Ken Dahlin
1960s exterior home idea in Chicago

This contemporary home was designed with cues from Prairie and Usonian styles. Open clerestory living on the main floor was accomplished with a hybrid of wood frame construction and structural steel moment frames. Home Features: 2 Custom fireplaces Full Interior Design Suspended staircase Bridge approach to front door

Ken Dahlin
Inspiration for a mid-century modern red floor kitchen/dining room combo remodel in Chicago

Stained and sealed (Cherokee Red) concrete floor- concconcretefloors with s
Inspiration for a 1960s enclosed living room library remodel in Chicago with brown walls

Patio - 1960s patio idea in San Francisco

Tony Thompson
Inspiration for a mid-century modern open concept living room remodel in Kansas City

Possibly the only major improvement that needed addressed upon moving in was the landscaping. After removing overgrown shrubs, pruning trees, and replacing the old fencing, the couple tackled the largest part: the parking lot. Outside of what had been the dentist's waiting room, the entire side yard had been covered in asphalt, with a separate entrance to the street. That has since been removed and replaced with grass, resulting in a minimalist, tranquil spot under the trees. Adrienne DeRosa Photography © 2013 Houzz

© Tricia Shay
Inspiration for a contemporary two-story and attached mixed siding and two-car gray carport remodel in Milwaukee

The organic shape of the surrounding trees contrasts the hard-lined form of the home. To the right, a photo studio is clad in pre-cast concrete. The large front door defines the central entry. To the left, the great room is screened by perforated metal. Heavy Metal is a contemporary take on the Miesian courtyard house, in a rural setting. In this instance, the courtyard is created as much by the landscaping and vegetation as it is by the architecture. Photography by Andrew Fabin

The client’s request was quite common - a typical 2800 sf builder home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living space, and den. However, their desire was for this to be “anything but common.” The result is an innovative update on the production home for the modern era, and serves as a direct counterpoint to the neighborhood and its more conventional suburban housing stock, which focus views to the backyard and seeks to nullify the unique qualities and challenges of topography and the natural environment. The Terraced House cautiously steps down the site’s steep topography, resulting in a more nuanced approach to site development than cutting and filling that is so common in the builder homes of the area. The compact house opens up in very focused views that capture the natural wooded setting, while masking the sounds and views of the directly adjacent roadway. The main living spaces face this major roadway, effectively flipping the typical orientation of a suburban home, and the main entrance pulls visitors up to the second floor and halfway through the site, providing a sense of procession and privacy absent in the typical suburban home. Clad in a custom rain screen that reflects the wood of the surrounding landscape - while providing a glimpse into the interior tones that are used. The stepping “wood boxes” rest on a series of concrete walls that organize the site, retain the earth, and - in conjunction with the wood veneer panels - provide a subtle organic texture to the composition. The interior spaces wrap around an interior knuckle that houses public zones and vertical circulation - allowing more private spaces to exist at the edges of the building. The windows get larger and more frequent as they ascend the building, culminating in the upstairs bedrooms that occupy the site like a tree house - giving views in all directions. The Terraced House imports urban qualities to the suburban neighborhood and seeks to elevate the typical approach to production home construction, while being more in tune with modern family living patterns. Overview: Elm Grove Size: 2,800 sf, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Completion Date: September 2014 Services: Architecture, Landscape Architecture Interior Consultants: Amy Carman Design

Ken Dahlin
Inspiration for a mid-century modern entryway remodel in Chicago

Ken Dahlin
Living room - small 1950s open concept concrete floor and red floor living room idea in Chicago with beige walls, a corner fireplace and a stone fireplace

Type-Variant is an award winning home from multi-award winning Minneapolis architect Vincent James, built by Yerigan Construction around 1996. The popular assumption is that it is a shipping container home, but it is actually wood-framed, copper clad volumes, all varying in size, proportion, and natural light. This house includes interior and exterior stairs, ramps, and bridges for travel throughout. Check out its book on Amazon: Type/Variant House: Vincent James

Example of a mid-sized minimalist brown one-story wood flat roof design in Boston