Jo Smith

Architect: Rick Shean & Christopher Simmonds, Christopher Simmonds Architect Inc. Photography By: Peter Fritz “Feels very confident and fluent. Love the contrast between first and second floor, both in material and volume. Excellent modern composition.” This Gatineau Hills home creates a beautiful balance between modern and natural. The natural house design embraces its earthy surroundings, while opening the door to a contemporary aesthetic. The open ground floor, with its interconnected spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows, allows sunlight to flow through uninterrupted, showcasing the beauty of the natural light as it varies throughout the day and by season. The façade of reclaimed wood on the upper level, white cement board lining the lower, and large expanses of floor-to-ceiling windows throughout are the perfect package for this chic forest home. A warm wood ceiling overhead and rustic hand-scraped wood floor underfoot wrap you in nature’s best. Marvin’s floor-to-ceiling windows invite in the ever-changing landscape of trees and mountains indoors. From the exterior, the vertical windows lead the eye upward, loosely echoing the vertical lines of the surrounding trees. The large windows and minimal frames effectively framed unique views of the beautiful Gatineau Hills without distracting from them. Further, the windows on the second floor, where the bedrooms are located, are tinted for added privacy. Marvin’s selection of window frame colors further defined this home’s contrasting exterior palette. White window frames were used for the ground floor and black for the second floor. MARVIN PRODUCTS USED: Marvin Bi-Fold Door Marvin Sliding Patio Door Marvin Tilt Turn and Hopper Window Marvin Ultimate Awning Window Marvin Ultimate Swinging French Door

Modern glass house set in the landscape evokes a midcentury vibe. A modern gas fireplace divides the living area with a polished concrete floor from the greenhouse with a gravel floor. The frame is painted steel with aluminum sliding glass door. The front features a green roof with native grasses and the rear is covered with a glass roof. Photo by: Peter Vanderwarker Photography

Rear Deck looking back at house; Michael Spillers Photography

© Josh Partee 2013

KM Pics

George Opreff PhotoWorks

Photo by Kailey J. Flynn

To receive information on products and materials used on this project, please contact me via http://www.iredzine.com Photos by Jenifer Koskinen- Merritt Design Photo

A young Mexican couple approached us to create a streamline modern and fresh home for their growing family. They expressed a desire for natural textures and finishes such as natural stone and a variety of woods to juxtapose against a clean linear white backdrop. For the kid’s rooms we are staying within the modern and fresh feel of the house while bringing in pops of bright color such as lime green. We are looking to incorporate interactive features such as a chalkboard wall and fun unique kid size furniture. The bathrooms are very linear and play with the concept of planes in the use of materials.They will be a study in contrasting and complementary textures established with tiles from resin inlaid with pebbles to a long porcelain tile that resembles wood grain. This beautiful house is a 5 bedroom home located in Presidential Estates in Aventura, FL.

Wine Country Modern

Modern Ikea Kitchen, Open Floorplan

Perched on a bluff overlooking Block Island Sound, the property is a flag lot at the edge of a new subdivision, bordered on three sides by water, wetlands, and woods. The client asked us to design a house with a minimal impact on the pristine landscape, maximum exposure to the views and all the amenities of a year round vacation home. The basic requirements of each space were considered integrally with the effects of sunlight, breezes and views. The house was conceived as a lens, continually framing and magnifying the subtle changes in the surrounding environment.