This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values.

На фото: трехэтажный, кирпичный, коричневый таунхаус в классическом стиле с плоской крышей с

Источник вдохновения для домашнего уюта: трехэтажный, белый дом в классическом стиле с облицовкой из камня и плоской крышей

Calle Atocha 34. Fotógrafo: Nacho Uribesalazar
На фото: трехэтажный, красный многоквартирный дом в классическом стиле с плоской крышей с

Идея дизайна: трехэтажный, коричневый таунхаус в классическом стиле с плоской крышей

Working from the existing home’s deficits, we designed a bright and classic home well-suited to today’s living. Instead of a dark tunnel-like entry, we have a skylight custom curving stair that no one can believe is not original. Instead of a maze of rooms to reach the gorgeous park-like backyard, we have a clear central axis, allowing a sightline right through from the top of the stairs. Instead of three bedrooms scattered all over the house, we have zoned them to the second floor, each well-proportioned with a true master suite. Painted wood paneling, face-frame cabinets, box-beam beilings and Calacatta counters express the classic grandeur of the home.

Идея дизайна: большой, четырехэтажный, кирпичный, белый таунхаус в классическом стиле с плоской крышей, крышей из смешанных материалов и черной крышей

Classical House Garden View
Идея дизайна: большой, двухэтажный, кирпичный, бежевый частный загородный дом в классическом стиле с плоской крышей и крышей из смешанных материалов

На фото: большой, трехэтажный, деревянный, белый частный загородный дом в классическом стиле с плоской крышей с

Пример оригинального дизайна: трехэтажный, серый дом среднего размера в классическом стиле с облицовкой из винила и плоской крышей

Rehabilitación integral de una vivienda entre medianeras en la c/ Alagret 14 del barrio Benimaclet, Valencia
Свежая идея для дизайна: маленький, двухэтажный, синий дом в классическом стиле с комбинированной облицовкой и плоской крышей для на участке и в саду - отличное фото интерьера

На фото: двухэтажный, кирпичный дом в классическом стиле с плоской крышей и входной группой

Our inspiration for this home was an updated and refined approach to Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Prairie-style”; one that responds well to the harsh Central Texas heat. By DESIGN we achieved soft balanced and glare-free daylighting, comfortable temperatures via passive solar control measures, energy efficiency without reliance on maintenance-intensive Green “gizmos” and lower exterior maintenance. The client’s desire for a healthy, comfortable and fun home to raise a young family and to accommodate extended visitor stays, while being environmentally responsible through “high performance” building attributes, was met. Harmonious response to the site’s micro-climate, excellent Indoor Air Quality, enhanced natural ventilation strategies, and an elegant bug-free semi-outdoor “living room” that connects one to the outdoors are a few examples of the architect’s approach to Green by Design that results in a home that exceeds the expectations of its owners. Photo by Mark Adams Media

In a neighborhood of 3-story Italianate houses called “Mansion Hill” by the locals, the new homeowners of this 2-story brick home called to say that they wanted to have the stand-out house on the block. The house, originally known as the Kirker-Fischer House had history, an elegant interior and a rather plain exterior, compared with many of its neighbors. The homeowners also said that they envisioned an all-black house. Fortunately they are not only bold, but have great taste, demonstrated by immediately approving a new color palette. The palette has lots of deep gray, dark purple tones and five different blacks, highlighted with metallic copper. The house had been poorly maintained and quickly-rehabbed more than once. The carved stone details were filled in with several layers of old paint. The most recent repaint was fairly fresh, but in some places was barely attached to the brick substrate. Lots of old paint was hand-scraped from brick walls and both stone and wood trim. The trim was sanded smooth and some mortar was replaced in the brick. Material-specific primers were used on all bare surfaces. The details in the wood window trim were so badly scarred that it was impossible to bring them back, so we clad them with new poplar molding. Other carpentry projects included some minor repairs to the fascia boards plus a line of trim on the front porch roof to add another copper highlight to a very plain area. After all this preparation and repair, the highly-detailed plan for painting took another two weeks. Meticulous attention was paid to the surfaces to accent each level and maximize the amount of visible detail. The top coats were Sherwin-Williams Emerald along with some Resilience. The project took a 3-person crew three weeks to finish. We knew right away that this was the project we were submitting for American Painting Contractor magazine’s Top Job Award, and we’re very pleased that APC recognized the Kirker-Fischer House as a winner in the category of restoration.

На фото: трехэтажный, кирпичный, красный дом в классическом стиле с плоской крышей с

Peter Landers
Пример оригинального дизайна: огромный, трехэтажный, коричневый дом в классическом стиле с комбинированной облицовкой и плоской крышей

Стильный дизайн: четырехэтажный, кирпичный таунхаус в классическом стиле с плоской крышей - последний тренд

Источник вдохновения для домашнего уюта: двухэтажный, деревянный, бежевый частный загородный дом среднего размера в классическом стиле с плоской крышей и крышей из гибкой черепицы

Dino Tonn
Источник вдохновения для домашнего уюта: огромный, двухэтажный, бежевый частный загородный дом в классическом стиле с облицовкой из камня, плоской крышей и черепичной крышей