This home is in a rural area. The client was wanting a home reminiscent of those built by the auto barons of Detroit decades before. The home focuses on a nature area enhanced and expanded as part of this property development. The water feature, with its surrounding woodland and wetland areas, supports wild life species and was a significant part of the focus for our design. We orientated all primary living areas to allow for sight lines to the water feature. This included developing an underground pool room where its only windows looked over the water while the room itself was depressed below grade, ensuring that it would not block the views from other areas of the home. The underground room for the pool was constructed of cast-in-place architectural grade concrete arches intended to become the decorative finish inside the room. An elevated exterior patio sits as an entertaining area above this room while the rear yard lawn conceals the remainder of its imposing size. A skylight through the grass is the only hint at what lies below. Great care was taken to locate the home on a small open space on the property overlooking the natural area and anticipated water feature. We nestled the home into the clearing between existing trees and along the edge of a natural slope which enhanced the design potential and functional options needed for the home. The style of the home not only fits the requirements of an owner with a desire for a very traditional mid-western estate house, but also its location amongst other rural estate lots. The development is in an area dotted with large homes amongst small orchards, small farms, and rolling woodlands. Materials for this home are a mixture of clay brick and limestone for the exterior walls. Both materials are readily available and sourced from the local area. We used locally sourced northern oak wood for the interior trim. The black cherry trees that were removed were utilized as hardwood flooring for the home we designed next door. Mechanical systems were carefully designed to obtain a high level of efficiency. The pool room has a separate, and rather unique, heating system. The heat recovered as part of the dehumidification and cooling process is re-directed to maintain the water temperature in the pool. This process allows what would have been wasted heat energy to be re-captured and utilized. We carefully designed this system as a negative pressure room to control both humidity and ensure that odors from the pool would not be detectable in the house. The underground character of the pool room also allowed it to be highly insulated and sealed for high energy efficiency. The disadvantage was a sacrifice on natural day lighting around the entire room. A commercial skylight, with reflective coatings, was added through the lawn-covered roof. The skylight added a lot of natural daylight and was a natural chase to recover warm humid air and supply new cooled and dehumidified air back into the enclosed space below. Landscaping was restored with primarily native plant and tree materials, which required little long term maintenance. The dedicated nature area is thriving with more wildlife than originally on site when the property was undeveloped. It is rare to be on site and to not see numerous wild turkey, white tail deer, waterfowl and small animals native to the area. This home provides a good example of how the needs of a luxury estate style home can nestle comfortably into an existing environment and ensure that the natural setting is not only maintained but protected for future generations.

This home office features a large wooden desk with gold detailing. Leather chairs surround the table. A zebra-hide rug lays below the table.
Design ideas for a traditional home office in Denver with a library, blue walls, dark hardwood floors, no fireplace, a freestanding desk, brown floor and coffered.

ProPixelPanama by Mosh Benjamin
Inspiration for a large contemporary home office in Other with a library, white walls, brown floor, dark hardwood floors, no fireplace and a freestanding desk.

We love this home office's built-in bookcases, the coffered ceiling, and double entry doors.
This is an example of an expansive mediterranean home office in Phoenix with a library, beige walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a freestanding desk, brown floor, coffered and panelled walls.

Photographed by Don Freeman
Inspiration for a traditional home office in Dallas with a library, blue walls, carpet, no fireplace, a freestanding desk and blue floor.

Design ideas for a large transitional home office in Phoenix with a library, black walls, light hardwood floors, a built-in desk, beige floor and panelled walls.

Traditional home office in New York with a library, dark hardwood floors, a freestanding desk and panelled walls.

Austin Victorian by Chango & Co. Architectural Advisement & Interior Design by Chango & Co. Architecture by William Hablinski Construction by J Pinnelli Co. Photography by Sarah Elliott

Office/Library Photo Credit: Nat Rea
Large transitional home office in Providence with a library, blue walls, light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a freestanding desk and beige floor.

Opulent details elevate this suburban home into one that rivals the elegant French chateaus that inspired it. Floor: Variety of floor designs inspired by Villa La Cassinella on Lake Como, Italy. 6” wide-plank American Black Oak + Canadian Maple | 4” Canadian Maple Herringbone | custom parquet inlays | Prime Select | Victorian Collection hand scraped | pillowed edge | color Tolan | Satin Hardwax Oil. For more information please email us at: sales@signaturehardwoods.com

Design ideas for an expansive traditional home office in Chicago with a library, brown walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround, a freestanding desk and brown floor.

Entry way, Dining Room, Wine Room Architecture: @cronkduch Design: @ShereeDawnBoyd
Photo of a large transitional home office in Jacksonville with a library, white walls, dark hardwood floors, no fireplace, a freestanding desk and brown floor.

The elegant millwork is custom designed for this European estate home. The color palette is The natural forest setting influences the color pallet surrounding this home. Jennifer Saltzman Photography

Design ideas for a large transitional home office in Other with a library.

Large modern home office in Other with a library, white walls, concrete floors, a two-sided fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and a freestanding desk.

Library , custom finishes with fireplace and windows
Large contemporary home office in Orange County with a library, limestone floors, beige walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and beige floor.

Lori Dennis Interior Design Erika Bierman Photography
This is an example of a large transitional home office in Los Angeles with a library, beige walls, carpet, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a freestanding desk and blue floor.

This blue recessed bookshelf opens up to a hidden storage compartment. The color of the bookshelf picks up the blue in the accent chairs, and goes well against the white and brown wallpaper.

Design ideas for an expansive transitional home office in New York with a library, beige walls, a built-in desk, brown floor and dark hardwood floors.