Inspired by European villas, the palette for this home utilizes natural earth tones, along with molded eaves, precast columns, and stone veneer. The design takes full advantage of natural valley view corridors as well as negating the line between interior and exterior living. The use of windows and French doors allows virtually every room in the residence to open up onto the spacious pool courtyard. This allows for an extension of the indoor activities to the exterior. Photos by: Zack Benson Photography

PBA designed the renovation of this two story, 1,800 square foot, Henderson’s Wharf penthouse condominium in the historic Fell’s Point community to take advantage of the breathtaking views of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The existing floor plan was configured with living spaces on the lower level, and bedrooms with terraces on the upper level: PBA inverted the layout by creating a generous foyer at the lower level entry with a stair leading to the living spaces on the upper level. The lower level was renovated for a master suite and guest bedroom, while the upper floor was converted to an open great room taking advantage of the breathtaking views of the Harbor (along with a powder room, office and laundry room). The project presented very difficult challenges since sanitary plumbing lines could not be relocated due to the unavailability of access from the unit below, so the design was forced to conform with existing lower level plumbing locations. In addition, PBA utilized computer aided design (BIM) to route ductwork throughout the unit due to extremely limited space.

Wine Cellar view. Two different colors of porcelain tile were used to articulate the wine cellar from the hall. www.Envision-Architecture.biz William Wright Photography

Ryann Ford
Home design - farmhouse home design idea in Austin

Paula Berg Design Associates | Photo by Ed Gohlich Photography, Inc
Example of a mountain style dark wood floor living room design in Salt Lake City with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

Inspired by European villas, the palette for this home utilizes natural earth tones, along with molded eaves, precast columns, and stone veneer. The design takes full advantage of natural valley view corridors as well as negating the line between interior and exterior living. The use of windows and French doors allows virtually every room in the residence to open up onto the spacious pool courtyard. This allows for an extension of the indoor activities to the exterior. Photos by: Zack Benson Photography

Erosion Charcoal emanates rock-solid strength and stability. Embrace your dark side with Erosion Charcoal’s hardy 36-by-20 inch blocks standing tall next to two towers of 12-by-2 inch rectangular tiles, all in a matte and textured finish with light grey faux grout. Utile by MAAX is an innovative shower wall solution that provides sophisticated style without the hassle of tiling. Utile - Designer Series Pattern: Erosion Color: Charcoal Dimensions: 60"x36"

Drummond 7835 was in need of a bit of a modern revival to fit the open nature of the house. The configuration is relatively the same. We removed the wall separating the kitchen from the living room allowing the homeowner to take advantage of the wonderful light and visual connection to the back yard. The casework was fabricated at our studio here in Kansas City and is constructed of walnut veneered plywood accented with lime and blue fronts. The utility room was further defined by adding a which also allowed the new kitchen to gain some full height pantry storage. Photography by Bob Greenspan Photography

Forget just one room with a view—Lochley has almost an entire house dedicated to capturing nature’s best views and vistas. Make the most of a waterside or lakefront lot in this economical yet elegant floor plan, which was tailored to fit a narrow lot and has more than 1,600 square feet of main floor living space as well as almost as much on its upper and lower levels. A dovecote over the garage, multiple peaks and interesting roof lines greet guests at the street side, where a pergola over the front door provides a warm welcome and fitting intro to the interesting design. Other exterior features include trusses and transoms over multiple windows, siding, shutters and stone accents throughout the home’s three stories. The water side includes a lower-level walkout, a lower patio, an upper enclosed porch and walls of windows, all designed to take full advantage of the sun-filled site. The floor plan is all about relaxation – the kitchen includes an oversized island designed for gathering family and friends, a u-shaped butler’s pantry with a convenient second sink, while the nearby great room has built-ins and a central natural fireplace. Distinctive details include decorative wood beams in the living and kitchen areas, a dining area with sloped ceiling and decorative trusses and built-in window seat, and another window seat with built-in storage in the den, perfect for relaxing or using as a home office. A first-floor laundry and space for future elevator make it as convenient as attractive. Upstairs, an additional 1,200 square feet of living space include a master bedroom suite with a sloped 13-foot ceiling with decorative trusses and a corner natural fireplace, a master bath with two sinks and a large walk-in closet with built-in bench near the window. Also included is are two additional bedrooms and access to a third-floor loft, which could functions as a third bedroom if needed. Two more bedrooms with walk-in closets and a bath are found in the 1,300-square foot lower level, which also includes a secondary kitchen with bar, a fitness room overlooking the lake, a recreation/family room with built-in TV and a wine bar perfect for toasting the beautiful view beyond.

Behind a glazed pocket door, the mudroom features a chic flower arranging room with crimson shelving and cabinetry, stone countertops, a nickel sink with hammered finish, and a traditional gantry pulldown faucet. Woodruff Brown Photography

This duplex was designed with a modern coastal feel utilizing cedar shakes and natural limestone accents. large windows take advantage of the water views. Deck cable railings with dock posts enforce coastal feel. This view shows walk-out lower level flagstone patio and third floor deck off Master Bedroom.

Example of a farmhouse l-shaped dedicated laundry room design in Sacramento with an undermount sink, white cabinets, beige walls, a side-by-side washer/dryer and shaker cabinets

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

You'll Love the Smoother, Wider, Deeper Current More power for training, with a gentler touch for therapy. Faster for advanced swimmers, and more comfortable for every level. Step up to our Performance pool, offering all the advantages of our Original model, with more oomph & utility for the whole family. Ask about our Pool Packages for a Performance pool with faster ordering and guaranteed savings.

You'll Love the Smoother, Wider, Deeper Current More power for training, with a gentler touch for therapy. Faster for advanced swimmers, and more comfortable for every level. Step up to our Performance pool, offering all the advantages of our Original model, with more oomph & utility for the whole family. Ask about our Pool Packages for a Performance pool with faster ordering and guaranteed savings.

Drummond 7835 was in need of a bit of a modern revival to fit the open nature of the house. The configuration is relatively the same. We removed the wall separating the kitchen from the living room allowing the homeowner to take advantage of the wonderful light and visual connection to the back yard. The casework was fabricated at our studio here in Kansas City and is constructed of walnut veneered plywood accented with lime and blue fronts. The utility room was further defined by adding a which also allowed the new kitchen to gain some full height pantry storage. Photography by Bob Greenspan Photography

The laundry room is complete with a counter for folding and pull down rods to hang items while taking advantage of the high ceilings. The L shaped utility and laundry space also houses the wood storage for the fireplace in the adjoining room and a closet to keep the pool accessories. The door behind leads to the patio, hot tub and pool areas. There is an adjoining 3 piece bathroom complete with sauna.

Our clients loved the location of their duplex home with its peak-a-boo ocean view, but their existing kitchen was not suited for their growing family. They wanted a kitchen with a coastal vibe, plenty of storage space, and an eat-in area. We started by bringing the far wall into the kitchen space to accommodate a large panty and communication center for the family. Doing this allowed us to move the refrigerator out of the main traffic area and doubled the amount of storage space. Several new windows were added to bring in natural light. A half wall was moved to allow more countertop area and open up sight lines. The previously awkwardly shaped island was slimmed down to create better flow. There were a few venting challenges to overcome; gas lines and plumbing had to be re-routed without disturbing the unit below. To open up sight lines, soffits were eliminated which allowed the extension of cabinets to the ceiling. To stay within the homeowner’s budget, we match existing scraped flooring by lacing in and repairing patches. The old dining area was too small for table, so we designed and built a custom banquette to maximize the space and take advantage of the outdoor views. The overall space works for family meals as well as entertaining. A light summer palette was used to reflect the shades of the sand, sea and sky. Even though the new kitchen is actually smaller than the original space, its now far more functional and open.

Drummond 7835 was in need of a bit of a modern revival to fit the open nature of the house. The configuration is relatively the same. We removed the wall separating the kitchen from the living room allowing the homeowner to take advantage of the wonderful light and visual connection to the back yard. The casework was fabricated at our studio here in Kansas City and is constructed of walnut veneered plywood accented with lime and blue fronts. The utility room was further defined by adding a which also allowed the new kitchen to gain some full height pantry storage. Photography by Bob Greenspan Photography