Orcas gathering space
Walk out kitchen When selecting the materials, the architects chose white and wood to enhance the natural, calming presence of the space in its surroundings. “In selecting the wood tones and specific white color of the cabinetry, we had numerous samples prepared and brought to the location during construction in order to properly view them in the natural and artificial lighting,” England says. Ceiling: whitewashed basswood; floors: custom stained reclaimed elm; windows and doors: Kolbe Windows & Doors, installed by Ridley Windows & Doors; lighting layout design and fixtures: Eurolite
Freezer: To the right is the freezer. “The latest developments in separating the column refrigerator from the freezer has completely changed my job,” Zaveloff says. “You don’t need the freezer taking up that space inside the work triangle because you don’t use it that much. And by separating them, you don’t have to have these two massive units that don’t look good together because they are so huge. It’s totally changed the proportion game.” Kitchen library: To the left of the freezer is home command central. It can also serve as the culinary research center, though Zaveloff says not all the books need to stick to a kitchen theme. “I love to put bookshelves in a kitchen, and it doesn’t have to be just for cookbooks,” Zaveloff says. It’s easy to grab a book and enjoy it over in the eat-in nook. Refrigerator and freezer: Thermadore;
Smart appliances. Many of today’s home appliances have evolved so that they can be controlled electronically, remotely and with more functions than the average homeowner even realizes. The intention of smart appliances is to make life easier. But more important, they can make life safer by letting you know when you’ve left something on or open by accident.
Door levers. One of the most common conditions we face as we age is arthritis. It can be extremely painful and limit our mobility to such an extent that grasping knobs becomes impossible. Consider replacing doorknobs with levers, which require less gripping action. Likewise, think about swapping out little cabinet knobs for pulls that have lots of room for you to slip your hand into.
Grab bars. Designers and manufacturers have embraced the idea of aging in place, and today there is a plethora of universally accessible fixtures that are sleek and clean, and that suggest a sense of style rather than scream about their function. The appearance of your grab bars may be important to you if you want to incorporate them in your renovation but aren’t at the stage where you necessarily need them. Safety tip: Ensure that there is proper plywood blocking in the wall before installing grab bars, and don’t ever hold on to towel bars or soap dishes for support.
Bathroom benches. You don’t have to be beyond retirement to appreciate a bench in your washroom, whether in your shower or at your sink. It permits you to go through your typical routine safely and comfortably. There are many ways to include such a fixture without making it seem as though it’s intended to address a disability. Whether you choose a wall-hung bench that can fold up in tight spaces or a built-in bench, the same principles apply in a wet environment: proper waterproofing and using moisture-resistant materials like teak, cedar or plastic.
Curbless showers. Whether you’ll need a walker or a wheelchair to get around, or if your condition simply limits comfortable mobility, a curbless shower makes transitioning in and out of the shower easy and safe. Before you proceed, you’ll want to hire a professional contractor who understands the principles of proper slope on an otherwise flat bathroom floor. You’ll need to ensure that proper waterproofing is implemented under the tiles and make provisions to allow for the drain within your level floor.
Generally, fitting seats on three sides of the island requires a large kitchen. However, there are multiple configurations that can work for different layouts. In this example, the island is fairly square, with a rectangular dining zone taking up roughly half of its deep depth. This gives enough room for just one seat on two of the sides, but that is enough to allow two to four guests to converse easily.
I love the pool house for the main house!
To make day beds comfortable for sitting upright as well as reclining, generously pile pillows along the back for added support. Here, a mix of large cream cushions and patterned kilim pillows look cushy and inviting and allow the homeowners to arrange the daybeds for sitting or lounging.
The walls are covered in a Scalamandré wallpaper and the daybed is in a matching fabric. “In a house like this, every single inch needs to have an impact. We needed not to overwhelm the room with too many disparate elements,” Hunt says.
roofing material, the colour
Courtyard: With frequent houseguests, the homeowners wanted spaces for entertaining both inside and out. Adler helped them create an oasis-like courtyard that’s elevated to the second level with state-of-the-art amenities. “We managed to accommodate a small swimming pool and hot tub,” Adler says, as well as an outdoor wood-burning fireplace, a tiki bar and an outdoor kitchen.
The two islands were an idea imagined by the homeowners. The inner island serves as a zone for working and prepping meals, while the outer island is designed for entertaining and dining. With the outer island’s eight stools, Adler says it is a natural place for the children to gather around, and that factored into the design. Additionally, they gave the white oak countertop a Durata finish “so they don’t have to worry about the kids spilling on it and ruining the wood top,” Adler says.
There wasn’t a lot of wall space to paint, which is why Harris-Keane opted for a rich, dark tone (Benjamin Moore’s Iron Mountain) on the walls and bright white (Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee) on the trim and custom cabinetry to help enhance the brick.
charging station
The window behind the range was a “big deal” for the clients; they had never seen it done before, and indeed it is not common. It is, however, immensely practical: “Nothing happens behind the range anyway,” says Kandler. If you want a window in your kitchen, better to install it there in an otherwise wasted pocket of wall space than to sacrifice cabinets. This way, “you get all that natural light while you’re cooking, and you don’t have to worry much about splashes and spray from cooking,” since glass wipes down just as easily as any backsplash. Kandler added an 8-inch bay for keeping oils and salts readily at hand while cooking.
pantry door
he rough-carved cedar “ball” seating was fabricated by a friend of the couple.
If you plan on staying in your house for a while, take that jar of collected rocks, shells and mementos and make it part of your patio wall or floor.
What looks like a soft hanging bed
Chicken wire-front cabinets enclose a case filled with cookbooks, travel books and philosophy books, evoking an almost steampunk quality in a kitchen the homeowners hoped would speak to an Indonesian or New Orleans feel. Cabinets: Downsview Kitchens; countertops: Calacatta marble, Moscone Marble; copper-colored porcelain counters: Neolith, Marble Trend
There is so much to love about a farmhouse kitchen that feels like it gets a lot of use, as this kitchen does with its multiple prep areas, overflowing pot rack and utensil crock and packed-to-the-brim bookcase.
With its glass-front cabinets, dark beams, leaded windows and schoolhouse-style light fixtures, this kitchen has all the trappings of a dark, moody library or bookshop we’d like to curl up in on a rainy day. Surrounding a large window as a focal point, a wall of books draws us into the kitchen, piquing our interest as to what will be discovered.
This hanging swing by Nostalgic Porch Swing welcomes visitors with a punch of bright orange.
This porch in Georgia may be low on color, but it is high in texture and layers, with lots of natural materials coming together to create a relaxing, boho space. The design was inspired by a safari in South Africa. The rug is from West Elm, the chairs are by Ballard Designs and the swing is custom.
If you cook often, you may want to have more than just your ingredients right at hand. Stacking casserole dishes, cake pans or even pasta pots on a shelf keeps them from getting buried in the back of cabinets. The look works especially well for kitchens with a rustic or industrial edge, where a little controlled chaos adds to the charm.
Bring a bit of wildness. Welcome native birds, bees and butterflies to your rooftop by hanging a feeder, adding a water source and choosing plants that provide food or nest-building materials. In contrast to the concrete landscape of the city, one could imagine this Chicago rooftop would look like an oasis to our feathered friends and beneficial insects. The rooftop includes a fresh water source and deep plantings of pollinator and seed-eater favorites, including black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia sp.), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, zones 3 to 9), ‘Autumn Joy’ stonecrop (Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, zones 3 to 10), lavender and salvia.
butcher block table
Natural landscaping blends in with the surrounding woodland habitat. Primarily native and drought-tolerant, the plants and materials were chosen for their fire resistance. The fire-prone area dries up when temperatures soar and winds blow.
Cherokee flagstone flooring continues from the house to the outside patio, which was created to provide both sunny and shaded areas among natural boulders and oak trees.
The curved roof played a big part in the design of the interior space, resulting in a unique ceiling. “The curved roof creates some wonderful, spacious volumes inside with the added texture of the exposed Douglas fir stained beams,” Mendro says. The expanse of sliding glass doors faces south and opens to a large outdoor patio with a gas fire pit and dining area beneath oak trees. “The irregular flagstone floors on the interior flow seamlessly to the patio, further blurring the line between indoors and outdoors, and bringing nature inside,” Mendro says.
Architect: Neumann Mendro Andrulaitis Architects Integrating the home into the remote canyon site proved to be the main challenge, Mendro says. The result was a “snaking” floor plan with living spaces linked by flat roof connections. The photo above is a view of the back of the home looking toward sandstone cliffs in the distance. The roofing is flat-seam weathered copper, with rusted rain chains hanging from it.
fencing
Van Dijk has continued the notched clapboards in the backyard, to tie old and new together. On mild days, Wright and Dabal can open bifold windows onto the backyard to make their living area feel like an extension of the garden. The south-facing garden is deep enough to grab northern light for vegetable- and herb-growing.
When the large lift-and-slide glass doors are open, large rolling screen doors can be pulled over to keep out bugs and squirrels. Doors: Duratherm Corp.
Whitten Architects SaveEmail A local mason built the fireplace using fieldstone from the area. A local blacksmith forged the custom steel fireplace surround. A skylight above the fireplace allows light to graze the south-facing wall. The floors are an Eastern granite called Virginia Mist. The homeowners didn’t want TV to be a focus here, so they tucked the television onto a rolling cart against the wall. They can pull out the cart and plug in the TV when the family wants to watch a movie.
Wood-like wonder. This week we brought several fascinating tile styles straight from the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, or CERSAIE, which took place in September in Bologna, Italy. There’s new tile that looks like wallpaper, concrete, resin, fabric and more. And while tile that resembles wood has been around for a while now, new products boast a variety of finishes, such as matte, that really push the resemblance closer to the real deal.
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