Set in a forest in the Sierra Mountains, this contemporary home uses transparent window walls between stone forms to bring the outdoors in. The barrel-vaulted metal roof is supported by a steel and timber exposed structure. Photo by Vance Fox

The new kitchen is open and airy with high attention to both food preparation and the gathering of friends and family. The owners welcome impromptu meals with guests regularly, so an island allowing flow through the kitchen into the dining area makes sense, and an open, arched connection repeats our old home’s architectural detailing. COREY GAFFER PHOTOGRAPHY

Kitchen looking towards Dining Room and Living Room beyond. Photo by Clark Dugger
Small trendy galley medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen photo in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, wood countertops, paneled appliances, brown backsplash, wood backsplash and no island

Window treatments - sheer drapes covering large, sunny windows in this residential South Beach apartment - Miami, FL. Photos Alexia Fodere.
Inspiration for a contemporary concrete floor living room remodel in Miami

A living room in the Oakland Hills for a family with two young kids. The goal was simple: sophisticated enough for the adults, relaxed enough for real life. Dark painted built-ins anchor the space with quiet drama, while a fuzzy rug, playful organic lighting, and family-friendly fabrics keep it warm, approachable, and never too precious to use.

Bedroom in Desert Escape | Room Type: Full Home Remodel + Furnishing (4 Bedroom, 5 Bath, 3,627 sq ft residence). Project Name: Desert Escape Design. Key Feature: A complete home refurnishing and remodel including the master bathroom, powder room, and fireplace, designed to deliver striking wow factor while maintaining the warmth of a serene desert retreat. Challenge: The previous designer’s work was poor quality, and remodeling only the primary suite would have created a noticeable disconnect with the rest of the home. Solution: The clients chose to fully refurnish the entire home and remodel the master bathroom, powder room, and fireplace to create a cohesive, elevated design throughout. Materials: Lighting: Visual Comfort, Circa Lighting, Hammerton Studio. Rugs: Jaipur. Art: Leftbank. Mirrors: Four Hands. Wallpaper: Arte, Elitis. Furniture: Four Hands, Moss Studio, Dovetail, Bernhardt, Noir, Arteriors, CFC. Budget: $100K-$250K | Timeline: Completed August 202

Example of a large beach style enclosed medium tone wood floor living room design in Atlanta with a standard fireplace, a brick fireplace, beige walls and a tv stand

Remodel Collab with Temple & Hentz (Designer) and Tegethoff Homes (Builder). Cabinets provided by Detailed Designs and Wright Cabinet Shop.
Example of a large transitional l-shaped light wood floor, brown floor and wallpaper ceiling open concept kitchen design in St Louis with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, multicolored backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and white countertops

Our clients wanted to replace an existing suburban home with a modern house at the same Lexington address where they had lived for years. The structure the clients envisioned would complement their lives and integrate the interior of the home with the natural environment of their generous property. The sleek, angular home is still a respectful neighbor, especially in the evening, when warm light emanates from the expansive transparencies used to open the house to its surroundings. The home re-envisions the suburban neighborhood in which it stands, balancing relationship to the neighborhood with an updated aesthetic. The floor plan is arranged in a “T” shape which includes a two-story wing consisting of individual studies and bedrooms and a single-story common area. The two-story section is arranged with great fluidity between interior and exterior spaces and features generous exterior balconies. A staircase beautifully encased in glass stands as the linchpin between the two areas. The spacious, single-story common area extends from the stairwell and includes a living room and kitchen. A recessed wooden ceiling defines the living room area within the open plan space. Separating common from private spaces has served our clients well. As luck would have it, construction on the house was just finishing up as we entered the Covid lockdown of 2020. Since the studies in the two-story wing were physically and acoustically separate, zoom calls for work could carry on uninterrupted while life happened in the kitchen and living room spaces. The expansive panes of glass, outdoor balconies, and a broad deck along the living room provided our clients with a structured sense of continuity in their lives without compromising their commitment to aesthetically smart and beautiful design.

Front yard entry. Photo by Clark Dugger
Small tuscan concrete floor and gray floor entryway photo in Los Angeles with a medium wood front door and white walls

Peter Rymwid
Bathroom - mid-sized transitional master white tile and subway tile porcelain tile and beige floor bathroom idea in New York with an undermount sink, white cabinets, gray walls, beaded inset cabinets, a hinged shower door, a bidet and marble countertops

SpaceCrafting
Mid-sized mountain style medium tone wood floor and gray floor sunroom photo in Minneapolis with a standard fireplace, a standard ceiling and a stone fireplace

Maxwell MacKenzie
Example of a trendy open concept porcelain tile and beige floor living room design in Other with white walls

Benjamin Hill Photography
Elegant mosaic tile floor bathroom photo in Houston with recessed-panel cabinets and blue cabinets

Tuscan freestanding bathtub photo in San Francisco with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, wood countertops and beige walls

To eliminate an inconsistent layout, we removed the wall dividing the dining room from the living room and added a polished brass and ebonized wood handrail to create a sweeping view into the living room. To highlight the family’s passion for reading, we created a beautiful library with custom shelves flanking a niche wallpapered with Flavor Paper’s bold Glow print with color-coded book spines to add pops of color. Tom Dixon pendant lights, acrylic chairs, and a geometric hide rug complete the look.

Contractor: Joseph McKinstry Construction; Interior Design: Jan Holbrook; Photo: Benjamin Benschneider
Inspiration for a contemporary home design remodel in Seattle

Jessica Glynn Photography
Example of a mid-sized beach style blue tile mosaic tile floor and multicolored floor powder room design in Miami with white cabinets, blue walls, an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, marble countertops and white countertops

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.