This is an example of a large modern open concept living room in Adelaide with white walls, a ribbon fireplace, concrete floors, black floor and a wall-mounted tv.

Adding a top and lower ground floor created room for everyone to spread out. Ease of entertaining was key for the owners, so maximising the home’s formal rooms, designing a kitchen for large-scale cooking and creating outdoor spaces to gather are much-loved additions.

Formal Living Dining with french oak parquetry and Marie Antoinette floor style reflected on the ceiling coffers, and a hand crafted travertine fire place mantel

Tones of olive green and brass accents add warmth to this timeless space.
Photo of a mid-sized transitional open concept living room in Perth with porcelain floors, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace surround, no tv, beige floor, decorative wall panelling and white walls.

Whilst the main focus for this renovation was the kitchen and bathrooms, the clients used the opportunity to instil some better functionality and modern influences in some adjoining rooms. This bespoke entertainment unit was designed and built to house a new gas fireplace, with the tv wall mounted above. Once again, the stunning porcelain in the cladding of this fireplace, makes for a real focal point in the living room.

Contemporary apartment living room with warm neutral furnishings and a gorgeous feature floor lamp.
Photo of a small contemporary open concept living room in Melbourne with white walls, light hardwood floors and a wall-mounted tv.

Interior Designer: Graham Simmonds Photographer: Pablo Veiga
Photo of a small contemporary formal open concept living room in Sydney with white walls, dark hardwood floors, no fireplace, a freestanding tv and brown floor.

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional open concept living room in San Francisco with grey walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, brown floor and a wall-mounted tv.

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. Eric Roth Photo

The adjoining cozy family room is highlighted by a herringbone tile fireplace surround and built-in shelving. Bright pops of color add to the interest.

This cozy lake cottage skillfully incorporates a number of features that would normally be restricted to a larger home design. A glance of the exterior reveals a simple story and a half gable running the length of the home, enveloping the majority of the interior spaces. To the rear, a pair of gables with copper roofing flanks a covered dining area that connects to a screened porch. Inside, a linear foyer reveals a generous staircase with cascading landing. Further back, a centrally placed kitchen is connected to all of the other main level entertaining spaces through expansive cased openings. A private study serves as the perfect buffer between the homes master suite and living room. Despite its small footprint, the master suite manages to incorporate several closets, built-ins, and adjacent master bath complete with a soaker tub flanked by separate enclosures for shower and water closet. Upstairs, a generous double vanity bathroom is shared by a bunkroom, exercise space, and private bedroom. The bunkroom is configured to provide sleeping accommodations for up to 4 people. The rear facing exercise has great views of the rear yard through a set of windows that overlook the copper roof of the screened porch below. Builder: DeVries & Onderlinde Builders Interior Designer: Vision Interiors by Visbeen Photographer: Ashley Avila Photography

Light filled atrium, perfect for rleaxing. The custom built-ins steal the show.
Mid-sized transitional living room in Dallas.

Living room featuring modern steel and wood fireplace wall with upper-level loft and horizontal round bar railings. Floating Stairs and Railings by Keuka Studios www.Keuka-Studios.com

Custom built-in entertainment center consisting of three base cabinets with soft-close doors, adjustable shelves, and custom-made ducting to re-route the HVAC air flow from a floor vent out through the toe kick panel; side and overhead book/display cases, extendable TV wall bracket, and in-wall wiring for electrical and HDMI connections. The last photo shows the space before the installation.

Photography by Picture Perfect House
Photo of a mid-sized transitional open concept family room in Chicago with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a brick fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, planked wall panelling and brown floor.

Mid-sized country open concept living room in Orange County with light hardwood floors, a standard fireplace and a brick fireplace surround.

Hamptons Style Fireplace with white timber mantle and shaker style panelling, sage green herringbone marble tiling insets.
Inspiration for a country living room in Perth with a standard fireplace and a wood fireplace surround.

Photography: Dustin Halleck, Home Builder: Middlefork Development, LLC, Architect: Burns + Beyerl Architects
This is an example of a large transitional open concept family room in Chicago with blue walls, dark hardwood floors, no fireplace, no tv and brown floor.

This custom built-in entertainment center features white shaker cabinetry accented by white oak shelves with integrated lighting and brass hardware. The electronics are contained in the lower door cabinets with select items like the wifi router out on the countertop on the left side and a Sonos sound bar in the center under the TV. The TV is mounted on the back panel and wires are in a chase down to the lower cabinet. The side fillers go down to the floor to give the wall baseboards a clean surface to end against.