening up the wall to the dining room with a new structural beam, added a half bath for the main floor and went to work on a gorgeous kitchen that was mix of a period look with modern flair touches to give them an open floor plan, perfect for entertaining and gourmet cooking.

Dynamic Garage Door specializes in Tuscan Architectural beautification in the Newport Beach, CA through our custom designed and hand made architectural shutters, garden gates and garage doors. This Newport-Mesa Tuscan home was exquisitely decorated with a combination of custom gates, decorative shutters and balcony barn door style shutters all handcrafted out of authentic, century-old reclaimed barn wood specifically harvested for this custom project. Beginning with the balcony shutters which actually slide from side to side like a real barn door we worked a charming rustic shutter design that would typically be seen in the Tuscan Riviera. We opted for sliding shutters as the balcony spacing limited the swing action of even bi-folding shutters. Incorporating real barn door hardware railing and crowing it behind the faux reclaimed wood beam made an excellent statement while adding functional shutters that can be shut close for comfort during the summer morning when the sun beats down into the master suite. The four shutter leafs are decorated with real hand forged dummy straps that were hammered and crafted by hand to achieve that gorgeous rustic charm typical of Tuscan architecture. The reclaimed barn wood from a century-old barn gives off a timeless appearance that increase in characters as the years go by. Because rustic barn wood has already aged beautifully over hundreds of years, the next century will only increase its authentically gorgeous appearance. The culmination of this project has been a meticulous collaborative input of our in-house head designer and the clients themselves. Although the completion of this project is lengthy and intricate, the results speak volumes and the wait simply justifies the outcome. The rest of thew windows on this Tuscan home have been accessorized with rustic barn wood as well and accentuated with our custom designed and handmade dummy iron hinge straps. Our dummy hardware is so authentically done in the same tradition used for hundreds of years in Europe to create shutter hardware that looks authentic and functional although it is only decorative. The details of our custom shutters is evident in the slightest of details including the bolts used to hold the shutter straps in place. Each of the shutter also has a decorative ring pull with a hand-hammered back plate which enhances the appearance of true functional shutters and defining that authentic Tuscan look. The beauty of this Tuscan home is visible throughout the entire property including the garden gates, garage doors and entry door. Again, for the garden gates, we went with rustic barn wood carefully crafted to preserve the original surface that has aged over hundreds of years but building the gates on galvanized steel frames that will ensure structural durability for the next few hundred years. The gates are highly secure, sound and can definitely hold back a crowd with authentic rustic charm. Don't be fooled with the simple-looking gate design. It is quite intricate with its 45 degree angle cuts around the perimeter of the trim which deviates water away from crevices that would otherwise make the gates vulnerable to the accumulation of moisture from the elements, sprinkler system or simply air humidity since the home is located near the ocean. Each one of the garden gates is equipped with European style mortise lock mechanisms and roller catches. Dynamic Garage Door gates are not your typical garden gates, they are truly made with quality and durability in mind as well as aesthetic attention to detail. Everything, from the hardware used, the core steel frame and overlay material used is hand selected and approved individually for maximum beauty and timeless appreciation. At Dynamic Garage Door, we specialize in multiple facet projects that include garden gates, driveway gates as well as barn doors and shutters. It is very important because these are the accessories that can make or break the beauty and continuity of your home's architectural style and authenticity. Increase your curb appeal and home value with Dynamic Garage Door's gates, shutters and automatic custom garage doors. Our in-house designers would love to speak with you today! Design Consultation Center: (855) 343-3667

For this project LETTER FOUR worked closely with the homeowners to fully transform the existing home via complete Design-Build services. The home was a small, single story home on an oddly-shaped lot, in the Pacific Palisades, with an awkward floor plan that was not functional for a growing family. We added a second story, a roof deck, reconfigured the first floor, and fully transformed the finishes, fixtures, flow, function, and feel of the home, all while securing an exemption from California Coastal Commission requirements. We converted this typical 1950's Spanish style bungalow into a modern Spanish gem, and love to see how much our clients are enjoying their new home! Photo Credit: Marcia Prentice + Carolyn Miller

Tom Crane
Inspiration for a huge contemporary landscaping in Philadelphia.

Close up of Ardington, Karastan carpet installed in dining room of Carmel home.
Dining room - mid-sized traditional carpeted dining room idea in San Francisco with no fireplace and beige walls

In the master bath, a straightforward combination of white vanity, polished chrome fixtures, and gray porcelain flooring establishes a clean palette. The open shower with a single floor-to-ceiling glass panel creates a focal point. With an eye toward both function and future, the striking shower features a curbless entry, long bench, and hand shower in addition to the ceiling-mount showerhead.

Paul Dyer
This is an example of a transitional front yard concrete paver formal garden.

John Cole Photography
Shed - modern shed idea in DC Metro

Photo: Karl Neumann
Example of a mountain style master carpeted bedroom design with beige walls

Photo: Kimberley Bryan © 2014 Houzz
Eclectic living room photo in Portland

You can thank Bartels for taking the barn door out of the barn and placing them into homes and offices worldwide. Introducing the original stainless modern barn door hardware, we continue to feature only the highest quality products on the market today. One-of-a-kind and unconventionally modern barn doors will prove to be transformative within any space. Dare to be original with us!

Bruce Cole Photography
Example of a mid-sized cottage open concept light wood floor living room design

Typical to all of the 1970s homes in this neighbourhood, kitchen floor plans are often small and closed in. It was no small feat to remove the load bearing wall between the living room and the kitchen, and replace it with a 600lb engineered steel beam. The results were well worth it! This move created an open flow between living spaces so that this family can now feel like they are together - regardless of whether they are hanging out in the kitchen, living room or dining area. This kitchen is a chef’s dream with ample storage space in the cabinetry as well as under the built in bench in the dining area!

The Naekel’s have a beautiful 1911 home with the typical closed in kitchen for that era. We opening up the wall to the dining room with a new structural beam, added a half bath for the main floor and went to work on a gorgeous kitchen that was mix of a period look with modern flair touches to give them an open floor plan, perfect for entertaining and gourmet cooking.