Ema Peter Photography
Inspiration for a large modern master bedroom in Vancouver with white walls, carpet, a ribbon fireplace and a stone fireplace surround.

Large modern master bedroom in Charleston with white walls, light hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, wood and panelled walls.

Mid-sized modern master bedroom in Denver with concrete floors, a ribbon fireplace and a metal fireplace surround.

Connie Anderson Photography
Mid-sized modern master bedroom in Houston with grey walls, carpet and a ribbon fireplace.

As written in Northern Home & Cottage by Elizabeth Edwards Sara and Paul Matthews call their head-turning home, located in a sweet neighborhood just up the hill from downtown Petoskey, “a very human story.” Indeed it is. Sara and her husband, Paul, have a special-needs son as well as an energetic middle-school daughter. This home has an answer for everyone. Located down the street from the school, it is ideally situated for their daughter and a self-contained apartment off the great room accommodates all their son’s needs while giving his caretakers privacy—and the family theirs. The Matthews began the building process by taking their thoughts and needs to Stephanie Baldwin and her team at Edgewater Design Group. Beyond the above considerations, they wanted their new home to be low maintenance and to stand out architecturally, “But not so much that anyone would complain that it didn’t work in our neighborhood,” says Sara. “We were thrilled that Edgewater listened to us and were able to give us a unique-looking house that is meeting all our needs.” Lombardy LLC built this handsome home with Paul working alongside the construction crew throughout the project. The low maintenance exterior is a cutting-edge blend of stacked stone, black corrugated steel, black framed windows and Douglas fir soffits—elements that add up to an organic contemporary look. The use of black steel, including interior beams and the staircase system, lend an industrial vibe that is courtesy of the Matthews’ friend Dan Mello of Trimet Industries in Traverse City. The couple first met Dan, a metal fabricator, a number of years ago, right around the time they found out that their then two-year-old son would never be able to walk. After the couple explained to Dan that they couldn’t find a solution for a child who wasn’t big enough for a wheelchair, he designed a comfortable, rolling chair that was just perfect. They still use it. The couple’s gratitude for the chair resulted in a trusting relationship with Dan, so it was natural for them to welcome his talents into their home-building process. A maple floor finished to bring out all of its color-tones envelops the room in warmth. Alder doors and trim and a Doug fir ceiling reflect that warmth. Clearstory windows and floor-to-ceiling window banks fill the space with light—and with views of the spacious grounds that will become a canvas for Paul, a retired landscaper. The couple’s vibrant art pieces play off against modernist furniture and lighting that is due to an inspired collaboration between Sara and interior designer Kelly Paulsen. “She was absolutely instrumental to the project,” Sara says. “I went through two designers before I finally found Kelly.” The open clean-lined kitchen, butler’s pantry outfitted with a beverage center and Miele coffee machine (that allows guests to wait on themselves when Sara is cooking), and an outdoor room that centers around a wood-burning fireplace, all make for easy, fabulous entertaining. A den just off the great room houses the big-screen television and Sara’s loom— making for relaxing evenings of weaving, game watching and togetherness. Tourgoers will leave understanding that this house is everything great design should be. Form following function—and solving very human issues with soul-soothing style.

This is an example of a modern bedroom in San Diego with brown walls and a ribbon fireplace.

Patrice Jerome
Design ideas for a modern bedroom in Cincinnati with grey walls and a ribbon fireplace.

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern master bedroom in Other with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and brown floor.

Joana Morrison
This is an example of a large modern master bedroom in Los Angeles with white walls, bamboo floors, a ribbon fireplace, a concrete fireplace surround and beige floor.

Photo of a large modern master bedroom in Phoenix with beige walls, porcelain floors, a ribbon fireplace and a concrete fireplace surround.

Photo of a large modern master bedroom in Baltimore with beige walls, dark hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround and brown floor.

A modern gas fireplace in the bedroom and views of the lake through walls of glass and steel opening to catwalk.
Design ideas for a modern master bedroom in Minneapolis with white walls, a ribbon fireplace, grey floor, recessed and wood.

Inspiration for a large modern master bedroom in Los Angeles with white walls, light hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround, beige floor and wallpaper.

Design ideas for a mid-sized modern master bedroom in Other with beige walls, carpet, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround and beige floor.

Floating (cantilevered) wall with high efficiency Ortal fireplace, floating shelves, 75" flat screen TV in niche over fireplace. Did we leave anything out?

For this remodel in Portola Valley, California we were hired to rejuvenate a circa 1980 modernist house clad in deteriorating vertical wood siding. The house included a greenhouse style sunroom which got so unbearably hot as to be unusable. We opened up the floor plan and completely demolished the sunroom, replacing it with a new dining room open to the remodeled living room and kitchen. We added a new office and deck above the new dining room and replaced all of the exterior windows, mostly with oversized sliding aluminum doors by Fleetwood to open the house up to the wooded hillside setting. Stainless steel railings protect the inhabitants where the sliding doors open more than 50 feet above the ground below. We replaced the wood siding with stucco in varying tones of gray, white and black, creating new exterior lines, massing and proportions. We also created a new master suite upstairs and remodeled the existing powder room. Architecture by Mark Brand Architecture. Interior Design by Mark Brand Architecture in collaboration with Applegate Tran Interiors. Lighting design by Luminae Souter. Photos by Christopher Stark Photography.

Light and airy, the master bedroom is grounded by a black ribbed-steel fireplace wall, reinforcing the modernist design theme. Project // Ebony and Ivory Paradise Valley, Arizona Architecture: Drewett Works Builder: Bedbrock Developers Interiors: Mara Interior Design - Mara Green Landscape: Bedbrock Developers Photography: Werner Segarra Limestone wall: Solstice Stone Steel: Steel & Stone Wallcovering: John Brooks Wood floor: Premiere Wood Floors https://www.drewettworks.com/ebony-and-ivory/

Photo of a large modern master bedroom in Phoenix with beige walls, porcelain floors, a ribbon fireplace and a concrete fireplace surround.

This 6,500-square-foot one-story vacation home overlooks a golf course with the San Jacinto mountain range beyond. The house has a light-colored material palette—limestone floors, bleached teak ceilings—and ample access to outdoor living areas. Builder: Bradshaw Construction Architect: Marmol Radziner Interior Design: Sophie Harvey Landscape: Madderlake Designs Photography: Roger Davies