Photo: Le Michelle Nguyen © 2014 Houzz
Inspiration for an eclectic living room remodel in Montreal with white walls

Shop the Look, See the Photo Tour here: https://www.studio-mcgee.com/studioblog/2017/1/30/zg1w807atvnyiuipskv5vrhiwzkkag?rq=u%20street Watch the Webisode: https://www.studio-mcgee.com/studioblog/2017/1/30/u-street-webisode?rq=u%20street Kate Osborne Photography

Efficient Laundry Room & Dog Bathing & Grooming Station w/EZ tile clean-up! Wet Towels go Right in the Washer!
Inspiration for a transitional laundry room remodel in Sacramento

Example of a large classic formal and open concept dark wood floor living room design with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a media wall

The stay at home lifestyle had this family of four looking to trick out their basement rec room. The room needed a place for watching tv, spinning records, serving drinks and doing homework! Of course the cat steels the show!

Landmark Walnut in Washington by Shaw Floors.
Example of a mid-sized beach style dark wood floor and brown floor enclosed dining room design in Orange County with white walls and no fireplace

Crown Point Builders, Inc. | Décor by Pottery Barn at Evergreen Walk | Photography by Wicked Awesome 3D | Bathroom and Kitchen Design by Amy Michaud, Brownstone Designs

Photo: Caela McKeever © 2015 Houzz
Example of a transitional living room design in Seattle

Inspiration for a large transitional rooftop balcony deck remodel in Chicago with a pergola

Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2013 Houzz
Eclectic enclosed living room photo in New York with green walls

Inspiration for a transitional kitchen remodel in Los Angeles

By placing the two sofas facing each other, we created a cozy corner where the family can spend time together — reading, relaxing, or watching a movie. And if you look closely, you'll spot the cat peeking out from behind the sofa — clearly, he's claimed his favorite spot in the house.

Hearth room with large windows overlooking a waterfall and koi pond, yet still in the area of the kitchen invites lounging, and tv watching, as well as snuggling by the fireplace. Whimsical accents light the red chicken, and yellow storage box as end table keep the casual essence of a family space. A view of expansive space, mixing black in with the mix of patterns. Note whimsical spotted cats on mantel.

Dog Door
Laundry room - traditional laundry room idea with a drop-in sink and beige walls

This inviting living room greets you as you enter the home. Great space for watching a movie or entertaining guests. The large bay window lets in a ton of natural light! Wall color: Sherwin Williams Earl Grey (7660)

This classic Spanish home in South Pasadena was decorated to reflect the homeowners bohemian style, vintage collections, and subtle art deco features in the architecture. Highlights include a hand-painted ceiling mural, custom cat covers on sofa, and a vintage record player. Photos by Erika Bierman www.erikabiermanphotography.com Photos by Erika Bierman www.erikabiermanphotography.com

THEME Inspired by the Magic Tree House series of children’s books, this indoor tree house provides entertainment, fun and a place for children to read about or imagine adventures through time. A blue sky, green meadows, and distant matching beech trees recreate the magic of Jack and Annie’s Frog Creek, and help bring the characters from the series to life. FOCUS A floor armoire, ceiling swing and climbing rope give the structure a true tree house look and feel. A drop-down drawing and writing table, wheeled work table and recessed ceiling lights ensure the room can be used for more than play. The tree house has electric interior lighting, a window to the outdoors and a playful sliding shutter over a window to the room. The armoire forms a raised, nine-foot-wide play area, while a TV within one of the wall’s floor-to-ceiling cabinets — with a delightful sliding ladder — transforms the room into a family theater perfect for watching movies and holding Wii competitions. STORAGE The bottom of the drawing table is a magnetic chalk board that doubles as a display for children’s art works. The tree’s small niches are for parents’ shoes; the larger compartment stores children’s shoes and school bags. Books, games, toys, DVDs, Wii and other computer accessories are stored in the wall cabinets. The armoire contains two spacious drawers and four nifty hinged storage bins. A rack of handy “vegetable buckets” above the armoire stores crayons, scissors and other useful items. GROWTH The room easily adapts from playroom, to party room, to study room and even to bedroom, as the tree house easily accommodates a twin-size mattress. SAFETY The rungs and rails of the ladder, as well as the grab bars beside the tree house door are wrapped with easy-grip rope for safe climbing. The drawing table has spring-loaded hinges to help prevent it from dropping dangerously from the wall, and the table door has double sets of locks up top to ensure safety. The interior of each storage compartment is carpeted like the tree house floor to provide extra padding.

Reclaimed wood provided by Appalachian Antique Hardwoods. Architect Platt Architecture, PA, Builder Morgan-Keefe, Photographer J. Weiland

Lincoln Farmhouse LEED-H Platinum, Net-Positive Energy OVERVIEW. This LEED Platinum certified modern farmhouse ties into the cultural landscape of Lincoln, Massachusetts - a town known for its rich history, farming traditions, conservation efforts, and visionary architecture. The goal was to design and build a new single family home on 1.8 acres that respects the neighborhood’s agrarian roots, produces more energy than it consumes, and provides the family with flexible spaces to live-play-work-entertain. The resulting 2,800 SF home is proof that families do not need to compromise on style, space or comfort in a highly energy-efficient and healthy home. CONNECTION TO NATURE. The attached garage is ubiquitous in new construction in New England’s cold climate. This home’s barn-inspired garage is intentionally detached from the main dwelling. A covered walkway connects the two structures, creating an intentional connection with the outdoors between auto and home. FUNCTIONAL FLEXIBILITY. With a modest footprint, each space must serve a specific use, but also be flexible for atypical scenarios. The Mudroom serves everyday use for the couple and their children, but is also easy to tidy up to receive guests, eliminating the need for two entries found in most homes. A workspace is conveniently located off the mudroom; it looks out on to the back yard to supervise the children and can be closed off with a sliding door when not in use. The Away Room opens up to the Living Room for everyday use; it can be closed off with its oversized pocket door for secondary use as a guest bedroom with en suite bath. NET POSITIVE ENERGY. The all-electric home consumes 70% less energy than a code-built house, and with measured energy data produces 48% more energy annually than it consumes, making it a 'net positive' home. Thick walls and roofs lack thermal bridging, windows are high performance, triple-glazed, and a continuous air barrier yields minimal leakage (0.27ACH50) making the home among the tightest in the US. Systems include an air source heat pump, an energy recovery ventilator, and a 13.1kW photovoltaic system to offset consumption and support future electric cars. ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. -6.3 kBtu/sf/yr Energy Use Intensity (Actual monitored project data reported for the firm’s 2016 AIA 2030 Commitment. Average single family home is 52.0 kBtu/sf/yr.) o 10,900 kwh total consumption (8.5 kbtu/ft2 EUI) o 16,200 kwh total production o 5,300 kwh net surplus, equivalent to 15,000-25,000 electric car miles per year. 48% net positive. WATER EFFICIENCY. Plumbing fixtures and water closets consume a mere 60% of the federal standard, while high efficiency appliances such as the dishwasher and clothes washer also reduce consumption rates. FOOD PRODUCTION. After clearing all invasive species, apple, pear, peach and cherry trees were planted. Future plans include blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes, along with raised beds for vegetable gardening. The house also offers a below ground root cellar, built outside the home's thermal envelope, to gain the passive benefit of long term energy-free food storage. RESILIENCY. The home's ability to weather unforeseen challenges is predictable - it will fare well. The super-insulated envelope means during a winter storm with power outage, heat loss will be slow - taking days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. During normal conditions, reduced energy consumption plus energy production means shelter from the burden of utility costs. Surplus production can power electric cars & appliances. The home exceeds snow & wind structural requirements, plus far surpasses standard construction for long term durability planning. ARCHITECT: ZeroEnergy Design http://zeroenergy.com/lincoln-farmhouse CONTRACTOR: Thoughtforms http://thoughtforms-corp.com/ PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuck Choi http://www.chuckchoi.com/