Bathroom - small transitional 3/4 gray tile and stone tile marble floor and white floor bathroom idea in Austin with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, a one-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, white countertops and a hinged shower door

Dawn Smith Photography
Inspiration for a huge transitional carpeted curved metal railing staircase remodel in Cincinnati with carpeted risers

The planning phase of this modern retreat was an intense collaboration that took place over the course of more than two years. While the initial design concept exceeded the clients' expectations, it also exceeded their budget beyond the point of comfort. The next several months were spent modifying the design, in attempts to lower the budget. Ultimately, the decision was made that they would hold off on the project until they could budget for the original design, rather than compromising the vision. About a year later, we repeated that same process, which resulted in the same outcome. After another year-long hiatus, we met once again. We revisited design thoughts, each of us bringing to the table new ideas and options. Each thought simply solidified the fact that the initial vision was absolutely what we all wanted to see come to fruition, and the decision was finally made to move forward. The main challenge of the site was elevation. The Southeast corner of the lot stands 5'6" above the threshold of the rear door, while the Northeast corner dropped a full 2' below the threshold of the door. The backyard was also long and narrow, sloping side-to-side and toward the house. The key to the design concept was to deftly place the project into the slope and utilize the elevation changes, without allowing them to dominate the yard, or overwhelm the senses. The unseen challenge on this project came in the form of hitting every underground issue possible. We had to relocate the sewer main, the gas line, and the electrical service; and since rock was sitting about 6" below the surface, all of these had to be chiseled through many feet of dense rock, adding to our projected timeline and budget. As you enter the space, your first stop is an outdoor living area. Smooth finished concrete, colored to match the 'Leuder' limestone coping, has a subtle saw-cut pattern aligned with the edges of the recessed fire pit. In small spaces, it is important to consider a multi-purpose approach. So, the recessed fire pit has been fitted with an aluminum cover that allows our client to set up tables and chairs for entertaining, right over the top of the fire pit. From here, it;s two steps up to the pool elevation, and the floating 'Leuder' limestone stepper pads that lead across the pool and hide the dam wall of the flush spa. The main retaining wall to the Southeast is a poured concrete wall with an integrated sheer descent waterfall into the spa. To bring in some depth and texture, a 'Brownstone' ledgestone was used to face both the dropped beam on the pool, and the raised beam of the water feature wall. The main water feature is comprised of five custom made stainless steel scuppers, supplied by a dedicated booster pump. Colored concrete stepper pads lead to the 'Ipe' wood deck at the far end of the pool. The placement of this wood deck allowed us to minimize our use of retaining walls on the Northeast end of the yard, since it drops off over three feet below the elevation of the pool beam. One of the most unique features on this project has to be the structure over the dining area. With a unique combination of steel and wood, the clean modern aesthetic of this structure creates a visual stamp in the space that standard structure could not accomplish. 4" steel posts, painted charcoal grey, are set on an angle, 4' into the bedrock, to anchor the structure. Steel I-beams painted in green-yellow color--aptly called "frolic"--act as the base to the hefty cedar rafters of the roof structure, which has a slight pitch toward the rear. A hidden gutter on the back of the roof sends water down a copper rain chain, and into the drainage system. The backdrop for both this dining area , as well as the living area, is the horizontal screen panel, created with alternating sizes of cedar planks, stained to a calm hue of dove grey.

Photography: Werner Straube
Bedroom - mid-sized transitional master bedroom idea in Chicago with gray walls and no fireplace

Bathroom - mid-sized transitional master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile, gray floor and vaulted ceiling bathroom idea in Atlanta with beige walls, an undermount sink and a niche

Inspiration for a small transitional multicolored floor powder room remodel in Chicago with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, green walls, an integrated sink, white countertops and a freestanding vanity

Example of a classic home bar design in Houston

Koch Classic Cabinetry Prairie door style, Full Overlay 5pc drawer fronts Ivory & Charcoal Blue paint
Example of a transitional l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen design in Nashville with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, multicolored backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Photography by: Jamie Padgett
Transitional kitchen photo in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, white cabinets, white backsplash and subway tile backsplash

Dan Cutrona
Dining room - mid-sized coastal dark wood floor dining room idea in Boston with beige walls and no fireplace

Open concept kitchen - large coastal l-shaped light wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface countertops, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Mid-Century update to a home located in NW Portland. The project included a new kitchen with skylights, multi-slide wall doors on both sides of the home, kitchen gathering desk, children's playroom, and opening up living room and dining room ceiling to dramatic vaulted ceilings. The project team included Risa Boyer Architecture. Photos: Josh Partee

Eat-in kitchen - large modern l-shaped porcelain tile and gray floor eat-in kitchen idea in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, an island, white countertops and quartz backsplash

Inspiration for a contemporary guest bedroom remodel in Denver

CBAC
Example of a mid-sized transitional enclosed carpeted living room design in New York with gray walls and no fireplace

Example of a transitional kids' bathroom design in San Francisco with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets and white cabinets

Cedar fence with raised cedar garden beds, container herbs, and custom steel planters with succulents.
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional full sun front yard gravel landscaping in San Diego for summer.

Juxtaposed to warm finishes the minty green brick backsplash gives range to this kitchen range. DESIGN Jessica Davis PHOTOS Emily Followill Photography Tile Shown: Glazed Thin Brick in San Gabriel

Mountain style kids' room photo in Minneapolis