Halstead Property
Design ideas for a traditional three-storey beige townhouse exterior in New York with a flat roof.

Beautiful French inspired home in the heart of Lincoln Park Chicago. Rising amidst the grand homes of North Howe Street, this stately house has more than 6,600 SF. In total, the home has seven bedrooms, six full bathrooms and three powder rooms. Designed with an extra-wide floor plan (21'-2"), achieved through side-yard relief, and an attached garage achieved through rear-yard relief, it is a truly unique home in a truly stunning environment. The centerpiece of the home is its dramatic, 11-foot-diameter circular stair that ascends four floors from the lower level to the roof decks where panoramic windows (and views) infuse the staircase and lower levels with natural light. Public areas include classically-proportioned living and dining rooms, designed in an open-plan concept with architectural distinction enabling them to function individually. A gourmet, eat-in kitchen opens to the home's great room and rear gardens and is connected via its own staircase to the lower level family room, mud room and attached 2-1/2 car, heated garage. The second floor is a dedicated master floor, accessed by the main stair or the home's elevator. Features include a groin-vaulted ceiling; attached sun-room; private balcony; lavishly appointed master bath; tremendous closet space, including a 120 SF walk-in closet, and; an en-suite office. Four family bedrooms and three bathrooms are located on the third floor. This home was sold early in its construction process. Nathan Kirkman

Photographer: Paul Craig The exterior of the property has been renovated to be both classy and beautifully subtle with ornate railings and topiary plants keeping it fresh and elegant.

Inspiration for a traditional townhouse exterior in Chicago with stone veneer.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values.

Mid-sized traditional one-storey white townhouse exterior in Sydney with wood siding and a gable roof.

The rear extension was enhanced by adopting a contemporary aesthetic, installing folding sliding doors in dark grey aluminium on 2 sides, which allowed in copious amounts of light and gave a real sense of connection with the garden. We created a bespoke joinery kitchen in lacquer with walnut drawers and interiors. The styling was contemporary classic in soft colours with plenty of storage, including a generous larder and breakfast cupboard to house a kettle and toaster as well as a small wine fridge. Thus eliminating all clutter with everything being behind doors when not required. A boston sink was specified along with a composite worktop and colour was added to the backsplash with ceramic deep blue tiles. Bespoke metal brackets were designed to suspend 3 glass pendant lights over the island below the glass skylight.

Mid-sized traditional three-storey brick red townhouse exterior in Other with a hip roof and a shingle roof.

The renovation and rear extension to a lower ground floor of a 4 storey Victorian Terraced house in Hampstead Conservation Area.
Design ideas for a small traditional brick townhouse exterior in London with four or more storeys, a gable roof, a tile roof and a black roof.

Earl Smith Photography
Inspiration for a small traditional two-storey brick townhouse exterior in London.

The homeowners' favorite view of the home is from their rear garden at dusk. The porches not only opened up the interior of their home to more light and the outdoors, but also created a peaceful sanctuary, an oasis of calm in a busy town. Photographer Greg Hadley

Kath Heke
Design ideas for a small traditional one-storey grey townhouse exterior in Brisbane with wood siding, a gable roof and a metal roof.

Photo of a traditional three-storey townhouse exterior in Surrey.

Detailed view of the restored turret's vent + original slate shingles
Photo of a small traditional brick red townhouse exterior in DC Metro with four or more storeys, a flat roof, a shingle roof and a red roof.

Inspiration for a traditional white townhouse exterior in London with four or more storeys.

Inspiration for a small traditional two-storey green townhouse exterior in Other with concrete fiberboard siding, a gable roof and a shingle roof.

Pamela Foster
Inspiration for a small traditional one-storey brick red townhouse exterior in Atlanta with a hip roof and a metal roof.

Photo of a traditional three-storey brick white townhouse exterior in Charleston.

Will Pryce
Design ideas for a traditional two-storey brick brown townhouse exterior in London with a flat roof.