This open concept dining & living room was very long and narrow. The challange was to balance it out with furniture placement and accessories.

Modern living room grounded by large area rug, and neutral colors such as gray furnishings and dark wood floors. Throw pills and clean styling add detail to the space. Large trays on coffee table add organization as well as open shelf below for coffee table books. A large wall mirror becomes the focal point for this modern living room.

© Paul Bardagjy Photography

The dining room is open to the living room, and we wanted the 2 spaces to have an individual personality yet flow together in a cohesive way. The living room is very long and narrow, so finding the right sofa was of utmost importance. We decided to create 2 distinct entertaining areas using the Molteni & C Freestlyle Sectional. Since the backs are separate pieces from the seats, the whole sofa can be reconfigured in any number of ways to fit the situation. The fabric for the sofa is a beautiful charcoal with great texture, providing the perfect backdrop to all of the colorful pillows from Maharam, Knoll Textiles and Missoni Home. In one area we used a pair of Moroso Bloomy Chairs to create an intimate seating area, perfect for enjoying cocktails. In the other area, we included the owner’s existing Ligne Roset Facet Chair for a pop of color. Instead of tables, we used Molteni & C ottomans for maximum flexibility and added seating when necessary. The wall features a customized built-in cabinet that holds the stereo equipment and turntable, along with 2 illuminated benches from Molteni & C that provide great soft indirect light. The geometric shape of the wall unit is counterbalanced by the incredible piece of artwork by Erin Curtis. Finally, the layering of 3 Golran Carpet Reloaded rugs create the perfect platform for the furniture, along with reinforcing the modern eclectic feel of the room.

KSID Studio used an imaginative approach to design a room for a visionary client with a large family. The room’s size, combined with the client’s request that it serve multiple functions, created a difficult design dilemma. We had to design the room in a way that turned a small space into one where the client could enjoy a variety of family activities. Our unique seating solutions, resulted in a fabulous room and a functional hub for an active and creative family. Karen Melvin photography

Night table in solid wood available with 1 or 2 drawers.

This house was designed as a second home for a Bay Area couple as a summer retreat to spend the warm summer months away from the fog in San Francisco. Built on a steep slope and a narrow lot, this 4000 square foot home is spread over 3 floors, with the master, guest and kids bedroom on the ground floor, and living spaces on the upper floor to take advantage of the views. The main living level includes a large kitchen, dining, and living space, connected to two home offices by way of a bridge that extends across the double height entry. This bridge area acts as a gallery of light, allowing filtered light through the skylights above and down to the entry on the ground level. All living space takes advantage of grand views of Lake Washington and the city skyline beyond. Two large sliding glass doors open up completely, allowing the living and dining space to extend to the deck outside. On the first floor, in addition to the guest room, a “kids room” welcomes visiting nieces and nephews with bunk beds and their own bathroom. The basement level contains storage, mechanical and a 2 car garage. Photographer: Aaron Leitz

photo by Susan Teare

photo by Susan Teare

architect : oded tal

House and garden design become a bridge between two different bodies of water: gentle Mecox Bay to the north and wild Atlantic Ocean to the south. An existing house was radically transformed as opposed to being demolished. Substantial effort was undertaken in order to reuse, rethink and modify existing conditions and materials. Much of the material removed was recycled or reused elsewhere. The plans were reworked to create smaller, staggered volumes, which are visually disconnected. Deep overhangs were added to strengthen the indoor/outdoor relationship and new bay to ocean views through the structure result in house as breezeway and bridge. The dunescape between house and shore was restored to a natural state while low maintenance building materials, allowed to weather naturally, will continue to strengthen the relationship of the structure to its surroundings. Photography credit: Kay Wettstein von Westersheimb Francesca Giovanelli Titlisstrasse 35 CH-8032 Zurich Switzerland

Photography by Joshua Targownik http://www.targophoto.com/