Example of a mid-sized 1960s u-shaped light wood floor, beige floor and exposed beam kitchen design in Other with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, quartzite countertops, green backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Michael J. Lee Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary master blue tile gray floor bathroom remodel in Boston with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, white walls and an undermount sink

Lower Level Powder Room
Example of a classic green tile and subway tile multicolored floor powder room design in St Louis with green walls, an undermount sink, marble countertops and white countertops

Hidden in the murphy bed built in are printer and laundry hamper. Can you guess where?
Home office - small transitional medium tone wood floor and brown floor home office idea in DC Metro with white walls

Landmark Photography
Country light wood floor kitchen photo in Minneapolis with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and beige countertops

Example of a mid-sized farmhouse white two-story wood gable roof design in Nashville with a white roof

I custom designed this vanity out of zinc and wood. I wanted it to be space saving and float off of the floor. The tub and shower area are combined to create a wet room. the overhead rain shower and wall mounted fixtures provide a spa-like experience. Photo: Seth Caplan

Small danish master white tile and subway tile ceramic tile, black floor and single-sink bathroom photo in Tampa with flat-panel cabinets, brown cabinets, white walls, an integrated sink, quartz countertops, white countertops and a freestanding vanity

Trendy carpeted and gray floor bedroom photo in Houston with black walls

Inspiration for a scandinavian bedroom remodel in Denver

Mid-Century Modern Restoration
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized 1950s terrazzo floor, white floor and exposed beam eat-in kitchen idea in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, brown cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, quartz backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and white countertops

Family room library - mid-sized traditional enclosed dark wood floor family room library idea in St Louis with gray walls

Photography: Ben Gebo
Small transitional master white tile and stone tile mosaic tile floor and white floor alcove shower photo in Boston with shaker cabinets, a wall-mount toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, marble countertops, white cabinets and a hinged shower door

A growing family, a rambling Georgian estate. The question: how to imbue tradition with a fresh spirit? The charge was to maintain the idea of old school charm without the interior feeling just… old. An illustration could be found in picture molding (which we added, then painted to disappear into the walls) or a modern plaster sculpture teetering upon an old barrister bookcase. Charm, with a wink. Photography by John Bessler

A view of the billowing vegetable gardens.
This is an example of a traditional vegetable garden landscape in Denver.

A gravel path leads the viewer around the south lawn, unfolding changing views at every turn. -Chauncey Freeman
Photo of a large traditional full sun backyard gravel garden path in Other.

We were contacted by a family named Pesek who lived near Memorial Drive on the West side of Houston. They lived in a stately home built in the late 1950’s. Many years back, they had contracted a local pool company to install an old lagoon-style pool, which they had since grown tired of. When they initially called us, they wanted to know if we could build them an outdoor room at the far end of the swimming pool. We scheduled a free consultation at a time convenient to them, and we drove out to their residence to take a look at the property. After a quick survey of the back yard, rear of the home, and the swimming pool, we determined that building an outdoor room as an addition to their existing landscaping design would not bring them the results they expected. The pool was visibly dated with an early “70’s” look, which not only clashed with the late 50’s style of home architecture, but guaranteed an even greater clash with any modern-style outdoor room we constructed. Luckily for the Peseks, we offered an even better landscaping plan than the one they had hoped for. We proposed the construction of a new outdoor room and an entirely new swimming pool. Both of these new structures would be built around the classical geometry of proportional right angles. This would allow a very modern design to compliment an older home, because basic geometric patterns are universal in many architectural designs used throughout history. In this case, both the swimming pool and the outdoor rooms were designed as interrelated quadrilateral forms with proportional right angles that created the illusion of lengthened distance and a sense of Classical elegance. This proved a perfect complement to a house that had originally been built as a symbolic emblem of a simpler, more rugged and absolute era. Though reminiscent of classical design and complimentary to the conservative design of the home, the interior of the outdoor room was ultra-modern in its array of comfort and convenience. The Peseks felt this would be a great place to hold birthday parties for their child. With this new outdoor room, the Peseks could take the party outside at any time of day or night, and at any time of year. We also built the structure to be fully functional as an outdoor kitchen as well as an outdoor entertainment area. There was a smoker, a refrigerator, an ice maker, and a water heater—all intended to eliminate any need to return to the house once the party began. Seating and entertainment systems were also added to provide state of the art fun for adults and children alike. We installed a flat-screen plasma TV, and we wired it for cable. The swimming pool was built between the outdoor room and the rear entrance to the house. We got rid of the old lagoon-pool design which geometrically clashed with the right angles of the house and outdoor room. We then had a completely new pool built, in the shape of a rectangle, with a rather innovative coping design. We showcased the pool with a coping that rose perpendicular to the ground out of the stone patio surface. This reinforced our blend of contemporary look with classical right angles. We saved the client an enormous amount of money on travertine by setting the coping so that it does not overhang with the tile. Because the ground between the house and the outdoor room gradually dropped in grade, we used the natural slope of the ground to create another perpendicular right angle at the end of the pool. Here, we installed a waterfall which spilled over into a heated spa. Although the spa was fed from within itself, it was built to look as though water was coming from within the pool. The ultimate result of all of this is a new sense of visual “ebb and flow,” so to speak. When Mr. Pesek sits in his couch facing his house, the earth appears to rise up first into an illuminated pool which leads the way up the steps to his home. When he sits in his spa facing the other direction, the earth rises up like a doorway to his outdoor room, where he can comfortably relax in the water while he watches TV. For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.

photos by Trina Roberts 949.395.8341 trina@grinphotography.com www.grinphotography.com
Entryway - coastal entryway idea in Orange County with a glass front door

Patio - large mediterranean courtyard tile patio idea in Los Angeles with a pergola and a fireplace