Photo by Linda Oyama-Bryan

The Laurel was a project that required a rigorous lesson in southern architectural vernacular. The site being located in the hot climate of the Carolina shoreline, the client was eager to capture cross breezes and utilize outdoor entertainment spaces. The home was designed with three covered porches, one partially covered courtyard, and one screened porch, all accessed by way of French doors and extra tall double-hung windows. The open main level floor plan centers on common livings spaces, while still leaving room for a luxurious master suite. The upstairs loft includes two individual bed and bath suites, providing ample room for guests. Native materials were used in construction, including a metal roof and local timber.

Jeffrey Totaro

Klopf Architecture and Outer space Landscape Architects designed a new warm, modern, open, indoor-outdoor home in Los Altos, California. Inspired by mid-century modern homes but looking for something completely new and custom, the owners, a couple with two children, bought an older ranch style home with the intention of replacing it. Created on a grid, the house is designed to be at rest with differentiated spaces for activities; living, playing, cooking, dining and a piano space. The low-sloping gable roof over the great room brings a grand feeling to the space. The clerestory windows at the high sloping roof make the grand space light and airy. Upon entering the house, an open atrium entry in the middle of the house provides light and nature to the great room. The Heath tile wall at the back of the atrium blocks direct view of the rear yard from the entry door for privacy. The bedrooms, bathrooms, play room and the sitting room are under flat wing-like roofs that balance on either side of the low sloping gable roof of the main space. Large sliding glass panels and pocketing glass doors foster openness to the front and back yards. In the front there is a fenced-in play space connected to the play room, creating an indoor-outdoor play space that could change in use over the years. The play room can also be closed off from the great room with a large pocketing door. In the rear, everything opens up to a deck overlooking a pool where the family can come together outdoors. Wood siding travels from exterior to interior, accentuating the indoor-outdoor nature of the house. Where the exterior siding doesn’t come inside, a palette of white oak floors, white walls, walnut cabinetry, and dark window frames ties all the spaces together to create a uniform feeling and flow throughout the house. The custom cabinetry matches the minimal joinery of the rest of the house, a trim-less, minimal appearance. Wood siding was mitered in the corners, including where siding meets the interior drywall. Wall materials were held up off the floor with a minimal reveal. This tight detailing gives a sense of cleanliness to the house. The garage door of the house is completely flush and of the same material as the garage wall, de-emphasizing the garage door and making the street presentation of the house kinder to the neighborhood. The house is akin to a custom, modern-day Eichler home in many ways. Inspired by mid-century modern homes with today’s materials, approaches, standards, and technologies. The goals were to create an indoor-outdoor home that was energy-efficient, light and flexible for young children to grow. This 3,000 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom new house is located in Los Altos in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, and Chuang-Ming Liu 
Landscape Architect: Outer space Landscape Architects 
Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers 
Staging: Da Lusso Design 
Photography ©2018 Mariko Reed 
Location: Los Altos, CA
 Year completed: 2017

It truly is a small world as our appreciation for diverse global design sparks enchanting design directions within the home. For this kitchen, Designer Cabinetry offers great latitude in creating exotic details that imbue the grace and ambiance of a relaxed island lifestyle… bamboo-style carvings, palm foliage, shuttered doors, woven rattan, and extravagantly, carved furniture legs. Lyptus wood creates the perfect backdrop for these lush details with its rich, mahogany-like color and texture. Our finish artisans distressed the surface with chisel marks and rough-hewn edges to create a weathered, time-worn, character. Create your everyday paradise with Designer Cabinetry by Dura Supreme. Request a FREE Brochure: http://www.durasupreme.com/request-brochure Find a dealer near you today: http://www.durasupreme.com/dealer-locator

This expansive traditional kitchen by senior designer, Randy O'Kane and Architect, Clark Neuringer, features Bilotta Collection cabinet in a custom color. Randy says, the best part about working with this client was that she loves design – and not just interior but she also loves holiday decorating and she has a beautiful sense of aesthetic (and does everything to the nines). For her kitchen she wanted a barn-like feel and it absolutely had to be functional because she both bakes and cooks for her family and neighbors every day. And as the mother of four teenage girls she has a lot of people coming in and out of her home all the time. She wanted her kitchen to be comfortable – not untouchable and not too “done”. When she first met with Bilotta senior designer Randy O’Kane, her #1 comment was: “I’m experiencing white kitchen fatigue”. So right from the start finding the perfect color was the prime focus. The challenge was infusing a center hall colonial with a sense of warmth, comfort and that barn aesthetic without being too rustic which is why they went with a straight greenish grey paint vs. something distressed. The flooring, by Artisan Wood floors, looks reclaimed with its wider long planks and fumed finish. The barn door separating the laundry room and the kitchen was made from hand selected barn wood, made custom according to the client’s detailed specifications, and hung with sliding hardware. The kitchen hardware was really a window sash pull from Rocky Mountain that was repurposed as handles in a living bronze finish mounted horizontally. Glazed brick tile, by Ann Sacks, really helped to embrace the overall concept. Since a lot of parties are hosted out of that space, the kitchen, and butler’s pantry off to the side, needed a good flow as well as areas to bake and stage the creations. Double ovens were a must as well as a 48” Wolf Range and a Rangecraft hood – four ovens are going all the time. Beverage drawers were added to allow others to flow through the kitchen without disturbing the cook. Lots of storage was added for a well-stocked kitchen. A unique detail is double door wall cabinets, some with wire mesh to allow to see their dishes for easy access. In the butler’s pantry, instead of mesh they opted for antique mirror glass fronts. Countertops are a natural quartzite for care free use and a solid wood table, by Brooks Custom, extends of the island, removable for flexibility, making the kitchen and dining area very functional. One of the client’s antique pieces (a hutch) was incorporated into the kitchen to give it a more authentic look as well as another surface to decorate and provide storage. The lighting over the island and breakfast table has exposed Edison bulbs which hearkens to that “barn” lighting. For the sinks, they used a fireclay Herbeau farmhouse on the perimeter and an undermount Rohl sink on the island. Faucets are by Waterworks. Standing back and taking it all in it’s a wonderful collaboration of carefully designed working space and a warm gathering space for family and guests. Bilotta Designer: Randy O’Kane, Architect: Clark Neuringer Architects, posthumously. Photo Credit: Peter Krupenye

After building their first home this Bloomfield couple didn't have any immediate plans on building another until they saw this perfect property for sale. It didn't take them long to make the decision on purchasing it and moving forward with another building project. With the wife working from home it allowed them to become the general contractor for this project. It was a lot of work and a lot of decision making but they are absolutely in love with their new home. It is a dream come true for them and I am happy they chose me and Dillman & Upton to help them make it a reality. Photo By: Kate Benjamin

The owners of this property had been away from the Bay Area for many years, and looked forward to returning to an elegant mid-century modern house. The one they bought was anything but that. Faced with a “remuddled” kitchen from one decade, a haphazard bedroom / family room addition from another, and an otherwise disjointed and generally run-down mid-century modern house, the owners asked Klopf Architecture and Envision Landscape Studio to re-imagine this house and property as a unified, flowing, sophisticated, warm, modern indoor / outdoor living space for a family of five. Opening up the spaces internally and from inside to out was the first order of business. The formerly disjointed eat-in kitchen with 7 foot high ceilings were opened up to the living room, re-oriented, and replaced with a spacious cook's kitchen complete with a row of skylights bringing light into the space. Adjacent the living room wall was completely opened up with La Cantina folding door system, connecting the interior living space to a new wood deck that acts as a continuation of the wood floor. People can flow from kitchen to the living / dining room and the deck seamlessly, making the main entertainment space feel at once unified and complete, and at the same time open and limitless. Klopf opened up the bedroom with a large sliding panel, and turned what was once a large walk-in closet into an office area, again with a large sliding panel. The master bathroom has high windows all along one wall to bring in light, and a large wet room area for the shower and tub. The dark, solid roof structure over the patio was replaced with an open trellis that allows plenty of light, brightening the new deck area as well as the interior of the house. All the materials of the house were replaced, apart from the framing and the ceiling boards. This allowed Klopf to unify the materials from space to space, running the same wood flooring throughout, using the same paint colors, and generally creating a consistent look from room to room. Located in Lafayette, CA this remodeled single-family house is 3,363 square foot, 4 bedroom, and 3.5 bathroom. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Jackie Detamore, and Jeffrey Prose Landscape Design: Envision Landscape Studio Structural Engineer: Brian Dotson Consulting Engineers Contractor: Kasten Builders Photography ©2015 Mariko Reed Staging: The Design Shop Location: Lafayette, CA Year completed: 2014

Doors For Builders Inc. DB-511W Cherry Wood Door.

Photo by Ed Gohlich

A Nana door corner, clerestory windows, and Velux skylights provide natural lighting for this modern Bay Area artist studio built by award-winning general contractor, Wm. H. Fry Construction Company.

Contractor: Prestige Residential Construction; Interior Design: NB Design Group; Photo: Benjamin Benschneider

Alison Hammond Photography

Custom Solid Mahogany Double Doors - Home Office Entry - Doors For Builders Inc.

This project will also be featured on the 2011 Outdoor Living Tour, May 21st. Tickets and info may be found here: http://outdoorlivingtouraustin.com/ The owners of this central city project originally parked on a concrete pad and entered their home through a gate and small entry courtyard. They wanted to enlarge the courtyard and add a carport for security, all while adding to the home’s curb appeal. Avid birdwatchers and gardeners, they also wanted to add a screened porch on the back of the home, adjacent to their extensive naturalized gardens and sculptural fountain. The original entry courtyard walls were removed: one was rebuilt at the property line to enlarge the space, while another was replaced by the walls of the new Ipe-clad carport. From the driveway, the carport is entered through a metal-clad sectional garage door (for security). Pedestrian access from the carport to the entry courtyard is through a metal-clad rolling barn door. The street side of the courtyard is enclosed by an Ipe fence. Its basket weave steel gate (with doorbell and intercom) provides privacy and security, and is complemented by the decorative copper light fixtures and copper downspouts on the carport. At the street, Ipe fence panels and entry arbor add to the curb appeal and provide support for climbing plants. The new front yard features a native buffalo grass lawn and new low water plantings. On the back of the home, new screened porches were added to extend living and dining outdoors for all four seasons. These new spaces are designed to maximize the views of the garden and birds in flight. A 3-panel folding ‘Nana’ window opens the kitchen to the additions and the natural light and views of the yard, while facilitating pass-through access to the dining area. Interior details include decorative sconces, copper gutter cove lighting, an integrated sound system and custom-designed end tables. Cypress ceilings add a lighter color and touch with a natural flavor and contrast with the stained concrete floor. Exterior details include copper rain chains and steel planter boxes. Outside the porches, drill stem pipes and a lawn define another outdoor room that is open to the sky; the pipes support LED twinkle lights that further define the room and animate it after dark. Expert craftsmanship is seen in the use of wood throughout the project. A dense wood, Ipe was chosen for its warmth and durability, and was used both as siding and decorative trim for the interior and exterior wall surfaces. The porch wall screens were built with aluminum frames and are removable for ease of cleaning. Custom designed screen doors with flower motifs complete the project. The end result of the design is a series of outdoor spaces that facilitate connection with nature. The owners have already seeded the garden for a bounty of spring wildflowers and are planning to install a small orchard. Central city living at its best! Architect: Gregory Thomas AIA Project Manager: Jim Venable Photography by Jonathan Jackson, 2011

Taking a cue from the blue of the sky and the white sandy beach, we decorated the living room in blue and white, with bright accents of red and yellow.