In a wooded area of Lafayette, a mid-century home was re-imagined for a graphic designer and kindergarten teacher couple and their three children. A major new design feature is a high ceiling great room that wraps from the front to the back yard, turning a corner at the kitchen and ending at the family room fireplace. This room was designed with a high flat roof to work in conjunction with existing roof forms to create a unified whole, and raise interior ceiling heights from eight to over ten feet. All new lighting and large floor to ceiling Fleetwood aluminum windows expand views of the trees beyond. The existing home was enlarged by 700 square feet with a small exterior addition enlarging the kitchen over an existing deck, and a larger amount by excavating out crawlspace at the garage level to create a new home office with full bath, and separate laundry utility room. The remodeled residence became 3,847 square feet in total area including the garage. Exterior curb appeal was improved with all new Fleetwood windows, stained wood siding and stucco. New steel railing and concrete steps lead up to the front entry. Front and rear yard new landscape design by Huettl Landscape Architecture dramatically alters the site. New planting was added at the front yard with landscape lighting and modern concrete pavers and the rear yard has multiple decks for family gatherings with the focal point a concrete conversation circle with central fire feature. Everything revolves around the corner kitchen, large windows to the backyard, quartz countertops and cabinetry in painted and walnut finishes. The homeowners enjoyed the process of selecting Heath Tile for the kitchen backsplash and white oval tiles at the family room fireplace. Black brick tiles by Fireclay were used on the living room hearth. The kitchen flows into the family room all with views to the beautifully landscaped yards. The primary suite has a built-in window seat with large windows overlooking the garden, walnut cabinetry in a skylit walk-in closet, and a large dramatic skylight bouncing light into the shower. The kid’s bath also has a skylight slot with light angling downward over double sinks. More colorful tile shows up in these spaces, as does a geometric patterned tile in the downstairs office bath shower. The large yard is taken full advantage of with concrete paved walkways, stairs and firepit circle. New retaining walls in the rear yard helped to add more level usable outdoor space, with wood slats to visually blend them into the overall design. The end result is a beautiful transformation of a mid-century home, that both captures the client’s personalities and elevates the house into the modern age.

Lauren Rubinstein
Example of a huge country master black tile and stone tile slate floor bathroom design in Atlanta with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink and granite countertops

Marble-look in porcelain. Achieve the timeless look of a marble bath without the maintenance of real marble with Calacatta Vintage by Vallelunga Cerimiche available through Central States Tile.

ASID Award Winner, Design Ovation 2015, Traditional Living Room - 2nd Place. The focal point of the room is the formal fireplace mantel with French antiqued and gilded finish and matching candle sconces. Fan coral placed in front of the mirror amplify the light ethereal quality of the room. There is a French impressionistic painting to the right of mantel, similar in style to the artist, Renoir. The architectural ceiling detail repeats the linearity of the plantation shutters and vertical stripe draperies. The curved lines of the grand piano anchors the room and these curves are repeated in the adjacent built in hutch, French mirror and chandelier. The ebony stained wood floor compliments the color of the dramatic black piano. Similarly, an antique Persian rug's subtle, faded pattern compliments the textured Sisal rug underneath. Photo Credits - Bill Bolin Photography

Beauty in the Details Project Details Designer: Amy Van Wie Cabinetry: Brookhaven I – Frameless Cabinetry Wood: Maple Finishes: Antique White on Perimeter; Distressed Black Espresso Glaze on Island Door: Perimeter – Edgemont Recessed; Island – Edgemont Raised Countertop: Grey Soapstone Awards 2013 Parade of Homes, Pinnacle Homes-Best Kitchen 2013 NKBA Tri-State Award Columbia Cabinets designed the cabinetry for this stunning home that was featured in the 2013 Parade of Homes and is a multi-award design winner. After the initial meet with the clients and Witt Construction, I began to think about how the space could work. The cabinets were crafted with Edgemont Recessed doors in maple with an antique white finish…a perfect selection for the kitchen’s traditional/coastal design. For countertop, I suggested modern grey soapstone. With a nod to today’s popular trend to mix and match finishes, the island was completed in a black espresso glaze distressed finish with maple Edgemont Raised doors. What really distinguishes this project is the attention to the details. Along the refrigerator wall, the shelf area has lowered seeded mullion glass cabinets and a valance. This created an airy, open look within the space. The bead board accents and corbels throughout the kitchen complete the design.

This custom designed wine cellar/ storage feature elegantly displays the wine collection and IronMan trophies collected by the owners. Photo Credit: StudioQPhoto.com

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional brick wood railing porch remodel in Milwaukee with a roof extension

Pool house - huge transitional courtyard stone and rectangular lap pool house idea in Boston

Bedroom - mid-sized craftsman master dark wood floor and brown floor bedroom idea in Seattle with beige walls and no fireplace

A fresh take on traditional style, this sprawling suburban home draws its occupants together in beautifully, comfortably designed spaces that gather family members for companionship, conversation, and conviviality. At the same time, it adroitly accommodates a crowd, and facilitates large-scale entertaining with ease. This balance of private intimacy and public welcome is the result of Soucie Horner’s deft remodeling of the original floor plan and creation of an all-new wing comprising functional spaces including a mudroom, powder room, laundry room, and home office, along with an exciting, three-room teen suite above. A quietly orchestrated symphony of grayed blues unites this home, from Soucie Horner Collections custom furniture and rugs, to objects, accessories, and decorative exclamationpoints that punctuate the carefully synthesized interiors. A discerning demonstration of family-friendly living at its finest.

1931 Tudor home remodel Architect: Carol Sundstrom, AIA Contractor: Model Remodel Cabinetry: Pete's Cabinet Shop Photography: © Cindy Apple Photography

Example of a trendy bathroom design in Austin

Ron Rosenzweig
Living room - contemporary formal dark wood floor living room idea in Miami with white walls, a stone fireplace and a ribbon fireplace

Photographer, Morgan Sheff
Example of a large transitional u-shaped dark wood floor enclosed kitchen design in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Living room - industrial light wood floor living room idea in DC Metro with a ribbon fireplace and a media wall

Emily J. Followill Photography
Inspiration for a large contemporary l-shaped light wood floor and beige floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Atlanta with shaker cabinets, an island, a single-bowl sink, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, multicolored backsplash, brick backsplash and gray countertops

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   One of my favorite things to work on is older homes with a bit of history because I find it an interesting challenge to marry the historical architectural features of a home with modern design elements that work well for my client’s current lifestyle. This home was particularly fun because it was the second kitchen we had done for this family and was quite a departure from the style of the first kitchen. The before shot of the kitchen shows a view from the family room. See the dropped ceiling? We were curious, was this just part of the design or was the dropped ceiling there to hide mechanicals? Well we soon found out that it was mostly decorative (yay!), and with the exception of a little bit of work to some plumbing from an upstairs bathroom and rerouting of the ventilation system within the original floor joists, we were in the clear, phew! The shot of the completed kitchen from roughly the same vantage point shows how much taller the ceilings are. It makes a huge difference in the feel of the space. Dark and gloomy turned fresh and light! Another serious consideration was what do we do with the skinny transom window above the refrigerator. After much back and forth, we decided to eliminate it and do some open shelving instead. This ended up being one of the nicest areas in the room. I am calling it the “fun zone” because it houses all the barware, wine cubbies and a bar fridge — the perfect little buffet spot for entertaining. It is flanked on either side by pull out pantries that I’m sure will get a ton of use. Since the neighboring room has literally three walls of almost full height windows, the kitchen gets plenty of light. The gold shelving brackets, large pendant fixtures over the island and the tile mural behind the range all pay subtle homage to the home’s prairie style architecture and bring a bit of sparkle to the room. Even though the room is quite large, the work triangle is very tight with the large Subzero fridge, sink and range all nearby for easy maneuvering during meal prep. There is seating for four at the island, and work aisles are generous. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: LOMA Studios For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Photo: Morgan Howarth (shots 1-8, 11)
Elegant u-shaped dark wood floor kitchen photo in DC Metro with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

Inspiration for a contemporary living room remodel in New York