Outdoor Roof deck in Los Angeles, Russ Cletta Designs

Contemporary and Stylish design of a garden room with media wall, TV, garden office. Blending in with it's natural surroundings. Sedum roof and green walls for garden rooms. eDEN Garden Rooms

This 872 s.f. off-grid straw-bale project is a getaway home for a San Francisco couple with two active young boys. © Eric Millette Photography

French doors were placed at the rear of Great Room to allow access to the Back Porch and skylights were placed in the roof of the Back Porch to bring in more daylight. An outdoor stone fireplace was added in one corner of the back porch. During construction the owners decided to eliminate the screens and open the Back Porch and extend the blue stone flooring out onto a large patio in order to create a broader outdoor living space. The patio is curved along the back edge with a low stone wall which separates it from a planting bed with a curved walkway made from chips of blue slate.

An expansive patio with a floating architectural pergola, built-in flower planters, and vibrant colors in furniture and accessories.

When my client had to move from her company office to work at home, she set up in the dining room. Despite her best efforts, this was not the long-term solution she was looking for. My client realized she needed a dedicated space not on the main floor of the home. On one hand, having your office space right next to the kitchen is handy. On the other hand, it made separating work and home life was not that easy. The house was a ranch. In essence, the basement would run entire length of the home. As we came down the steps, we entered a time capsule. The house was built in the 1950’s. The walls were covered with original knotty pine paneling. There was a wood burning fireplace and considering this was a basement, high ceilings. In addition, there was everything her family could not store at their own homes. As we wound though the space, I though “wow this has potential”, Eventually, after walking through the laundry room we came to a small nicely lit room. This would be the office. My client looked at me and asked what I thought. Undoubtedly, I said, this can be a great workspace, but do you really want to walk through this basement and laundry to get here? Without reservation, my client said where do we start? Once the design was in place, we started the renovation. The knotty pine paneling had to go. Specifically, to add some insulation and control the dampness and humidity. The laundry room wall was relocated to create a hallway to the office. At the far end of the room, we designated a workout zone. Weights, mats, exercise bike and television are at the ready for morning or afternoon workouts. The space can be concealed by a folding screen for party time. Doors to an old closet under the stairs were relocated to the workout area for hidden storage. Now we had nice wall for a beautiful console and mirror for storage and serving during parties. In order to add architectural details, we covered the old ugly support columns with simple recessed millwork panels. This detail created a visual division between the bar area and the seating area in front of the fireplace. The old red brick on the fireplace surround was replaced with stack stone. A mantle was made from reclaimed wood. Additional reclaimed wood floating shelves left and right of the fireplace provides decorative display while maintaining a rustic element balancing the copper end table and leather swivel rocker. We found an amazing rug which tied all of the colors together further defining the gathering space. Russet and burnt orange became the accent color unifying each space. With a bit of whimsy, a rather unusual light fixture which looks like roots from a tree growing through the ceiling is a conversation piece. The office space is quite and removed from the main part of the basement. There is a desk large enough for multiple screens, a small bookcase holding office supplies and a comfortable chair for conference calls. Because working from home requires many online meetings, we added a shiplap wall painted in Hale Navy to contrast with the orange fabric on the chair. We finished the décor with a painting from my client’s father. This is the background online visitors will see. The last and best part of the renovation is the beautiful bar. My client is an avid collector of wine. She already had the EuroCave refrigerator, so I incorporated it into the design. The cabinets are painted Temptation Grey from Benjamin Moore. The counter tops are my favorite hard working quartzite Brown Fantasy. The backsplash is a combination of rustic wood and old tin ceiling like porcelain tiles. Together with the textures of the reclaimed wood and hide poofs balanced against the smooth finish of the cabinets, we created a comfortable luxury for relaxing. There is ample storage for bottles, cans, glasses, and anything else you can think of for a great party. In addition to the wine storage, we incorporated a beverage refrigerator, an ice maker, and a sink. Floating shelves with integrated lighting illuminate the back bar. The raised height of the front bar provides the perfect wine tasting and paring spot. I especially love the pendant lights which look like wine glasses. Finally, I selected carpet for the stairs and office. It is perfect for noise reduction. Meanwhile for the overall flooring, I specifically selected a high-performance vinyl plank floor. We often use this product as it is perfect to install on a concrete floor. It is soft to walk on, easy to clean and does not reduce the overall height of the space.

The reclaimed brick façade with limestone accents, steel windows and slate roof create a timeless aesthetic that blends harmoniously into the college town historic district where this home is located. The English Arts and Crafts inspired design gives the it a unique style and presence in the streetscape.

The firm is responsible for custom home design for a number of homes in the prestigious country club community of Caves Valley. Designed as the fi rst and only speculative home to be built at the Caves Valley Golf Course Community, this custom stone house utilizes old world materials and craftsmanship inside and out. Although the house has a large footprint, the design creates the illusion of an old manor home that has been added to over the years. Although the site was extremely narrow and had a signifi cant slope, the design of the footprint and surrounding landscape minimizes these conditions.

Room design by Sweet Pea Design/Rug design by Julie Dasher Photo: Jay Wilde

The Curved House is a modern residence with distinctive lines. Conceived in plan as a U-shaped form, this residence features a courtyard that allows for a private retreat to an outdoor pool and a custom fire pit. The master wing flanks one side of this central space while the living spaces, a pool cabana, and a view to an adjacent creek form the remainder of the perimeter. A signature masonry wall gently curves in two places signifying both the primary entrance and the western wall of the pool cabana. An eclectic and vibrant material palette of brick, Spanish roof tile, Ipe, Western Red Cedar, and various interior finish tiles add to the dramatic expanse of the residence. The client’s interest in suitability is manifested in numerous locations, which include a photovoltaic array on the cabana roof, a geothermal system, radiant floor heating, and a design which provides natural daylighting and views in every room. Photo Credit: Mike Sinclair

Photographer: Rob Karosis

Industrial Romantic Design Enlivens Art Collector’s Home in San Francisco, California’s Cow Hollow Neighborhood Our work on this single-family residence in Cow Hollow emphasizes modernizing the interior and showcasing our clients’ art collection. We devised the concept of “radical insertions” to marry the existing style of the house with an aggressively new vocabulary of materials and forms. Pigmented steel railings and trellises, brushed aluminum cabinets, cast concrete counters, glass shelves and Color FinPly cabinets are among the new elements that coexist with retained older elements. The built-ins were designed as sculptural elements. At the top floor, segmented, curving bathroom walls incline outward to create a drum form and the subtly curving guest cabinet conceals a Murphy bed allowing one large space to double as a guest bedroom. A new deck and kitchen share a dramatic curving steel and glass trellis creating a visual link between interior and exterior.

Traditional 2 column shed roof portico with curved railing. Designed and built by Georgia Front Porch.

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

This soft contemporary home was uniquely designed to evoke a coastal design feeling while maintaining a Hill Country style native to its environment. The final design resulted in a beautifully minimalistic, transparent, and inviting home. The light exterior stucco paired with geometric forms and contemporary details such as galvanized brackets, frameless glass and linear railings achieves the precise coastal contemporary look the clients desired. The open floor plan visually connects multiple rooms to each other, creating a seamless flow from the formal living, kitchen and family rooms and ties the upper floor to the lower. This transparent theme even begins at the front door and extends all the way through to the exterior porches and views beyond via large frameless glazing. The overall design is kept basic in form, allowing the architecture to shine through in the detailing. Built by Olympia Homes Interior Design by Joy Kling Photography by Merrick Ales