Images by Nic LeHoux Designed as a home and studio for a photographer and his young family, Lightbox is located on a peninsula that extends south from British Columbia across the border to Point Roberts. The densely forested site lies beside a 180-acre park that overlooks the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and the Puget Sound. Having experienced the world from under a black focusing cloth and large format camera lens, the photographer has a special fondness for simplicity and an appreciation of unique, genuine and well-crafted details. The home was made decidedly modest, in size and means, with a building skin utilizing simple materials in a straightforward yet innovative configuration. The result is a structure crafted from affordable and common materials such as exposed wood two-bys that form the structural frame and directly support a prefabricated aluminum window system of standard glazing units uniformly sized to reduce the complexity and overall cost. Accessed from the west on a sloped boardwalk that bisects its two contrasting forms, the house sits lightly on the land above the forest floor. A south facing two-story glassy cage for living captures the sun and view as it celebrates the interplay of light and shadow in the forest. To the north, stairs are contained in a thin wooden box stained black with a traditional Finnish pine tar coating. Narrow apertures in the otherwise solid dark wooden wall sharply focus the vibrant cropped views of the old growth fir trees at the edge of the deep forest. Lightbox is an uncomplicated yet powerful gesture that enables one to view the subtlety and beauty of the site while providing comfort and pleasure in the constantly changing light of the forest.

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

Images by Nic LeHoux Designed as a home and studio for a photographer and his young family, Lightbox is located on a peninsula that extends south from British Columbia across the border to Point Roberts. The densely forested site lies beside a 180-acre park that overlooks the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and the Puget Sound. Having experienced the world from under a black focusing cloth and large format camera lens, the photographer has a special fondness for simplicity and an appreciation of unique, genuine and well-crafted details. The home was made decidedly modest, in size and means, with a building skin utilizing simple materials in a straightforward yet innovative configuration. The result is a structure crafted from affordable and common materials such as exposed wood two-bys that form the structural frame and directly support a prefabricated aluminum window system of standard glazing units uniformly sized to reduce the complexity and overall cost. Accessed from the west on a sloped boardwalk that bisects its two contrasting forms, the house sits lightly on the land above the forest floor. A south facing two-story glassy cage for living captures the sun and view as it celebrates the interplay of light and shadow in the forest. To the north, stairs are contained in a thin wooden box stained black with a traditional Finnish pine tar coating. Narrow apertures in the otherwise solid dark wooden wall sharply focus the vibrant cropped views of the old growth fir trees at the edge of the deep forest. Lightbox is an uncomplicated yet powerful gesture that enables one to view the subtlety and beauty of the site while providing comfort and pleasure in the constantly changing light of the forest.

Images by Nic LeHoux Designed as a home and studio for a photographer and his young family, Lightbox is located on a peninsula that extends south from British Columbia across the border to Point Roberts. The densely forested site lies beside a 180-acre park that overlooks the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and the Puget Sound. Having experienced the world from under a black focusing cloth and large format camera lens, the photographer has a special fondness for simplicity and an appreciation of unique, genuine and well-crafted details. The home was made decidedly modest, in size and means, with a building skin utilizing simple materials in a straightforward yet innovative configuration. The result is a structure crafted from affordable and common materials such as exposed wood two-bys that form the structural frame and directly support a prefabricated aluminum window system of standard glazing units uniformly sized to reduce the complexity and overall cost. Accessed from the west on a sloped boardwalk that bisects its two contrasting forms, the house sits lightly on the land above the forest floor. A south facing two-story glassy cage for living captures the sun and view as it celebrates the interplay of light and shadow in the forest. To the north, stairs are contained in a thin wooden box stained black with a traditional Finnish pine tar coating. Narrow apertures in the otherwise solid dark wooden wall sharply focus the vibrant cropped views of the old growth fir trees at the edge of the deep forest. Lightbox is an uncomplicated yet powerful gesture that enables one to view the subtlety and beauty of the site while providing comfort and pleasure in the constantly changing light of the forest.

David Livingston
Eat-in kitchen - rustic u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Sacramento with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, concrete countertops, window backsplash, a peninsula, gray countertops and paneled appliances

Images by Nic LeHoux Designed as a home and studio for a photographer and his young family, Lightbox is located on a peninsula that extends south from British Columbia across the border to Point Roberts. The densely forested site lies beside a 180-acre park that overlooks the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and the Puget Sound. Having experienced the world from under a black focusing cloth and large format camera lens, the photographer has a special fondness for simplicity and an appreciation of unique, genuine and well-crafted details. The home was made decidedly modest, in size and means, with a building skin utilizing simple materials in a straightforward yet innovative configuration. The result is a structure crafted from affordable and common materials such as exposed wood two-bys that form the structural frame and directly support a prefabricated aluminum window system of standard glazing units uniformly sized to reduce the complexity and overall cost. Accessed from the west on a sloped boardwalk that bisects its two contrasting forms, the house sits lightly on the land above the forest floor. A south facing two-story glassy cage for living captures the sun and view as it celebrates the interplay of light and shadow in the forest. To the north, stairs are contained in a thin wooden box stained black with a traditional Finnish pine tar coating. Narrow apertures in the otherwise solid dark wooden wall sharply focus the vibrant cropped views of the old growth fir trees at the edge of the deep forest. Lightbox is an uncomplicated yet powerful gesture that enables one to view the subtlety and beauty of the site while providing comfort and pleasure in the constantly changing light of the forest.

This strikingly dramatic built in infuses texture and light to create a powerful focal point for this Master Suite! Exquisite onyx slabs are the centerpiece of this seamlessly integrated fixture, and impart a sense of warmth and nature in the space. A dark millwork finish anchors the ensemble while clean lines and floating nightstands provide an uncomplicated framework for this feature wall. Plush carpet, luxurious bedding and florals offer softness to the space. With or without lighting, the result is a stunning feature that can be admired any time of day.

This strikingly dramatic built in infuses texture and light to create a powerful focal point for this Master Suite! Exquisite onyx slabs are the glowing centerpiece of this seamlessly integrated fixture, and impart a sense of warmth and nature in the space. A dark millwork finish anchors the ensemble while clean lines and floating nightstands provide an uncomplicated framework for this feature wall. Plush carpet, luxurious bedding and florals offer softness to the space. With or without lighting, the result is a stunning feature that can be admired any time of day.

Jay Greene Photography
Kitchen - transitional l-shaped light wood floor kitchen idea in Baltimore with an undermount sink, gray cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, stone tile backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and white countertops

Images by Nic LeHoux Designed as a home and studio for a photographer and his young family, Lightbox is located on a peninsula that extends south from British Columbia across the border to Point Roberts. The densely forested site lies beside a 180-acre park that overlooks the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and the Puget Sound. Having experienced the world from under a black focusing cloth and large format camera lens, the photographer has a special fondness for simplicity and an appreciation of unique, genuine and well-crafted details. The home was made decidedly modest, in size and means, with a building skin utilizing simple materials in a straightforward yet innovative configuration. The result is a structure crafted from affordable and common materials such as exposed wood two-bys that form the structural frame and directly support a prefabricated aluminum window system of standard glazing units uniformly sized to reduce the complexity and overall cost. Accessed from the west on a sloped boardwalk that bisects its two contrasting forms, the house sits lightly on the land above the forest floor. A south facing two-story glassy cage for living captures the sun and view as it celebrates the interplay of light and shadow in the forest. To the north, stairs are contained in a thin wooden box stained black with a traditional Finnish pine tar coating. Narrow apertures in the otherwise solid dark wooden wall sharply focus the vibrant cropped views of the old growth fir trees at the edge of the deep forest. Lightbox is an uncomplicated yet powerful gesture that enables one to view the subtlety and beauty of the site while providing comfort and pleasure in the constantly changing light of the forest.

Images by Nic LeHoux Designed as a home and studio for a photographer and his young family, Lightbox is located on a peninsula that extends south from British Columbia across the border to Point Roberts. The densely forested site lies beside a 180-acre park that overlooks the Strait of Georgia, the San Juan Islands and the Puget Sound. Having experienced the world from under a black focusing cloth and large format camera lens, the photographer has a special fondness for simplicity and an appreciation of unique, genuine and well-crafted details. The home was made decidedly modest, in size and means, with a building skin utilizing simple materials in a straightforward yet innovative configuration. The result is a structure crafted from affordable and common materials such as exposed wood two-bys that form the structural frame and directly support a prefabricated aluminum window system of standard glazing units uniformly sized to reduce the complexity and overall cost. Accessed from the west on a sloped boardwalk that bisects its two contrasting forms, the house sits lightly on the land above the forest floor. A south facing two-story glassy cage for living captures the sun and view as it celebrates the interplay of light and shadow in the forest. To the north, stairs are contained in a thin wooden box stained black with a traditional Finnish pine tar coating. Narrow apertures in the otherwise solid dark wooden wall sharply focus the vibrant cropped views of the old growth fir trees at the edge of the deep forest. Lightbox is an uncomplicated yet powerful gesture that enables one to view the subtlety and beauty of the site while providing comfort and pleasure in the constantly changing light of the forest.

M O O N is a fresh take on a tried-and-true classic – the white kitchen. Like a blank page, this uncomplicated yet powerful design helps to showcase the personality and character of the inhabitant. The base cabinets are available in slab, matte white, with integrated push/pull hardware or white steel pulls. The countertop options include a number of complimentary variations, including Carrara Gioia marble, white quartz or grey paperstone. Concrete floors, white plumbing fixtures and white Andrew Neyer lighting hardware all help to unify M O O N. Options for integrated appliances, minimal white steel shelving, vertical white tile backsplash and maple butcher block cove accents, add to the overall craft and character. Get the M O O N look at Skipp.co

ERGONOMICS MAKES EVERY CHORE A PLEASURE. | With its round, harmonious shapes, Elio provides a feeling of comfort that brings to mind uncomplicated, everyday moments. And working with Elio is just the same, because the functions of this fitting are designed to meet every requirement, from washing vegetables to washing the dishes. Particular care was taken in its design to ensure that the everyday sequences of movement are ergonomic. For example, a retractable spray head is integrated in the spout of the fitting, which comfortably reaches every area of the sink unit. Also, if you gently press the perfectly integrated control button, the spray changes from normal aerator flow to a more powerful spray jet.

ERGONOMICS MAKES EVERY CHORE A PLEASURE. | With its round, harmonious shapes, Elio provides a feeling of comfort that brings to mind uncomplicated, everyday moments. And working with Elio is just the same, because the functions of this fitting are designed to meet every requirement, from washing vegetables to washing the dishes. Particular care was taken in its design to ensure that the everyday sequences of movement are ergonomic. For example, a retractable spray head is integrated in the spout of the fitting, which comfortably reaches every area of the sink unit. Also, if you gently press the perfectly integrated control button, the spray changes from normal aerator flow to a more powerful spray jet.

Beautiful custom ceramic tile backsplash using Pratt and Larson's Filigree collection
Large transitional light wood floor open concept kitchen photo in Raleigh with gray cabinets, gray backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

ERGONOMICS MAKES EVERY CHORE A PLEASURE. | With its round, harmonious shapes, Elio provides a feeling of comfort that brings to mind uncomplicated, everyday moments. And working with Elio is just the same, because the functions of this fitting are designed to meet every requirement, from washing vegetables to washing the dishes. Particular care was taken in its design to ensure that the everyday sequences of movement are ergonomic. For example, a retractable spray head is integrated in the spout of the fitting, which comfortably reaches every area of the sink unit. Also, if you gently press the perfectly integrated control button, the spray changes from normal aerator flow to a more powerful spray jet.

ERGONOMICS MAKES EVERY CHORE A PLEASURE. | With its round, harmonious shapes, Elio provides a feeling of comfort that brings to mind uncomplicated, everyday moments. And working with Elio is just the same, because the functions of this fitting are designed to meet every requirement, from washing vegetables to washing the dishes. Particular care was taken in its design to ensure that the everyday sequences of movement are ergonomic. For example, a retractable spray head is integrated in the spout of the fitting, which comfortably reaches every area of the sink unit. Also, if you gently press the perfectly integrated control button, the spray changes from normal aerator flow to a more powerful spray jet.

M O O N is a fresh take on a tried-and-true classic – the white kitchen. Like a blank page, this uncomplicated yet powerful design helps to showcase the personality and character of the inhabitant. The base cabinets are available in slab, matte white, with integrated push/pull hardware or white steel pulls. The countertop options include a number of complimentary variations, including Carrara Gioia marble, white quartz or grey paperstone. Concrete floors, white plumbing fixtures and white Andrew Neyer lighting hardware all help to unify M O O N. Options for integrated appliances, minimal white steel shelving, vertical white tile backsplash and maple butcher block cove accents, add to the overall craft and character. Get the M O O N look at Skipp.co

M O O N is a fresh take on a tried-and-true classic – the white kitchen. Like a blank page, this uncomplicated yet powerful design helps to showcase the personality and character of the inhabitant. The base cabinets are available in slab, matte white, with integrated push/pull hardware or white steel pulls. The countertop options include a number of complimentary variations, including Carrara Gioia marble, white quartz or grey paperstone. Concrete floors, white plumbing fixtures and white Andrew Neyer lighting hardware all help to unify M O O N. Options for integrated appliances, minimal white steel shelving, vertical white tile backsplash and maple butcher block cove accents, add to the overall craft and character. Get the M O O N look at Skipp.co