The Philadelphia region is one filled with gorgeous stone colonial architecture but a family with a more modern aesthetic and a contemporary home was having trouble finding a design and build firm who could bring their desired Scandinavian bathroom renovation to life. Fritz Carpentry and Contracting worked with the client to select contemporary finishes including vertically stacked white subway tile, mid-century era lighting, terrazzo tile floors and modern fixtures. The bathroom was warmed and completed by a custom designed and handcrafted walnut floating vanity with white quartz countertop from Fritz Studios.

Visuel montrant la zone double vasque. Effet graphique apporté par les tasseaux verticaux et les miroirs géométriques noirs. L'espace est travaillé comme une boite rose, des murs au plafond, pour apporter de la chaleur et se sentir en sécurité dans cette zone d'intimité.

This home is in a rural area. The client was wanting a home reminiscent of those built by the auto barons of Detroit decades before. The home focuses on a nature area enhanced and expanded as part of this property development. The water feature, with its surrounding woodland and wetland areas, supports wild life species and was a significant part of the focus for our design. We orientated all primary living areas to allow for sight lines to the water feature. This included developing an underground pool room where its only windows looked over the water while the room itself was depressed below grade, ensuring that it would not block the views from other areas of the home. The underground room for the pool was constructed of cast-in-place architectural grade concrete arches intended to become the decorative finish inside the room. An elevated exterior patio sits as an entertaining area above this room while the rear yard lawn conceals the remainder of its imposing size. A skylight through the grass is the only hint at what lies below. Great care was taken to locate the home on a small open space on the property overlooking the natural area and anticipated water feature. We nestled the home into the clearing between existing trees and along the edge of a natural slope which enhanced the design potential and functional options needed for the home. The style of the home not only fits the requirements of an owner with a desire for a very traditional mid-western estate house, but also its location amongst other rural estate lots. The development is in an area dotted with large homes amongst small orchards, small farms, and rolling woodlands. Materials for this home are a mixture of clay brick and limestone for the exterior walls. Both materials are readily available and sourced from the local area. We used locally sourced northern oak wood for the interior trim. The black cherry trees that were removed were utilized as hardwood flooring for the home we designed next door. Mechanical systems were carefully designed to obtain a high level of efficiency. The pool room has a separate, and rather unique, heating system. The heat recovered as part of the dehumidification and cooling process is re-directed to maintain the water temperature in the pool. This process allows what would have been wasted heat energy to be re-captured and utilized. We carefully designed this system as a negative pressure room to control both humidity and ensure that odors from the pool would not be detectable in the house. The underground character of the pool room also allowed it to be highly insulated and sealed for high energy efficiency. The disadvantage was a sacrifice on natural day lighting around the entire room. A commercial skylight, with reflective coatings, was added through the lawn-covered roof. The skylight added a lot of natural daylight and was a natural chase to recover warm humid air and supply new cooled and dehumidified air back into the enclosed space below. Landscaping was restored with primarily native plant and tree materials, which required little long term maintenance. The dedicated nature area is thriving with more wildlife than originally on site when the property was undeveloped. It is rare to be on site and to not see numerous wild turkey, white tail deer, waterfowl and small animals native to the area. This home provides a good example of how the needs of a luxury estate style home can nestle comfortably into an existing environment and ensure that the natural setting is not only maintained but protected for future generations.

Remodeled by Lion Builder construction Design By Veneer Designs

Dans cette maison datant de 1993, il y avait une grande perte de place au RDCH; Les clients souhaitaient une rénovation totale de ce dernier afin de le restructurer. Ils rêvaient d'un espace évolutif et chaleureux. Nous avons donc proposé de re-cloisonner l'ensemble par des meubles sur mesure et des claustras. Nous avons également proposé d'apporter de la lumière en repeignant en blanc les grandes fenêtres donnant sur jardin et en retravaillant l'éclairage. Et, enfin, nous avons proposé des matériaux ayant du caractère et des coloris apportant du peps!

Dans cet appartement moderne de 86 m², l’objectif était d’ajouter de la personnalité et de créer des rangements sur mesure en adéquation avec les besoins de nos clients : le tout en alliant couleurs et design ! Dans l’entrée, un module bicolore a pris place pour maximiser les rangements tout en créant un élément de décoration à part entière. La salle de bain, aux tons naturels de vert et de bois, est maintenant très fonctionnelle grâce à son grand plan de toilette et sa buanderie cachée. Dans la chambre d’enfant, la peinture bleu profond accentue le coin nuit pour une ambiance cocooning. Pour finir, l’espace bureau ouvert sur le salon permet de télétravailler dans les meilleures conditions avec de nombreux rangements et une couleur jaune qui motive !

Re-configured bathroom with double ended bath. The raised space to the left of the bath houses concealed laundry baskets...

The original Art Nouveau stained glass windows were a striking element of the room, and informed the dramatic choice of colour for the vanity and upper walls, in conjunction with the terrazzo flooring. Photographer: David Russel

Mid-century meets modern – this project demonstrates the potential of a heritage renovation that builds upon the past. The major renovations and extension encourage a strong relationship between the landscape, as part of daily life, and cater to a large family passionate about their neighbourhood and entertaining.

Shot from the entry of the Master Bath of this Eichler remodel. Retro, brass pendant star light. Terazzo floor with custom pattern design and brass inlay.

Before our pre-build consultation, our clients were unsure about their existing bathroom layout. Reno Sketch created a 3D model to help them visualise the space. The model was used to test out layout options & finish applications which ultimately resulted in quick decision making & confidence in choices. A simple design with ample storage is easy to maintain and keep tidy. Concealed ambient lighting below the vanity and within the wall niches turns on via a sensor and also has the flexibility to be kept on at night for guests & children. Subtle blue toned terrazzo flooring returns up the wall to create a dado line and contrasts with the natural timber joinery and larger format matt white wall tiles. The timber, terrazzo finish and gun metal fixtures create a classic design with a nod to mid-century details.

Visuel montrant la paroi de douche en arche. Effet graphique apporté par les tasseaux verticaux et les miroirs géométriques noirs. L'espace est travaillé comme une boite rose, des murs au plafond, pour apporter de la chaleur et se sentir en sécurité dans cette zone d'intimité.