the clean, dramatic breakfast seating area combines a casual area with the comfortable spot to read a book and view the water.

Ken Wyner

The Victoria era ended more then 100 years ago, but it's design influences-deep, rich colors, wallpaper with bold patterns and velvety textures, and high-quality, detailed millwork-can still be found in the modern-day homes, such as this 7,500-square-foot beauty in Medina. The home's entrance is fit for a king and queen. A dramatic two-story foyer opens up to 10-foot ceilings, graced by a curved staircase, a sun-filled living room that takes advantage of the views of the three-acre property, and a music room, featuring the homeowners' baby grand piano. "Each unique room has a sense of separation, yet there's an open floor plan", explains Andy Schrader, president of Schrader & Companies, the builder behind this masterpiece. The home features four bedrooms and five baths, including a stunning master suite with and expansive walk-in master shower-complete with exterior and interior windows and a rain showerhead suspended from the ceiling. Other luxury amenities include main- and upper level laundries, four garage stalls, an indoor sport court, a workroom for the wife (with French doors accessing a personal patio), and a vestibule opening to the husband's office, complete with ship portal. The nucleus of this home is the kitchen, with a wall of windows overlooking a private pond, a cathedral vaulted ceiling, and a unique Romeo-and-Juliet balcony, a trademark feature of the builder. Story courtesy or Midwest Home Magazine-August 2012 Written by Christina Sarinske Photographs courtesy of Scott Jacobson

A renowned St. Louis mid-century modern architect's home in St. Louis, MO is now owned by his son, who grew up in the home. The original detached garage was failing. Mosby architects worked with the architect's original drawings of the home to create a new garage that matched and echoed the style of the home, from roof slope to brick color. This is an example of how gracefully the detached garage echoes the features of the screen porch the architect added to his home in the 1960s. Photos by Mosby Building Arts.

Apartment fit-out in a spectacular 1960's apartment building on the cliff edge in Sydney, Australia. Photographs by Product K.

Photo credit~Jeri Koegel

Double Arrow Residence by Locati Architects, Interior Design by Locati Interiors, Photography by Roger Wade

Nestled into sloping topography, the design of this home allows privacy from the street while providing unique vistas throughout the house and to the surrounding hill country and downtown skyline. Layering rooms with each other as well as circulation galleries, insures seclusion while allowing stunning downtown views. The owners' goals of creating a home with a contemporary flow and finish while providing a warm setting for daily life was accomplished through mixing warm natural finishes such as stained wood with gray tones in concrete and local limestone. The home's program also hinged around using both passive and active green features. Sustainable elements include geothermal heating/cooling, rainwater harvesting, spray foam insulation, high efficiency glazing, recessing lower spaces into the hillside on the west side, and roof/overhang design to provide passive solar coverage of walls and windows. The resulting design is a sustainably balanced, visually pleasing home which reflects the lifestyle and needs of the clients. Photography by Andrew Pogue

Linda Oyama Bryan

Hanging library with glass walkway

Magnolia Gardens orients four bedrooms, two suites, living spaces and an ADU toward curated greenspaces, terraces, exterior decks and its Magnolia neighborhood community. The house’s dynamic modern form opens in two directions through a glass atrium on the north and glass curtain walls on the northwest and southwest, bringing natural light to the interiors.