Becky Harris The old floor made the whole space super dark. I like the way they switched up the floor at the boundary between the different levels of the main living space.

penelopesdreamydesigns : )

patricia beharry --- Sheep manure works for me. It looks like pellets (or beans). therefore easy to work with. It also does not smell too bad. But chicken manure smells to high heaven, and attracts millions of little flies.

Pink Fortitude, LLC Is it just me or did anyone else "virtually pet" Bessie the cow in the first picture?

Stephanie Gutierrez It's only organic if the animals it comes from haven't been given steroids or hormones, beware! These chemicals go straight to the waste and then your plants eat them up and they end up in you.

patricia beharry ------ Ha-ha, I know cats that can get up on that roof easy. Coming to think of it, I know dogs that can get up on the roof easy.

julesharvey I would really like to know what happens in winter. The pictures are stunning, but it would be great to know the whole story on a practical level.

cj12706 This space is great. Nice touches green to break it.

yukispon Honestly, I prefer a smaller, cozy kitchen over a huge kitchen. Cooking at my best friend's house, whose kitchen is enormous, I feel like i ran a marathon by the time the food hits the table. :)

Every inch of this kitchen has a purpose and a personality. Love the cabinets and the countertops!! Great job! Thank you for sharing!

patricia beharry -------- I think you should keep the metal roof. The sound of rain on a metal in the middle of the night is out of this world. Not too good when watching TV though.

Mackin Drafting & Design I love that the wife just let him run with it. I'm sure she appreciates the effort of love on his part.

pattipaints Love it! I have a claw foot tub at my cabin in Montana. It's been a holding bin for my garbage cans for 9 years, but no more! You've inspired me and this summer my tub will be transformed into the outdoor shower I've been longing for!

johnandbrett This is one of the most useful Houzz articles in a long time. The improvements are easy to see -- the before and after pictures are actually of the same thing, which is rather rare. The improvements are also reasonable; they don't rely on quirky, expensive, or unreproducible changes. They can be used in other houses. Thanks Houzz. And more things like this please.

Dana Veach What a clean and focused transformation...like a good painting with no wasted brush strokes. I love the sense of open space and I agree with midmodfan...it's hard to believe this is only 900 square feet. I also like the patio/garden space...and the Papillon on the bed!

penelopesdreamydesigns : )

patricia beharry -------- Did someone say you clean a back splash every day???

deborah7 I love all these kitchens. The major frustration I have with my house is that we could not put a window over the sink, because our kitchen is not on an outside wall. Who can wash dishes without looking outside?? So we decided to "make believe", by putting a vitrage over the sink, which adds light and a pretty and colorful nature scene, albeit fake.

AV Architects + Builders Love the images!! Great way to create indoor/outdoor flow!!

Donald It's supposed to be over the top, it's a show house. No one would pay an entry fee to walk through a beige house filled with furniture from WalMart.

midmodfan I consider these rooms the equivalent of Haute Couture fashion shows. Nobody would wear those highly extravagant clothes either, but they present new ideas, materials and refined techniques.

Almost every room here has a piece or two I like. As a whole, the outdoor space is the only place I'd want to sit down and relax.

patricia beharry I did not think they made rugs to go around the toilet anymore.

selena13 This is such a beautiful home im very jealous

peachy44 A lovely retro house - way cool....I want those kitchen chairs!! I've been searching for a set like these for months. Any chance of selling them ? :)

patricia beharry ----------When I read the headline I smiled. But I have a warped sense of humour...

Mackin Drafting & Design nice choices but the first one rocks!

Storage By Design .ca Men usually get pushed out of the closet. It always starts as 50% but if your like me you end up using the closet downstairs. But many of the new builders in my area have found the solution. His and hers walk-in or reach-ins.

bosox Went from a large Country Kitchen to a single wall Urban kitchen and both work equally well. It's amazing how much space was wasted before though. Thanks again for your ideas.

patricia beharry I like when people feel free to live their lives how they want and not how society thinks they should. I can and have adapted to every lifestyle. Good for them.

jpm1965 Could you tell me the manufacturer of the windows? I am looking for large awning windows. Thanks!

Lee Smith i've wanted to do this a long time for my family.
i wonder are they survivalists

suefulton Is this a model home? Seems matchy matchy - decorated rather than designed for real people.

patricia beharry The counter top is the best.

yukispon @davesmac: doesn't look like live wires to me. Look closely I think it's just the track lighting.

John Reling You are Website all Images Wonderful! and I love Kitchen Rooms!
http://www.perfectpicturelighting.com/antique-brass-lights-for-picture-frames.php

penelopesdreamydesigns : )

patricia beharry --- I hung some inexpensive artwork on my verrandah, the birds and lizards pooped on them.

Vera Kolpakova Sorry to be a party pooper but nothing in this compilation is new or interesting... I also think that artwork should be expanded to include objects beyond paintings.
P.S. chandelier in #1 should be banned from interior design. It is making the bird nervous!

Leisa Rich I made the point about the art work earlier, Vera...I agree with you wholeheartedly. This is another grouping of the same, generic paintings...either abstracts in lovely colors to match the sofa, or photo rendered realism or prints of things that don't enrich one's life. Everything "blends". There is far too much original art out there that is available to continue to showcase the same old stuff- let's get original, and I mean as in creative, here. I ask designers to stop shopping the big art design warehouses and start going to their local art galleries and artist's studios to feature something more enticing.

patricia beharry ----- I smiled when I saw the little chair next to the suitcase. That's how I started out in the 1970s. I even duck taped the fabric on the sofa. Everything is now reupholstered in looks beautiful. Love this space.

snyggt You have a very nice home

Studio NOO Design Beautiful, masculine and not a mess !!! congrats !

docilana Not related to the kitchen but.....why use benches at a dining room table. It's uncomfortable to get in and out of if there is more than one person, and uncomfortable to sit at for a long time. I've seen it fairly often on Houzz and I don't get it.

patricia beharry ------Thanks for letting me into you home to see your well decorated home. Love it.

Natural Home Design I appreciatte Houzz for showing us a home that's creative and eclectic..It reminds me a llittle of my own home except I have more piles. ".designed homes" tend to get so unreal.and so very serious.like does anyone actually live there..or is it just for show!

mugsy1703 Very happy and cheerful. Enjoy your stuff while you are young. As you get older, you realize how big a pain it is to keep it neat and clean every week ... and then you will slowly start to get rid of it all ...

Esther Garabato plumosous is not a fern, is a asparagus, the fern has not flowers a not fruits

patricia beharry -------- I googled PLOMOSOUS, It is called a fern, but some call it an asparagus fern. I am just trying to educate myself, not looking for an argument, and I really just love that 'asparagus-fern'

astraea BJHanlon - If the buyers of your home did extensive renovations, and had to pay a real estate commission, and sold the house again within 2 years, they might not have made any or much profit, for their efforts!

I was watching a show the other day, where 3 couples are moving up/out, 2 into homes of others in the group. The host .. a designer himself .. encouraged them to make negative comments about the previous decor, which I hated! I'd rather just think that my taste is different from theirs, not be disrespectful like that. The only thing I'd be negative about, would be sellers who don't clean or at least maintain what they have, and things are broken/damaged.

I often wonder what the House Hunter experience is like; when I was house hunting for my current home, I looked at more than 100 houses to get what I wanted; it took me 3 years, but I expect to be here for a while!

LB Interiors Yes maybe, if it's a part of the home and another room in itself.

D A D'Souza I found this chandelier in Goodwill. Bought 12V bulbs from Ebay and hung it from a tree in my outdoor space. Chandeliers Everywhere!!!! I'm even taking one camping this year.

sparky8888 i would wear a chandelier if possible!!

kitter Fake is fake. In 5 years these tiles are going to be viewed as dated/tacky, just like an old avocado refrigerator. Buyer beware.

cdg4ahappyhojme Some people like "living" with books, keeping their favorites to read again. I do. Remember when there was always a "library" in homes of the past? I just keep the books I really love and pass on the rest. But to each his/her own. AND I do own a kindle. It helps, but some how just not the same. My book club gals agree. (:

patricia beharry -------- I have regular pane windows and birds sometimes fly into them. Should I just board them up?

gaillwalker The glass entranceway is a very elegant solution for our planned expansion between two parts of a stone mill. The footprint was going to provide too much house. The glass foyer with sliding doors to the back yard could be the answer.

Studio NOO Design Aaah, bloody winter... here in Montreal we can't have one like this ! Thanks for sharing !

penelopesdreamydesigns : )

gknee This article made my day. Here's to never losing your sense of wonder.

patricia beharry ------ Thinking back to the places I lived in as a young woman in NY, this place is a palace. Love it.

dribs I actually think it is the rug the thing that pulls the place together. Its what takes it from being a seemingly unfinished renovation to a relaxing and comfortable home...

Celia Bedilia Cool style! Thank you for sharing!
Celia Bedilia

Kitchen Liberty Japan seems to embody many of the values that "modern design" espouses. On the other hand, I find the oneness with nature & enjoyment of wood, grass, paint, lacquer, metal etc. maybe more at peace with life as we actually live it than much of the dangerously modern over-celebrated work of recent times. When I view Japan's architectural treasures and enduring traditions (tea ceremony, dance, flower arranging, art) it demands my spirit engagement. There is an emptiness or uncluttered wanting that calls for God in Japanese expression. It's like the Japanese refuse to fill every inch of a page because very little, with peace, is necessary. Amen.

patricia beharry ---- Is the Big Chicken still there?

Poggenpohl Atlanta Great timing on this, Becky. I just bought a house in Kirkwood and already put in on my calendar to go on the home tour this weekend. Also, Carroll Street Cafe is a favorite and they have the BEST mussels in the city. Also, I love that you listed Modern Atlanta.

Elena Vega This is so fabulous; it makes me want to visit. Thanks, Becky!

John Hill JKA Design - That house had already been featured on Houzz, so I put the Robie House (arguably as significant as Fallingwater) on this list instead.

patricia beharry ------ Oh Savannah, Savannah. Midnight in the Garden of good and evil--- OH Savannah.

Sue Coldwell Banker Seatuck Cove House in Eastport NY. You'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful place to stay in South Hampton!!
http://www.seatuckcovehouse.com

KSID Studio, LLC The Minnesota Chapter of ASID 2013 Showcase House opened this weekend. The historic Victorian home is part bed and breakfast and part private residence. Tours of the home are open through June 9th. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to design the Parlor and Powder Room on the project.
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/homegarden/207894031.html

patricia beharry ===============Ditto for the pastry mat.

inezcox I prefer a dough board to a pastry mat. Like a seasoned cast iron skillet, it only gets better with use.

rodneyrodriguez 24" inch porcelain tiles with thin epoxy grout lines are coming on strong for counter tops. Less expensive than quartz and porcelain tiles do not need to be sealed like granite. The key is to use the largest tiles possible for fewer grout lines and be sure to use the thinnest grout line possible.

Sierra Jones Even at 9....my kids are outside 90% of their day when not at school. I guess it also reflects I am a NO technology kind of parent. No email accounts, ipads, ipods, tv in rooms, minimal internet use for school or reasearch, no gross or violent video games, and I will withold buying a cell phone for my oldest as long as possible...
I find with a lot of my friends kids that their kids spend a lot of time on game devices, watching tv and playing video games which is what they spend the most time in their room doing. Even when my kids do any of these activities, they have controlled usage and they are in our family room, not their bedroom.

patricia beharry ------------- As for the children, Start early, not when they are teenagers,. Then it is too late. Bottom line is, with the children, Bill Cosby said it right. This is MY house. Do not trash My house. Have some respect for my home. While the teens were getting their beauty sleep, I was putting in some long hours on the night shift to pay for it. There, I vented.

Bruce Hansen This article is uncanny in its similarity to my life...

calkelley wow - some strong issues generated here. I guess I should go kiss my hubby...
Wanda Sykes does a funny skit in her first show on netflix (I guess before she came out) about being an adult and getting married and wanting to do that living 'together but separately' So when hubby comes home and says what's for dinner (3 words that should be banned!), she says - what are you going to cook, I already ate.
I guess the real lesson is teaching your kids, esp your boys that they should be responsible for themselves and their actions (ie, sandy towel on the floor). Not a bad life lesson anyway.

ruthmand Great ideas as islands do utilize that open area in the kitchen and you are so correct in pointing out that 36" between island and counters is a very bare minimum, 40" or more are optimal especially when you have to consider the opening of appliance doors, i.e. fridge, D/W, oven etc., and pulling things out. I do question the practicality of your first example as that seems like quite a long island to dance around when taking a boiling pot of pasta off the stove and to the sink for draining.

earthroamer21 I don't really understand the fascination with islands. If you're lacking prep space, then I am sure it's great. But we have an island and I find I am always circling it as I work in the kitchen. It's annoying. I'd much rather do my prep on a 3' stretch of open counterspace. I would love to remodel and remove it. That said, the islands in these photos are absolutely gorgeous. My favorite is the John Dancey.

Sierra Jones Agree with other commenters. And lol @ that tiny cicle island (3rd photo). Are you serious? I would forever be bumping into the thing. It looks like an annoying person standing in your way while you're trying to cook. And what are you preping on that? It would barely hold a pot.