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

The breathtaking ocean views influenced the dramatic redesign of this water-front Poipu condo. The outdated condo was completely remodeled to allow full appreciation of the surrounding views, bring in a fresh new color palette, and modernize and update everything from the electrical wiring to the new luxury bath towels. The clients wanted the condo to feel “fun, happy, and cheerful,” and to stand apart from the typical vacation rental on Kauai. They wanted to turn this condo into the ultimate “beach house” that felt just as luxurious as the gorgeous natural surroundings. Fresh white ship-lap walls set the backdrop for this modern beach style, which is further enhanced with bold stripes, natural textures, and ocean-themed decor. The palette of cobalt, aqua and lichen green is fresh and vibrant against the neutral backdrop. Trina Turk’s “Peacock Print” was the inspiration fabric for the living and dining room. The print is so lively, colorful, and modern, and was the perfect place to start. Every custom detail was thoughtfully chosen to bring a sense of luxury and originality to the space. While some elements are whimsical, such as the playful octopus art & fish-themed fabric, other elements are sophisticated and classic, to help keep the design grounded. Special features include a custom-made “Moroccan Fish Scale” tile backsplash in the kitchen, crushed marble counter tops with oyster shells and float glass, and blue glass pendant lights, reminiscent of water bubbles.

Vintage hunting trophy plays referee over a traditional ball and claw foot pool table - Oversize swing arm light is a great alternative to typical pool table lighting. More images on our website: http://www.romero-obeji-interiordesign.com

Travis J Photography
Inspiration for a transitional formal living room remodel in Salt Lake City with white walls and a ribbon fireplace

Inspiration for a rustic sauna remodel in Sacramento

Bedroom - AFTER
Bedroom - 1950s bamboo floor bedroom idea in San Francisco with beige walls

Bright open space with a camel leather midcentury sofa, and marled grey wool chairs. Black marble coffee table with brass legs.
Inspiration for a mid-sized 1960s open concept light wood floor and beige floor living room remodel in Denver with white walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Rikki Snyder
Inspiration for a huge cottage open concept light wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in New York with white walls, a standard fireplace and a brick fireplace

A playful and fun use of accents in a typically not-so-fun laundry room.
Example of a large transitional single-wall dedicated laundry room design in Wichita with raised-panel cabinets and medium tone wood cabinets

Organic Southwestern style beehive fireplace with built-in mantel shelf. Architect: Urban Design Associates, Lee Hutchison Interior Designer: Bess Jones Interiors Builder: R-Net Custom Homes Photography: Dino Tonn

Creating environments that encourage our families to spend more time outdoors is important in today’s hi-tech world. Designed for the 2014 Chicago Flower and Garden show, this display garden captures a playful sensibility well-suited for any family to enjoy. The clean, modern lines and carefully planned spaces of this 50’ by 50’ garden form an enticing setting to simply unplug. Working within a very limited area, the design organizes a bio pool with sundeck, a spillover water feature and lounge area, and a gravel dining terrace with a built-in fireplace and shade tree canopy. Unlike traditional pools, our bio pool utilizes aquatic plants, beneficial bacteria, and microbes, rather than harsh chemicals, to filter the water. Impurities and excess nutrients are drawn out of the water naturally, creating a much healthier swimming environment. A native plant palette is incorporated throughout the garden with shade trees, ornamentals, native forbs, and perennials in an emergent spring landscape. We hope this exciting design will encourage green inspiration for visitors, whether they have a tight city lot or a larger suburban property.

Tom Crane Photography
Inspiration for a large contemporary front yard landscaping in Philadelphia.

This is a different view of the tea house. The low bamboo fence helps to define the relation of the tea house to the garden. The ridge roof architectural style (kirizuma) is very evident in this photo. The roof has layered cedar shingles and is topped at the ridge with Japanese ceramic tiles.

Example of a trendy l-shaped gray floor kitchen design in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

To obtain sources, copy and paste this link into your browser. https://www.arlingtonhomeinteriors.com/playful-dining-room Photographer: Jenn Verrier

Inspiration for a large transitional light wood floor indoor basketball/tennis/multi-game court remodel in Chicago with beige walls

Little or no window covering are typical in coastal cottage design. Fun back splash adds a bit of playfulness to the kitchen.
Inspiration for a coastal kitchen remodel in Los Angeles

Example of a trendy l-shaped light wood floor kitchen design in New York with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, blue backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Huge trendy light wood floor and beige floor indoor basketball/tennis/multi-game court photo in Salt Lake City with black walls