The wide plank wooden floor was used throughout the ground floor of this maisonette development in Maida Vale, London. The dark L-shape sofa contrasts with the off-white walls. The bookcases either side of the fireplace were made bespoke. Head to our website to see the full development of the open plan kitchen, bedrooms and shower room.

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Our clients and their three teenage kids had outgrown the footprint of their existing home and felt they needed some space to spread out. They came in with a couple of sets of drawings from different architects that were not quite what they were looking for, so we set out to really listen and try to provide a design that would meet their objectives given what the space could offer. We started by agreeing that a bump out was the best way to go and then decided on the size and the floor plan locations of the mudroom, powder room and butler pantry which were all part of the project. We also planned for an eat-in banquette that is neatly tucked into the corner and surrounded by windows providing a lovely spot for daily meals. The kitchen itself is L-shaped with the refrigerator and range along one wall, and the new sink along the exterior wall with a large window overlooking the backyard. A large island, with seating for five, houses a prep sink and microwave. A new opening space between the kitchen and dining room includes a butler pantry/bar in one section and a large kitchen pantry in the other. Through the door to the left of the main sink is access to the new mudroom and powder room and existing attached garage. White inset cabinets, quartzite countertops, subway tile and nickel accents provide a traditional feel. The gray island is a needed contrast to the dark wood flooring. Last but not least, professional appliances provide the tools of the trade needed to make this one hardworking kitchen. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Mike Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Modern wood cabinetry in this kitchen which opens to the living room for entertaining guests. SHOT BY CRAIG DENIS PHOTOGRAPHY

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We began with a structurally sound 1950’s home. The owners sought to capture views of mountains and lake with a new second story, along with a complete rethinking of the plan. Basement walls and three fireplaces were saved, along with the main floor deck. The new second story provides a master suite, and professional home office for him. A small office for her is on the main floor, near three children’s bedrooms. The oldest daughter is in college; her room also functions as a guest bedroom. A second guest room, plus another bath, is in the lower level, along with a media/playroom and an exercise room. The original carport is down there, too, and just inside there is room for the family to remove shoes, hang up coats, and drop their stuff. The focal point of the home is the flowing living/dining/family/kitchen/terrace area. The living room may be separated via a large rolling door. Pocketing, sliding glass doors open the family and dining area to the terrace, with the original outdoor fireplace/barbeque. When slid into adjacent wall pockets, the combined opening is 28 feet wide.

A warm and modern living-dining room, complete with leather counter chairs and purple accents.

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Embrace the essence of cottage living with a bespoke wall unit and bookshelf tailored to your unique space. Handcrafted with care and attention to detail, this renovation project infuses a modern cottage living room with rustic charm and timeless appeal. The custom-built unit offers both practical storage solutions and a focal point for displaying cherished possessions. This thoughtfully designed addition enhances the warmth and character of the space.

We loved transforming this one-bedroom apartment in Chelsea. The list of changes was pretty long, but included rewiring, replastering, taking down the kitchen wall to make the lounge open-plan and replacing the floor throughout the apartment with beautiful hardwood. It was important for the client to have a home office desk, so we decided on an L-shape sofa to make maximum use of the space. The large pendant light added drama and a focal point to the room. And the off-white colour palette provided a subtle backdrop for the art. You'll notice that either side of the fireplace we have mirrored the wall, gives the illusion of the room being larger and also boosts the light flooding into the room.

This dramatic design takes its inspiration from the past but retains the best of the present. Exterior highlights include an unusual third-floor cupola that offers birds-eye views of the surrounding countryside, charming cameo windows near the entry, a curving hipped roof and a roomy three-car garage. Inside, an open-plan kitchen with a cozy window seat features an informal eating area. The nearby formal dining room is oval-shaped and open to the second floor, making it ideal for entertaining. The adjacent living room features a large fireplace, a raised ceiling and French doors that open onto a spacious L-shaped patio, blurring the lines between interior and exterior spaces. Informal, family-friendly spaces abound, including a home management center and a nearby mudroom. Private spaces can also be found, including the large second-floor master bedroom, which includes a tower sitting area and roomy his and her closets. Also located on the second floor is family bedroom, guest suite and loft open to the third floor. The lower level features a family laundry and craft area, a home theater, exercise room and an additional guest bedroom.

The mid century living room is punctuated with deep blue accents that coordinate with the deep blue and walnut kitchen cabinets in the open living space. A mid century sofa with wood sides and back grounds the space, while a sunburst mirror and modern art provide additional character.

[Our Clients] We were so excited to help these new homeowners re-envision their split-level diamond in the rough. There was so much potential in those walls, and we couldn’t wait to delve in and start transforming spaces. Our primary goal was to re-imagine the main level of the home and create an open flow between the space. So, we started by converting the existing single car garage into their living room (complete with a new fireplace) and opening up the kitchen to the rest of the level. [Kitchen] The original kitchen had been on the small side and cut-off from the rest of the home, but after we removed the coat closet, this kitchen opened up beautifully. Our plan was to create an open and light filled kitchen with a design that translated well to the other spaces in this home, and a layout that offered plenty of space for multiple cooks. We utilized clean white cabinets around the perimeter of the kitchen and popped the island with a spunky shade of blue. To add a real element of fun, we jazzed it up with the colorful escher tile at the backsplash and brought in accents of brass in the hardware and light fixtures to tie it all together. Through out this home we brought in warm wood accents and the kitchen was no exception, with its custom floating shelves and graceful waterfall butcher block counter at the island. [Dining Room] The dining room had once been the home’s living room, but we had other plans in mind. With its dramatic vaulted ceiling and new custom steel railing, this room was just screaming for a dramatic light fixture and a large table to welcome one-and-all. [Living Room] We converted the original garage into a lovely little living room with a cozy fireplace. There is plenty of new storage in this space (that ties in with the kitchen finishes), but the real gem is the reading nook with two of the most comfortable armchairs you’ve ever sat in. [Master Suite] This home didn’t originally have a master suite, so we decided to convert one of the bedrooms and create a charming suite that you’d never want to leave. The master bathroom aesthetic quickly became all about the textures. With a sultry black hex on the floor and a dimensional geometric tile on the walls we set the stage for a calm space. The warm walnut vanity and touches of brass cozy up the space and relate with the feel of the rest of the home. We continued the warm wood touches into the master bedroom, but went for a rich accent wall that elevated the sophistication level and sets this space apart. [Hall Bathroom] The floor tile in this bathroom still makes our hearts skip a beat. We designed the rest of the space to be a clean and bright white, and really let the lovely blue of the floor tile pop. The walnut vanity cabinet (complete with hairpin legs) adds a lovely level of warmth to this bathroom, and the black and brass accents add the sophisticated touch we were looking for. [Office] We loved the original built-ins in this space, and knew they needed to always be a part of this house, but these 60-year-old beauties definitely needed a little help. We cleaned up the cabinets and brass hardware, switched out the formica counter for a new quartz top, and painted wall a cheery accent color to liven it up a bit. And voila! We have an office that is the envy of the neighborhood.

LEICHT by Elan Kitchens. Fabulous LEICHT kitchen in this luxury apartment in the heart of fashionable King's Road, Chelsea. KITCHEN FURNITURE - Elan Kitchens | LEICHT Classic-FS Arctic and Alpine grey APPLIANCES - Elan Kitchens | Siemens WORKTOP - Elan Kitchens | Silestone Blanco Zeus

Removing the walls around the Kitchen and DR (and the Living Room!) created an open concept for easy flow. The warmth is maintained with the hardwood floors, natural textures and soothing colors.

Large sliding glass door opens onto an attached deck to maximize indoor-outdoor living. Photographer: Tyler Chartier

The living room has an open view to the kitchen without combining the two rooms.

The kitchen, breakfast room and family room are all open to one another. The kitchen has a large twelve foot island topped with Calacatta marble and features a roll-out kneading table, and room to seat the whole family. The sunlight breakfast room opens onto the patio which has a built-in barbeque, and both bar top seating and a built in bench for outdoor dining. The large family room features a cozy fireplace, TV media, and a large built-in bookcase. The adjoining craft room is separated by a set of pocket french doors; where the kids can be visible from the family room as they do their homework.

The key living spaces of this mountainside house are nestled in an intimate proximity to a granite outcrop on one side while opening to expansive distant views on the other. Situated at the top of a mountain in the Laurentians with a commanding view of the valley below; the architecture of this house was well situated to take advantage of the site. This discrete siting within the terrain ensures both privacy from a nearby road and a powerful connection to the rugged terrain and distant mountainscapes. The client especially likes to watch the changing weather moving through the valley from the long expanse of the windows. Exterior materials were selected for their tactile earthy quality which blends with the natural context. In contrast, the interior has been rendered in subtle simplicity to bring a sense of calm and serenity as a respite from busy urban life and to enjoy the inside as a non-competing continuation of nature’s drama outside. An open plan with prismatic spaces heightens the sense of order and lightness. The interior was finished with a minimalist theme and all extraneous details that did not contribute to function were eliminated. The first principal room accommodates the entry, living and dining rooms, and the kitchen. The kitchen is very elegant because the main working components are in the pantry. The client, who loves to entertain, likes to do all of the prep and plating out of view of the guests. The master bedroom with the ensuite bath, wardrobe, and dressing room also has a stunning view of the valley. It features a his and her vanity with a generous curb-less shower stall and a soaker tub in the bay window. Through the house, the built-in cabinets, custom designed the bedroom furniture, minimalist trim detail, and carefully selected lighting; harmonize with the neutral palette chosen for all finishes. This ensures that the beauty of the surrounding nature remains the star performer.

This custom home has an open rambling floor plan where the Living Room flows into Dining Room which flows into the Kitchen, Breakfast Room and Family Room in a "stairstep" floor plan layout. One room melds into another all adjacent to the large patio view to create a continuity of style and grace.