Design ideas for a mid-sized modern partial sun side yard concrete paver walkway in Houston for spring.

Inspiration for a large coastal formal and open concept dark wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in New York with white walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and no tv

wet bar with white marble countertop
Eat-in kitchen - large traditional l-shaped cork floor eat-in kitchen idea in San Francisco with subway tile backsplash, an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, marble countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

Trendy master medium tone wood floor and brown floor bedroom photo in Chicago with white walls and a ribbon fireplace

Photo Credit - Katrina Mojzesz topkatphoto.com Interior Design - Katja van der Loo Papyrus Home Design papyrushomedesign.com Homeowner & Design Director - Sue Walter, subeeskitchen.com

The kitchen, butler’s pantry, and laundry room uses Arbor Mills cabinetry and quartz counter tops. Wide plank flooring is installed to bring in an early world feel. Encaustic tiles and black iron hardware were used throughout. The butler’s pantry has polished brass latches and cup pulls which shine brightly on black painted cabinets. Across from the laundry room the fully custom mudroom wall was built around a salvaged 4” thick seat stained to match the laundry room cabinets.

Photo by Michael Alan Kaskel
Example of a transitional beige tile gray floor bathroom design in New York with a niche

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Seattle

Entrance to this home features ship lap walls & ceilings that are off set with a brilliant blue barn door and abstract ocean theme art. Photography by Patrick Brickman

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

This is a mid-sized galley style laundry room with custom paint grade cabinets. These cabinets feature a beaded inset construction method with a high gloss sheen on the painted finish. We also included a rolling ladder for easy access to upper level storage areas.

The indoor kitchen and dining room lead directly out to the outdoor kitchen and dining space. The screens on the outdoor space allows for the sliding door to remain open.

Design + Photos: Tiffany Weiss Designs
Dedicated laundry room - mid-sized transitional single-wall ceramic tile and multicolored floor dedicated laundry room idea in Minneapolis with white cabinets, quartz countertops, white walls, a side-by-side washer/dryer, white countertops, an undermount sink and shaker cabinets

Christel Leung
Inspiration for a small modern full sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in San Francisco.

Homeowners aimed to bring the lovely outdoors into better view when they removed the two 90's dated columns that divided the kitchen from the family room and eat-in area. They also transformed the range wall when they added two wood encasement windows which frame the custom zinc hood and allow a soft light to penetrate the kitchen. Custom beaded inset cabinetry was designed with a busy family of 5 in mind. A coffee station hides behind the appliance garage, the paper towel holder is partially concealed in a rolling drawer and three custom pullout drawers with soft close hinges hold many items that would otherwise be located on the countertop or under the sink. A 48" Viking gas range took the place of a 30" electric cooktop and a Bosch microwave drawer is now located in the island to make space for the newly added beverage cooler. Due to size and budget constaints, we kept the basic footprint so every space was carefully planned for function and design. The family stayed true to their casual lifestyle with the black honed countertops but added a little bling with the rustic crystal chandelier, crystal prism arched sconces and calcutta gold herringbone backsplash. But the owner's favorite add was the custom island designed as an antique furniture piece with the essenza blue quartzite countertop cut with a demi-bull stepout. The kids can now sit at the ample sized counter and enjoy breakfast or finish homework in the comfortable cherry red swivel chairs which add a pop to the otherwise understated tones. This newly remodeled kitchen checked all the homeowner's desires.

Transitional bathroom photo in Phoenix

Glencoe, IL kitchen remodel has small butler's pantry accommodating a breakfast beverage center and wine storage. Upper cabinets have wire mesh panels. Transitional style white custom kitchen cabinets built in Benvenuti and Stein's Evanston cabinet shop. Norman Sizemore-photographer

Jared Kuzia Photography
Beach style l-shaped dark wood floor kitchen photo in Boston with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, a farmhouse sink, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Laundry closet - small traditional medium tone wood floor laundry closet idea in Chicago with wood countertops and a side-by-side washer/dryer