We teamed up with an investor to design a one-of-a-kind property. We created a very clear vision for this home: Scandinavian minimalism. Our intention for this home was to incorporate as many natural materials that we could. We started by selecting polished concrete floors throughout the entire home. To balance this masculinity, we chose soft, natural wood grain cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms and mudroom. In the kitchen, we made the hood a focal point by wrapping it in marble and installing a herringbone tile to the ceiling. We accented the rooms with brass and polished chrome, giving the home a light and airy feeling. We incorporated organic textures and soft lines throughout. The bathrooms feature a dimensioned shower tile and leather towel hooks. We drew inspiration for the color palette and styling by our surroundings - the desert.

Custom Built home designed to fit on an undesirable lot provided a great opportunity to think outside of the box with creating a large open concept living space with a kitchen, dining room, living room, and sitting area. This space has extra high ceilings with concrete radiant heat flooring and custom IKEA cabinetry throughout. The master suite sits tucked away on one side of the house while the other bedrooms are upstairs with a large flex space, great for a kids play area!

Executing our Forcrete micro-cement finish to this wonderful bathroom fit out by PCP Bespoke Bathrooms in Radlett, complimenting our own custom finish to imitate a beautiful stone appearance as shown in our mirror close up picture. The beauty about our micro cement systems is the fact al our coats are fully water-proof, giving a seamless appearance with excellent attention to detail.

The Twin Peaks Passive House + ADU was designed and built to remain resilient in the face of natural disasters. Fortunately, the same great building strategies and design that provide resilience also provide a home that is incredibly comfortable and healthy while also visually stunning. This home’s journey began with a desire to design and build a house that meets the rigorous standards of Passive House. Before beginning the design/ construction process, the homeowners had already spent countless hours researching ways to minimize their global climate change footprint. As with any Passive House, a large portion of this research was focused on building envelope design and construction. The wall assembly is combination of six inch Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) and 2x6 stick frame construction filled with blown in insulation. The roof assembly is a combination of twelve inch SIPs and 2x12 stick frame construction filled with batt insulation. The pairing of SIPs and traditional stick framing allowed for easy air sealing details and a continuous thermal break between the panels and the wall framing. Beyond the building envelope, a number of other high performance strategies were used in constructing this home and ADU such as: battery storage of solar energy, ground source heat pump technology, Heat Recovery Ventilation, LED lighting, and heat pump water heating technology. In addition to the time and energy spent on reaching Passivhaus Standards, thoughtful design and carefully chosen interior finishes coalesce at the Twin Peaks Passive House + ADU into stunning interiors with modern farmhouse appeal. The result is a graceful combination of innovation, durability, and aesthetics that will last for a century to come. Despite the requirements of adhering to some of the most rigorous environmental standards in construction today, the homeowners chose to certify both their main home and their ADU to Passive House Standards. From a meticulously designed building envelope that tested at 0.62 ACH50, to the extensive solar array/ battery bank combination that allows designated circuits to function, uninterrupted for at least 48 hours, the Twin Peaks Passive House has a long list of high performance features that contributed to the completion of this arduous certification process. The ADU was also designed and built with these high standards in mind. Both homes have the same wall and roof assembly ,an HRV, and a Passive House Certified window and doors package. While the main home includes a ground source heat pump that warms both the radiant floors and domestic hot water tank, the more compact ADU is heated with a mini-split ductless heat pump. The end result is a home and ADU built to last, both of which are a testament to owners’ commitment to lessen their impact on the environment.

Master Bathroom

Whilst the site was a good size for the building, the working area was tight due to the very steep slope and limited access. Therefore, to minimise construction costs RRA designed the replacement dwelling to use the existing building footprint and foundations, and kept the ridge height the same as the existing house. The garage became part of the main house using a small link and a subterranean level with additional parking was excavated. This strategy resulting in no negative visual impact to the views of surrounding buildings whilst enabling a significant increase to the floor area. Extensive glazing was used strategically to benefit from the stunning views over Cheltenham whilst also allowing the building to fully utilise the solar gain to heat the house. Balcony areas have been added to offer the inhabitants outdoor space, other than the garden, from which to enjoy the views. Central to the building is the large kitchen area which links several areas of the house. This features a central void space to a large rooflight positioned to increase the natural light within the deepest part of the building. In order to integrate the contemporary style into the natural surroundings a pallette of render, Cedar Cladding, Local Stone and Powder Coated Aluminium Windows was employed. Externally the use of solar powered, low-level lighting, illuminates the access forecourt for safety, without causing excessive light pollution.

The dated finishes and the never used bathtub dictated a gut of the master bathroom. Without going outside the original footprint, the new bathroom has a spacious doorless shower, more storage, and separate make-up vanity with a view! Photo by A Kitchen That Works LLC

Une belle et grande maison de l’Île Saint Denis, en bord de Seine. Ce qui aura constitué l’un de mes plus gros défis ! Madame aime le pop, le rose, le batik, les 50’s-60’s-70’s, elle est tendre, romantique et tient à quelques références qui ont construit ses souvenirs de maman et d’amoureuse. Monsieur lui, aime le minimalisme, le minéral, l’art déco et les couleurs froides (et le rose aussi quand même!). Tous deux aiment les chats, les plantes, le rock, rire et voyager. Ils sont drôles, accueillants, généreux, (très) patients mais (super) perfectionnistes et parfois difficiles à mettre d’accord ? Et voilà le résultat : un mix and match de folie, loin de mes codes habituels et du Wabi-sabi pur et dur, mais dans lequel on retrouve l’essence absolue de cette démarche esthétique japonaise : donner leur chance aux objets du passé, respecter les vibrations, les émotions et l’intime conviction, ne pas chercher à copier ou à être « tendance » mais au contraire, ne jamais oublier que nous sommes des êtres uniques qui avons le droit de vivre dans un lieu unique. Que ce lieu est rare et inédit parce que nous l’avons façonné pièce par pièce, objet par objet, motif par motif, accord après accord, à notre image et selon notre cœur. Cette maison de bord de Seine peuplée de trouvailles vintage et d’icônes du design respire la bonne humeur et la complémentarité de ce couple de clients merveilleux qui resteront des amis. Des clients capables de franchir l’Atlantique pour aller chercher des miroirs que je leur ai proposés mais qui, le temps de passer de la conception à la réalisation, sont sold out en France. Des clients capables de passer la journée avec nous sur le chantier, mètre et niveau à la main, pour nous aider à traquer la perfection dans les finitions. Des clients avec qui refaire le monde, dans la quiétude du jardin, un verre à la main, est un pur moment de bonheur. Merci pour votre confiance, votre ténacité et votre ouverture d’esprit. ????

We teamed up with an investor to design a one-of-a-kind property. We created a very clear vision for this home: Scandinavian minimalism. Our intention for this home was to incorporate as many natural materials that we could. We started by selecting polished concrete floors throughout the entire home. To balance this masculinity, we chose soft, natural wood grain cabinetry for the kitchen, bathrooms and mudroom. In the kitchen, we made the hood a focal point by wrapping it in marble and installing a herringbone tile to the ceiling. We accented the rooms with brass and polished chrome, giving the home a light and airy feeling. We incorporated organic textures and soft lines throughout. The bathrooms feature a dimensioned shower tile and leather towel hooks. We drew inspiration for the color palette and styling by our surroundings - the desert.

Anyone out there that loves to share a bathroom with a teen? Our clients were ready for us to help shuffle rooms around on their 2nd floor in order to accommodate a new full bathroom with a large walk in shower and double vanity. The new bathroom is very simple in style and color with a bright open feel and lots of storage.

Pour cette rénovation partielle, l’intention était d’insuffler un élan de modernité aux espaces cuisine et salle d’eau. Tout d’abord, ouvrir visuellement la cuisine sur l’espace de vie fut une prérogative du projet, tout en optimisant au maximum les rangements. La séparation des volumes s’est vue réalisée par deux verrières en serrurerie sur mesure, tandis que les agencements fonctionnels se parent de teintes douces, entre blanc et vert de gris. La salle d’eau, quant à elle, arbore des tonalités franches, constituant ainsi un espace de caractère. Les formes graphiques se mêlent au contraste du orange et d’une robinetterie canon de fusil, tout en panache !