Beverage Center / Wet bar nook with slate top, wine glass racks and Corrugated perforated metal ceiling Photographer Jeffery Edward Tryon

Designed by Nathan Taylor and J. Kent Martin of Obelisk Home - Photos by Randy Colwell

Plaster ceiling decocraftusa.com

Tony Marinella

Overview Extension and complete refurbishment. The Brief The existing house had very shallow rooms with a need for more depth throughout the property by extending into the rear garden which is large and south facing. We were to look at extending to the rear and to the end of the property, where we had redundant garden space, to maximise the footprint and yield a series of WOW factor spaces maximising the value of the house. The brief requested 4 bedrooms plus a luxurious guest space with separate access; large, open plan living spaces with large kitchen/entertaining area, utility and larder; family bathroom space and a high specification ensuite to two bedrooms. In addition, we were to create balconies overlooking a beautiful garden and design a ‘kerb appeal’ frontage facing the sought-after street location. Buildings of this age lend themselves to use of natural materials like handmade tiles, good quality bricks and external insulation/render systems with timber windows. We specified high quality materials to achieve a highly desirable look which has become a hit on Houzz. Our Solution One of our specialisms is the refurbishment and extension of detached 1930’s properties. Taking the existing small rooms and lack of relationship to a large garden we added a double height rear extension to both ends of the plan and a new garage annex with guest suite. We wanted to create a view of, and route to the garden from the front door and a series of living spaces to meet our client’s needs. The front of the building needed a fresh approach to the ordinary palette of materials and we re-glazed throughout working closely with a great build team.

Adam Hartig

Set within the Carlton Square Conservation Area in East London, this two-storey end of terrace period property suffered from a lack of natural light, low ceiling heights and a disconnection to the garden at the rear. The clients preference for an industrial aesthetic along with an assortment of antique fixtures and fittings acquired over many years were an integral factor whilst forming the brief. Steel windows and polished concrete feature heavily, allowing the enlarged living area to be visually connected to the garden with internal floor finishes continuing externally. Floor to ceiling glazing combined with large skylights help define areas for cooking, eating and reading whilst maintaining a flexible open plan space. This simple yet detailed project located within a prominent Conservation Area required a considered design approach, with a reduced palette of materials carefully selected in response to the existing building and it’s context. Photographer: Simon Maxwell

Photography: Garett + Carrie Buell of Studiobuell/ studiobuell.com

Double-height ceilinged living room. Divided into two seating and entertaining areas. White walls, white leather sectional, and colorful pillows in fuschia, copper, and teal.

A growing family and the need for more space brought the homeowners of this Arlington home to Feinmann Design|Build. As was common with Victorian homes, a shared bathroom was located centrally on the second floor. Professionals with a young and growing family, our clients had reached a point where they recognized the need for a Master Bathroom for themselves and a more practical family bath for the children. The design challenge for our team was how to find a way to create both a Master Bath and a Family Bath out of the existing Family Bath, Master Bath and adjacent closet. The solution had to consider how to shrink the Family Bath as small as possible, to allow for more room in the master bath, without compromising functionality. Furthermore, the team needed to create a space that had the sensibility and sophistication to match the contemporary Master Suite with the limited space remaining. Working with the homes original floor plans from 1886, our skilled design team reconfigured the space to achieve the desired solution. The Master Bath design included cabinetry and arched doorways that create the sense of separate and distinct rooms for the toilet, shower and sink area, while maintaining openness to create the feeling of a larger space. The sink cabinetry was designed as a free-standing furniture piece which also enhances the sense of openness and larger scale. In the new Family Bath, painted walls and woodwork keep the space bright while the Anne Sacks marble mosaic tile pattern referenced throughout creates a continuity of color, form, and scale. Design elements such as the vanity and the mirrors give a more contemporary twist to the period style of these elements of the otherwise small basic box-shaped room thus contributing to the visual interest of the space. Photos by John Horner

Photo Credit: Tucker English Photography

Intarya was briefed to design a duplex apartment at the high profile Lancaster’s development. It was therefore important to maximise the apartment’s distinctive architectural details such as the impressive double height ceiling of the Reception Room. Floor to ceiling joinery either side of the fireplace does this to excellent effect, using grey stained sycamore in a high gloss finish with antique mirroring to add to the glamorous feel of the interior. In the dining area the walls were clad in mirror to increase both the feeling of space and natural light, important factors for onward sale.

Overview Extension and complete refurbishment. The Brief The existing house had very shallow rooms with a need for more depth throughout the property by extending into the rear garden which is large and south facing. We were to look at extending to the rear and to the end of the property, where we had redundant garden space, to maximise the footprint and yield a series of WOW factor spaces maximising the value of the house. The brief requested 4 bedrooms plus a luxurious guest space with separate access; large, open plan living spaces with large kitchen/entertaining area, utility and larder; family bathroom space and a high specification ensuite to two bedrooms. In addition, we were to create balconies overlooking a beautiful garden and design a ‘kerb appeal’ frontage facing the sought-after street location. Buildings of this age lend themselves to use of natural materials like handmade tiles, good quality bricks and external insulation/render systems with timber windows. We specified high quality materials to achieve a highly desirable look which has become a hit on Houzz. Our Solution One of our specialisms is the refurbishment and extension of detached 1930’s properties. Taking the existing small rooms and lack of relationship to a large garden we added a double height rear extension to both ends of the plan and a new garage annex with guest suite. We wanted to create a view of, and route to the garden from the front door and a series of living spaces to meet our client’s needs. The front of the building needed a fresh approach to the ordinary palette of materials and we re-glazed throughout working closely with a great build team.

With adjacent neighbors within a fairly dense section of Paradise Valley, Arizona, C.P. Drewett sought to provide a tranquil retreat for a new-to-the-Valley surgeon and his family who were seeking the modernism they loved though had never lived in. With a goal of consuming all possible site lines and views while maintaining autonomy, a portion of the house — including the entry, office, and master bedroom wing — is subterranean. This subterranean nature of the home provides interior grandeur for guests but offers a welcoming and humble approach, fully satisfying the clients requests. While the lot has an east-west orientation, the home was designed to capture mainly north and south light which is more desirable and soothing. The architecture’s interior loftiness is created with overlapping, undulating planes of plaster, glass, and steel. The woven nature of horizontal planes throughout the living spaces provides an uplifting sense, inviting a symphony of light to enter the space. The more voluminous public spaces are comprised of stone-clad massing elements which convert into a desert pavilion embracing the outdoor spaces. Every room opens to exterior spaces providing a dramatic embrace of home to natural environment. Grand Award winner for Best Interior Design of a Custom Home The material palette began with a rich, tonal, large-format Quartzite stone cladding. The stone’s tones gaveforth the rest of the material palette including a champagne-colored metal fascia, a tonal stucco system, and ceilings clad with hemlock, a tight-grained but softer wood that was tonally perfect with the rest of the materials. The interior case goods and wood-wrapped openings further contribute to the tonal harmony of architecture and materials. Grand Award Winner for Best Indoor Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home This award-winning project was recognized at the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards with two Grand Awards, one for Best Indoor/Outdoor Lifestyle for a Home, and another for Best Interior Design of a One of a Kind or Custom Home. At the 2020 Design Excellence Awards and Gala presented by ASID AZ North, Ownby Design received five awards for Tonal Harmony. The project was recognized for 1st place – Bathroom; 3rd place – Furniture; 1st place – Kitchen; 1st place – Outdoor Living; and 2nd place – Residence over 6,000 square ft. Congratulations to Claire Ownby, Kalysha Manzo, and the entire Ownby Design team. Tonal Harmony was also featured on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Luxe Interiors + Design and received a 14-page editorial feature entitled “A Place in the Sun” within the magazine.

Anne Gummerson Photography

In a wooded area of Lafayette, a mid-century home was re-imagined for a graphic designer and kindergarten teacher couple and their three children. A major new design feature is a high ceiling great room that wraps from the front to the back yard, turning a corner at the kitchen and ending at the family room fireplace. This room was designed with a high flat roof to work in conjunction with existing roof forms to create a unified whole, and raise interior ceiling heights from eight to over ten feet. All new lighting and large floor to ceiling Fleetwood aluminum windows expand views of the trees beyond. The existing home was enlarged by 700 square feet with a small exterior addition enlarging the kitchen over an existing deck, and a larger amount by excavating out crawlspace at the garage level to create a new home office with full bath, and separate laundry utility room. The remodeled residence became 3,847 square feet in total area including the garage. Exterior curb appeal was improved with all new Fleetwood windows, stained wood siding and stucco. New steel railing and concrete steps lead up to the front entry. Front and rear yard new landscape design by Huettl Landscape Architecture dramatically alters the site. New planting was added at the front yard with landscape lighting and modern concrete pavers and the rear yard has multiple decks for family gatherings with the focal point a concrete conversation circle with central fire feature. Everything revolves around the corner kitchen, large windows to the backyard, quartz countertops and cabinetry in painted and walnut finishes. The homeowners enjoyed the process of selecting Heath Tile for the kitchen backsplash and white oval tiles at the family room fireplace. Black brick tiles by Fireclay were used on the living room hearth. The kitchen flows into the family room all with views to the beautifully landscaped yards. The primary suite has a built-in window seat with large windows overlooking the garden, walnut cabinetry in a skylit walk-in closet, and a large dramatic skylight bouncing light into the shower. The kid’s bath also has a skylight slot with light angling downward over double sinks. More colorful tile shows up in these spaces, as does a geometric patterned tile in the downstairs office bath shower. The large yard is taken full advantage of with concrete paved walkways, stairs and firepit circle. New retaining walls in the rear yard helped to add more level usable outdoor space, with wood slats to visually blend them into the overall design. The end result is a beautiful transformation of a mid-century home, that both captures the client’s personalities and elevates the house into the modern age.

Derek Swalwell