fiber cement siding painted Cleveland Green (7" siding), Sweet Vibrations (4" siding), and Texas Leather (11" siding)—all by Benjamin Moore; window trim and clerestory band painted Night Horizon by Benjamin Moore; soffit & fascia painted Camouflage by Benjamin Moore; Photography by Tre Dunham

Ben Blossom
Photo of a contemporary dining room in London with no fireplace.

Photo of a large country split-level brown house exterior in Toronto with wood siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

Inspiration for an expansive modern split-level grey exterior in Los Angeles with wood siding and a flat roof.

Design ideas for an expansive modern split-level grey exterior in Los Angeles with wood siding and a flat roof.

Design ideas for a contemporary dining room in London.

Photo of a large contemporary single-wall eat-in kitchen in Dallas with flat-panel cabinets, grey cabinets, with island, grey floor, an undermount sink, quartz benchtops, stainless steel appliances, concrete floors and white benchtop.

A basement renovation complete with a custom home theater, gym, seating area, full bar, and showcase wine cellar.
Photo of a large transitional u-shaped seated home bar in New York with dark hardwood floors, glass-front cabinets, dark wood cabinets, multi-coloured splashback, stone tile splashback, grey benchtop and granite benchtops.

This is an example of a large country split-level exterior in Other with mixed siding and a shed roof.

Manolo Langis Photography
This is an example of a mid-sized beach style backyard rectangular infinity pool in Los Angeles with a hot tub and concrete pavers.

Design ideas for a contemporary dining room in London.

French & Tye
Contemporary kitchen in London.

Contemporary dining room in London.

Design ideas for a mid-sized country backyard rectangular pool in Atlanta with a water feature and natural stone pavers.

Photography by Doug Gorsline, Ash Creek Photo
Inspiration for a large contemporary split-level grey exterior in Portland with a flat roof.

Photo of an expansive country family room in Denver with white walls, medium hardwood floors and a wall-mounted tv.

Peter A. Sellar / www.photoklik.com
This is an example of a contemporary split-level exterior in Toronto with a flat roof and mixed siding.

Design ideas for an expansive contemporary split-level beige exterior in Los Angeles with wood siding and a flat roof.

Complete interior renovation of a 1980s split level house in the Virginia suburbs. Main level includes reading room, dining, kitchen, living and master bedroom suite. New front elevation at entry, new rear deck and complete re-cladding of the house. Interior: The prototypical layout of the split level home tends to separate the entrance, and any other associated space, from the rest of the living spaces one half level up. In this home the lower level "living" room off the entry was physically isolated from the dining, kitchen and family rooms above, and was only connected visually by a railing at dining room level. The owner desired a stronger integration of the lower and upper levels, in addition to an open flow between the major spaces on the upper level where they spend most of their time. ExteriorThe exterior entry of the house was a fragmented composition of disparate elements. The rear of the home was blocked off from views due to small windows, and had a difficult to use multi leveled deck. The owners requested an updated treatment of the entry, a more uniform exterior cladding, and an integration between the interior and exterior spaces. SOLUTIONS The overriding strategy was to create a spatial sequence allowing a seamless flow from the front of the house through the living spaces and to the exterior, in addition to unifying the upper and lower spaces. This was accomplished by creating a "reading room" at the entry level that responds to the front garden with a series of interior contours that are both steps as well as seating zones, while the orthogonal layout of the main level and deck reflects the pragmatic daily activities of cooking, eating and relaxing. The stairs between levels were moved so that the visitor could enter the new reading room, experiencing it as a place, before moving up to the main level. The upper level dining room floor was "pushed" out into the reading room space, thus creating a balcony over and into the space below. At the entry, the second floor landing was opened up to create a double height space, with enlarged windows. The rear wall of the house was opened up with continuous glass windows and doors to maximize the views and light. A new simplified single level deck replaced the old one.