Brunswick Parlour transforms a Victorian cottage into a hard-working, personalised home for a family of four. Our clients loved the character of their Brunswick terrace home, but not its inefficient floor plan and poor year-round thermal control. They didn't need more space, they just needed their space to work harder. The front bedrooms remain largely untouched, retaining their Victorian features and only introducing new cabinetry. Meanwhile, the main bedroom’s previously pokey en suite and wardrobe have been expanded, adorned with custom cabinetry and illuminated via a generous skylight. At the rear of the house, we reimagined the floor plan to establish shared spaces suited to the family’s lifestyle. Flanked by the dining and living rooms, the kitchen has been reoriented into a more efficient layout and features custom cabinetry that uses every available inch. In the dining room, the Swiss Army Knife of utility cabinets unfolds to reveal a laundry, more custom cabinetry, and a craft station with a retractable desk. Beautiful materiality throughout infuses the home with warmth and personality, featuring Blackbutt timber flooring and cabinetry, and selective pops of green and pink tones. The house now works hard in a thermal sense too. Insulation and glazing were updated to best practice standard, and we’ve introduced several temperature control tools. Hydronic heating installed throughout the house is complemented by an evaporative cooling system and operable skylight. The result is a lush, tactile home that increases the effectiveness of every existing inch to enhance daily life for our clients, proving that good design doesn’t need to add space to add value.

Loft Bedroom constructed to give visibility to floor to ceiling windows. Glass railing divides the staircase from the bedroom.

Joe Purvis Photos

Eye-Land: Named for the expansive white oak savanna views, this beautiful 5,200-square foot family home offers seamless indoor/outdoor living with five bedrooms and three baths, and space for two more bedrooms and a bathroom. The site posed unique design challenges. The home was ultimately nestled into the hillside, instead of placed on top of the hill, so that it didn’t dominate the dramatic landscape. The openness of the savanna exposes all sides of the house to the public, which required creative use of form and materials. The home’s one-and-a-half story form pays tribute to the site’s farming history. The simplicity of the gable roof puts a modern edge on a traditional form, and the exterior color palette is limited to black tones to strike a stunning contrast to the golden savanna. The main public spaces have oversized south-facing windows and easy access to an outdoor terrace with views overlooking a protected wetland. The connection to the land is further strengthened by strategically placed windows that allow for views from the kitchen to the driveway and auto court to see visitors approach and children play. There is a formal living room adjacent to the front entry for entertaining and a separate family room that opens to the kitchen for immediate family to gather before and after mealtime.

The master bathroom showing a built-in vanity with natural wooden cabinets, two sinks, two arched mirrors and two modern lights.

This light-filled, modern master suite above a 1948 Colonial in Arlington, VA was a Contractor of the Year Award Winner, Residential Addition $100-$250K. The bedroom and bath are separated by translucent, retractable doors. A floating, wall-mounted vanity and toilet with a curb-less shower create a contemporary atmosphere.

This prewar apartment on Manhattan's upper west side was gut renovated to create a serene family home with expansive views to the hudson river. The living room is filled with natural light, and fitted out with custom cabinetry for book and art display. The galley kitchen opens onto a dining area with a cushioned banquette along the window wall. New wide plank oak floors from LV wood run throughout the apartment, and the kitchen features quiet modern cabinetry and geometric tile patterns. Photo by Maletz Design

High Res Media

Master bath remodel with porcelain wood tiles and Waterworks fixtures. Photography by Manolo Langis Located steps away from the beach, the client engaged us to transform a blank industrial loft space to a warm inviting space that pays respect to its industrial heritage. We use anchored large open space with a sixteen foot conversation island that was constructed out of reclaimed logs and plumbing pipes. The island itself is divided up into areas for eating, drinking, and reading. Bringing this theme into the bedroom, the bed was constructed out of 12x12 reclaimed logs anchored by two bent steel plates for side tables.

There is just enough contrast in this bath's finishes to allow the white to really stand out. The skylight provides warm natural light and the entire space feels inviting. The lines of the separate walk-in shower softens the angles in the room.