Mid-sized country bathroom in Charlotte with blue tile, glass tile, beige walls, medium hardwood floors and a hinged shower door.

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

The guest bathroom has the most striking matte glass patterned tile on both the backsplash and in the bathtub/shower combination. A floating wood vanity has a white quartz countertop and mid-century modern sconces on either side of the round mirror.

Photo of a mid-sized contemporary master bathroom in San Francisco with a japanese tub, a curbless shower, a wall-mount toilet, blue tile, glass tile, white walls, marble floors, an undermount sink, marble benchtops, white floor, a hinged shower door, a double vanity and a floating vanity.

Our client asked us to remodel the Master Bathroom of her 1970's lake home which was quite an honor since it was an important and personal space that she had been dreaming about for years. As a busy doctor and mother of two, she needed a sanctuary to relax and unwind. She and her husband had previously remodeled their entire house except for the Master Bath which was dark, tight and tired. She wanted a better layout to create a bright, clean, modern space with Calacatta gold marble, navy blue glass tile and cabinets and a sprinkle of gold hardware. The results were stunning... a fresh, clean, modern, bright and beautiful Master Bathroom that our client was thrilled to enjoy for years to come.

Photo Credit: Pura Soul Photography
Mid-sized country master bathroom in San Diego with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, an alcove shower, a one-piece toilet, gray tile, glass tile, grey walls, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, beige floor, a hinged shower door and white benchtops.

When a world class sailing champion approached us to design a Newport home for his family, with lodging for his sailing crew, we set out to create a clean, light-filled modern home that would integrate with the natural surroundings of the waterfront property, and respect the character of the historic district. Our approach was to make the marine landscape an integral feature throughout the home. One hundred eighty degree views of the ocean from the top floors are the result of the pinwheel massing. The home is designed as an extension of the curvilinear approach to the property through the woods and reflects the gentle undulating waterline of the adjacent saltwater marsh. Floodplain regulations dictated that the primary occupied spaces be located significantly above grade; accordingly, we designed the first and second floors on a stone “plinth” above a walk-out basement with ample storage for sailing equipment. The curved stone base slopes to grade and houses the shallow entry stair, while the same stone clads the interior’s vertical core to the roof, along which the wood, glass and stainless steel stair ascends to the upper level. One critical programmatic requirement was enough sleeping space for the sailing crew, and informal party spaces for the end of race-day gatherings. The private master suite is situated on one side of the public central volume, giving the homeowners views of approaching visitors. A “bedroom bar,” designed to accommodate a full house of guests, emerges from the other side of the central volume, and serves as a backdrop for the infinity pool and the cove beyond. Also essential to the design process was ecological sensitivity and stewardship. The wetlands of the adjacent saltwater marsh were designed to be restored; an extensive geo-thermal heating and cooling system was implemented; low carbon footprint materials and permeable surfaces were used where possible. Native and non-invasive plant species were utilized in the landscape. The abundance of windows and glass railings maximize views of the landscape, and, in deference to the adjacent bird sanctuary, bird-friendly glazing was used throughout. Photo: Michael Moran/OTTO Photography

This remodel went from a tiny corner bathroom, to a charming full master bathroom with a large walk in closet. The Master Bathroom was over sized so we took space from the bedroom and closets to create a double vanity space with herringbone glass tile backsplash. We were able to fit in a linen cabinet with the new master shower layout for plenty of built-in storage. The bathroom are tiled with hex marble tile on the floor and herringbone marble tiles in the shower. Paired with the brass plumbing fixtures and hardware this master bathroom is a show stopper and will be cherished for years to come. Space Plans & Design, Interior Finishes by Signature Designs Kitchen Bath. Photography Gail Owens

Peter Clarke Photography
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary bathroom in Melbourne with open cabinets, a freestanding tub, white tile, glass tile, mosaic tile floors, a vessel sink, solid surface benchtops, white benchtops, light wood cabinets, white walls and white floor.

Photography by J Savage Gibson
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary master bathroom in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, an undermount tub, a shower/bathtub combo, glass tile, porcelain floors, an undermount sink, engineered quartz benchtops, a hinged shower door, blue tile, beige floor and white walls.

We preserved the original fir cabinets and knobs in the kids' bath, and used a bright laminate for the counter and backsplash.
Photo of a mid-sized midcentury kids bathroom in Seattle with recessed-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a two-piece toilet, gray tile, glass tile, white walls, ceramic floors, a drop-in sink and laminate benchtops.

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary master bathroom in Toronto with a corner shower, white walls, gray tile, white tile, glass tile, slate floors, black floor, an open shower, a niche and a shower seat.

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary bathroom in San Francisco with an alcove shower, blue tile, glass tile and a hinged shower door.

Wave tile shower surround with custom glass gradient glass detail. Kate Falconer Photography
Mid-sized beach style bathroom in Other with blue cabinets, an alcove tub, a shower/bathtub combo, a one-piece toilet, blue tile, glass tile, white walls, ceramic floors, an undermount sink and engineered quartz benchtops.

Ocean inspired master bath with custom cabinets maximize storage and space with contemporary beach feel
Design ideas for a mid-sized beach style master bathroom in Houston with flat-panel cabinets, an alcove shower, blue tile, glass tile, grey walls, limestone floors, an undermount sink and quartzite benchtops.

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary 3/4 bathroom in New York with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, an alcove shower, a two-piece toilet, a console sink, gray tile, white tile, glass tile and white walls.

Barn door opening to master bath.
This is an example of a mid-sized transitional master bathroom in Austin with shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, blue tile, glass tile, a drop-in tub, a corner shower, an undermount sink, blue walls and travertine floors.

Emily Jenkins Followill photography This bath was one of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Bath of the Year winners for 2014!!
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern master bathroom in Atlanta with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium wood cabinets, white tile, glass tile, marble floors and white walls.

Michael J. Lee
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary master bathroom in Boston with a shower/bathtub combo, a wall-mount toilet, blue tile, glass tile, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, an alcove tub, white walls, marble floors, an integrated sink and engineered quartz benchtops.