Our homeowner had dreamt about one day redoing her beyond outdated kitchen since they day her husband carried her over the threshold. Vinyl flooring used for a backsplash, dingy carpeting, laminate with no sheen left to speak of and mismatched cabinetry…. it was time to make it happen. A year’s worth of planning later, her time capsule became one dreamy kitchen. Functionality reigns supreme in this small, but efficient kitchen where every cabinet has a story to tell and a place to store it. Countertop space to the right of the stove was an added necessity for function and safety. The raised snack bar is perfect for day to day meals and the lowered countertop was a must for this petite baker. A new lighting plan includes recessed lights, under-cabinet and accent lights, while new lighting fixtures reflect the client’s sense of style. Dingy brick patterned carpet was removed making way for new hardwood floors toothed in from the dining room. An airy palette gained some weight with the use of larger details; the oversized hood, beefy turned posts, prominent apron front sink and a grouping of tall cabinets on the refrigerator wall. Glass cabinet fronts, shiny beveled subway tile, and granite countertops allow light to dance around the space. Zachary Seib Photography

Luxury living done with energy-efficiency in mind. From the Insulated Concrete Form walls to the solar panels, this home has energy-efficient features at every turn. Luxury abounds with hardwood floors from a tobacco barn, custom cabinets, to vaulted ceilings. The indoor basketball court and golf simulator give family and friends plenty of fun options to explore. This home has it all. Elise Trissel photograph

Photos by Project Focus Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Tampa with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, tile countertops, gray backsplash, subway tile backsplash, black appliances, an island and white countertops

Utility closets are most commonly used to house your practical day-to-day appliances and supplies. Featured in a prefinished maple and white painted oak, this layout is a perfect blend of style and function. transFORM’s bifold hinge decorative doors, fold at the center, taking up less room when opened than conventional style doors. Thanks to a generous amount of shelving, this tall and slim unit allows you to store everyday household items in a smart and organized way. Top shelves provide enough depth to hold your extra towels and bulkier linens. Cleaning supplies are easy to locate and arrange with our pull-out trays. Our sliding chrome basket not only matches the cabinet’s finishes but also serves as a convenient place to store your dirty dusting cloths until laundry day. The space is maximized with smart storage features like an Elite Broom Hook, which is designed to keep long-handled items upright and out of the way. An organized utility closet is essential to keeping things in order during your day-to-day chores. transFORM’s custom closets can provide you with an efficient layout that places everything you need within reach. Photography by Ken Stabile

White kitchen with stainless steel appliances and handcrafted kitchen island in the middle. The dark wood floors are a wonderful contrast to the white cabinets. This home is located in Del Mar, California and was built in 2008 by Smith Brothers. Additional Credits: Architect: Richard Bokal Interior Designer: Doug Dolezal Additional Credits: Architect: Richard Bokal Interior Designer Doug Dolezal

Trendy dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen photo in Denver with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, red cabinets and an island

Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized coastal u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen idea in Tampa with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

This Master Bath recreates the character of the farmhouse while adding all the modern amenities. The slipper tub, the stone hexagon tiles, the painted wainscot, and the natural wood vanities all add texture and detail. Robert Brewster Photography

Troy Thies Photography
Inspiration for a craftsman subway tile powder room remodel in Other with a pedestal sink

Example of a trendy bathroom design in Dallas

Example of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen design in Los Angeles with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface countertops, stainless steel appliances, an island and gray countertops

Kitchen - small contemporary single-wall kitchen idea in New York

Our goal on this project was to create a live-able and open feeling space in a 690 square foot modern farmhouse. We planned for an open feeling space by installing tall windows and doors, utilizing pocket doors and building a vaulted ceiling. An efficient layout with hidden kitchen appliances and a concealed laundry space, built in tv and work desk, carefully selected furniture pieces and a bright and white colour palette combine to make this tiny house feel like a home. We achieved our goal of building a functionally beautiful space where we comfortably host a few friends and spend time together as a family. John McManus

Casey Dunn Photography
Example of a large farmhouse open concept brick floor living room design in Houston with white walls, a standard fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and a concrete fireplace

With the original, unfinished laundry room located in the enclosed porch with plywood subflooring and bare shiplap on the walls, our client was ready for a change. To create a functional size laundry/utility room, Blackline Renovations repurposed part of the enclosed porch and slightly expanded into the original kitchen footprint. With a small space to work with, form and function was paramount. Blackline Renovations’ creative solution involved carefully designing an efficient layout with accessible storage. The laundry room was thus designed with floor-to-ceiling cabinetry and a stacked washer/dryer to provide enough space for a folding station and drying area. The lower cabinet beneath the drying area was even customized to conceal and store a cat litter box. Every square inch was wisely utilized to maximize this small space.

This house was a very small mid-century bungalow with previous additions that resulted in a large but chaotic layout. The owners wanted to convert the house to a super-efficient, and charming Craftsman-style, 6 bedroom home for their large family and work at home. We achieved the space needs by moving a few walls for a more efficient, organized layout, setting up spaces for overlapping uses, and making a small upstairs addition. Every bit of square footage was optimized to meet the goals of the project without making the house huge or adding unnecessary cost. Much thought was given to the entry sequence near the front door. A large flow-through mudroom with storage for each family member, and adjacent laundry, make it easy for children to be taught to keep their things organized and to contribute to household chores. A mail station and central home admin area at the mudroom help keep clutter down at other areas and minimize home management tasks. A garage door near the kitchen gives quick access to bulk items. The existing house had too much view to the street from the living room through large corner windows, and too little entry transition, to the extent that the family did not feel comfortable using the living room much without shades drawn. We raised the window sills and brought the new windows in from the corner of the house, allowing plenty of light while protecting privacy and a sense of enclosure in the living room. We enlarged the front porch to create a more graceful transition from the public to private space. We located the front door so that the circulation from entry into the house would allow for furnishing the living room with a sitting circle that is not intruded upon by people walking through the room. Sight lines through the living spaces were an important consideration in the design. The owners wanted discreet spaces for living room, kitchen, dining and family room, but also wanted the living spaces to feel connected and to be able to easily watch their children. Being able to see the children playing in the yard while getting things done inside the house was also important. While largely working with the existing structure, we opened walls and rearranged the use of spaces to make a series of connected living spaces with long views through them. The character of the remodeled house is a contemporary Craftsman with classic materials and cool, consistent colors. A few arches echo through the house to frame spaces and soften the feeling of the rooms. Photography: Kurt Manley https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/bungalow-expansion/

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

1960s galley eat-in kitchen photo in Austin with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island and orange countertops

Small transitional u-shaped vinyl floor and brown floor kitchen photo in San Francisco with quartz countertops, white backsplash, terra-cotta backsplash, stainless steel appliances, a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, green cabinets and white countertops