Minimalist eat-in kitchen photo in Seattle with beige backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, flat-panel cabinets and medium tone wood cabinets

Who says green and sustainable design has to look like it? Designed to emulate the owner’s favorite country club, this fine estate home blends in with the natural surroundings of it’s hillside perch, and is so intoxicatingly beautiful, one hardly notices its numerous energy saving and green features. Durable, natural and handsome materials such as stained cedar trim, natural stone veneer, and integral color plaster are combined with strong horizontal roof lines that emphasize the expansive nature of the site and capture the “bigness” of the view. Large expanses of glass punctuated with a natural rhythm of exposed beams and stone columns that frame the spectacular views of the Santa Clara Valley and the Los Gatos Hills. A shady outdoor loggia and cozy outdoor fire pit create the perfect environment for relaxed Saturday afternoon barbecues and glitzy evening dinner parties alike. A glass “wall of wine” creates an elegant backdrop for the dining room table, the warm stained wood interior details make the home both comfortable and dramatic. The project’s energy saving features include: - a 5 kW roof mounted grid-tied PV solar array pays for most of the electrical needs, and sends power to the grid in summer 6 year payback! - all native and drought-tolerant landscaping reduce irrigation needs - passive solar design that reduces heat gain in summer and allows for passive heating in winter - passive flow through ventilation provides natural night cooling, taking advantage of cooling summer breezes - natural day-lighting decreases need for interior lighting - fly ash concrete for all foundations - dual glazed low e high performance windows and doors Design Team: Noel Cross+Architects - Architect Christopher Yates Landscape Architecture Joanie Wick – Interior Design Vita Pehar - Lighting Design Conrado Co. – General Contractor Marion Brenner – Photography

Second floor porch like bedroom. Cathy Schwabe Architecture. Photograph by David Wakely. Contractor: Young & Burton, Inc.
Bedroom - contemporary medium tone wood floor bedroom idea in San Francisco with white walls

Nestled in the hills of Vermont is a relaxing winter retreat that looks like it was planted there a century ago. Our architects worked closely with the builder at Wild Apple Homes to create building sections that felt like they had been added on piece by piece over generations. With thoughtful design and material choices, the result is a cozy 3,300 square foot home with a weathered, lived-in feel; the perfect getaway for a family of ardent skiers. The main house is a Federal-style farmhouse, with a vernacular board and batten clad connector. Connected to the home is the antique barn frame from Canada. The barn was reassembled on site and attached to the house. Using the antique post and beam frame is the kind of materials reuse seen throughout the main house and the connector to the barn, carefully creating an antique look without the home feeling like a theme house. Trusses in the family/dining room made with salvaged wood echo the design of the attached barn. Rustic in nature, they are a bold design feature. The salvaged wood was also used on the floors, kitchen island, barn doors, and walls. The focus on quality materials is seen throughout the well-built house, right down to the door knobs.

We built this kitchen for a very environmentally-conscious client in Madison, Wisconsin. All of the wood used was from Wisconsin, all of the plywood used was Pure-Bond (formaldehyde-free), and we used 100% Tung Oil as a finish. For a cozy little ranch, this open and airy kitchen is now the true heart of the home. Design and Contracting credits go to Lesley Sager of Sager Designs of Madison. Please see her website at www.sager-designs.com.

This barn addition was accomplished by dismantling an antique timber frame and resurrecting it alongside a beautiful 19th century farmhouse in Vermont. What makes this property even more special, is that all native Vermont elements went into the build, from the original barn to locally harvested floors and cabinets, native river rock for the chimney and fireplace and local granite for the foundation. The stone walls on the grounds were all made from stones found on the property. The addition is a multi-level design with 1821 sq foot of living space between the first floor and the loft. The open space solves the problems of small rooms in an old house. The barn addition has ICFs (r23) and SIPs so the building is airtight and energy efficient. It was very satisfying to take an old barn which was no longer being used and to recycle it to preserve it's history and give it a new life.

Photographer: Jay Goodrich This 2800 sf single-family home was completed in 2009. The clients desired an intimate, yet dynamic family residence that reflected the beauty of the site and the lifestyle of the San Juan Islands. The house was built to be both a place to gather for large dinners with friends and family as well as a cozy home for the couple when they are there alone. The project is located on a stunning, but cripplingly-restricted site overlooking Griffin Bay on San Juan Island. The most practical area to build was exactly where three beautiful old growth trees had already chosen to live. A prior architect, in a prior design, had proposed chopping them down and building right in the middle of the site. From our perspective, the trees were an important essence of the site and respectfully had to be preserved. As a result we squeezed the programmatic requirements, kept the clients on a square foot restriction and pressed tight against property setbacks. The delineate concept is a stone wall that sweeps from the parking to the entry, through the house and out the other side, terminating in a hook that nestles the master shower. This is the symbolic and functional shield between the public road and the private living spaces of the home owners. All the primary living spaces and the master suite are on the water side, the remaining rooms are tucked into the hill on the road side of the wall. Off-setting the solid massing of the stone walls is a pavilion which grabs the views and the light to the south, east and west. Built in a position to be hammered by the winter storms the pavilion, while light and airy in appearance and feeling, is constructed of glass, steel, stout wood timbers and doors with a stone roof and a slate floor. The glass pavilion is anchored by two concrete panel chimneys; the windows are steel framed and the exterior skin is of powder coated steel sheathing.

Interior design: SLC Interiors Photographer: Shelly Harrison
Elegant eat-in kitchen photo in Boston with raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, limestone backsplash and brown countertops

Martha O'Hara Interiors, Interior Selections & Furnishings | Charles Cudd De Novo, Architecture | Troy Thies Photography | Shannon Gale, Photo Styling

LAIR Architectural + Interior Photography
Example of a mountain style galley eat-in kitchen design in Dallas with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, stainless steel appliances, distressed cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash and wood countertops

The Eagle Harbor Cabin is located on a wooded waterfront property on Lake Superior, at the northerly edge of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, about 300 miles northeast of Minneapolis. The wooded 3-acre site features the rocky shoreline of Lake Superior, a lake that sometimes behaves like the ocean. The 2,000 SF cabin cantilevers out toward the water, with a 40-ft. long glass wall facing the spectacular beauty of the lake. The cabin is composed of two simple volumes: a large open living/dining/kitchen space with an open timber ceiling structure and a 2-story “bedroom tower,” with the kids’ bedroom on the ground floor and the parents’ bedroom stacked above. The interior spaces are wood paneled, with exposed framing in the ceiling. The cabinets use PLYBOO, a FSC-certified bamboo product, with mahogany end panels. The use of mahogany is repeated in the custom mahogany/steel curvilinear dining table and in the custom mahogany coffee table. The cabin has a simple, elemental quality that is enhanced by custom touches such as the curvilinear maple entry screen and the custom furniture pieces. The cabin utilizes native Michigan hardwoods such as maple and birch. The exterior of the cabin is clad in corrugated metal siding, offset by the tall fireplace mass of Montana ledgestone at the east end. The house has a number of sustainable or “green” building features, including 2x8 construction (40% greater insulation value); generous glass areas to provide natural lighting and ventilation; large overhangs for sun and snow protection; and metal siding for maximum durability. Sustainable interior finish materials include bamboo/plywood cabinets, linoleum floors, locally-grown maple flooring and birch paneling, and low-VOC paints.

Conceived as a remodel and addition, the final design iteration for this home is uniquely multifaceted. Structural considerations required a more extensive tear down, however the clients wanted the entire remodel design kept intact, essentially recreating much of the existing home. The overall floor plan design centers on maximizing the views, while extensive glazing is carefully placed to frame and enhance them. The residence opens up to the outdoor living and views from multiple spaces and visually connects interior spaces in the inner court. The client, who also specializes in residential interiors, had a vision of ‘transitional’ style for the home, marrying clean and contemporary elements with touches of antique charm. Energy efficient materials along with reclaimed architectural wood details were seamlessly integrated, adding sustainable design elements to this transitional design. The architect and client collaboration strived to achieve modern, clean spaces playfully interjecting rustic elements throughout the home. Greenbelt Homes Glynis Wood Interiors Photography by Bryant Hill

Lake Front Country Estate Living Room, designed by Tom Markalunas, built by Resort Custom Homes. Photography by Rachael Boling.
Inspiration for a timeless formal and open concept medium tone wood floor living room remodel in Other with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Rob Karosis, Photographer
Inspiration for a timeless enclosed kitchen remodel in New York with glass-front cabinets, wood countertops, white cabinets, an undermount sink, white backsplash and white appliances

Dark stone, custom cherry cabinetry, misty forest wallpaper, and a luxurious soaker tub mix together to create this spectacular primary bathroom. These returning clients came to us with a vision to transform their builder-grade bathroom into a showpiece, inspired in part by the Japanese garden and forest surrounding their home. Our designer, Anna, incorporated several accessibility-friendly features into the bathroom design; a zero-clearance shower entrance, a tiled shower bench, stylish grab bars, and a wide ledge for transitioning into the soaking tub. Our master cabinet maker and finish carpenters collaborated to create the handmade tapered legs of the cherry cabinets, a custom mirror frame, and new wood trim.

Approximately 160 square feet, this classy HIS & HER Master Closet is the first Oregon project of Closet Theory. Surrounded by the lush Oregon green beauty, this exquisite 5br/4.5b new construction in prestigious Dunthorpe, Oregon needed a master closet to match. Features of the closet: White paint grade wood cabinetry with base and crown Cedar lining for coats behind doors Furniture accessories include chandelier and ottoman Lingerie Inserts Pull-out Hooks Tie Racks Belt Racks Flat Adjustable Shoe Shelves Full Length Framed Mirror Maison Inc. was lead designer for the home, Ryan Lynch of Tricolor Construction was GC, and Kirk Alan Wood & Design were the fabricators.

Our carpenters labored every detail from chainsaws to the finest of chisels and brad nails to achieve this eclectic industrial design. This project was not about just putting two things together, it was about coming up with the best solutions to accomplish the overall vision. A true meeting of the minds was required around every turn to achieve "rough" in its most luxurious state. Featuring: Floating vanity, rough cut wood top, beautiful accent mirror and Porcelanosa wood grain tile as flooring and backsplashes. PhotographerLink

The design of this home was driven by the owners’ desire for a three-bedroom waterfront home that showcased the spectacular views and park-like setting. As nature lovers, they wanted their home to be organic, minimize any environmental impact on the sensitive site and embrace nature. This unique home is sited on a high ridge with a 45° slope to the water on the right and a deep ravine on the left. The five-acre site is completely wooded and tree preservation was a major emphasis. Very few trees were removed and special care was taken to protect the trees and environment throughout the project. To further minimize disturbance, grades were not changed and the home was designed to take full advantage of the site’s natural topography. Oak from the home site was re-purposed for the mantle, powder room counter and select furniture. The visually powerful twin pavilions were born from the need for level ground and parking on an otherwise challenging site. Fill dirt excavated from the main home provided the foundation. All structures are anchored with a natural stone base and exterior materials include timber framing, fir ceilings, shingle siding, a partial metal roof and corten steel walls. Stone, wood, metal and glass transition the exterior to the interior and large wood windows flood the home with light and showcase the setting. Interior finishes include reclaimed heart pine floors, Douglas fir trim, dry-stacked stone, rustic cherry cabinets and soapstone counters. Exterior spaces include a timber-framed porch, stone patio with fire pit and commanding views of the Occoquan reservoir. A second porch overlooks the ravine and a breezeway connects the garage to the home. Numerous energy-saving features have been incorporated, including LED lighting, on-demand gas water heating and special insulation. Smart technology helps manage and control the entire house. Greg Hadley Photography

10' ceilings and 2-story windows surrounding this space (not in view) bring plenty of natural light into this casual and contemporary cook's kitchen. Other views of this kitchen and the adjacent Great Room are also available on houzz. Builder: Robert Egge Construction (Woodinville, WA). Cabinets: Jesse Bay Cabinets (Port Angeles, WA) Design: Studio 212 Interiors