Walls are Sherwin Williams Wool Skein.
Photo of a mid-sized transitional formal enclosed living room in Little Rock with beige walls and carpet.

ALEXIS HAMILTON
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional formal living room in Hampshire with grey walls, medium hardwood floors, a wood stove and no tv.

Design ideas for a mid-sized mediterranean formal living room in Orange County with beige walls and medium hardwood floors.

Ian Whitehead
Expansive formal open concept living room in Phoenix with orange walls, dark hardwood floors, a corner fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv.

The Fontana Bridge residence is a mountain modern lake home located in the mountains of Swain County. The LEED Gold home is mountain modern house designed to integrate harmoniously with the surrounding Appalachian mountain setting. The understated exterior and the thoughtfully chosen neutral palette blend into the topography of the wooded hillside.

Bernard Andre
This is an example of a country formal open concept living room in San Francisco with a two-sided fireplace and a stone fireplace surround.

Photography: Aaron Usher III www.aaronusher.com/
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional formal enclosed living room in Providence with beige walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and no tv.

Chesney Stoves offering stunning clean efficient burning all now Eco Design Ready for 2022 Regulations. Stylish Stove finished in period fireplace creating a simple, tidy, clean and cosy look. Perfect for the cold winter nights ahead.

Inspiration for a large contemporary formal open concept living room in Montreal with white walls, a ribbon fireplace, a wood fireplace surround, no tv and grey floor.

Inspiration for a mid-sized country formal enclosed living room in Gloucestershire with brown walls, a wood stove, a brick fireplace surround and brown floor.

This inviting rustic living room features a vaulted tongue & groove ceiling with a paint washed, stained beams, cultured stone fireplace with keystone design, and real hardwood floors.

Design ideas for a large traditional formal open concept living room with grey walls, vinyl floors, a standard fireplace, multi-coloured floor and vaulted.

LeBlanc Design Michael J. Lee Photography
Traditional formal enclosed living room in Boston with pink walls, medium hardwood floors and no fireplace.

Photographer: Will Keown
Photo of a large traditional formal enclosed living room in Other with grey walls, light hardwood floors, no fireplace, no tv and brown floor.

Wohnbereich mit Arbeitsplatz Foto: Jennifer Fey
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary formal open concept living room in Berlin with white walls and light hardwood floors.

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. Eric Roth Photo

Country formal open concept living room in Other with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a wood stove, a stone fireplace surround and brown floor.

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary formal enclosed living room in Hamburg with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace and brown floor.

Design ideas for a large country formal enclosed living room in San Francisco with beige walls, carpet, no fireplace, no tv and beige floor.