With blue-green tile and nearby tropical dragon tree and philodendron foliage, this sunken hot tub feels like a tranquil natural swimming hole. The design, by Michael Lee Architects and Jones Landscapes, benefits from pale decking, which makes the pool tile appear even darker and more inviting by contrast.
8. Cascading Water in Los Angeles Houzz users were especially taken with the stone waterfall and the grass pattern in the patio around this Los Angeles pool. The pros at Extreme Developers selected a high-quality artificial turf to conserve water and keep the patio low-maintenance. Meanwhile, ficus trees add greenery along the privacy fence.
Cindi had already decided on the cheery yellow (Humble Gold by Sherwin-Williams) for the living room, “but she needed me to help paint the rest of the picture,” LeMaster says. LeMaster took detailed floor measurements and created a floor plan, outlining the sizes of furniture pieces that would pair best with the room’s layout and use. She pulled in the same aqua and coral found in the kitchen accents, making sure they’d work with the existing green fireplace tile. A local wood salvage shop made the custom coffee table. The artwork and fireplace screen are carryovers from the owners’ former home.
The small sitting room off the kitchen was originally the home’s breakfast nook, but now “everyone loves the room so much that that’s where everyone congregates on a nightly basis,” LeMaster says. A local upholsterer re-covered the two vintage chairs. A custom-made ottoman offers a place for feet or a tray for snacks and drinks.
27. Floating double vanities. We’re seeing a rise in popularity of double floating vanities among the Houzz community. And it’s easy to see why. Floating a vanity frees up floor space to give the appearance of more room, and makes cleaning the floor easier than with a furniture-style vanity with legs that can trap dust.
26. Shower ledges. Many designers feel that installing a shower ledge is more straightforward than installing a niche, because a ledge requires only building out a few inches into the shower space instead of carving out space between studs. Run your ledge along the length of your shower stall, as designer Katy Popple did here, and you’ll have tons of space for shower essentials.
23. Tiled bathtub aprons. Tile is a great, affordable material that adds design points to a bathroom, and ordering a few extra square feet of tile likely won’t sink the budget. That’s why we’re seeing many homeowners and designers covering the tub apron in tile or another material, like wood. This results in a big payoff with a minimal investment.
11. Butcher block or other wood countertops. If you’re choosing a countertop material for an island that’s different than your perimeter countertops, consider butcher block or a wood slab. Recent Houzz research reveals that among renovating homeowners who want a contrasting island material, 41% choose butcher block or a wood slab, followed by a distant 28% who choose engineered quartz.
9. Quartzite. As granite continues to decline in popularity, according to recent Houzz research, quartzite seems to be rising. The natural stone is harder than granite and displays infinite variation, meaning no two slabs ever look the same. It’s also super heat-resistant and more scratch-resistant than engineered quartz.
5. Soft-colored kitchens. One word that defines a lot of the palettes of popular kitchens in 2019 is “soft.” In this Boston kitchen by Windhill Builders, soft gray cabinets (Light Pewter by Benjamin Moore) join soft satin-brass fixtures, a light marble backsplash and quartzite countertops for a refreshing look
If there’s one wood that might outshine them all in 2020, it’s walnut. Walnut is such a naturally rich, warm, elegant and inviting wood, which makes it perfect for lively kitchens. Walnut pairs beautifully with whites, grays, blues and brass tones — all popular colors in modern-day kitchens. So it’s no wonder that designers and homeowners like it
Walnut is such a naturally rich, warm, elegant and inviting wood. And that makes it perfect for lively kitchens. Walnut pairs beautifully with whites, grays, blues and brass tones — all popular colors in modern-day kitchens. So it’s no wonder designers and homeowners like it. “We are seeing a shift to walnut as a cabinet wood species,” Denise Morrison of Denise Morrison Interiors says.
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4. Porcelain Now here’s a shower floor that just might have it all. Made with a dense clay body, porcelain tile is durable and waterproof, and lasts for decades. Pros: Porcelain tile is highly versatile. It can survive detergents, scratches and long-term water exposure. It can be finished to have an authentic wood, stone or marble appearance. The best part? It accomplishes all of this without being high-maintenance. Expect to enjoy cleaning it (or the lack of cleaning, rather). Cons: Grout can be a problem. Rectified porcelain can keep grout joints small, but grout will no doubt be there for you to clean. It can get slick if it doesn’t have a textured surface.
Clusters of pink tulips surrounded by a froth of purple, white and antique rose-colored blooms transform this Chicago entry into a spring vignette. The container design by David & Jennifer Hoxsie of Greenhaven Landscapes also includes fragrant purple stock flowers (Matthiola sp.), purple African daisies (Osteospermum sp.), pansies (Viola sp.) and white sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima). Water requirement: Moderate to high Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Yellow flowers look like a ray of sunshine in the garden, even under gray skies. Here, yellow tulips with petals edged in orange pair with low-growing white grape hyacinths (Muscari sp.) for a cheery container display at the Dutch Keukenhof Garden, outside Amsterdam. Water requirement: Moderate to high Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
“We skipped a glass enclosure for the shower and stuck with a traditional shower curtain to keep it very open and flowing,” Jung says. “Additionally, a curtain provides better access to the controls when giving kids a bath.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “We didn’t want to use conventional trims to finish off the edging for the shower tile,” Jung says. “This forced us to think outside the box, and we ended up using wood trim to cap off all the tile, which worked wonderful
The plunge pool in this Chicago backyard designed by dSpace Studio measures 5 feet wide by 14 feet long by 4 feet deep and is heated year-round. A row of UV- and water-resistant plastic globe lights running along the back wall illuminates the terrace at night.
Exterior lines and trim. Windows, too!
56. Note how the sage green tiled baseboard helps to visually meld the built-in tub and the shower in this L.A. bathroom.
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