The side of the island has convenient storage for cookbooks and other essentials. The strand woven bamboo flooring looks modern, but tones with the oak flooring in the rest of the house. Photos by- Michele Lee Willson

Elegant and minimalist kitchen in classic marble and soft dark tones. The Balmoral House is located within the lower north-shore suburb of Balmoral. The site presents many difficulties being wedged shaped, on the low side of the street, hemmed in by two substantial existing houses and with just half the land area of its neighbours. Where previously the site would have enjoyed the benefits of a sunny rear yard beyond the rear building alignment, this is no longer the case with the yard having been sold-off to the neighbours. Our design process has been about finding amenity where on first appearance there appears to be little. The design stems from the first key observation, that the view to Middle Harbour is better from the lower ground level due to the height of the canopy of a nearby angophora that impedes views from the first floor level. Placing the living areas on the lower ground level allowed us to exploit setback controls to build closer to the rear boundary where oblique views to the key local features of Balmoral Beach and Rocky Point Island are best. This strategy also provided the opportunity to extend these spaces into gardens and terraces to the limits of the site, maximising the sense of space of the 'living domain'. Every part of the site is utilised to create an array of connected interior and exterior spaces The planning then became about ordering these living volumes and garden spaces to maximise access to view and sunlight and to structure these to accommodate an array of social situations for our Client’s young family. At first floor level, the garage and bedrooms are composed in a linear block perpendicular to the street along the south-western to enable glimpses of district views from the street as a gesture to the public realm. Critical to the success of the house is the journey from the street down to the living areas and vice versa. A series of stairways break up the journey while the main glazed central stair is the centrepiece to the house as a light-filled piece of sculpture that hangs above a reflecting pond with pool beyond. The architecture works as a series of stacked interconnected volumes that carefully manoeuvre down the site, wrapping around to establish a secluded light-filled courtyard and terrace area on the north-eastern side. The expression is 'minimalist modern' to avoid visually complicating an already dense set of circumstances. Warm natural materials including off-form concrete, neutral bricks and blackbutt timber imbue the house with a calm quality whilst floor to ceiling glazing and large pivot and stacking doors create light-filled interiors, bringing the garden inside. In the end the design reverses the obvious strategy of an elevated living space with balcony facing the view. Rather, the outcome is a grounded compact family home sculpted around daylight, views to Balmoral and intertwined living and garden spaces that satisfy the social needs of a growing young family. Photo Credit: Katherine Lu

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional loft-style family room in Chicago with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Design ideas for an eclectic bathroom in Tampa with a freestanding tub, a vessel sink, brown tile and stone slab.

Design ideas for a country bathroom in Cornwall with beige tile, mosaic tile floors, a pedestal sink, grey floor and a hinged shower door.

Faire rentrer le soleil dans nos intérieurs, tel est le désir de nombreuses personnes. Dans ce projet, la nature reprend ses droits, tant dans les couleurs que dans les matériaux. Nous avons réorganisé les espaces en cloisonnant de manière à toujours laisser entrer la lumière, ainsi, le jaune éclatant permet d'avoir sans cesse une pièce chaleureuse.

山内　紀人
Inspiration for a contemporary loft-style living room in Other with white walls, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Photography: David Matheson
Photo of a contemporary deck in Chicago.

Our design for the façade of this house contains many references to the work of noted Bay Area architect Bernard Maybeck. The concrete exterior panels, aluminum windows designed to echo industrial steel sash, redwood log supporting the third floor breakfast deck, curving trellises and concrete fascia panels all reference Maybeck’s work. However, the overall design is quite original in its combinations of forms, eclectic references and reinterpreting of motifs. The use of steel detailing in the trellis’ rolled c-channels, the railings and the strut supporting the redwood log bring these motifs gently into the 21st Century. The house was intended to respect its immediate surroundings while also providing an opportunity to experiment with new materials and unconventional applications of common materials, much as Maybeck did during his own time.

A Nash terraced house in Regent's Park, London. Interior design by Gaye Gardner. Photography by Adam Butler
Large contemporary gender-neutral kids' playroom in London with carpet, beige floor and beige walls.

We started out with quite a different plan for this bathroom. Before tiling we needed to re-plaster the walls but when we exposed the beautiful red sandstone behind, it had to stay. The original design had been pure Victorian but the final design combined Victorian with rustic and the result is striking.

We built 24" deep boxes to really showcase the beauty of this walk-in closet. Taller hanging was installed for longer jackets and dusters, and short hanging for scarves. Custom-designed jewelry trays were added. Valet rods were mounted to help organize outfits and simplify packing for trips. A pair of antique benches makes the space inviting.

This is an example of an eclectic master bathroom in Chicago with a freestanding tub, multi-coloured walls and multi-coloured floor.

Richard Silver Photo
This is an example of an expansive industrial wood staircase in New York with open risers.

Victor Grandgeorges
Photo of a country bedroom in Paris with yellow walls, light hardwood floors and beige floor.

This dramatic contemporary residence features extraordinary design with magnificent views of Angel Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the ever changing San Francisco Bay. The amazing great room has soaring 36 foot ceilings, a Carnelian granite cascading waterfall flanked by stairways on each side, and an unique patterned sky roof of redwood and cedar. The 57 foyer windows and glass double doors are specifically designed to frame the world class views. Designed by world-renowned architect Angela Danadjieva as her personal residence, this unique architectural masterpiece features intricate woodwork and innovative environmental construction standards offering an ecological sanctuary with the natural granite flooring and planters and a 10 ft. indoor waterfall. The fluctuating light filtering through the sculptured redwood ceilings creates a reflective and varying ambiance. Other features include a reinforced concrete structure, multi-layered slate roof, a natural garden with granite and stone patio leading to a lawn overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Completing the home is a spacious master suite with a granite bath, an office / second bedroom featuring a granite bath, a third guest bedroom suite and a den / 4th bedroom with bath. Other features include an electronic controlled gate with a stone driveway to the two car garage and a dumb waiter from the garage to the granite kitchen.

Photo of a traditional bathroom in San Francisco with brown walls and flat-panel cabinets.

Design ideas for an eclectic l-shaped kitchen in Toronto with stainless steel appliances, orange cabinets, grey splashback, stone tile splashback and recessed-panel cabinets.

Transitional galley eat-in kitchen in San Francisco with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, multi-coloured splashback, light hardwood floors, no island, beige floor, brown benchtop and medium wood cabinets.