Kitchen - mid-sized kitchen idea in Portland

Green Patio Landscape Design is a landscape design company owned and operated by Lynn Saunders in Los Altos, CA. Specializing in creating beautiful, sustainable and functional gardens, Lynn will provide hands-on attention to your project, from preliminary design through construction.

Green Patio Landscape Design is a landscape design company owned and operated by Lynn Saunders in Los Altos, CA. Specializing in creating beautiful, sustainable and functional gardens, Lynn will provide hands-on attention to your project, from preliminary design through construction.

Design by Gail Manning, GEM Interior Design, Inc. For more information or to create your own custom home, please call 720.219.3631.

Green Patio Landscape Design is a landscape design company owned and operated by Lynn Saunders in Los Altos, CA. Specializing in creating beautiful, sustainable and functional gardens, Lynn will provide hands-on attention to your project, from preliminary design through construction.

Design by Gail Manning, GEM Interior Design, Inc. For more information or to create your own custom home, please call 720.219.3631.

Ty Cole Photography
Trendy kitchen/dining room combo photo in DC Metro with white walls and no fireplace

Glenn Layton Homes, LLC, "Building Your Coastal Lifestyle"
Example of a mid-sized beach style gender-neutral medium tone wood floor walk-in closet design in Jacksonville with shaker cabinets and white cabinets

Inspiration for a mid-sized kitchen remodel in Portland

Inspiration for a victorian formal living room remodel in San Francisco with blue walls and a standard fireplace

Inspiration for a coastal freestanding desk dark wood floor home office remodel in Los Angeles with white walls

Do you have a favorite outdoor living area, deck, or spot in the sun at your home? Or are you dreaming of creating one? In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best outdoor living ideas and trends to inspire and help you create your own.

Custom white shaker style cabinetry, dark oak floors, carrara marble countertops, custom white leather banquette and Thermador appliances. Island has front and rear storage. Rustic bar stools juxtapose the white color scheme. Stephen Allen Photography

Add a bit of fancy to your decor with this ceramic deer head vase. Feature it as a centerpiece or greet visitors with it. The branches are not included, so create your own display using twigs from your yard. Change the antlers out regularly to express the spirit of every season. Made of ceramic. Dimensions: 9.5" H.

The focal point in the kitchen is the deep navy, French range positioned in an alcove trimmed in distressed natural wood and finished with handmade tile. The arched marble backsplash of the bar creates a dramatic focal point visible from the dining room.

Bedroom - large contemporary master light wood floor bedroom idea in Austin with white walls

Casey Dunn
Example of a cottage dark wood floor and brown floor great room design in Austin with green walls

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/